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The sun light, peeking through the leaves, of our shelter, was what woke me. I could still feel the piercing pain radiating through my head, but it was much more tolerable than it has been the past couple days. Because of a head injury, I’m very prone to severe migraines…especially if I go without sleep or food…or if I’m exposed to the sun too long. Since we’ve gone a few days enduring all of the above, it’s pretty safe to say I’ve had the worst migraine imaginable.

Judging by the fact that it’s morning…that I don’t remember anything after working on the shelter…and I’m squished between AJ and Resa, in said shelter…I’m going to say it’s a safe assumption that I passed out last night. It’s not even technically passing out…I just fall asleep really…really easily. My brain just kind of shuts down by itself, sometimes…partly because of the migraines and partly because of my borderline narcolepsy. But if you don’t know me, or my issues, very well it would seem as if I fainted or something. Enough about my issues, though…we don’t need to get too detailed about them or we’ll be here for decades…I’m one messed up chick, let me tell ya!

Since I unintentionally, bailed on the group, last night, I figured it would be good for me to get up and work on something, for food. Sitting up, I look around to survey my surroundings better and I come to realize that there are just four, of us, now. I can’t believe the others actually left, in the middle of the night. Everyone knows that you’re supposed to stay in one spot, as long as you can, to wait for rescue. If you wander off, you could get yourself even more lost and reduce your chances of being found. Oh well…there’s no use in wasting precious energy, worrying about them…they made their choice.

Carefully maneuvering over AJ’s sleeping body, so that I don’t hurt or wake him, I crawl out of the shelter and into the daylight. A quick glance around our little camp site, I can tell a few things, right away…

1…it rained last night.

2…someone was able to find a few coconuts and plantains, for food.

3…all but two of those plantains are gone.

4…a couple coconuts are mutilated from the others trying to break them open.

5…it rained A LOT last night.

6…there is quite a bit of debris washed up, down on the shore line.

7…did I mention that it rained? Because it did. A LOT.

8…the fire is completely…and totally…out.

Now the question was…where do I start? Hm. Everyone else seemed pretty dead, to the world, at the moment. I should have plenty of time to gather up some of the debris…who knows what could be washed up and anything would prove useful, right about now.

Picking up a coconut, I walked a short distance to a broken tree. The stump had pointed section, just sharp enough, to husk the coconut. “Now…let’s see if I can remember how to properly do this...whack…wiggle…pry…” I mumbled to myself…something I do a little too often…as I whacked the coconut against the pointed edge. Careful not to hurt myself, I wiggled the coconut onto the edge and used the leverage to pry the husk up.

After a good ten minutes, or so, of husking it, I was able to stab a stick through one of the ‘eyes’ on the end of it and drink the milk. Coconut milk is kinda like nature’s Gatorade…it will not only hydrate you but it provides protein, fat, and…uh…other vitamins. I’m not sure all of what it has, but I do remember that it’s really good for you. The coconut meat is pretty darn good too, but I’d save that for later. For now, the milk would provide enough energy to get a few things done.

After husking a few more coconuts, for the others, I headed down the shore a bit, to gather up whatever I could find. There wasn’t really anything super helpful, but I did find a few articles of torn clothing, a rather dull pocket knife, another deflated life raft, a few shoes that didn’t even match, an old tin can, a zip lock baggie of bobby hair pins, two combs with most of the teeth missing, some shells, and ironically…half of a broken Backstreet Boys CD. There was more trash and stuff further on down the beach, but that could be investigated later. I’m quite positive that there will be a lot of ‘treasure hunts’ in our future.

“There you are. Where the hell have you been?!?” Great…I had expected AJ to be in a better mood, but he was already giving me attitude. What was with him, anyways? Other than arguing with him a bit, I haven’t actually done anything to make him hate me. But there must be some reason that he openly didn’t like me. And why…oh why…had I previously claimed him as my favorite Boy, in the group? Screw it…I’m switching to Nick.

“Instead of waking everyone, I wandered down the beach a little and picked up some crap I found washed up on the sand. Did you sleep well? There are some coconuts husked…you should drink up.” Grabbing one of them, I poked a hole in one of the ‘eyes’, just like before, and handed it to him.

“I slept on the hard ground…in my wet jeans…squished up beside you…” There was that wonderful, attitude, of his…again. Was he like this all the time? Or was it really just me that he didn’t like? “…I slept just fuckin’ peachy. And thanks mommy…my stomach is twisted up in fuckin’ knots, but the thought of eating never even crossed my damn mind.”

“Is sarcasm just a part of a complete breakfast, for you…or do you make it a part of every meal?” I turned, with a huff, just as Howie and Resa appeared from out of the shelter. “Holy crap Howie! What happened to your eye?!? That’s a real shiner, you got there!”

“HA! You missed a hell of a night, last night cu…Kris.” Aj’s voice has suddenly turned chipper, and he was trying…unsuccessfully…to hold back his laughter. Talk about a drastic change in attitude. “D threw a coconut against a tree…”

“Yeah…yeah…it rebounded and got me in the eye. It’s not really that funny, AJ.” Now that I’m taking a good look…Howie’s pretty cute with his brows all wrinkled, like that…just don’t tell Resa that I thought that. Ha!

“Fuck yeah, it is…it was a gut buster, man.”

“Shut up.”

“Don’t start fighting, you two.” And there we have Resa’s new motto…or catch phrase…or whatever. I think she’s said it like…fifty times since the cruise ship went down…but only twice since we’ve set foot on land...so maybe there’s hope for this group, after all. Although I wouldn’t count on that…not with Mr. Attitude McLean and his sarcasm.

“You threw…the coconut…at a…tree?” Lifting my brow, I tilted my head and stared at Howie…basically, I was looking at him like he was a nutcase. Forgive me if it sounded really dumb…I mean…who, the heck, would think throwing it at a tree would help?

“That’s what we said. See…he grabbed the damn coconut…” Oh great…now AJ was acting like I was the stupid one. And his bad attitude was back…so much for the chipper AJ. He stood up, grabbing one of the un-husked coconuts and walked over toward a large tree. “…he stood like he was pitching in a fuckin’ baseball game…” Oh this was going to be good. Aj was actually reenacting what happened…putting his right foot behind his left, holding the coconut in his right hand as he brought it back, like one would do with a baseball. “…then the idiot pitched the coconut…at the tree…like this…” Yup…there went the coconut, flying through the air, hurling toward the tree. Crossing my arms over my chest, and sticking my hip out, I stood there with a very amused look on my face until…

*SMACK*

“SON OF A FUCKING BITCH…DAMN SHIT FUCKING HIT MY DAMN EYE…MOTHER FUCKER! OW! DAMN IT!” The grown man clutched his right eye as his knees buckled, sending him into the sand.

“Now who’s the idiot?” There was no way I was helping him. This was his own fault. A moment ago, I was wondering who the hell would try opening a coconut by throwing it at a tree; but now I was forced to wonder… “Who the hell would DEMONSTRATE how the events unfolded? Honestly?!? Purposely throwing a coconut…at a tree…knowing what already happened to Howie? This isn’t an episode of ‘Jack Ass’!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP! OH GOD…DAMN IT…MY FUCKIN’ EYE!” Oh for heaven sake…I can’t help it…I’m naturally the caring, motherly type. Perhaps it’s just a habit…ever since I got into the culinary world, and at almost every place I’ve worked…I’ve been the only female on the kitchen crew, so I always had to play the nurse and tend to their wounds, when the men did something stupid and hurt themselves. It’s actually kind of funny because, under normal circumstances, the sight of blood makes me nauseous and even makes me faint; but yet when someone cuts off the tip of their finger or burns their skin off…I can take care of it. See? I told you I was a messed up chick.

“Oh come here, you big baby. Let me see it.” Kneeling beside him, in the sand, I tried to move his hand away. I’m sure it would just end up a black eye that matched Howie’s, but there’s always that possibility of the injury being much worse, so it had to be checked out.

“He won’t let you. He’s stubborn and likes trying to maintain his ‘bad boy’ image.” Howie had a laugh, in his voice, as he and Resa worked together on getting the fire started back up.

“I don’t need any fuckin’ help. Like there’s a damn thing you can fuckin’ do about it?” He gave me a scowl, keeping the injured eye covered with his hand. Flopping backwards, he fell off his knees to lie back in the sand.

This was completely ridiculous. “Wow. For such a bad ass attitude…it doesn’t take much to bring you to your knees, huh? Quit being a baby and let me look at it, already.”

“Bite me.”

“I don’t see how biting you is gonna help…but okay…”