Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island (Book II of The Hazy Souls)

  Chapter 14

  Gulls and Driftwood

  Maren felt her ears pop. Then she heard the sound of waves crashing. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself sprawled out in the sand. To her left, she saw Jeremy hunched over a pile of twigs, picking one up and dropping it again back on the pile. "Jeremy," she called weakly.

  Jeremy walked over to her, his face full of shame. His hair was messed up, but not on purpose. "I don't know, Maren," was all he said. He turned back to the twigs and continued to play with them.

  This is good, thought Maren. I'm alive. She sat up and felt a dull pain in her leg. She held her breath, trying to pry her wrap-around gladiator shoe from off her foot. No blood, she released her breath. She stretched her foot out and decided she'd just landed on it funny, not that she knew how she got here. "Frisky?" Maren looked around her. "Tina!" She dusted some sand off of her and walked over to Tina. "You're okay!" She smiled and took Tina's hand, lifting her up.

  They were on a savage-looking beach littered with gulls and driftwood. The sand was coarse and motley, and the water was baby blue and translucent. The color was deceptive, however, because not far from the shore they could see the dark shapes of hammerheads and barracudas gliding below the surface. Beyond the horizon was water and more water. Behind them was a jungle thick with vines and big-leaved vegetation and chattering birds. By the looks of it, they were alone.

  "I don't know what's going on," said Tina as she stared out at the ocean.

  "There's Mitch and Frisky over there." Maren ran over to Mitch and Frisky and clasped their hands in relief. "We're okay, see? Jeremy must have―" She cut herself short. Even though she wanted to celebrate, she knew for the rest of her friends, save Jeremy, mysteriously abandoning a plane hurtling towards the ocean at over five-hundred miles per hour was reason enough for anyone to have a breakdown, acid or not.

  An hour later and Jeremy and Tina could interact with the rest of them.

  After the party had found a little cove fed by a stream of fresh water, Mitch sat down and took a notepad out of his pocket, which was stiff with dried sea water. "Space pen," he said, producing a small black pen from his jeans. "Built to withstand plane crashes." He smiled at Maren. "Okay, so let's record everything we remember."

  Frisky chewed her fake nails off and then pulled her hair up into a messy bun. "I still don't understand how we're still alive. If we were thrown from the plane―"

  "I grabbed a parachute," said Jeremy, lowering himself to the forest floor. "Everyone had passed out except for me and Maren."

  "Yeah," said Maren.

  "Oh," said Frisky, narrowing her eyes. "And you're just telling us this now?"

  "I was in shock, I guess."

  Tina pulled her leopard print see-through shirt down over her knees and rocked back and forth on a stone beside the stream. "If the parachutes landed here, then maybe we can get to the plane. I can radio for help."

  "Yeah," said Jeremy dully. He had no idea where the plane landed; he only had the memory of pulling everyone through to the Haze and quickly bringing them back out on this island. "We're lucky I found land."

  Tina, Mitch, and Frisky glared at Jeremy. He had almost killed them.

  "Jeremy," said Mitch shaking his head. "I don't care how you got us here, though I'm glad you did. But what in God's name were you doing in the first place? You almost killed us all you loony bastard!" He was standing now to his full height, his chest puffed out and his head held high.

  Jeremy looked up at him and laughed. Maren grabbed him by the arm.

  "Excuse me," said Maren, pulling Jeremy up. "I'm just going to have a word with Jeremy."

  Mitch was rocking back and forth on the balls of his sneakers like a boxer and Tina and Frisky were trying to pacify him.

  Maren and Jeremy moved deep into the jungle, and when finally Maren stopped walking, Jeremy froze and braced himself.

  "Jeremy."

  "Yes?" he said, his eyes still closed, waiting for the slap.

  "I'm not going to hurt you."

  Jeremy stood still for a while and blinked. "Really? But I want you to because I've earned it."

  "That's true," Maren looked away. Something in the jungle had moved. "But you don't learn by force. You're not that kind of a beast."

  "But I am a beast?"

  "I don't want to fight anymore."

  Jeremy wrapped his arms around Maren and rested his head on top of hers. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, breathing in her hair.

  "I know."

  By the time Jeremy and Maren had rejoined the party, Tina was frantically running around on the beach. She was sliding around on the sand, occasionally lifting her arms to the bright morning sky and twirling.

  "She's making a sign in the sand," said Mitch when Maren gave him a puzzled look.

  "What about the radio on the plane?" Jeremy grabbed Maren's hand and pulled it to his mouth. He kissed it and then intertwined his fingers with hers. Maren blushed and freed herself.

  "Yes," began Mitch, slitting his eyes at Jeremy. "Well Frisky's climbing that mountain over there to get a better look to see if she can spot the wreckage."

  "And what are you doing?" Jeremy kicked up a little sand with his foot.

  "Waiting for you two to come back."

  "You'd have been more useful dancing with Frisky, although you're not really dressed for the occasion," said Jeremy while gesturing towards Mitch's shoes.

  Mitch crossed his arms. "Maren, can I have a word with you?"

  Jeremy raised his eyebrows. "Maren's confidence is quite in demand these days." He flashed his pearly whites and then skipped back into the jungle.

  Mitch and Maren walked in the opposite direction into the foliage. "Be honest with me, Maren," said Mitch, holding up a palm olive leaf so Maren could pass under. "Who is this guy? Where'd he come from?"

  Maren could see the sadness in his eyes and it broke her heart. "I told you already, he's a childhood friend."

  "And are you... with him?"

  "No." Maren could hear the words, but they sounded distant coming from her mouth. "I don't know what he wants."

  "Let's sit here." Mitch gestured to a fallen tree trunk covered in moss. "I care a lot about you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

  Maren gave her head a little shake as she took a seat. "What makes you say that?"

  "I just have a feeling that this guy has an agenda. If I weren't in the picture..." Mitch's voice trailed off and he stopped abruptly. He turned to Maren and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, Maren. These last couple of months have been hell. This guy shows up, and I get the feeling that if he didn't see how much I cared about you, he'd have preyed on some other girl at the party. But no, he sees you as somebody he can compete for, and suddenly, you're the prize."

  Maren frowned. "No, I don't think so Mitch, not anymore."

  "He's a spoiled brat, you know? And I mean, we're all rich kids, but this guy has had everything handed to him on a silver platter, am I right? He thinks he's entitled to the royal treatment."

  "Yes."

  "Now he's acting like he owns you. He's disrespecting you, grabbing your hand in public, and you don't even know where you stand with him? It just makes me so frustrated."

  Maren's nose began to tingle. She realized she was holding her breath. "Mitch, you know I've always valued your ability to read people, but this is... complicated."

  "And he let you talk with me just now. He's got you on some emotional leash and it's sick, Maren. And he knows what he's doing, too. Skipping off into the jungle―what a smug jackass." Mitch stood up. "And he just did acid! He just hijacked a private jet and flew off, it's amazing we're not all dead, and you're contemplating a relationship with him?" Mitch massaged his temples.

  "Please stop," Maren said. "I appreciate your advice―as a friend."