Chapter 10: Aiden: Creepy Jason

By the time we get the fire going, the sky is pitch black. There are no stars, and the moon is hidden. It's all so bizarre. If there are people on this island, wouldn't they have heard the crash? Or wouldn't they see the flames from the fire?

"Hey, Aiden!"

I stop at the sound of my voice and turn to find Tom walking toward me.

"How familiar are you with these islands?" he asks.

I shrug. "I've done extensive research on them and have written several papers. Why?"

He takes hold of my arm and moves me away from the fire and the survivors who're converging around it. "I have my suspicions about where we are, but I need someone who knows the area to confirm what I'm thinking." He glances around as if he's worried someone might be eavesdropping.

"And what're you thinking?" A knot forms in my stomach. Alaska is known as The Last Frontier, and these islands… the conditions are often much worse.

Tom straightens and crosses his arms. He's got massive biceps, and his bushy brown eyebrows lift slightly. "Would you be up for exploring with me tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

He nods. "Good, we'll leave before everyone else gets up. And don't tell anyone." He turns to walk away.

I stare at him for a moment. That's weird. I probably shouldn't have agreed to wander around the island with him - alone - but he is an air marshall. He's probably the safest person to be around, and I'm sure Emily will… My eyes widen. I can't leave Emily here alone tomorrow.

"Tom! Wait!" I jog up to him. "There's this girl - Emily - we're traveling together, and I won't leave her. So if she can't come, then I'm not going."

His gaze is deadly, and the muscle in his jaw ticks. I swallow hard. Issuing an ultimatum isn't the smartest thing I could've done, but I'm not leaving Emily to fend for herself.

Finally, after what feels like forever, Tom gives a curt nod. "Fine, but it's just the three of us. Got it?"

"Got it." I smile. When he walks away, I blow out a breath. Now all I have to do is find Emily and tell her. The group who'd been searching the plane begins to trek down with their arms full of supplies. I stand and watch, looking for Emily, but I don't see her anywhere. My stomach drops. Is she hurt? Please, God, don't let her be hurt. I'll never forgive myself if something happens and I'm not around to help her.

I take off on a run toward the wreckage, intent on finding her, when I notice a figure several feet down the beach, sitting with knees tucked to their chest. From here, I have no idea if the person is male or female, but I hope it might be Emily. Even if it's not her, no one should be alone right now. Not after all we've been through.

"Uh, excuse me, I don't think you should be sitting - "

"Aiden?" She turns to look at me.

"Emily." I exhale with relief and sit beside her. "What're you doing down here all by yourself?"

She rests her head on her knees and looks over at me with tears in her eyes. The blood is gone from her forehead, and her hairline is wet. "Theodore's dead. I found him in…" She takes a deep breath and turns away from me.

"Oh." I frown. "I'm so sorry." I don't know who Theodore is to her, whether he was family or just a friend she'd made on the plane, but my heart goes out to her. It's hard enough to wrap your mind around the fact we survived a plane crash, but to lose someone she knows? And then to be the one to find his body? I can't even imagine how she's feeling right now.

I don't know what to do or say to make her feel better. Should I put my arm around her and try to comfort her? Or just sit here and listen should she decide to talk about it? I pick up a handful of sand and let it slip through my fingers. She didn't push me away earlier when I'd put my arms around her. In fact, she'd returned my embrace. I wipe my hand on my jeans and put my arm around her, pulling her close.

She rests her head on my shoulder and sighs. As horrible as our circumstances are, I like the feel of Emily close to me. Because even though I won't say it out loud, I'm scared, too, and I need her just as much as she needs me.

"It's awful. Seeing him like that." She straightens and shakes her head. "That could've been me," she whispers so quietly I almost don't hear her.

"But it wasn't. You can't think that way."

Without another word, she stands and wipes the sand from her jeans. "I see the fire is going."

I stand, too. "Yeah, once we got it started, it didn't take long for it to really take off." I laugh nervously.

"Looks like they're having another meeting." She nods over my shoulder.

I turn to look, and sure enough, the group is converging again with Jason and Tom at the helm. "Before we go see what it's all about, there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay," she says slowly, cautiously.

"Tom approached me right before I came over here. He said he thinks he knows where we are but wants me to go exploring with him tomorrow because I'm familiar with the area."

"That's kinda weird."

"Right? That's what I thought, too, but then I got thinking… He's the air marshall. I would feel safer with him than with anyone else."

She nods. "I agree. There's something about Jason that gives me the creeps."

"Jason?" I tilt my head with confusion. "What's wrong with Jason?"

"I don't know. Anyone who talks about God that much weirds me out."

I stare at her, dumbfounded. She mentioned earlier she didn't believe in God, but this Is a whole other level. And not something I cAN get into with her right now. "Anyway, I told Tom I'd go with him, but only if you could go, too." I quickly avert my gaze, worried she might think I'm crazy.

"You did?" Disbelief drips from her words.

"Yeah. I didn't want to leave you behind. I mean, you're really the only person I know and I don't - "

"Thank you." She cuts me off by flinging her arms around my neck, and I stumble back a step before I realize she's hugging me.