People say that they can't run away from their problems. Well yeah, they just weren't running fast enough.
Rusty’s cheeks flashed a light shade of pink as she laughed, but instead of getting upset, he laughed a little as well. “Mhmm, I meant to do it though.” He teased, still laughing a little. If it were any other person, he’d probably get mad. But strangely, it would take a lot for him to be mad at Delly. And it was sort of funny, so she had a reason to laugh.
“Well, I know that Indians made canoes out of hollow logs. It’s time consuming, and probably pretty tricky, but I’d volunteer to help build one. If we have enough people working on it, then we’d have it done rather quickly. I dunno, maybe Boo can offer his advice for the situation.” Rusty shrugged, still keeping his voice low. “Well, if there are no sea monsters, then our plan could very well work. I’m sure it’s full of flaws, but that’s okay. We can sort those out later.”
Delly’s eyebrows knitted together at his explanation. He was either crazy or lying. “You meant to run into the tree? Why?” she asked for an explanation. Just to see what craziness he would come up with.
“Well we’re gonna be here a long time we might as well put ourselves to use, right? But we’d have to all work together and we’d have to make more than one because it would sink with too many people in it. The Indians didn’t use their canoes in the ocean though, you think it would be able to travel that far?” It was a pretty good idea, in her opinion, but she didn’t want to get half way out in the ocean and then the canoe start to give away. Then again, they didn’t know how to navigate themselves in the ocean. She didn’t think anyone else knew how to either.
“Yeah, it has potential. We’re going to have to think it out more though and tell the others. See what their opinion is and all. And if they don’t like the idea then we could always do it ourselves.”
He noticed the bitter sarcasm in the tone of her voice and took it in, sharing the same disdain. Looking around at the vast ocean air, he absorbed the empty surroundings, filled with nothing but water, sand, and miscellaneous crap. “I’m not exactly sure what my type is,” he admitted, rubbing his mouth together thoughtfully.
“Then I’m guessing you’re not one of those girls who like to cook then. Alright, alright, I respect that.” He held a fist over his heart, nodding slowly. It wasn’t like knowing how to cook was really going to help them then.
“A lot of looting happen around here?” Ace questioned dubiously, turning his head to face her. He wasn’t planning to take anyone’s things, but he supposed other people didn’t exactly share his way of thinking. It was survival of the fittest, after all. Every man for himself. And not many people had a lot of things to get by, so stealing was probably the route the islanders chose to take. But he wasn’t that type of person.
He saw her face scrunch up, obviously famished from the long walk. “I’m sorry. To make up for it, I’ll try to catch you an extra fish,” he offered emphatically.
“Not everyone has a type. Some people just, y’know go with whatever they can get.” Delly never had to cook, maybe thats why she didn’t know how. Her mother always cooked a four course meal every night and she didn’t want Delly to help her. She would just get in the way and mess everything up. “I don’t know how to cook or maybe I would,” she explained with a small shrug. The only things she knew how to cook were microwaveable or frozen pizza. They unfortunately didn’t have those here.
“I haven’t seen it happen, but I’m sure it does. It wouldn’t be a wise idea.” She could imagine all the hell the person would’ve went through to get food. Then to just have someone come and steal it. She’d be pissed. The outcome surely wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Delly shot him an unsatisfied look and asked, “Can you cook it too?”
Rusty sighed a little out of frustration, hearing about not being as strong as the Wild Things. Well, let’s hope we won’t have to fight them, then. He thought, before wiping his nose on his sleep. A bloody nose was no big deal, except for the fact that the smell of blood could attract an animal. But he didn’t want to think about that. He’d be fine. His left eyebrow raised in question as she as what happened. “I’m an idiot, dear. That’s all. I just sorta ran into a tree. No biggie, I’m totally fine.” He nodded, and shrugged; he’d broken his nose a dozen times before, and he didn’t even think it was broken this time. Just bruised.
“If they can do it, we can do it… It can’t be that hard to get away from here. Are there like… monsters in the ocean too that could prevent us from getting too far? If that’s the case, then escaping may be a little harder than I thought…” Rusty bit his lower lip, trying to think of a way they could’ve left. But, it was quite possible that they were roasted on spits by the Wild Things, too. The chances they really escaped were probably slim.
Delly felt bad, she shouldn’t have laughed when she found out what happened. But she did and she couldn’t help herself. “Oh nice one.” She was going to ask if he was okay again but he insisted that he was fine so she didn’t ask again.
“Well how would be though? It’s not like we have a boat or something to get off of here or a plane..” That was one of the things that stunned her. How exactly did they get on this island with out either of those, but can’t get off without one? Maybe it wasn’t exactly an island. Maybe they only thought that. If they looked a little deeper into things they may just be on a beach somewhere. Or Delly just made this all up in her head and she never met any of these people. And in the morning she would wake up in her bed, at home. But that was just wishful dreaming. “Not any monsters that I’ve heard of,” she replied.
“Eh, we will. We’re strong.” Rusty smiled at her, though was unsure if she could see it as it was pretty dark. His hands were out in front of him so if he did fall, he didn’t fall on his face… hopefully. How embarrassing. Leaves and twigs snapped under his shoes, and he cringed everything they did. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself or Delly. The last thing he wanted was for Delly to get hurt for something he did. That would be horrible.
He gulped nervously as she told him about the people who disappeared. Bullshit.. I betcha they got eaten, or fell in a crevice or something. He thought, frowning just a bit. What if they went missing? That would certainly make everything worse. So much worse. “Well, I think tha-” In the middle of speaking, he obviously wasn’t paying attention because he ran right smack into a tree. “Well shit.” He muttered, staggering back from the big tree that had proved to be a lot stronger than it looked. He brought a hand up to cover his nose, fearing that it was bleeding. It was, but just a little. He hoped Delly hadn’t seen his fail, so he kept walking as if nothing happened. But his nose hurt like hell, and he was once again, embarrassing. “As I was saying, I’d like to think that they got off the island…”
“Not as strong as the Wild Things,” she mumbled. Turning away from him when she said it. It would probably just freak him out more. It seemed like every time she mentioned them his anxiety grew. The wild things weren’t too bad though, the ones she met at least. Who knows how many there were or what they acted like. Heck, who knows what other type of creatures were roaming these woods late at night.
Delly was waiting to hear Rusty’s opinion on it. Then he quit talking mid sentence. ‘Well shit’ she heard him say. “Are you okay Rusty?” she said walking slowly in the direction she heard it from. Being careful because whatever he tripped or ran into might be in her may and she may repeat what he had just done. “What happened?” asking, once she finally was beside him. Delly could see the outline of his head. He must have been okay because within seconds he was up again. “I hope they got off the island too. I wish they would have took me with them though,” she sighed. Not sure how they would have got off it though, unless they like found a way to build a boat or something.
Rusty nearly chickened out when she said she didn’t have a pocket knife. However, he kept walking. “Alright, that’s fine..” He thought about the flashlight dilemma. “Hmm, I dunno if we should use it. It could attract attention. But, there is always the possibility of tripping without it.” He thought about it, before shrugging. Tripping was better than getting mauled by an animal. He was careful to pick up his feet, so he didn’t trip and really hurt himself. He was a klutz. He didn’t know how many times he’d fallen with food in the restaurant. He always felt so guilty… What a waste of perfectly good food.
“Have there been reports of animal attacks around here? I mean, if the animals were going to attack, don’t you think they would’ve attacked at least one person by now?” Rusty kept his voice low as they entered the forest; it was important to be quiet. Who knew what kind of strange animals crawled around. What if they were like aliens? How scary would that be? With mutations and what not. Ugh. The thought repulsed him.
Delly let out a small sigh and held up her crossed fingers. “Well lets pray we both come out in one piece.” She was almost ninety-nine percent sure they would too. She had been in these woods many times before, but then again never this late at night. Usually during the day is when she went. For a couple reasons, one she didn’t need a flashlight because the sun was shining, it would also save her battery power. Which is a pro of not using it now, so when a time she really needed it she would have it. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any roots that were growing up out of the ground that they could trip over.
“Well, not really. Not since I’ve been here or heard of. A couple people went missing though. But they may have found another spot on the other side of the island or gotten off some how,” she explained, being totally unsure of herself. Biting down on her bottom lip after she was done explaining. She knew Rusty was scared and she felt bad, he didn’t have to come with her. Delly didn’t even know why she sparked the sudden interest of wanting to explore this late. They might have been scared now but it might turn out to be really fun, somehow.
“I’m calm, I’m calm.” He mumbled, running a hand through his already extremely messy hair. Rusty sighed and stood up, shooting her a partial glare. “I don’t need to have a heart attack right here on the beach, thank you very much.” He smirked a little, before shaking his head. “Even though that was extremely mean, I still think you’re cool.” He nooded, and stretched a little before his expression changed to one of worry. “You’ve got a pocket knife or something, right? We can’t go in there without a weapon..” He muttered, biting his lower lip nervously. What would they do without defense?
Rusty figured that he’d have to man up to protect them both, so he stood up straight, and turned toward the darkness covered treeline. “Onward march, cadet. Let’s go before it get’s any darker.” He flashed her a smile, though it was fake, before starting toward the woods. He didn’t walk too fast, in fact, he wanted Delly to walk in front of him. That way he’d get the brunt of whatever may decide to sneak up on them. And he could keep an eye on her so she didn’t try and pull any pranks on him like she already did.
“I can’t tell,” she said in a sarcastic tone, smirking at him a little bit. He was just over exaggerating. She wouldn’t have gave him a heart attack, unless he was like one of those people with a heart condition. Now she felt bad, what if he had a heart condition. What if she would have killed him? “Hey thanks, I think you’re cool too even though you scream like a girl,” Delly teased. Pulling the backpack off of her shoulder when he asked if she had a pocket knife. She didn’t think she had one but surely she had something else to use as an equivalent. “Umm, I have a bottle opener and, uh razor.” Not that they’d do much work if needed to use against someone or something.
At his words Delly gave him an army salute and began to walk towards the woods. “I have flashlight, should we use it or do you think it will cause some animal to attack us?” she asked him curiously. If they used it they could see where they were going and avoid getting hurt or attacked. But with it, well, they could get attacked. Either way they could get attacked by something. It was a scary thought.
“There’s nothing sexier than stabbing fish with a spear, babe,” he jested, his lips parting to a rougish grin. He was grateful for the playful banter they shared, after dealing with the stress of the trouble of island. “You only live once!” He watched as she spun around and offered him a serious expression. He was pleased with her light-hearted sense of humor, his brow presenting a satisfied arch. “There’s something I can cross off my bucket list.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t bring some oregano spices?” he gaped in a mimic-shocked manner, giving her a look of concern. Of course he hadn’t expected for anyone to have anything on the island. It was the last place anyone had thought to be. Himself included.
“The ways of this island, I must clarify.” He bestowed a studious glance, looking at her as she let out a small sigh. His directional view turned upward at the sunny sky, soaking in the heat of the rays. It was quite hot in Arizona, so he was used to the extreme climate, but it didn’t mean he was particularly fond of it. “Lays on the side, bottle of Coke with the top off and a bendy straw, not bended.” He licked his lips ravenously, indicating his increasing hunger.
“Can’t imagine anything sexier,” she said sarcastically, “Especially around here.” Couldn’t actually be too sexy without soap. And they didn’t exactly have a huge supply of it, if any. “I’m guessing you like the outdoorsy type girls?” she questioned, finally taking a seat on the sand close to the water.
“I don’t think I even know what oregano is,” she admitted. Right now she would do anything to have a home cooked meal, McDonald’s even.
“Well I already said don’t eat the fruits and the thing about going into the woods to far. Hmm. What else. Oh! You probably shouldn’t steal anyone else’s food. That wouldn’t be the best idea,” she explained. Delly looked up, thinking of anymore advice she could have for him. As if looking up helped things pop into your brain. “Ahh stop it, your making me hungry,” she demanded, feeling her stomach grumble.
Rusty stared out into the open sky, the stars twinkling in the night. He smiled a little, finding it a little comforting. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his chin on them, enjoying the silence. Delly was supposed to come and get him when she was ready to go. What if she had forgotten? That would suck… But he’d probably get over it pretty quickly. He really liked Delly, she was super cool. And she made the time here just a little more enjoyable.
He smiled a little, before nearly pissing his pants. “HOLY SHIT. DELLY. ARE YOU CRAZY?!” Rusty screamed, flailing about like a little girl. He quickly composed himself, and cleared his throat. His face was red, as were the tips of his slightly pointed ears. Because of his accent and ears, he used to be referred to as a leperachaun. But he didn’t mind; it was all in good fun. Especially because all the people who called him that probably were called the same things. He scratched the back of his neck, before pouting a little. “I almost peed my pants…” He whined, frowning still.
Automatically after he started yelling she started laughing uncontrollably. “I may have been told that once or twice,” she said in between laughs. This little prank had turned out better than she expected. He may even have woken someone up with his yells, if anyone was asleep then. “That would have been great!” she exclaimed, holding her chest as she tried to catch her breath from laughing. It might have been great for her but not so much for him. Who knows, those could have been the only pants he brought with him.
“Alright, once you get calmed down we can head to the woods,” she explained. She had already calmed down herself so she just had to wait for him to be. Now that she scared him she wouldn’t doubt that he’d be kinda jumpy once they got into the dark woods. Especially since that is where the Wild Things were.
Delly grabbed her thin jacket out of the small backpack she brought with her. Slipping it on and then grabbing the backpack off the ground and throwing it over on shoulder. If she didn’t take it with her it might not be there when she got back. As for her other things, well she had them well hidden. She trusted mostly everyone on this island but desperate times call for desperate measures. And she rather be safe than sorry.
She had promised to get Rusty before venturing into the woods. Though she could barely see where she was going. Thank god she brought a flashlight. “Rus-,” she began to call out, but then she had an idea. Shutting her flashlight off, managing to walk without falling, looking for the certain blonde haired boy. She was going to play a trick on him.
Down on the beach she saw him sitting there. Her steps began to get quieter so that he wouldn’t hear here coming. Just when she got right up behind him she yelled “GRR! I’M A WILD THING!”
He was beginning to enjoy the slight surliness of her manner, taking pleasure in how he could tease her so easily. “I’m trying to rope you into a challenge. What do you say? We can go fish-hunting together. How romantic would it be?” A gratifying chuckle escaped his lips as he glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. She seemed like the type to recognize a joke when she heard one.
“I’m not a great cook, per se, but if I suppose if you have the right ingredients, I can whip up something real fast.” Of course, he was merely making a witty remark, proof of which laid in the burnt steak he had tried to bake a year ago for his mom’s birthday. He wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of fish, but he had to adjust. The island was his home now and it wasn’t like it was stocked with ice cream and Oreos. Ace wasn’t the type to be prone to change though. In fact, he hated it. Sure, he loved making new friends. But new houses and new cities, he wasn’t so apt.
“Well, you’re going to have to teach the ways of the world then. You didn’t mention a catching device before. I might have a switchblade stacked away, but that’s only going to help with so much.” He suggested, shrugging considerably. “While you’re in there, maybe you could grab some salt and pepper? Variety is the spice of life.” He couldn’t help but smile at his own lame joke.
“Doesn’t seem like much of a challenge,” Delly commented. With a nod she continued on answering him. “Oh yeah, thats really romantic. Bonding over fish and all,” she said, finally taking a chance to look back at him, laughing as she did. “Maybe some sex on the beach too,” she added in for her own amusement. But she didn’t want him to take her seriously so before she turned around to continue walking she said “I’m totally kidding about the last part.”
“Well we don’t have much to work with out here.” It wasn’t like anyone thought they’d end up on this island, any island at that. So why bother packing supplies for survival on one? Delly thought she would be in a civilized town, change her name, get a place and be good to go. Never once did she consider what would happen if she ended up her. How she got here was still beyond her.
“Define ways of the world,” she demanded. Finally hitting the beach. Letting out a faint sigh as the sunlight reflected off her skin. Luckily she quit getting sun burnt when she was a child. “Oh sure, totally. Would you like a Coke too? A beer maybe? Or some chips?”
