The Taken

"What if you get lost?" Heidi asked fearfully.

I gave her a smile. "I won't. I have a good sense of direction and spatial awareness. If the guys get back before I do, tell them to stay put. No one comes looking for me. Especially not John. Tell David not to let John come looking, or tell Javon I guess. Umm. Tamika, Salome, if you gather up a few coconuts, find a jagged rock to open them with. Try to save the milk if you can, get a smaller rock and hammer a hole into them. If I can't find fresh water, it may be all we have to drink until it rains."

"Sure baby girl," Tamika said. "I think we may wait for you to get back to show us though. If we get done we will help them gather those leaves up. You really think we are going to have to sleep here?"

"I would rather be prepared than just hold on to hope that whoever put us here will decide to take us out. Umm... try to keep an eye out for things like cameras. They would be small probably."

"You think like this is some fucked up reality show?" June asked, wide eyed.

"Can't rule it out. Just keep an eye out. I will be back," I said, starting into the woods, back towards higher ground. I wanted to see how much I could see from up high. Climbing up was harder than it was getting down and I was beyond winded when I reached the top. What I discovered was that the island was long and the crest of the hill was long as well. It was getting dark before I reached the other side and I saw two more platforms below, along with what looked like a freshwater pool near one.

I headed back, knowing we wouldn't be able to head that way until morning. By the time I made it back, it was dark, only the moon lighting my way, but I actually was really good at directions. I paused out of sight of the others and listened to them talking quietly.

They were offering out scenarios of why we might be here and talking about what to do if we couldn't find a way off the island.

John spoke up. "We need to go find Kai!"

"John, I told you, you are not going after her. She is terrified of you, just leave her alone," David said.

"She said she could find her way," Tamika said. I noticed she was sitting with Javon now and Nicki was casting her scowls she wasn't noticing from the other side of Javon.

I stepped through, skirting wide of John as I came out. He jumped up quickly and hurried to me. "You are back!"

"Don't touch me!" I yelled, actually running away from him.

"Dude!" Brody said, getting up and coming between John and I. "Leave her alone! Just back off man, ok?"

"Did you find anything?" David asked, patting the ground next to him.

I hugged myself as I sat down and not just because I was cold. "I saw what I think is fresh water and two more platforms. The water is near another platform, I think we should head that way tomorrow and plan to make camp there."

As I looked around, I noticed a new face and I blinked at her. She was staring out at nothing, looking terrified.

"Hi," I said to her. "I'm Kai."

"Missy," she offered. I couldn't really see her, it was too dark, but she looked pretty from what I could see. I had assumed she would be. All of the girls were pretty, even though all of the guys weren't. David was attractive even though he was the second shortest of all of them, Brody and Javon were average if much taller and Marco, John, Braydon and Simon were not very attractive at all. It seemed oddly imbalanced.

"Did you all make it around the island?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's bigger than I thought," David said.

"I saw that too."

"Here," Tamika offered, handing me a coconut to drink out of. "Javon and Brody got them open like you said, with rocks."

"I saw some papaya trees and a small grove of young trees near the water source. They look like they were deliberately planted but I couldn't see what they were. I saw some tubers, but I didn't pull them, along with some squashes. I don't think we will want for food as long as we save our seeds. Did anyone see any cameras?"

"No," Tamika said with a sigh.

"Cameras?" David asked. "You think we are being watched?"

"It's one possibility. We were put here for a reason. Where is everyone from?" I asked.

"I already asked," David said. "Only you and John are from the same state, the same place. We're all twenty one or two. You are the only one in school, the rest of us all have very disparate jobs except for Simon. He lived at home and he's a twitch streamer and youtuber."

"You think people will notice you are gone? Miss you?" I asked Simon. My largest worry was that no one would notice I was gone. I was estranged from my mom and my roommate was a complete flake and never home.

"Yeah, I mean, I had over 700,000 followers. They will notice I am gone, but they may just assume I went offline. Some people do, take a social media break. It's more pressure than people realize it is to always keep everyone happy and watching. Get more fans, try and get sponsors."

"What about anyone else? Will you have people looking for you?" I asked.

"My boyfriend," June said quickly. "He knows I would never just walk away, we are planning our wedding."

"My man too," Salome said. "We are livin' together."

"I am dating a guy," Missy said with a shrug. "But it's my dad who will realize first. What day is it?"

"No way to know," I answered, huddling in on myself. "I don't think any of us have any way to know. No watches, no phones, no nothing but the clothes we are wearing."

"Yeah, these clothes have no pockets," David said. "And we have no underwear either, just the shirts and shorts."

"Someone out there is a real asshole," Salome said. "What happens to these stupid white curtains we are wearing when we get our periods?"

I sighed. "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow we all have to hike across the island to the other platform and I want to look around again. Send out teams to look around the interior of the island. Map it out. John, so help me god if you come near me I will sharpen a stick to stab you with!" I threatened as he got up to move closer to me.

"If we have to sleep, we will need to be close to keep each other warm," he said, stopping less than a foot away.

"Not with you," I said. "In fact you sleep as far away from me as you can."

"John, for fucks sake!" David said, exasperated.

"Just leave her alone, dude," Brody said, standing. "Kai, was it? How about you sleep between me and Dave?"

"David," he corrected quickly. "I go by David. Dave is my dad."

"No thanks," I said. "I can sleep with the other girls."

"I am sleeping next to Javon," Tamika said.

"Me too," Nicki said quickly.

"I was planning on sleeping next to Marco," Salome said.

"I will sleep next to you," Heidi said.

"Me too," Missy offered.

"I will sleep next to you David?" June offered hopefully.

"Ok, Kai, you sleep in the middle, along with Missy and Heidi. June you sleep next to Heidi and I will sleep on the other side of you. Tamika, you sleep on the other side of Missy, then Javon, then Nicki. Salome next to Nikki and then Marko. Brody, Simon, Braydon and then John on the end on the other side of me. That good?"

"If we can't separate by gender, then that will have to work," I said. It would be fine, I was between two girls.

"We should sleep boy girl boy girl," John said quickly.

"Not happening," David said quickly. "One more word, John and I will sharpen the stick for her."

John huffed and took off into the trees.

"What the hell is his deal?" Salome asked.

"I think he has a crush on Kai," Javon said softly.

"That is not a crush," Nicki said. "That dude is like, creep level stalker."

"We should all try and sleep," I said softly. "If you can't sleep, try and keep watch."

I curled up on my side, my arm under my head, facing away from the others. Missy moved close to me and turned on her side, then reached back and pulled my arm around her, holding my arm like a lifeline. Heidi laid behind me and spooned me and I was good with that. Almost everyone laid down except Javon, Tamika and Brody. And John, wherever he was.

I didn't think I would be able to sleep, but I eventually drifted off. I was tired and sore and needed the rest.

I woke to a dim dawn, the sky barely gray. I was still tired and had a headache, but I knew that would ease once I got water.

"Everyone up!" I yelled, causing groans and mumbles. "Let's get an early start across the island to the water. John, stay the hell back."

"I was just going to walk with you," he said, moving up next to me and reaching for my face.

"Don't!"

"You have stray hair, I was..."

"Man, leave her alone!" Javon yelled, yanking John back hard.

"Seriously!" David said angrily, getting up. "Back off!"

"But it's not fair! She isn't even..."

"Dude, shut the fuck up and leave it alone!" David yelled.

"Leave off, dude," Brody said.

I spun away from all of them, heading into the trees. They could catch up or not. David caught up first and I heard the others catching up behind us. I kept an eye out as I walked and kept a fast enough pace that I hoped no one would want to talk. No such luck.

"How far is it?" Heidi called.

"Two hour walk I am guessing?"

"Shit!" Javon swore.

I found a good stick on the way and picked it up, breaking off the little branches as I walked. I heard someone chuckle behind me and I was pretty sure it was John. Creep.

I walked even faster, my pace so fast my legs and chest were burning in just a few minutes, but I refused to slow down.

"Can we take a break?" a female voice called.

"I'm so thirsty!" someone else said.

"There's water at the end of this walk, sooner we get there, sooner we can get a drink," I said, not slowing down.

David caught my arm. "We all need a quick break," he said breathlessly. "None of us knows where it is, so can we please slow down a little?"

I looked down and gave him a curt nod, pulling away from his hand. I looked around and found a flat rock to start sharpening my stick on.

"Dude, she really hates you," Salome said to John.

"She doesn't even know me. Yet."

I glanced up at John and he was staring at me with a smirk. I glared and worked faster on my stick. I heard him laugh. I stood up. "I am going, keep up or find your own way."

I took off and this time it was John who caught up with me first, his long legs keeping up with me easily.

"Leave me alone!"

"I'm just following you, like you said."

"Follow from a distance."

"What did I do to you to piss you off so much?"

"You are a creep! Leave me alone!"

"John!" David yelled breathlessly, catching up. Javon was with him. "Drop back, now. You need to leave her alone!"

"I will bounce your face off a tree if you go near her again," Javon snarled.

"You don't get to tell me who I can talk to! I was just talking!"

Javon grabbed his arm and stopped, but I didn't. I kept going and David stayed with me. "Sorry," he said breathing heavily. "I don't know what his deal is."

"He thinks I am bluffing. He needs to know I am not. I will stab him if he doesn't leave me alone."

"No one here will blame you, but let me and Javon see if we can make him ease off first, ok?"

I said nothing, just kept walking, using my stick to swipe at errant weeds and leaves. I was sore, tired, thirsty, hungry, and irritable as hell. There was no way I was putting up with a single ounce of shit today. I made good time to the little pool of water and I looked up at the waterfall it was coming from. I dipped a finger in and tasted it. Fresh. I cupped my hand in and sipped some more, swishing it in my mouth.

"I think it's ok," I said after spitting it out. "But just in case we need a fire so we can boil it, if we can find something to boil it in."

Brody went past me and dipped his hand in, drinking, then stepped in and held his mouth under the small waterfall.

"Ewwe! Don't put your nasty feet in it!" Tamika yelled.

"Drink from the waterfall, not the pool," I said with a sigh. There was nothing to boil it in anyway, we would have to take our chances. Everyone took turns, small drinks at first, then another round for longer drinks.

"The platform is this way," I said, washing my face and twisting my hair up. It was starting to get hot out.

They followed me on the five minute walk to the platform and we all looked around.

"Ok," I said, turning a full circle. "Javon, take John and go north on the beach. Find anything we can use, anything that might have washed up. Even if you think it looks like trash, bring it back. Shells too, especially big ones. Brody, you and Marco go south. Use your shirts as bags if you need to. Braydon, you and Simon get more coconuts. David, you and Tamika find some rocks. Small sharp ones, large sharp ones, large ones we can use like hammers. The rest of you girls, start gathering more of those leaves. Heidi, you come with me and we will look for more food and gather as we go."

"I will go with you," David said quickly. "We can use my shirt as a bag. Salome, you go with Tamika, Heide you help with the leaves."

I looked at David and he glanced back at where John and Javon were starting to head out, John glowering at me. Ok, he was right. I didn't want John finding me alone in the trees. I started into the trees and he stayed close by, pulling his shirt off and tying off the sleeves. He started to tie off the neck, but I took it from him and put a fat elephant ear leaf in it, blocking the neck and spreading the bottom.

"Smart," he said when I handed it back to him. "You're very clever, very quick and take charge."

"Just practical. Grow up on a farm and you learn how to redneck engineer everything."

"You don't look like a redneck."

"I'm not. Grew up on a farm but it wasn't really my life. There, see that plant? Those blossoms? That's a squash of some sort. There are several right here so we will have to watch this patch. Maybe water it if it doesn't rain soon. The grove is where I am heading, I want to see what kind of trees they are. Make sure you are keeping an eye out for cameras."

"Do you really think that is what is going on?"

"What else could it be? Someone's sick mind fuck."

"Maybe we are being punked. Or our families paid to have this done to us."

"My family wouldn't do that."

"You sure?"

"Yes. If my mom had any extra money it already went up her nose. That's all she has done after daddy died. Moved in with a pedo and snorted or smoked anything she could get her hands on. She doesn't even know where I am. She had nothing at all to do with this."

"Shit. Sorry. My dad might afford something like this, but I don't think he would do it. Still, it was a thought. Family doing this to us. Some sort of intervention life lesson type thing."

"I don't need an intervention," I said, ducking under a limb and coming out into the clearing with the grove. "Look. This earth was turned not too long ago and these trees were planted within the past few months. I think this island was set up for people to be able to live on it and that means we might be able to find supplies somewhere. Clothes maybe. These trees are young but they will be bearing fruit soon, they were greenhouse raised and moved here. Someone spent a lot of money on this. Come on," I said, turning to go back to where I had seen the tubers. "I can find some more long sticks and if I can make some pronged spears we might be able to fish some. Maybe find some string or something."

I kept talking as we walked, telling him what we needed to prioritize. Once we reached the tubers, I pulled some up and then we went to gather a few papayas. When we got back, the girls were still pulling and piling leaves and there was a nice pile of rocks and sticks. The other boys weren't back yet, but I hadn't expected they would be.

I showed them how to skin the coconuts on a jagged rock, then how to drill a hole in them so they could be gutted and reused to hold water. I sharpened my stick on a large flat stone, then started on the pronged spears to maybe fish with. I wasn't completely sure on them, but my highschool boyfriend had talked about fishing that way and I had seen pictures of the spears.

David hovered close and tried to emulate what I was doing, making himself a spear, then making pronged fishing spears with me. We made four before Javon and John got back. John looked me over as he walked up and I stood with my spear, giving him a level look.

They both had their shirts off and they looked like their shirts were mostly full. "Dump them there," I demanded, pointing at the ground with my spear.

John upended his, but Javon tossed his entire shirt down.

"There's coconut milk and water over there in the hollowed coconut shells. Papayas too. I intend to cook the tubers later. Eat the coconut and papayas."

"We heard chickens in the trees," Javon said, going and grabbing one of the waters.

"You sure it wasn't seagulls?" I asked.

"Positive."

"We need to try and catch them, make them a pen, maybe get some eggs if they are hens. I can make some live traps if they are afraid of people. Did you see anything else?" I asked, leaning down to go through what they had found.

"There's some large metal sheet, looks like something off a boat hull or airplane or something. It was big and heavy," John said, squatting near me.

"Back off," I hissed.

"Just telling you what we saw. You asked. We saw the metal sheet, decided we could get it later when we had more people with us. Told Brody and Marco about it when we passed them coming the other way. We also saw Brody carrying what looked like the top of a barbeque grill. Rusted as hell but still solid."

"Go help the girls weave those fronds into walls," I snapped, looking through the trash they had gathered. "Heidi? Can you and Nicki take all of these plastic bottles, wash them out real good and then fill them with water? Take these cans too. Wash them out, but bring them back empty, I will see if I can cook in them if we can get a fire started."

John leaned in closer. "Why don't we go take a walk and you let me eat your snatch. I'll show you why you should give me a chance."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, jumping up and stepping back. I brought the spear around and he grabbed the end and jerked it away from me, yanking me closer when he did. He took hold of my arm and yanked me close, then pulled me up and pressed his lips to mine.

I screamed and struggled, trying to pull away, but he held me hard against him.

I was pulled away bodily and Javon tackled John to the ground. I yanked away from the hands holding me and swallowed hard as I looked back at a stunned David, looking down at John. I turned and yanked up my spear and rammed it as hard as I could into John's calf. He screamed and David caught me from behind and dragged me back.

"You fucking ASSHOLE!" I screamed, enraged. "Next time it will be in your throat!"

June hurried to me and put her arms around me and Missy grabbed me from the other side as I broke down sobbing.

David moved closer putting a hand on my shoulder as Salome hurried over to John, picking up Javon's shirt to staunch the bleeding. I hugged Missy and Held June's hand as I listened.

"It's not bad, it's not even that deep," Salome said. "Be glad that wasn't sharper and she wasn't stronger. Javon, get me some water to rinse it out with and I will tie your shirt on it for now."

I was trembling now, my adrenaline high. I stood up and scrubbed my hand across my eyes. "I am going to go look for more food plots," I said, pulling away from everyone.

"I will..." David began.

"No! No one comes with me. Just leave me alone."

I took off into the trees and didn't get very far before I slid down against the trunk of a tree and hugged my knees. I heard crashing footsteps and I ducked behind and under a bush, not wanting to be found yet. I needed space.