Our Destiny: Bearers of the Dagger

Landing, Part 7

The lagoon was beautiful. A series of rocks jutting out from the beach, that sat in the shade of some towering palms. After the funeral, no one wanted to sleep near the graves any more so they moved a little way down the beach and found this place. Some strategically placed bamboos and ferns allowed them some rudimentary shelters, yet it was lagoon itself that sold the location. A crystal-clear pool, linked to the sea at night, but by day it was their private swimming pool. The water was so warm that Luke almost forgot where he was.

Almost.

You'd have forgiven him for never stepping foot in water again but it was peaceful there, just floating on the surface. Did it help empty his head of those horrible thoughts? Not a chance. He'd never get rid of them. But it got rid of the rest. The stuff that didn't matter. And once all the other crap was gone, he just had his terrible memories remaining. And then Luke could focus.

He tried to understand. To comprehend. But it was beyond him. Nothing made sense to him. The purpose wasn't clear. Yet there must be a purpose. Random action couldn't be the reason. It was just far too absurd and surreal for that to happen. Maybe if he focused hard enough, he could see it.

But not today.

Luke waded out of the pool. The sun was blazing hot today, just like very day, so he knew his clothes would dry in an hour. It must be midday, judging by the sun. Which meant lunch time for someone.

His eyes glanced to the nearest boulder. Chris was sat upon the summit, cradling a spear. He was meant to be on watch for crabs but the guy was talking to Sophie below. Luke didn't mind. The crabs didn't come to the beach really. They just waited in the jungle, poised for the opportune moment. Only this morning, one jumped Luke when he was taking a leak. He had speared the monster right away of course, straight through the face. Clean kill. He impressed everyone but himself. He should have been more careful.

Still, it made good eating. They still had some left over for lunch.

Luke joined the gathering by the campfire. Sophie, Michelle and Emma were huddled under one shelter, chattering to Chris as he sat overhead. Meanwhile Steve and Nick were fixing the food on the campfire. They were arranging the 'crab-kebabs' so they'd stop falling into the sand constantly.

Luke took a seat beside them, catching the end of their conversation.

'... what do you reckon?' said Nick.

Steve heaved a sigh. 'We might as well look around.

'We have to,' said Nick. 'We don't know how long we'll be here for.'

Luke spoke up. 'Talking about leaving again?'

Both of his friends nodded.

'It's a good call,' he said simply.

'We don't have a choice,' Nick sighed. 'You know, I heard last night Michelle and Sophie were talking about rescue.'

Steve frowned. 'We don't even know if anyone knows we're here.'

'Exactly.' Nick finished his kebabs and stretched his arms. When he relaxed he was staring gloomily at the campfire. 'Once the others return, we'll decide when to go.'

'What if they don't agree?' Steve asked.

Nick stood up and shrugged. 'They have to.'

He collected his own spear and walked off, stealing a bunch of damp leaves on his way out. Steve sighed and kept an eye on the cooking while Luke turned his attention to the others.

Sophie was no longer teary eyed and broken. She was hardened again, like how Luke remembered her from school.

'We've been gone days,' she told them. 'Farrell might be a dick but he can't ignore that. School can't ignore that. They'll know we're gone. And they'll look for us.'