No One Ever Realized That They're Already Dead

♠ Ellamae's POV ♠

I watched as the bag fell from up above. This was their plan. Above the small little island, inside this huge cave, was an opening just above us. The bad guys were going to secure the chests them lift them up.

How did they get out to go to their boat and get tons of rope? There was another opening a little swim away from where I was tied. Why not take the chests out that way? Those things are heavy! The water was too deep for them to carry them out and they couldn’t swim and carry them.

But I didn’t care about the gold and shiny jewels. My sister. Ivory. My Hero. My friend. I can’t believe it. I don’t want to. She said she’d never leave me.

♠ AJ's POV ♠

From beside me I heard another sob escape Ellamae. I was just too drained of tears to let any more escape. Ivory didn’t deserve to die. She’s the one that kept us alive.

She was too young.

But I know that I have to be smart. I can mourn my friend when the others and I get out of here. Because if I’m not smart we’ll all be joining Ivory sooner than hoped.

“So kiddy’s,” the woman spoke as the 2nd of 3 chests disappeared from above. “How did you make it so long?”

Ben glared at her, “How do you think?”

They had some kind of stare off until she cocked her head to the side a little and said, “The little girl.” We said nothing and she continued after a shrug. “Makes since. She looked like the leader, why else would she have the crown and… the sword. Damnit!” She turned to the skinny one, the only other one here. “Jay fucking threw the kid in with the sword! Damnit Markus, go in and get it.”

The skinny dude, Markus, brows rose. “Excuse me? It’s pitch dark in that water. I don’t care if Tom promised you a damn sword, Ava.”

“I care!” the woman, Ava, shouted.

“Should have stopped him them,” I muttered quietly.

But as Ava snapped her head to me I knew it wasn’t quiet enough. “What was that?” she growled low and made her way to me.

She had a fistful of my hair. I cry out a little as she yanked it back so I had to look up at her.

“Let him go!” my brother shouted.

But he was tied, hog tied to be exact.

“Fucking brats,” she growled then slapped me.

“Stop!” Ellamae cried out.

Damn, that hurt. My cheek was on fire.

“Bitch!” I shouted, losing my 10-year-old cool.

She smirked and pulled out her gun and put it to my forehead. “Gonna have to kill you anyway. Why not now?”

“No!” my family called out.

♠ No One's POV ♠

“Ah!” Ava screamed as she dropped the gun.

AJ quickly shot upward with his feet, making his head land painfully in her stomach.

“Don’t move,” everyone hurt over the woman’s pained breathing.

They couldn’t believe it.

“Ivory!” Ellamae cried out happily.

There she stood, on top of the last chest with her sword in hand and the crown crookedly on her head. The sword tip… was bloody. As her brother looked at the woman, he saw a pool of blood forming on her shirt. Ivory had slashed her with the sword.

“You,” Ivory commanded pointing the sword at Markus. “Drop the gun.”

“Are you kidding?” he asked. “I have a gun, you have a sword. Put it down sweetheart, you might get hurt.”

Ivory glared. “I don’t think so. D?”

Although his hands were tied, he held the woman’s fallen gun in his hands, pointing at the man. With such a close distance between Damien and Markus, there was no way he could miss if fired. And D would, for his family.

Markus weighed his options. From beside him sat a kid that looked serious in shooting him and in front of him was a little girl with a sword. The brat that just couldn’t be killed.

He breathed heavily out his nose. What could happen? The other three would be back in around half an hour after dropping off the 2nd chest. They’d come and take care of it. So he gave in. He dropped his gun to the ground.

“Hands on your head,” the little girl ordered. “On your knees.”

He rolled his eyes but did as commanded.

Damien kept his gun on the man and as Ivory jumped from the chest, she kept her sword pointed at him. Ivory walked over to her brother first and cut the rope around his hands. Damien wanted to throw his arms around her and cry in joy that she was alive but now wasn’t the moment. He stood and kept watch as his sister cut the others loose. Ellamae couldn’t help up hug her sister. Ivory smiled and kissed her cheek before stepping back.

“Ben,” Ivory began in that voice of her hers that dared you to argue. “Tie them up.”

Ben nodded but AJ helped since he knew some awesome knots. They hog tied the man but only tied the woman’s hands. She was in too much pain to do much. After they were tired, the Jade Wings family all shared one large hug with Ivory.

“What happened?” AJ asked.

Ivory giggled. “I wasn’t too tired as I looked. After I woke up from fainting in the water, I was pretty good. But if they thought I was weak,” she trailed off and shrugged. “I had to chance it. As I was under water I saw a faint light and swam to it. I came up in a little mini water cave. The light shown through a lot of holes in it, but not big enough to get out of the cave from. So I kept swimming back and forth to spy.” She pointed to a large rock close to where the other three men exited. “I hid behind that.”

“Thank God you’re ok,” Damien sighed and hugged his sister again.

She hugged back then the mood changed. It was down to business. Ivory looked at the chest then at Ben.

“Dump it.”

No one moved.

“Dump it,” she repeated firmer. “The other guys will want the chest. We’re not waiting for them to come back, get it then leave these two here… and us.”

Ben nodded and dumped the chest into the water. Treasure of all kind spilled into the water.

“Now,” Ivory smiled softly. “Come on. We’re leaving and getting that damn boat.”

Damien didn’t bother to tell her not to curse. They weren’t children any more. They didn’t realize it at first but the children they were are already dead. They’re stronger now. Smarter to this cruel world. They’re… survivors.

\ ♠ ♠ [[Fast Forward]] ♠ ♠ \

“We’re back!” the large black man called down.

“Tom!” They heard Markus shout. “The brats escaped!”

“What!” the leader called down and ran to the opening of the hole, looking in.

“Yeah!” the skinny one called out. “The girl. Jay didn’t kill her! She slashed Ava with a sword!”

“Fuck!” Tom shouted. Then it dawned on him. “The boat!”

All three men, with their treasure in mind, started racing down the mountain and to the other side of island. They forgot their two tied up partners in the cave below.