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Eliana
Survival Instincts
ISHOULDTELLtheothers about the man in the forest. I was in such shock when Chase, Davian, Reggie, and Hank found me that I couldn’t find my voice. I hate to admit it, but I cried. They probably think I’m the weakest link of our group. If this were some twisted reality show, I’d be banished from the island. If only. If I can’t get myself to toughen up, they’ll feed me to the wolves.
I’m better than this.
If I had my big girl panties, I’d tell myself to suck it up. Damn it. I’d take my granny panties right about now. Even my ugly period ones.
“So, you just found it?” Tiffany asks, plopping down on the leaves beside me. It’s better than sitting in the sand on our bare asses. She stares at the side of my face and waits for me to look at her.
I twine my fingers together. “Yeah. It was by the creek.”
“This has to be some sort of test.” If only. She’s not the only one skeptical.
Adam hollers in excitement, drawing our attention to him as the fire ignites. At least the man, Kellan, wasn’t lying about the bag having everything we could use to help us survive at least the first night. But now I’m concerned about the wolves and about whatever lingers past the creek. He recommended not to go far. I don’t even want to go back into the trees. I might just stay here in our makeshift shelter and teach myself how to make some clothes out of whatever is around.
“Super lucky for us. I’m already getting cold.” Tiffany rubs her hands over her arms. “I mean, look at my damn nipples. They’re so tight that they can probably cut glass.”
I bare my teeth and cross my arms over my boobs. “Maybe try cutting some wood instead? It would be more useful for the fire.” I don’t know why I say it, but I couldn’t think of another response to her. I’m pretty sure everyone’s nipples are hard right now from the cool, crisp air. I don’t even want to think about what the night will bring.
She cackles, her voice echoing through the air, drawing everyone’s attention to us. “Shit, Eliana. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought you’d blush. You seem...never mind.”
“What? Modest?” I know it’s not what she was going to say. A part of me wants to get angry, but maybe she’s right. It’s not that I’m modest. I’m just uncomfortable. Nervous. I feel exposed and weak despite knowing that we’ve managed this much already and can handle a night until we find something, anything, to protect our naked bodies from the elements.
“Hey, Tiff. Come on by the fire. I’ll help you warm up,” Ian interrupts. He offers his hand out to Tiffany.
I expect her to scowl and slap his hand away, but she laughs and lets him pull her to her feet. I guess we both got lucky that he chose now to hit on her and steal her away. I’m unsure about her, considering she already seems to have an opinion about me. Now, I wonder what the others think. Should I care? Probably not. But I do want them to like me enough that they won’t turn against me if shit gets worse than it already is.
I take a moment to look at the others. Mostly everyone seems relaxed. They don’t even care that the light fades by the second. Soon, we will only have the light of the fire. Just the fifteen of us in the dark on an island with who knows what. Fucking great.
“Hey, Eliana! You get the first bite since you found the bag. I hope you like fish.” Tristan waves something on a stick. I’m not usually one for seafood, but I’m starving. Just the sight of the offering sends my stomach growling.
“We have some bananas too.” Adam holds up a bunch, showing off his find. “There’s probably other tropical fruit around that we’ll look for at first light. Alicia and Tiffany gathered some flowers as well, if you’re feeling that kind of thing.”
“Edibleflowers,” Tiffany corrects, rolling her eyes. “You might be surprised if you’d just try them. They make a good tea.”
A shadow falls over me, and I tilt my head back, catching Evander’s gaze. He holds a leaf as big as my head on his palm and offers it out. I automatically take it, keeping my eyes on him instead of his naked body, his chiseled muscles more defined by the glow of the firelight as twilight steals the sun.
“You look comfortable here, so I thought I’d bring you a little of everything.” He twirls his finger at my bare leg. “That looks painful too. You doing okay?”
I shift my gaze to the scraped and bruised skin from my fall. “It’s not so bad. It could’ve been worse.”
“Like breaking something.” Chase’s smooth voice hums through the air, and I spot him kicking through the sand from where he’d been hunched next to the fire. He sits beside me and holds up the collapsible cup that was stored in the bag. “My grandmother was a holistic medical practitioner and she taught me a couple things. Banana trees are good for a lot of things. This will help with the pain. Drink it all.”
“Yes, doctor,” I say, bringing the cup to my mouth, watching him watch me.
“If bananas are that fucking fantastic, here, eat this next.” Evander picks up the banana from the leaf on my lap.
I tip my head back and laugh. “You guys are treating me like I’m going to die. I really am okay. It’s just some scrapes.”
“That we don’t want to get infected.” Chase eyes me in his peripheral vision. I don’t know why he worries about a stranger, maybe it’s because of his oath as a doctor, but it makes me feel better.
“I suppose you’re right. Thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone take care of me.” My voice barely sounds out a whisper, but Chase hears the words and smiles at me.
“We have to change that. We’re all we have right now, and we need to watch out for each other to survive this.” Evander motions to the leaf on my lap with the food. “Now eat. Whoever finishes first gets dibs on our sleeping arrangements. I don’t know about you, but it’s going to be cold, and I’d rather not cuddle with one of those assholes.”
I raise my eyebrows as a smile crosses my face. “You say that as if you plan to cuddle me.”
