*Beval Hernandez's POV:
It was around 11:00 at night. The fire was put out and everyone went to sleep an hour ago.
But me? No. I stayed up, sitting near the cave entrance. My back was leaned against the side of the cave as I watched the moon shined down through the green vines.
I thought about everything that had happened earlier: Mohammed's death, me and Danny's argument, the fight, my emotional breakdown and our apologies.
I couldn't sleep, I was too pissed off at myself to slumber. What had gotten into me?! That wasn't the Beval I knew. It's something about being on a deserted island, fighting for survival that really affects your mental health.
I turned my head towards my friends.
They were laying on the bare ground, sound asleep. The sounds of Robin's obnoxious snoring filled my ears. The tossing and turning of Danny could be seen, along with the slight mumbles about "fried chicken" from Kimberly.
Outside filled the sounds of birds, the satisfying sound of trees dancing in the wind and the "wooting" of a nearby owl.
I sighed, brushing my hand through my messy hair.
To past time, I began daydreaming about things that I think will happen once we get back home. There would be no more kidnappings of young children or babies, no more W.E.A or anything of that nature. It would be peaceful.
We'll see our family again and continue with our lives. Hell, we might even write a book on everything we went through.
Shimizu would continue being a photographer, since he has a passion for photography.
Robin would continue doing what she loved most: playing soccer and fashion designing.
Danny might become a motivational speaker and a life coach.
Kimberly would continue playing recreational lacrosse, wrestling, and develop a strong friendship with Robin. She would continue teasing the hell out of us, but in a friendly way.
Katie would continue participating in gymnastics as she moves through middle school. Katie and Kimberly might have to move in with either Robin or Gaia and their family, since they, unfortunately have no family to go home to.
Gaia would continue singing and dancing and might even get into acting.
I made up in my mind to tell her how I felt once we get back home, where it's stress free. Being in a relationship with her might be kind of awkward at first, but we'll get used to it in the long run.
It's crazy how I was chasing after whom I thought as the girl of my dreams, but the girl of my dreams was right next to me. All this time. I was too distracted with Mina that I didn't even realize my feelings for Gaia.
"Hey Beval."
I turned around to see who called my name. It was Gaia.
"Why are you still up?" she asked, rubbing her eyes as she got up from her slumber. She walked over and sat beside me.
"Can't sleep" I responded, looking down at my shoes, not making any eye contact.
"It's cause of what happened earlier, isn't it?" Gaia asked with a cocked brow.
"Yeah, it is" I responded with a sigh.
"Understandable, but Danny knew you didn't mean it. You were just pissed off, that's all. Being in these situations is very new to us, so it would make sense if it affected our mental health negatively. Just learn from this and keep pushing" Gaia counseled, placing her hand on my shoulder.
"You know, you give great advice. That's what I like about you" I responded as I gazed into her eyes with a warm smile.
"Thank you."
Gaia didn't say anything after that. It was nothing but an awkward silence between us for a few seconds before I spoke up.
"Hey Gi Gi?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you going to do once we get back home?"
She stroked her chin, thinking of an answer.
"Well, I might keep living my life and hang out with my friends: you, Robin, Mizu, Kim, Katie and Danny. All of us together. We'll eat nachos, hang out in Chinatown, go to the beach, and much more. It will be like a happily ever after. And you-"
She stared into my eyes.
"I would confess to you all over again. To let you know that my feelings never changed, but only grew."
I looked away, wondering if I should tell her.
"Should I tell her now in case we don't survive this? Or should I have faith we will survive this island and tell her once we get home, safe and sound?" I thought to myself.
"I want to ask you a question Beval. If you could kiss any girl in the world, who would be it be?" she asked, sitting on her knees.
I snapped out of my thoughts and giggled, recognizing the question that she asked me last September, the night of the sleepover.
"You already know the answer to that Gaia" I chuckled as I shook my head.
"It's Mina, right?" she answered with a sad expression, looking up the moon.
"Nope. Guess again" I smiled.
"Katie?"
"No, she's like three years younger than us."
"Kimberly?"
"No."
"Robin?"
"What? No, she's like a sister to me."
"Me?"
Slowly, the smile on my face grew, giving her the answer without saying it. Gaia's pupils enlarged as she smiled along with me.
"Yes Gaia, it's you" I nodded in a calm voice, grabbing her hands. "And I think it's time for me to tell you how I feel, I was going to tell you once we get back home, but now, I've changed my mind. Gaia, I like y-"
My words were stopped as a pair of Gaia's lips touched mine. It was just as warm as the first kiss, but more graceful.
I kissed back as we leaned in closer to each other.
After five incredible seconds, she broke the kiss and gave me a tight hug.
"You don't have to confess anything" she said before standing up. "It's getting late, I'm going back to bed, you should too. We may have to get up early tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, maybe I should. Hopefully, sleep will help me clear my thoughts a bit" I agreed, getting up from off the ground.
As we walked back over to our sleeping friends, I started to hear a faint rumbling sound as the ground underneath my feet started to vibrate.
"Huh?" I said out loud.
The rumbling grew louder and louder, and the ground shook harder and harder. It got so intense that it woke the others.
"Beval what is going on?!" Gaia asked out loud, trying to keep her balance.
"Earthquake?" I guessed out loud, trying to keep my balance.
"Huh? What's going on?!" Shimizu asked, awaking in fear as he put on his glasses and grabbed his cloth bag, getting up from the ground.
I held on to the cave's wall, trying as best as I could to keep my balance.
"What's happening?!" Katie yelled out, grabbing on to Robin.
"Everyone, out of the cave! Now!" Danny yelled out.
I grabbed Gaia's hand as we attempted to sprint out, running as fast as we could towards the entrance, but it was too late.
A large rock crashed down to the ground with a boom followed by a rumble. It blocked the entrance.
"No! No! No! No! No!" Shimizu screamed, before running over and trying to push against the rock, along with Robin and Kimberly.
"Shit!" I screamed out in panic. I along with Gaia joined in on the pushing with Kimberly, Robin and Shimizu. Katie was crying, panicking, and scared for her life.
"We're trapped" Gaia whimpered in fear, starting to cry.
"No! I can't die like this!" Shimizu cried out, banging against the huge rock.
I started panicking more and more as my breath grew heavy. I was sweating bullets as my hands trembled, becoming sore from all the pushing and pounding I was doing.
"Help! Somebody help us!" Robin screamed in panic. She turned her head to look at Danny. He was standing a few yards from us, stroking his chin.
"Why are you so calm about this?! We're trapped in here!" she screamed at him in anger.
"It must've been a rocky landslide. There is another way out, but I'm going to need your help. It's going to take some work" Danny explained as he went over towards the back of the cave. "It looks as though all of these rocks are removeable. If we climb to the top and dig a hole that is big enough for us to fit through, we can squirm through it to get to the other side" Danny pointed to the pile.
I've figured those rocks were just the back of the cave. The pile was about thirty feet up and reached the very top, hiding any possible way through it.
"What a minute! I thought the entrance was the only way in and out! Where did this come from? And where will it lead to?" Kimberly asked in confusion, walking away from the entrance and towards the huge pile of rocks.
"Nope, where we came from is only an entrance. This cave is in a small mountain after all. The exit is on the other end of the mountain. If we keep going down the cave's path, we will reach the end."
"How long will it take to each the exit?" Gaia asked.
"A full day at the least. It's straight ahead and-"
"A day to reach the exit? Why that long?!" Kimberly asked, interrupting Danny in anger.
"When I said the mountains were short, I meant in height compared to your average mountain. But in length, it will take about a day or two to reach the end. There are some killing-machines down deep in this cave, but not as much as there is outside. Here's the thing, once we get past these rocks, we cannot go back to sleep, unless you want to be killed by a killing-machine in your sleep? Then be my guess."
"You've got to be kidding me! I am not spending an extra day or two in this hellhole!" Kimberly argued.
"We clearly don't have a choice here Kimberly" Danny sighed in agitation as he pointed towards the caves entrance, which unfortunately is blocked by a huge rock. "It will take us a couple days more but we will make it to the mountains".
"You know, you sure know a lot about a island you haven't been to before" Robin mumbled in a sarcastic manner.
"I'm psychic. When I first met you guys, I already knew a lot about. You didn't even have to tell me" Danny replied to her.
"Why don't we do this tomorrow? I mean, it's around midnight and we already know how we're going to leave this place, so why don't we just go back to sleep and-"
"And what do you think will happen once another landslide occurs? But this time on the other side of the mountain? We would die in here. I rather risk sleep than risk being trapped in here" Danny stated, interrupting Kimberly's suggestion.
As usual, Kimberly would've had a response, but there was nothing to say. Like always, he made a valid point
Suddenly, Katie shrieked in pain as she held her knee.
"Whoa, you okay Kate?" Shimizu asked her, holding out his arms.
"No, my knee is still injured. I'm not sure if I want to do this. I'm scared I won't make it" Katie cried out.
"Get on my back: Shimizu said, crouching down in front of her.
"Huh?" she responded bewildered with a tilted head.
"You won't be able to climb with that knee, or even walk properly. You're pretty light, so I should be fine."
"Okay" Katie nodded before climbing onto his back.
Without a single complaint, we started to climb up the huge pile of rocks.
It was tricky. We didn't know which rock was loose or which was tight enough to put our feet on, so we had to be very careful.
I grunted as I climbed up the rocks. My arms trembled as I pulled my weight up and my teeth grind in determination.
We were ten feet up now, twenty to go.
"You okay Kim?" Robin asked Kimberly, looking over at her. Kimberly, whom was grunting in pain glared at Robin.
"I'm fine, just a sprained ankle. I don't need any help if that is what you're asking."
"I mean, it would make sense for me to ask. You are climbing on an injured ankle. Are you sure you don't need help?"
"Yes Rob, I am pretty pain toleran-"
Kimberly shrieked in pain as she mistakenly applied too much pressure on to her injured ankle.
"That's it! I'm changing, I can't take it anymore!" she yelled in anger. Out of nowhere, she turned into an owl, wooting as she flied to the very top of the huge pile of rocks.
"Kimberly, while you're up there, are you able to push through any rocks?!" Danny shouted to her.
She flapped her wings before slamming herself against the rocks. After about five tries, she yelled down to us.
"I made a hole!"
"How big is it?! Can you reach your arm through it?" Danny shouted.
Kimberly turned back into her human form and tried to reach through it.
"It's about six inches wide! I still feel more rocks, but when I reach through it more, I don't feel anything! It's not that big of a hole!"
"Keep digging, we are almost up there!" Danny responded, only fifteen feet away from the top now.
Kimberly turned into a mongoose to dig her way through the rocks.
The rocks touched the top of the cave, so the only way to get through was to dig down and squeeze through an opening.
"Hey watch it Kimberly!" Robin scowled, blocking a falling rock with her arm.
"Get out the way then!" Kimberly scowled back.
Once we arrived to the top, we started digging along with Kimberly, moving rocks, tossing rocks, slamming against them, we did it all. Together.
I glanced at Gaia. Determination and worry filled her face. She was panting and sweating as she tossed and dug.
"Beval, less staring and more digging!" Danny shouted. I snapped out of my stare, and continued digging, a little embarrassed.
A flame lit up from Robin's right hand as she tried to see in between the rocks.
"It's too dark, even if there's an opening, I can't see anything" Robin stated, making the flame go out. She proceeded digging with all her might. "What if there isn't another side?!"
"Trust me, there is. My psychic powers always tell the truth" Danny argued. "Just keep digging."
Five minutes went by, then ten, then twenty. We were digging, but it felt as though it led to nowhere.
That's when a light bulb went off in my brain. I thought of an easier way to get out of there.
"Hold up!" I shouted as an idea popped in my head. The others stopped digging and glanced at me. I slid down the rocks to the very bottom and sprinted over to the rock covering the entrance.
"Beval, what are you doing?!" Danny shouted.
"Getting us out of here! Watch me!" I shouted back, keeping my eyes on the rock ahead. I was about fifty feet away from it as I closed my eyes and concentrated.
"What is that kid doing?" I heard Danny whisper to Shimizu.
I raised my arms out beside me. The air around us began to move rapidly. I could hear the others shriek in fear from the strong wind.
Once I knew for sure the air around me was strong enough, I opened my sparkling, glowing eyes. I pushed the air forward, forcing my arms out in front of me. It took a lot of strength, but good thing I had bit of muscle on me.
The wind was fast and as soon as it made impact, the rock wobbled. It was working.
I could hear the faint sound of small rocks being affected by the wind, tumbling down the big pile behind me.
I pushed the air and forced my arms forward for the second time. Then a third time, then a fourth, then a fifth. It wasn't long before the rock was pushed back far enough for us to squeeze through.
"Yes!" I shouted, a little exhausted from all that work I did. I began running to the entrance.
"Beval! You did it!" Shimizu cheered as he and the others climbed down the pile.
I squeezed out from in between the rock and the entrance. I was overwhelmed by how windy it was as I tried my best to step over the debris and rocks that were scattered on the ground. That rocky landslide was something serious.
I looked behind me at the huge rock. That thing had to be a thousand pounds and was around ten feet tall and twelve feet wide. A chunk of the small mountain was missing from the landslide.
"Beval!" I heard Shimizu yell as he was squirming out from the cave, with the others following behind. He ran over and gave me a big man hug.
"Amazing bro, you're amazing!" Shimizu smiled at me as he patted my shoulder.
"Thanks, I had to find the easy way out" I shrugged with a smile, my sliver braces shining.
"Good job Beval. Looks like your plan succeeded" Danny congratulated, patting my head.
"Yeah, why didn't you think of that sooner Hernandez?" Kimberly smirked, punching my shoulder. I smiled in pain as I massaged my left shoulder.
"We basically wasted time you knuckle head. All that for nothing" Robin said, playfully placing me into a head lock.
"Okay, okay, let me go Robin" I squealed out.
After letting me go, I spotted Gaia examining the rock a few meters away. She turned her head at me.
"Yup, I did that" I smiled with fake pride. She giggled in response.
I made my way towards her and grabbed her hand, guiding her back over to the group, Because we were holding hands, the others got the memo and smiled.
"Look, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but we're out here in the open with Killing-Machines that are lord knows where. Remember, they are more active at night. We need to stay in the shadows until daytime as we are making our way to the Corano Mountains. The Corano Mountains are far behind this small one" Danny explained as he pointed.
"I wouldn't call this mountain a mountain. It's more of a wide, rocky hill" Gaia stated, looking back at the small mountain.
"Uhh, Gaia? He was talking about Corano Mountains, not the one we were in" Shimizu explained to her.
"Oh, right" Gaia said with an awkward smile.
"If we walk now, and take very little breaks, we can be there in about two days. Shimizu? Do you have the bomb inside of your cloth bag?" Danny asked.
"Sure do" Shimizu replied, patting the bag.
The Killing-Machines, the excessive walking we were going to do, and my exhaustion from no sleep was going to get to me. I could feel it.
This was going to be a long night.