Hi Guys and Girls, how is everybody? Well how's this for dedication? Two chapters in one week. I got sooooo much email in response to the last issue, and surprisingly 100% of it was positive. Although most of them said "please fix Josh! We don't like him all broken!" So I thought I'd give you the next part of the chapter that I wrote on my unscheduled "day off". Yes that's right I skipped work today. I'd like to say it was all for you, so that I could write the story, but that was just a bonus. I skipped work cuz they all give me the shits! Now, who to thank! Who indeed? Well of course Dawn (you grumpy bitch!), Sarah, Dusty, Erin (loved it sweetie!), Casper, Ashley (enjoy the hockey boys hon!), AJ (when's the update coming dude?) the funnier than ever Miss Gabriella (good luck with the presentation Miss Gab, got my fingers crossed for you!) and Nick, but I'm not sure if I should thank you! 7 out of 10?? Grrr! . But now I have a list of new readers who all emailed me since the last issue, the excitable Miss Jill, the newly legal Will, Burrito eating Derek (yummy!) and lovely Annika! I also heard from 2 excellent people I haven't heard from in ages, Miss Lizzy D, sorry I made you cry Darling, and the ever fantastic Red, My Singaporean Princess. Thanks heaps everyone, you are all so ace!
Recommendations:
Erin recently updated "Secret emotion" so if it hasn't listed yet, wait and read it. Penelope has a new one called "It's not right but it's OK" and it's good, have a read!
Disclaimer: Must I go here? OK I suppose I must! I don't know NSYNC, I'd love to but I don't. If I did then I can't tell you what I'd be doing now, but baby oil and ice magic might be involved (mmmm, chocolate covered Lance, should be on every menu!) I made it all up, yes that's right, nothing I wrote ever actually happened, it was all in my head, yes I think it may have been temporary insanity, your Honour, I would like everything I said stricken from the record...oh hang on, this isn't my trial is it, that must be next week...oh well, enjoy!
Justin woke up with the sun shining brightly on his face. His arms were wrapped around JC's warm muscular body, as it rose and fell rhythmically with each breath. Justin smiled momentarily at the sight of his friend and companion lying there so innocent and sweet. Then, remembering their current situation, Justin's euphoric feeling was instantly replaced with pain so striking it felt as though it had been delivered with a lightening bolt through his chest. As he sat up he became aware of a noise, which was foreign to the island up until now.
Justin looked toward the sea and noticed a cruise ship passing the beach where he and JC had come ashore on the island.
Immediately Justin jumped from their ledge, ignoring the biting pain in his injured ankle, and ran toward the beach waving his arms and shouting. By the time he arrived at the water's edge the ship had passed. Justin ran along the edge of the water in a feeble attempt to get somebody's attention, but after 400 metres of sand, the sea narrowed to a corridor, flanked at either side by rock walls. Justin scaled the wall and got to the top as fast as he could, but the ship was long out of sight by the time he got there.
He walked back along the rocks until he reached the sand again, when his emotions overtook him and his legs collapsed underneath him, sending him sprawling across the sand. His chest hitching with involuntary and unwelcome spasms, he finally let his feelings show and began sobbing in earnest.
"I'm so sorry Josh, I don't know how to fix things." He wailed, as though Josh was right next to him watching and listening to the entire episode. He lay there for what seemed like hours, but may have been only a matter of minutes, sobbing uncontrollably. Then he suddenly remembered JC lying on the ledge alone.
"Oh Shit, I can't believe I forgot about him. He'd better be OK! Jesus you're a baby Justin, I can't believe you'd be so damned stupid!"
As he climbed the face of the ledge he called out to JC.
"Josh? Josh it's me, are you awake?"
He was disappointed when he reached the top, however, to find JC lying in the same position.
After gathering more firewood and catching more fish, Justin had spent the afternoon watching JC intently. It was day 4 of JC's coma and Justin was going out of his mind with worry. He thought JC was going to die if he didn't wake up and eat something.
"Someone has to be looking for us, for sure!" Justin told himself. He was sitting with his back against the inner curve of the ledge, with his knees drawn up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. "They'll have to find us soon." He continued as he rocked back and forth, watching JC with fear and sadness.
Josh woke in the harsh sunlight of the mid-afternoon. The bright light stung his eyes, making him squint. But that pain was minor in comparison to the headache that dominated his brow from temple to temple. He was hot as well, and thirsty, but he suspected that it had little to do with the weather. He had woken earlier in the cool of morning, lying on a stone cliff face with a sweater as a meagre pillow. Nobody had been there before, but this time he felt the distinct form of somebody pressed against his left side.
"Justin" he croaked, hazarding a guess as to the identity of his companion.
"Oh my God Josh, you're awake!"
"Justin, I don't feel good." JC stated deliriously.
"Yeah I bet" Justin replied, clamouring to kneel next to the injured man.
"I'm thirsty"
"Here, try this." Justin replied tipping fresh water he had gathered from a rock pool when he was collecting firewood, from a scrunched up plastic bottle, which had washed up on the beach.
"Oh shit" JC strained after swallowing the water. He turned to the side and promptly threw up. He mumbled something and then passed out again.
Although JC had passed out again Justin had decided that it was a good sign that he had woken up in the first place, he had also decided that he had to get them off the island somehow and get JC some medical help. Whilst wandering through the dense scrub on his way across the island he heard an unfamiliar noise. Running toward the origin of the noise he found a hastily formed dirt track, heading toward him was the origin of the noise. A beaten-up Toyota 4x4. Justin stood in the middle of the track and the Toyota came to a skidding halt meagre centimetres from the boy.
"Oh Jesus!" exclaimed the female driver, jumping over the drivers door of the roofless 4x4 and running toward Justin.
"Are you OK?" She continued, placing her hands on his shoulders. She was a young woman in her early 20's, dark skinned and Indian in appearance. Justin was so happy to see her, happy to see anyone, he began to sob, tears of happiness. The woman slipped an arm around Justin's waist just in time to catch him as his legs gave out. Although she was slender and much shorter than the young pop star she managed to hold his weight and guide him to the bonnet of the 4x4.
"What's your name?" she asked casually, as though their location was a normal situation, rather than the complete mess Justin viewed it to be.
"Um....don't you rec.....Um, I'm Justin." He covered quickly, seeing no hint of recognition in her eyes, and valuing his anonymity. "And my friend Josh is back there." He finished, gesturing with his thumb.
"Oh well I'm Red" the girl responded enthusiastically. "I'm working here for my fathers mining company, if your friend is on his way we can wait for him and I'll take you back to camp with me and we can eat together if you like, it looks like you could use a good meal. Besides it gets a bit lonely out here by myself." She laughed "Hey how did you guys get here by the way?" she added as an after thought.
The girl's demeanour struck Justin as odd, even in his current state. She didn't seem too surprised to see him, nor did she seem to be at all frightened even though she was alone. He had a feeling she was a good person though, and couldn't help liking her.
"Ah, oh.... no Josh isn't on his way, he's....um...sick. We crashed into the sea and he got hurt."
"Sorry what?" Red replied, it was her turn to look confused by Justin's simple explanation.
Justin went on to explain about the plane crash and the past 4 days, and how JC had been comatose the entire time, breaking into sobs as he finished. Red comforted him and told him that she was the only other person on the island conducting surveys and collecting samples. She also told him that she had food, water and medical supplies back at her camp, but she couldn't help them back to civilization immediately because she had been dropped off by a supply ship with her equipment and car and wasn't due to be picked up for 3 days.
"Oh, but I can radio for a medic though" she decided "but let's go and collect your friend first and take him back and get him fixed up, huh?"
Even through his haze of worry and exhaustion Justin could tell that Red was a dynamic, used to making decisions, and had a bubbly "can do" personality. As much as he wanted to be there for JC he allowed Red to take charge.
Red helped Justin into the passenger seat and then ran back to the other side and jumped in. As she started the engine the stereo came to life, playing at full volume.
"How I wish you were mi....."
"Oooh, sorry about that." Red apologised quickly, ejecting the tape. "It's a bit cheesy but he keeps me company."
"No problem" Justin responded tiredly "He's one of my favourites actually" he continued, pushing the tape back into the player.
"In a cafe or sometimes in a crowded street I've been near you but you never noticed me My Cherie amour Won't you tell me how you could ignore That behind that little smile I wore How I wish that you were mine"
Red sang at the top of her lungs, making Justin smile despite his pain. His mood had lifted knowing everything was going to be alright, after a minute or two he was singing softly to himself.
"Maybe someday you'll see my face among the crowd maybe someday I'll share your distant little cloud Oh, Cherie amour pretty little one that I adore You're the only one my heart beats for How I wish that you were mine"
They pulled up near where Justin had left JC, but they had to walk the rest of the way because the track was not made to get there.
"Dear God Justin, he's burning up!" Red stated with a hint of worry.
"But I checked......I didn't think....I mean....." Justin stammered
"Sweetie, he's in a bad way." Red responded, trying to remain light so she didn't worry Justin any more than she already had. "C'mon, lets get him to the car."
Justin picked JC up by himself and began to walk toward the car. Red was about to open her mouth to offer to help him, but the look of concern in Justin's eyes told her to let it go. Picking up the sweater JC had used as a pillow, she too ran toward the car.
"You'll have to drive." Red told Justin, climbing into the backseat and allowing Justin to place JC across the seat with his head in her lap. "You can drive can't you?"
Justin panicked, he hadn't driven a car since he and Erin had the accident. He never wanted to drive again, and had vowed such whilst in the hospital. "Oh...um, why me, why can't you drive?" He asked.
"Because I have to get his temperature down." She responded, reaching over the backseat to produce a jerry can full of water. "Just follow back the way we came, and go quickly but be careful, the road isn't the best." She warned.
The urgency in her voice was enough to spark action from Justin, he ran to the drivers seat and started the engine.
Red sensed Justin's nervousness about driving, and whilst she wet JC's forehead and removed his sweater, she spoke to Justin kindly, asking him questions to keep his mind occupied.
"So why were you two flying to the Caribbean?"
"Oh, just a holiday, is he going to be alright? He replied nervously.
"I'm not sure honey, but I'm doing my best." She said comfortingly. "So what do you do?"
"Do? As in for a job? We're in a band." Justin responded, aware that Red was trying to comfort him, and feeling comforted none-the-less.
"Oh cool, do you play or sing?"
"Oh we both sing." Justin responded, but offering no more information than that.
Seeing that the topic of the band worried him, Red changed tack. Looking at the scruffy teen with his matted curls, shabby clothes, 5 day growth and soulless eyes, she decide to talk about his family, in an attempt to pacify the boy. It seemed that this was a good idea, as they spoke at length until they came to a clearing in the trees.
"Just be careful here, Sweetie, the road's a bit crappy and it's a big drop if we fall."
To be continued! Jesus, the drama, the tension, how will it all work out? Will Josh die? Will Justin go insane with worry? Will the earth fall screaming into the sun? Who knows? Well actually I do! HA HA HA! Oh God this is fun. Thanks for all the mail; I love every single one of you (but only one at a time, otherwise that's kinky!) Keep writing and telling me what you think, how to write (where to go, if you feel so inclined), I promise I'll write back. Really I thank you all for writing to me, it's an over whelming response and I really do appreciate it. I'm humbled by the praise, and humble is a new feeling for me. Arrogant and nasty is more my scene. Thanks, love and stuff, AKW.