'Til this day, I still cant believe that we were rescued. The helicopters hovered over us for a while, then they landed onto the sand as the large gust of wind showered us from the helicopter wings. We all looked at each other, then crashed into each other arms as we bawled out in happiness. We were so happy that we were finally able to go home, and safety was just a flight away. However, I was still a little shaky about getting on the helicopter itself. All I could think about, was flying and crashing onto another island, then being deserted for another 5 years.
We gathered everything that we wanted to bring in rememberance of the island. We grabbed Craig's suicide note, Kimberly's health kit, some of the carpet we made out of tigers, and more. When we gathered everything, the men told us that we had to split up on the helicopters so that the weight would be equal. Rayan, Janyra, Nina, Lilyana, CJ, and Gia boarded a plane, while me, Jacob, Adrianne, Cierra, Caden, and Baby Matthew boarded a plane. Janyra was making her way onto the first plane, when she felt her foot get stuck in the sand. She glanced down and looked behind her, when she seen Simba holding her foot down, giving her a saddened look. Janyra placed her hand on top of Simba's head, and gave him a saddened look as well.
"Roooo." Simba growled in a low tone, probably meaning "don't go."
"I'm sorry Simba, but I have to go." Janyra said as she shook her head. "I left you a large pile of berries in the woods, but I have to go back home to my real family."
Still, Simba wanted her to stay. He kept his palm on her foot, when she tugged her foot away, and walked onto the helicopter. She shut the door, and glanced down at Simba as we all lifted into the air. Simba was looking up at the helicopter, not taking his eyes off of her as his family walked behind him. Janyra stared at him, teared up, then started bawling as she leaned onto Rayan's shoulder and bawled out in his arms.
"I feel so bad for leaving him." Janyra wept.
Meanwhile on our plane, me, Jacob, Caden, and Adrianne were looking out and watching and waiting for the large waters to turn into cities and cars. Cierra was shaking a little bit while she laid on my lap, and she smiled at us as we glanced out of the windows.
"How does it look out there?" Cierra asked in a weak tone.
"It's just water, now." I sighed. "I'm waiting to see buildings and cars."
"Where are we going?" Cierra asked again.
"To the airport."
"Why?"
"So we can get dropped back off at home."
"How many people will be there?"
"Girl, if you don't stop asking questions!" I joked as we both laughed.
"Sorry.." Cierra whispered.
"I'm just kidding, Cierra." I smiled. "We'll be there soon. Do you want me to let you know when the city pops up?"
"Yes. I want to look at it." Cierra nodded.
"Okay."
We flew in the helicopter for an hour, but we still kept our eyes on the flight below us. Suddenly, the waters turned into beautiful green hills and mountains. We all made "ooh" and "aah" noises, as we glanced down at something that wasn't water, sand, or dirt. Adrianne and Jacob held hands while they glanced over 10,000 feet below them, and Caden was staring down as well. All throughout the flight, Cierra continuously asked were we there. She literally had me cracking up through the whole entire thing.
Then all of a sudden in the 35 minute range, Cierra stopped asking questions. I thought that she took me seriously at first, then I left it alone. But when I realized that she wasn't asking us questions about where we were when we were getting close to the areas that was close by, I grew a little concerned. I looked down at Cierra, and she was peacefully sleeping in my lap.
"Cierra, we're in the city now!" I cheered.
But she didn't respond. My smile grew into a look of worry as I shook her shoulder a little bit. Still no response. I started tapping her really hard, and my tapping was only answered by silence. I placed my hand on the side of her neck to look for a pulse, and I didn't feel any. I started panting hard and hyperventilating, when I let out a large wail. Everyone inside of the helicopter turned my way when they seen me freaking out.
"What's going on?" Jacob asked.
"She's not moving!" I screamed. "Adrianne, do you have your lantern?"
"No. I left it on the beach!" Adrianne said in a worried tone.
But before I could panic all of the way, we were at touchdown. We'd landed on the runway of the airport in Miami, where a large group of people were waiting. Me and Adrianne tried giving Cierra a few ches compressions, but nothing worked. Jacob tried giving her CPR as well, but that didn't help either. Suddenly, her body went from warm, to ice cold in an instant.
I was so disraught, that I had to be tugged out of the plane by the other man who was flying in the other helicopter. I was kicking, screaming, waving my hands everywhere, and more. Nobody understood why I was going crazy, but they did. Nobody understood why I was acting like a lunatic, but they did. I'd truly lost a good friend, and I couldn't believe that she was gone. She'd been with me through thick and thin, and I lost her in a blink of an eye. The worst part is, she was so close to being rescued and saved, and she didn't make it. I was hurt. I was sick. I was losing my mind.
Everyone in the plane tried to follow me, when the security guard suggested that everyone stayed inside for a minute. Meanwhile, EMS came and placed Cierra's body onto a stretcher, and wheeled her away as everyone in the crowd looked at her in shock. Inside of the planes, everyone was looking outside of the windows in awh. We hadn't seen so many different faces, so many buildings, and so many cars in so long. All we seen were people filming, snapping photos through their new iphones, and more. The security guards cleared the way, then rushed the rest out of the plane before the paparazzi could parade us.
"And here we have it, folks. The survivors of Flight 89, right here, right now." A newslady said from far away.
"How does it feel to be back home?" One lady asked the rest as she shoved a microphone in front of their face.
"Were there any other people who died on that plane?" A man asked, shoving another microphone in their face.
"Back! Clear the way! Clear the way!" The security guard in front of them yelled as he shoved a bunch of reporters out of everyones faces.
Even walking on the cement felt funny. For 5 years, me and the rest of the people on the island walked on nothing but muddy grass, sand, dirt, etc. Our feet were used to feeling things that were soft. Now, the cement that we stepped on felt like hard bricks. It was a little painful to adjust to, but that didn't matter. Everyone continued to walk inside of the airport, when they seen their family members. This moment, was filled with greatness the instant they hit the room.
Jacob seen his grandparents, and crashed into them with baby Matthew in his arms. Lilyana and Gia trailed behind him as well. Janyra seen her parents and flew to their arms as well. Rayan seen his mother, and she tackled him to the ground before he could even think about hugging her. Nina was wailing in her mother and fathers arms like a little baby, which I found cute. But Adrianne, Adrianne was less than happy to see her mother. All she could think about was her being thrown out after she found out about Lilyana. Her mother reached her arms out for a hug, and Adrianne stepped back. Adrianne let out a little laugh, then looked over at Jacob and her children. She smiled at them, then looked back at her mother in disgust.
"Do you want to see what you missed out on?" Adrianne asked.
"Sure." Her mother nodded in a saddened way.
Adrianne walked over to Jacob and his family, and excused herself as she grabbed the kids. Adrianne walked back over to her mother, and showed them her greatest gifts. Adrianne's mother smiled as she kneeled down to them, and said "Hi".
"What's their names?" Her mother asked.
"The oldest one is Lilyana, the second oldest is Gia, and my newest baby's name is Matthew." Adrianne growled. "Girls, this is my mother."
"Is this grandma?" Lilyana cheered.
"No, don't call her grandm-"
"Gaamaaaa! Gaaaama!" Gia cheered as she and Lilyana circled around their grandmother.
"Okay girls. It's time to go." Lilyana said as she grabbed their hands, and prepared to walk away.
"Why don't you want them to call me grandma?" Adrianne's mother asked in a hurt tone.
"You know why, mother. Don't play dumb." Adrianne snarled in a silent tone as she looked down at her mother, and started walking away. "I don't ever want to see you again."
"Wait, where's my sister?" Jaelyn's brother shouted as he stood up.
"And where's my son?" Craig's father barked.
Along with a great moment, came a saddened one. All of these families waiting to see their loved ones, were disappointed to find out that only 7 out of the 459 people in each of the planes were here. So many families were grieving and demanding that the helicopters go back out there and look some more. However, we were the proof. And even worse, is that there weren't even that many people on the island when we arrived, which suggested that the rest of those people died a long time ago.
"And that's how we survived Flight 89." I said as my speech cause the room to flood with an enormous amount of clapping.
I stepped off of the stage, and stood next to my collegues who survived with me on that journey. This banquet was roughly 2 days after we arrived back home. We were at the annual "welcome back" banquet for our ceremony. Even Caden was there with us, and I stood over next to Jacob, Adrianne, Nina, Rayan, Caden, and Janyra. Khamil, was cheering us on in the crowd as well. All of us were suited and dressed up, and this was the best that we'd looked in our whole entire lives. I had on a dark red dress with my hair curled, Nina had her long black hair in a clean and nice sock bun with a dark blue fitted dress, Rayan had on a dark blue suit with his hair brushed back and braided to the back, Caden had on a gray suit with his hair nice and cut, Janyra had on a short brown dress that matched her short and pretty hazel hair, and Adrianne had on a long black dress, with her backlength brown hair flat ironed down her back. Her black dress matched Jacob's black suit, and he had all of his curly hair slicked, smoothed, and brushed back.
Jacob stepped on the podium, and was rewarded with a large round of applause as he prepared to give the final speech, which would close the book to this long journey.
"Hello! I would like to dedicate this speech to my friends." Jacob smiled as he looked at us. "Adrianne, Rayan, Sierra, Janyra, and Nina, I love you all. We've been through so much together. We've fought through diseases, blizzards, animals, scars, and more just for our survival. If I were to do this with anyone, I wouldn't hesitate to do it with you guys. This trip only proves that we can get through any and everything together. Don't ever let anyone tell y'all can't do something cause if they do, tell them that you stayed on an island without any assistance for 5 years. 12 years for me and you, Rayan. I love you all, and that's all I wanted to tell you guys. Caden, I also wanted to thank you again for saving us. You are a true and brave hero. RIP to Cierra as well, and I know that she's doing good in heaven. We will take good care of CJ for her. Lets eat!"
After the banquet, I said my final goodbyes to what I called my true friends. We all exchanged numbers, and vowed that we would keep in touch.
On the way back home, my dad was silent. He was very happy that I was home, but his happiness quickly grew distant after I asked him could I see my mother. It was night time, and I was glancing out the window at the city life that I thought that I would never see again. Still, I couldn't get my mother out of my head. I looked at my father, and he glanced over at me, then continued to focus on the road. Finally, i'd asked him what'd i'd already asked him.
"Why won't you tell me about mom?" I asked in a low tone.
"Because I said so. That's why." My father growled at me.
"I still think that it's best to know what happened to her." I said. "Whats wrong? Is she dead?"
I looked at my father, and he looked at me with in a saddened way. He glanced at me for a few seconds, then shifted his attention back on the road.
"Is she dead?!" I asked in a louder tone. "She is dead, isn't she.."
"This is why I didn't want to tell you this, because I knew that this would be your reaction."
"Of course it's going to be my reaction, Dad!" I shouted as I teared up. "She's my mother!"
The look on my fathers face from seeing me cry was just as bad as mine. He looked down, then shifted his attention back onto the road again.
"What happened to her?" I asked, not letting it go.
"She died from cancer, not too long after she called you on the island." My father said.
That was all I needed to hear. I slumped over into the drivers seat and silently bawled my eyes out as I balled up my right fist, and placed it on my lips. Seems like coming home, wasn't as fun as I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to see both of my parents waiting for me. I was expecting my mother and my father to come hug me. I was expecting the whole nine. However, I was completely wrong. I didn't even get to attend her funeral, which shot another bullet right through my heart. I was more than crushed. I was beyond devestated.
"I'm sorry..." My father said in a low tone.
When we got to my fathers house, I put on my pajama's and acted like I was completely okay. I enjoyed a really good meal, which was McDonalds. After eating raw tigers and salty snails for 5 years, any and everything tasted like heaven at the moment. I watched the newest movies that i'd missed when I went missing right with my father, and waited until he decided to go to bed and prepare for work tomorrow.
That was exactly was I was waiting on.
While he was asleep, I snuck into the coat closet door that was right by the tv room, and looked up at the top shelf to see if he still kept his 9mm pistol up there. And of course, he did. Before I left, I remember how he would always brag about getting a new one, and brag about how he was always born and ready to "bust a nigga's cap in" if they tried to do something stupid inside of the house. I went upstairs to my room that I hadn't been in since I arrived her, loaded the gun with the bullet, and placed it up against my head.
However, I thought about everything before I decided to pull the trigger. It all made sense now.
I finally realized why Craig committed suicide that day when he decided to step off of the cliff. What's the point of coming home when you're missing a big piece to your family? What's the point of doing anything in life if you don't have ALL of your loved one's there? What's the point of having children, when they won't even have a complete set of grandparents? What's the point of living, knowing that you won't ever see one of your closest loved one's watch you do good, and make them proud? I didn't even have a friend to celebrate it with. I thought of every single death on the island. Allison committing suicide, Charleze getting shot, Gabi freezing to death, Jazzy starving to death, Jaelyn dying of AIDS, Cierra dying in my arms, Kimberly bleeding out, Jazz dying from being poisoned, Charmaine flying out of the boat and drowning, Craig committing suicide, and me killing and putting Chresanto to sleep. Finally, I decided that i'd had enough.
I pulled the trigger, and splattered the white walls in my room with my blood. I laid there limp, and could still see out of my open eyes. However, my vision soon faded and shifted to black, meaning that I had faded away. A lot of people say "don't commit suicide.", but those are the people who have nothing to commit suicide about.
The phrase "Only the strong survive.", is as true as it gets. You thought that I was telling you a story on how I survived on that island, well I was. However, I was really telling you about my last days on this place called earth. Or as i'd like to call it, hell.