The Island of Fear (complete)

57) Escape and Refuge

isobeljones2000

Selene's POV: My mind was numb as I stood close to the Captain, who was driving the Gup C. We were all in one Gup, which was a very tight squeeze. The Captain was against the windscreen, his mouth one tight hard line. The Octonauts never left anyone behind. But we had just done that unmentionable thing.

I had had to pick up a screaming struggling Eelean, and carried her for as long as we ran through the forest. I knew if I put her down she would run, try and get back to Christian. And I knew enough about Vegimal bonds to know that if they were a long way from each other, or one was hurt, the other felt it acutely. I knew Eelean would be going through this now but knew there was nothing we could do about it. We would one day return to take on their group and rescue Christian, that much we were all certain on. But over half the group was injured and we were too weak to do anything right now. Peso was doing the best he could with his medical bag, but he needed his supplies from the Octopod. Luckily we weren't far away now.

I took a quick look at who was injured. Peso himself, he had been shot in the leg, Kate with her poisoned injury in her side and a gash down her cheek that looked painful. Shellington had been shot in the shoulder, Dashi had self inflicted gashes on both wrists and ankles that she had done to escape from the shackles and Tweak - well Tweak was the worst injured of us all. She lay semi conscious in the back on a makeshift stretcher that Peso had quickly fashioned with his deft flippers. Kwazii sat over her, I knew he would not leave her side for anything. Not now.

I rested my head on the Captains large muscly shoulder. It was surprisingly soft for a polar bear so strong and tough. How would we get through this?

KateSeleneMelody3OCS

Kate's POV: We went back to the Octopod in silence. I think we all felt guilty. But there wasn't much we could have done. I kept replaying the scene in my head. I hadn't noticed what Christian had been doing. I had almost stayed, but in about a second, I realized that it was sacrifice. So that we could escape. But that didn't mean I had to like it. I was so absorbed in the horrifying truth that I had learned, wishing that I could forget it, that I wasn't paying attention.

This got me thinking about Lupo's Memory Flame. Shellington had mentioned that the effects hadn't worked on me. Apparently he couldn't alter my memories, make me forget anything. I found myself wishing that it could have worked, that I could use it... and forget that Damien had killed them. I wanted to cry, to grieve so badly. But grieving wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't bring back my parents, wouldn't change what Damien had done. So why should I grieve? What was the point? That was why I never grieved. The only way to avoid pain from the past was to keep moving, to keep living. Never dwell on memories, because they couldn't change.

But Lupo had created a device that could not only change memories, but also change the past. No, Kate, I told myself. I remembered what I had told Lupo when he "offered" to alter my memories. I knew that if my past changed in the slightest, I may not have everything and everyone that I do now. I might not be an Octonaut, or have all my friends. I might not have Peso, and there was no way I would risk losing him, not even for a chance to forget. To start new.

Peso was tending to some wounds, but every so often, he would glance over at me as if to ask if I was alright. I would nod, because I didn't want him to worry about me. He didn't seem to believe it, but he didn't press. He would later, but the question was, would I spill? I didn't want to.

Eelean was crying. I pulled her into a hug, since she needed one desperately. "It'll be okay." I whispered. "We just need to recover, and then, I know that some of us will come back for him. I know I will. We were always close. I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to him if I can help it." And I would keep that promise.