The Island's Captives

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

Ronald Monroe

Incredibly bored, I walked back up the beach toward Fawkes' place for the gazillionth time. I had told Alex and the others I would wait outside for them and do a perimeter check around the house. So while they were inside (fighting I was sure) I explored the area. It was dark, but the moon was bright and lit the place up a ton.

I heard some talking and looked at the house. There they were, and Pete with them!
"Ha, you get Pete back!" I said. "What did you pay for him?"

"A few punches," Menelik said, "And guess what? He came with a bonus!" He turned around and I saw his backpack. Everyone had backpacks actually, and there were still some extras that they were carrying.

"Wow! What ya get?" I asked, poking Pete's backpack. It looked like it was about to explode, so fat it was.

"A load of goodies," Menelik said.

"Pop-Tarts?" I miss those things...

"Uh, no...but we got canned food and knives and clothes and some other stuff. Oh! and we get deodorant especially for you!"

"Gee thanks (idiot). Maybe now I won't leave a trail of dead birds behind me." They laughed at my brilliant joke. That's when I noticed two strangers with them. "Uh, there some people following you guys..."

"Yeah, we know that," Menelik said. "The short one's name is—"

"Which short one? They're both short!" I said.

"The boy shorty," Menelik said, "is Wilson." He glared at me and Menelik.

That boy is scary.

"What about little Miss Curly Tops?" I said, smiling at the girl. She was cute, even if she was only (I bet) five feet tall.

"Uh, I don't know," Menelik said. I looked back at the girl.

"Amy," she held out her hand (how formal) and I shook it.

"So Ronny, did you find anything?" Ludwig said. I shook my head, pretending to look sad. To tell the truth, I didn't expect to find anything. I had only asked to check because I had the rationality (big word) to know there would be a fight. And (again to tell the truth) I was scared, no, terrified of fights. I didn't know how to fight, and of course I was not gonna admit that. To admit that would be to tell them I'm a wimp, a chicken, a coward.

We left Fawkes' place, following Alex. It was weird cuz Pete's our leader, yet Alex was leading us. I wondered what had happened to Pete during his stay with Fawkes. Amy and the boy were at the back, with only Enkidu traveling behind them to make sure they didn't escape or do something bad. Pete stayed by them too.

Since it was super late, we stopped after walking for a few hours (Ludwig said it had been about forty minutes but I knew it had been much longer than that). We went a little into the forest (which was exciting yet terrifying at the same time) to make camp. We found a little patch of bare ground, and sat down in somewhat of a circle. I saw the boy and Amy sitting close together and decided to be a gentleman and talk to them.
"It's Wilard right?" I said as I sat down beside the boy (I would've sat beside Amy, but Wilard had his hand wrapped around her in a "She's mine" way).

"Wilson," the freckled-boy said, "And you're Rupert right?" I snorted. Boy this boy has a short-memory!

"Rupert? My name might as well be Rosalina," I said, giving Wilson a sly grin.

"Geez, leave me alone before you're two feet shorter," Wilson said. I laughed, showing him I was not at all threatened. I mean seriously, he was as short as Amy!

"You're one hotheaded boy," I said, "So you're a turncoat huh?"

"A what?" Of course he didn't know what that was.

"A turncoat...someone who switches sides. I learned that by reading Charlie Dickens." Yeah, that will show him how smart I am! I said to myself.

"Charles Dickens you moron." Everyone is such a critic!

"Oh shut it! Charlie, Charles...same thing! And you didn't answer my question."

"What question? Oh yeah, I guess I am a turncoat. A forced turncoat." 

"Forced huh? So you're still one of Fawkes' men at heart then?"

"No...I'm Amy's man." I looked at Amy and saw she had blushed (yep, she's a cutie).

"Ohhh, Amy's man huh? I thought there was something going on between you two; you haven't left each other's sides." Wilson nodded.

"Got any girls at Crapage?" Wilson said.

"Crapage?" He did not seriously just call Carthage crap-age!  "I mean Carthage."

"Two: Rose and Izzy. Rose is the hot one, but she's a double-cross, no good vixen (learned that word from Izzy). Izzy is...she's okay. Kinda country-looking, but you can understand her when she talks and she dosen't use country slang." Wilson laughed at that. "Got any girls at your ex-home? Besides little sweetie-pie Amy?" Amy blushed at my flattery.

"A couple chicks, that's all. One's a moll and the other thinks she's utterly adorable."

"Is she?" I saw a look pass between Amy and Wilson, like it was an inside joke or something. That's when I realized something...I've met Wilson before! Yes, he was the one who scared the crap outta me, right after I had shoved Rose inside the Brown House. Funny I hadn't recognized him.

"I remember you!" I said. "I saw you when you guys came over to our place!" He smiled at the memory.

"Oh yeah! And right after that I scared the heck outta you and you ran off like a baby!" I frowned.

"I wasn't scared! I—I just had some business to attend to."

"Like what? Going to supermarket to buy some cold pizza?"

"Actually I bought some cucumber sandwiches." We both laughed. Finally, someone who can take a joke! I said to myself. Everyone at Carthage is so serious and boring, here's a guy who can laugh!

I looked at Amy and saw she was looking at Pete, a smile on her face. Ouu, seems like there's gonna be some drama going on real soon! I said to myself.

"So Amy, you like Pete?" I said. She snapped out of her dreaminess and looked at me and Wilson.

"W-what?" She said.

"Do you like Pete?" I said again. She looked at Wilson, and her cheeks started turning red. Seemed I had embarrassed her.

"Uhh, no, not really," she said. "He's nice and...stuff, but I don't. Like. Him."

She's funny when she's embarrassed, I said to myself. "Okay I see," I said, "You know what, I'm gonna call you Curly Tops. That okay?" She nodded (I bet I'm not the first person to call her that!). "Cuz you know, you're hair's curly." She nodded again. "A girl of few words..." I grinned slyly at Wilson, "I like it." He elbowed me in the ribs and I laughed.