The Heartwarmer

Chapter 1

June was tired.

Tired of the color blue, tired of the mouldy scraps she had for food, tired of having nothing, no one.

Tired of surviving.

It had barely been a few months since she washed up here, or was it? No one knew anymore. But she was already driving herself insane. She managed to scavenge whatever little she could find from her beloved yet mangled sailboat, but it wasn't much. Every time she closed her eyes, glimpses of her quaint apartment and pet cat danced on her closed eyelids. And now tears were starting to blur that image.

Why did the weather have to be so unpredictable? Why did she love sailing so much? Why did she leave it all behind? Why did it all boil down to one decision?

She didn't have an answer to any of these questions, and that irritated her even more. Why? Why? WHY?

And now, softer, with all the desperation in her body spilling out in one word: Why?

But those questions, or even their answers couldn't help her now. For June was stuck in a prison; the most beautiful one she had ever been in. It had sparkling, seemingly shallow turquoise water, the kind that only tropical islands seemed to have. There were several sister islands dotting the sea, but they were too far to swim to. So basically, she was stuck.

June was itching, her need for scrubbing her nails all over her body was insatiable. She needed to do something, something, but there was nothing there to occupy herself with. So she exercised; she ran everyday on the unstable sand to build her legs. She did push-ups every now and then, just in case. She struggled to pull herself up an almost horizontal tree branch in an attempt at pull-ups, but over time this came with more ease.

Her body was fit as ever, but her head wouldn't even let her sleep at night. She was tired, so tired, but she couldn't close her eyes. Her soul was exhausted, her eyes wet and dry at the same time. She was afraid of the ocean now, something she was never ever scared of in her entire life. And that scared her even more.

Most of all, though, she was disappointed. Disappointed in herself. She bagged the sailing championship 3 years in a row, and now she got herself shipwrecked? In a silly storm? June had endured hundreds of those, as her tanned skin and calloused hands proved. And she was so ill prepared. Why did she only have one flare? Why hadn't she packed any warm clothing? Why had she only worn a lousy pair of flip-flops?

Why? Why? WHY?

And then a guilt-wrenched, tear stained, why?

If only the universe would answer her. She held on tightly to the little gold pendant around her neck. That was her little anchor, rooting her to sanity. And at least for that, she was thankful.

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June started to refer to it as 'her island'. She supposed, at least for the time being, this was her home and she might as well embrace it. She went hunting with her sharp hunting knife that she kept in the boat for emergencies. She was becoming smarter. She knew all the land around her.

But the sea, that was completely different. She didn't even look that way, because all she could see was disappointment. See her former friend, something she used to love and trust and share her secrets with. Something that betrayed her in the worst possible way. Something that had never, never scared her before, but now she couldn't even glance that way before her stomach sank to the ocean floor.

One morning, when the sand wasn't hot yet, June went running on the beach. She struggled to lift her feet in the soft sand, and paused at a rocky lagoon. This was where she would usually see starfish and poisonous jellyfish, but today there was something different there, something red. She bent down closer, and saw it was a toothbrush. The bristles were completely mangled, but it was a toothbrush nonetheless. June laughed. She thought her own toothbrush was blue in color, but this one must have been a spare that she kept on the boat. She kept the toothbrush in her hand and ran some more.

The island seemed to be more home to her than her apartment ever was. She was so in tune with everything, and her surroundings responded to her every touch. She was still afraid to look towards the ocean, but she wouldn't ever have to, according to her calculations.

June was happy.

------***------

June was not happy.

The weather had become considerably bleak, and with it, June's mood also darkened. Her rations were exhausted and she was living completely off the land. She had none of her favorite vegetables: carrots, and potatoes. Oh, God, how she missed potatoes.

Every time the sparkle from her gold necklace caught her eye, her mind zoomed back to her apartment. More particularly, a face in that apartment. The locket had been added to the list of things too painful and scary to look at. She screamed in frustration now and then.

Water started pitter-pattering from the sky. The kind of drizzle that you can't even call drizzle, but was always there. That infuriated June even more. Damn it! She cursed. Either rain, or don't.

She cracked her knuckles. Her fingers found themselves gripping the thin chain around her neck. None of this would have happened if you listened to me, June told Layla in her mind. None of this would have happened if I hadn't invested so much of myself in you.

Her fresh tears mixed with the raindrops on her face. The memory of her name stung June's tongue. It bit her brain, and pierced the soles if her feet.

It's all your fault. I hate you.

But June didn't hate her. At all.

It's still your fault.

She suddenly felt angry. Layla had ruined June's life. She had sucked away her happiness for God knows how long. It was too dark to see the passing of time. Layla, the mind reader, the handshaker, the heartwarmer. The happiness sucker.

Why did Layla have to die? Why was her life so unsatisfactory to her? Why did June have to care so much? Why? Why? WHY?

And then a furious, confused, un-understandable: Why?

In her confused and angry state, June realised that she had closed her hands around the little gold pendant, and pulled on it until the chain snapped. Usually, the necklace shimmered in the sun, but today was cloudy and stormy, so it just have off a dull shine.

Before she knew it, tears stung her eyes and her arms flexed and she flung the necklace into the roiling sea.

Her eyes dried and her mind cleared.

What have I done?

What have I done?

××××

Hey guys! How are you all?

I just wanted to tell you guys that this story may be a little slow, but please bear with me, cause you won't regret it! Also please comment, vote and follow!

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