Exploring the Elements

Chapter 6 Skipping Stones

"And that is pretty much what happened. Now all I want to do is get something to eat and go to sleep." Raine finished.

"Alright but first, show me the map." Octavia said. Raine handed the drawn map to Octavia. Octavia laid it down on the sand to study it. She looked in at the beach then to the map. "I think this map was drawn to show what the island is when the shore is out." She guessed. Raine nodded then looked around for Aisha, she was climbing a coconut tree nearby.

The map showed there were mountains, one was snowy and tall North-East of the map, another was smaller that had lots of cave entrances near the west. Down South-East was a volcano, and two rivers crossed each other in a lake with a waterfall crashing down into the lake. Octavia took another look around. Raine was near Aisha and was dodging the coconuts she was throwing. They were probably by the South-West bottom shore of the island.

"Stop it Aisha!!! Octavia! Help me!" Raine yelled running toward her.

Soon, Aisha was sliding down the tree and chasing her. "Coconut fight!" She yelled throwing a coconut at Octavia nearly missing her.

"Stop it, Aisha! Let's go into our little hut and get something to eat." Octavia demanded.

"After I eat, I'm going to sleep. I had a stressful day. I might as well cook. Anyone up for mangos and bananas with coconut milk?" Raine asked the girls.

"Sure!" Octavia replied.

"Yay!" Aisha cheered clapping.

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"That was a good meal." Octavia swallowed the last bite of her meal.

"Sorry I was throwing coconuts at you. It was fun."

"It's alright, I just want to go to take a nap." Raine said sleepily walking to a corner of the room, sat down with her back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Let's leave her to sleep." Octavia whispered to Aisha walking toward the door of the hut. The hut was held together with logs, sticks and vines, but it was held together nicely. There was no door and only one window. Octavia made a note to make a door later. "So Aisha, can you take me to the giant rock?"

"Kay, there were also a lot of flat rocks by a lake behind the boulder that we could skip." Aisha suggested. Octavia nodded. "Yay!"

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"This is a really cool map."

"I know right! Wait, sorry, I was talking about the rock. Look! I know how to get up now!" Aisha said grabbing handfuls of stones and throwing them into her book bag. Soon after, she grabbed a branch then one after another, then she jumped to a vine and swung to the rock. "Tada!" She declared. Octavia smiled, sat down and started throwing stones into the nearby lake.

Aisha began searching her book bag for the stones she threw into it and when she did, she skipped them. "Two, four, plop, splash, still one, yes! Five! Now time for six skips. One, two, thr-"

"Wait! What are you doing!?" The rock screamed.

"Oh, I'm going to throw you little rock." Aisha said thinking it was just her. "One, two!"

"Stop! I can't swim!"

"I know, rocks can't swim, they'll sink or skip. Ready?"

"Aisha? Is it just me or are you having a conversation with a rock and the rock is talking back?" Octavia asked frightened.

"Yeah. I think your right..." Aisha said admiring the rock. "Three!" Aisha yelled whipping the rock toward the lake.

Octavia slapped her hand against her face. Really? She thought then she heard splash and Aisha gasp. "What did you get, six skips?" Octavia gazed though her fingers towards Aisha. She had her hand on her mouth and pointing where she threw the rock. Octavia lowered her hands and followed her gaze. Now it was her turn to cover her mouth. Sitting in the water with hands on his head was a boy about their age wearing a dirty sweater, grey sweat pants, and rock climber's boots. He had short, dark brown hair and Octavia saw his eyes flicker from grey to brown. She looked at Aisha who did the same; she had the same expression on her face and Aisha pointed to her eyes then to the boy. Octavia knew what she was trying to say so she nodded.

The boy got up. "What the heck, Aisha?!" He yelled. "Why did you throw me?! I thought I made it clear, I didn't want to be thrown!" Throwing his hands in the air walking towards Aisha who was still stunned that the rock turned to a boy.

"Do all rocks feel this way? I'm sorry for throwing you. I didn't know rocks feel... Emotions?" Aisha apologized confused, not remembering who this boy is or why he knows her.

Octavia sat there bewildered. "Wait," the boy looked down at her. "Oh come on! Sorry, I gotta go." He looked at Octavia. "Sorry. Oh, the name's Eric." He held his hand out to Octavia, but she slid backwards away from him. "Makes sense." He blushed. "Bye." And he ran away.

"That, was... Weird." Octavia said looking at where he was thrown.

"Yeah. I hope he comes back!" Aisha said about to throw another rock, but she set it down and put her hands into her book bag.

"What are you doing Aisha?"

"Trying to get all the rocks out of my book bag." she took her hands out of her book bag and with all the rocks. "Let's go wake Raine up."

Octavia nodded. Just thinking of that rock, or kid made her think. How did that person turn into a rock? Maybe he came with Falco, but why did he turn into a rock? How can he turn into a rock? "Let's go back to Raine. She might know what just happened."