Status: Completed!

No One Ever Realized That They're Already Dead

Sorrow Swallows My Screams... 23

[[October 29, 2008]] \Wednesday\

♠ [ Day 4 ] ♠

♠ Damien’s POV ♠

“Where is she?” I mumbled to my self as I ducked under some large plants.

The only place left I could think of was that large outer cropping of rocks that jutted out into the ocean.

Sure enough, there she was. She was sitting with her back to me with her legs hanging over the edge. I thought she was just having a moment to herself but as I got closer I say her shaking shoulders. And once I was right behind her I could finally hear her sobs over the sound of the water hitting the rocks.

“Ivory,” I said right before putting my hand on her shoulder.

She jumped and turned quickly to face me. We kind of just stared at each other till her lip started to quiver and she jerked back around so I couldn’t see. I gazed down at my little sister sadly and then took a seat beside her. I didn’t speak, because I knew she would… even if took hours.

But she spoke up sooner than I thought.

“It’s all my fault,” she whispered just loud of me to hear above the water.

“How?” I asked her shocked.

She reached up and quickly wiped away some tears. “It was my idea to take out the boat. It was stupid. Now we’re all stuck on this damn island and Ben…” she chocked on a sob. “and Ben is so sick. I… I don’t know what to do, Damien. How can I make this better?”

I reach over and hugged her to me; Ivory buried herself in my chest. “You’re not alone in this Ivory. We’re all here together, our own little tribe. We all have our own guilt about what we should have done. But we’re Gold’s damn it.”

“Gold’s stick together,” she began. “Gold’s are winners. Gold’s are scared of nothing. Gold’s never give up. Gold’s endure during hardship. Gold’s think, not rush. Gold’s are warriors. Gold’s-.”

“Are Gold’s forever.”

Ivory and I whipped around to see Ellamae and AJ standing there smiling. They walked over and kneeled down, joining in on one giant group hug.

“I may not have the Gold last name but…” AJ trailed off.

Ivory smiled with a slight tremble, “But you’re our family AJ. You’re a Gold in our hearts.”

We shared another tight hug till Ellamae suddenly gasped. We all asked her what and she grinned.

“We need something!”

“What?” I asked.

“A symbol!” she answered jumping slightly. “Something that we can always have that shows we’re family! No matter what our name is!”

“Like what?” AJ asked confused.

She rolled her eyes, “Like a scar or something. Something that can never be forgotten or removed.”

“Like a burn,” Iehsa said softly.

We looked at her confused till AJ nodded, “Yeah. A burn or something. I like it. No matter what happens we’ll always have it.”

“I have an idea,” Ivory said looking at us three. “But it’s painful.”

“I can take it!” Ellamae cried out with a glare. “Let’s do it tonight!”

Ivory bit her lip, “Ok. But Ella, we’re gonna need that name.”

My littlest sister (here on the island) smiled, “Don’t worry, I got a bunch we’ll pick right before the symbol thing.”

\ ♠ ♠ [[Fast Forward]] ♠ ♠ \

♠ Ivory’s POV ♠

I clenched the small object in my hand as I hand my way from one side of the island to the other.

“Ivory!” my sister called cheerily as I can into their view. “We voted on the name!” she smiled.

My eyebrows rose as I looked at the three, “Oh?”

“Jade Wings!” Ellamae shouted, a huge smile covering her whole face.

I cocked my head a little confused. “But I thought we were going with something with A because of all our middle names.”

“It’s actually pretty good,” my brother said then nodded to Ella.

“It’s all out initials,” she smiled. “Iesha Amber Gold. Damien Alexander Gold. Ellamae Anna Gold. Darren Adam-Nathan Jordan. Samuel Anon-Willam Jordan.”
(ME: I don’t repeat the letters but as you see I use every one of the letters.)

Using my fingers I quickly figured out all the letters and what not.

Grinning I looked at my little sis, “good job. I love it.” Then I held up the item that was in my fist. “But what about this?”

They all look at it and I handed it to Damien who looked over the small metal A and then passed it around the fire.

“I say we still use it,” AJ said.

“It’s going to hurt,” Damien said. “A lot.”

“I’ll go first,” my little sister volunteered but there was a tremble in her voice. “This way I can’t back out if I get scared when I see you guys do it.”

My gaze met Damien and AJ’s. It was decided, she would go first. We got everything ready. Damien went and got a bunch of aloe leaves while AJ made a fire closer to the water. I got the pillars I found on the boat and the A ready. (ME: the A is from the boats name. On my friend’s boat the boats name in small metal letters are glued or whatever above the a door way.) Ellamae was doing some deep breathing to calm her nerves. When everything was ready, Damien held our sisters shoulders, AJ sat on her legs and held out her right arm so her wrist was facing upward. With the pillars holding the metal A, I held it in the fire till it got an orange glow. And then… I put it firmly into my sister’s flesh.

She scream but I didn’t draw it away. She trashed but the guys held strong. She passed out and we gave a sigh of relief. When I drew the A away Damien quickly drew her wrist into the water and then drew it out, letting AJ put the cool calming aloe leaves to the angry bleeding wound.

“My turn,” D said his voice booking no argument.

So that’s how it went. Damien, AJ, I, and then Sam. What? If he died, he was dying as one of the Jade Wings.

[[October 30, 2008]] \Thursday\

♠ [ Day 5 ] ♠

♠ No One’s POV ♠

All four of the kids were nursing their wounds. They hurt too much for them to do a lot of the harder things that needed to be done. Like make the shelter stronger. So they did simple tasks. Ivory nursed Ben. Damien and AJ went fishing. Ellamae went to pick some berries.

Around dinner that night, as Ivory took a break from nursing the sick and most likely drying Ben. Ivory’s gazed moved to AJ who was sitting across the fire from her. He was cradling his wrist. They all hurt, equally, but so far they all put on a fake brake act and pretend it didn’t hurt as nearly as it truly did.

Ellamae followed her sister’s gaze to AJ. Seeing his slight frown as he gazed at the symbol of their tribe/family, she came up with an idea to cheer him up… or at least everyone else.

Catching her sister’s eye, she made some subtle jesters. Ivory at first didn’t understand but when she did she bit the inside of her lip to keep the giant smile from her face. She casually picked up a banana beside her and made it look as she was walking over to Ben while unpeeling the banana’s skin.

And then… both girls smashed the unpeeled bananas all over each side of AJ’s face. He gave a startled scream, the girls fell to sand in a fit of giggles, and Damien also fell of his seat on a log in laughed.

“What are you two? Four?” AJ asks with a glare.

Ellamae and Ivory are able to calm down a minute or so later. They looked at each other then looked at him… who was still covered in some banana.

Ivory nods in regards to his rhetorical question and says, “Yeah. Same as your IQ.”

“Ohhhh… Diss!” Damien yells then laughs along with his sisters.

AJ tires to keep the glare on his face but his families laughter was too contagious, he too fell to the sand in a fit of laughter.

\\ ♠ ♠ Elsewhere ♠ ♠ \\

Johnny very carefully laid the blanket over his sleeping girlfriend and then placed a gently kiss to her brow. Lacey refused to sleep upstairs, saying she wanted to be close to the phone and door incase anybody called/came by with news on Damien or the others.

When Johnny straightened his self he sighed and almost ghost like made his way upstairs. But he didn’t go to his and Lacey’s room; he walked to Damien’s and pushed open the door. He didn’t walk in but just stayed standing in the doorway.

He was sure this pain couldn’t be any worse if Damien really was his true birth son. Johnny wanted to hope his son was alive but… what if as everyone continued to search, no body realized that they’re already dead?

\\ ♠ ♠ Elsewhere ♠ ♠ \\

“Babe?” Val spoke softly as she silently opened Ivory’s bedroom door.

Matt didn’t look up or make any movement to show he heard her. He was sitting on the edge of his daughter’s bed. Shoulders slumped, and head down as he gazed down at a picture in its frame.

It was taken one week before… before…

Matt took a deep breath, he had never been in so much pain. His daughter, his little girl, his Ivory…

He failed her… and all because of his band.

\\ ♠ ♠ Elsewhere ♠ ♠ \\

The couple lay in bed; the woman brushing her husbands hair away from his forehead repeatedly, his head resting on her chest.

Jimmy finally slept. He’s barely had more than a wink of sleep these past five days. Not that Leana could blame him since she’s barely slept as well. She tried to stay positive about Ellamae and the other kids but… 5 days?

She gazed down at her sleeping husband. She hasn’t told him yet, how could she. He had lost the son he never knew and the daughter he was just getting to know.

How could she tell him she was pregnant?