Page 28 of Lost Paradise

I hear Byron snigger behind me.

Accepting Zane’s offer, I snuggle up close to him, welcoming this giant of a man to sleep next to. None of us haveany idea where or what’s on this island, and other than the fire next to us, it’s pitch black around us.

“You’re fine with us,” Zane whispers, sensing the shiver up my spine. I tilt my head up to him and give him a brief smile.

I hear Byron rustling next to me as he lies down, but I’m sure he keeps a distance between us. Instead, I snuggle closer to Zane, and he turns to wrap his other arm around my body. Despite the fact that I have to sleep on the ground, I feel comfortable like this.

Safe almost.

My mind drifts to Astro. No one’s seen him, and Zane was sure he was swimming next to him as they raced towards the island. But they were in the water for hours, trying to survive the heavy waves, floating on pieces of debris from the plane. Any one of them could have collapsed from exhaustion. I regret mistreating him. I shouldn’t have looked down on him like some low-life criminal. He didn’t deserve it. We’re not our parents, and we shouldn’t be judged based on what they represent. I, of all people, should have recognized that.

I close my eyes and hear the silence erupt from the crackling fire and the eerie and mysterious sounds coming deep within the forest. From unseen corners, I can hear a cacophony of chirps and croaks filling the air. The high-pitched trill of insects blends with the deep, guttural calls of unseen frogs, creating a symphony of natural rhythms that pulse through the night. The flames from the fire spitting into the air, adding to the noise of the enigmatic night.

From the short distance, the soothing waves lapping against the shore like a soothing lullaby, and the rustling of the palms above us swaying in the gentle breeze. My senses and fears slowly dissipate into the abyss as I feel myself weightless, drifting into a deeply needed slumber.

“Wake up, darling.”

My eyes flutter open as Zane urges me to wake up. Hearing the others whispering around me, I jolt up.

Byron pulls me up as he and Zane sandwich me between them protectively.

“What’s going on?” I ask softly, watching Mr. Coldwell and Jack eying the dark jungle.

“Somethings going on in there,” Byron says behind me.

Jack grabs one of the several torches the guys made earlier with bamboo shoots, dried coconut husks and jute. He lights one and passes it to Zane, another two to Jack and me.

“Swing it at whatever comes your way,” Zane says, but the way he’s protectively huddled me in, I doubt I’ll get that chance.

Glancing around us, the darkness of the jungle envelops us like a suffocating shroud, our makeshift torches flickering weakly against the impenetrable gloom. Fear coils in the pit of my stomach, tightening its grip with each passing moment as we wait in tense anticipation for whatever lurks in the shadows to reveal itself.

I clutch my torch tightly, the rough back of the branch digging into my palm, its feeble flame offering little comfort against the unknown terrors that lie in wait. Beside me, Jack grips his knife with white-knuckled intensity, his jaw set in a grim line of determination.

The night is alive with the sounds of the jungle, chirping insects, and rustling leaves that seem to taunt us with their hidden secrets. Every snap of a twig, every rustle in the underbrush sends a shiver down my spine, my senses heightened to the point of overload.

And then, suddenly, it's there—a faint rustling in the darkness, a whisper of movement that sets my heart pounding in my chest. I strain my eyes against the inky blackness, searching desperately for any sign of the source of our fear.

A chill slides down my spine as I realize we are not alone in this jungle, not by a long shot. A primal scream tears itself from my throat as I watch Jack lunge forward, his knife flashing in the dim light of our torches as he prepares to meet the creature head-on.

Mr. Coldwell swings over and grabs Jack before he can lose himself in the darkness.

“Not yet,” he yells at him.

Suddenly, this threatening darkness is interrupted by a thunderous laughter, and the body emerges, and the blood suddenly drains from my head.

“What the bloody hell?” I hear Byron say, and I step forward because I can hardly believe what I see.

Chapter 9

I jump out ofthe dark jungle, and a smirk plays on my lips. This evening has been intense, to say the least, filled with adrenaline and precisely the kind of rush I craved.

Watching them all day today acting like the royal brats they were bred as, trying to get comfortable, far away from rules and regulations they can’t hide behind. Welcome to my world, where we fight to survive and battle it out on the streets day and night.

And tonight was awesome as I stood in the dark watching them huddled together, their eyes wide with fear, clinging to each other as if they were children lost in a nightmare.

Pathetic really.

I can't stop laughing as I saunter toward them with a winning swagger.

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