Nanga Mai

Three

Kylie's POV
“Why is this like a thing with you?” Anjilika had stumbled out of the rental car and met me on my side as I began prepping my equipment.

“What’s a thing?” She was not a morning person, let me tell you. Or a late night person. She really liked to sleep now that I came to think about it.

“You getting me out of bed when it’s still fucking dark out.” She leaned heavily on the side of the car, her face smushed against the side with a loud sigh.

“Because that’s how you get the pictures with not a lot of people in them. C’mon dude we’re at Ayers rock!” My excitement was something she always hated when she was sleepy like this. I grinned at my sister and pulled my camera bag out of the backseat, slinging my camera around my neck.

“You just Photoshop shit out anyways.” She was whining at this point and I chose to ignore it as I shut the door and locked the car, she followed after me. I could hear her feet dragging behind me as she let out a loud yawn.

“You look like a pack mule.” She commented on the fact I had my backpack on my back and camera bag on my shoulder. She only had her backpack to carry and I knew I looked the more ridiculous of the two.

“Yes well you still look like the ass.” I shot back as she made a noise of protest. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face at the dark shape of the majestic sandstone rock formation in front of me. I had been waiting all my life to come here it seemed and I finally understood why.

“Look at that boulder, that’s a nice boulder.” I rolled my eyes as Anjilika finally caught up with me, doing her best impersonation of Eddie Murphy.

“It’s an inselberg, moron.” I muttered as I began leading us around to find the best place to watch the sun rise.

“Blah blah blah, I’m Kylie and I know fancy words and look at me with my fancy camera.” She mocked me from my right side. Yeah, definitely not a morning person.

“Just shut up and try not to get in the pictures.” Silence fell over us as I walked further away from the tourist areas and headed towards the vast open landscape.

“Looks like someone beat us to the punch.” I didn’t know what she was talking about until I saw a group of guys about seventy yards away from us, sitting on the ground.

“It’ll be alright, come on let’s head towards the right a bit and then-“I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence as my right foot seemed to fall through the earth and I hit the ground hard.

“Walk much?” My sister’s laugh then turned into a muffled scream. I looked back at her, her hand covering her mouth and eyes were wide.

“I fell in a hole, what? What’s wrong?” That’s when I heard the hiss and felt something slithering around near my leg. A fear unlike any other gripped at my throat and I couldn’t even let out the scream that was building up from somewhere deep inside.

“Hey! Don’t move!” A deep voice rang out and I heard the pounding footsteps.

“Fuck fuck fucking fuck.” I clenched my hands into fists and tried to concentrate on breathing but I felt the panic begin to take over as I started to cry.

“She has a phobia of snakes. Please tell me it isn’t poisonous.” Anjilika was now freaking out and it hadn’t even occurred to me to worry about dying from a fucking snake. Thanks sis. Thank you so much.

“Hang on sweetheart we’ll get you out of there.” Someone had gripped me beneath my arms from behind and quickly pulled me up as someone else knocked the snake off of my leg. I could feel my body shaking as I was let go and Anjilika gripped my shoulders.

“You okay?” She didn’t wait for my answer and pulled me into a hug. I felt the utter need to not be touched right now but could not find my voice.

“Sorry, we tried to warn you there was a nest out this way. We might have been too far away for you to hear us.” A warm Australian accent met my ears as I turned my head once Anjilika let go of me.

“I-“My throat constricted as I backed away further from where I had fallen. A fucking nest!? Oh my god.

“Thank you for pulling her out, I was panicking way too much to think straight.” She spoke back to the brunette.

“Maybe you should sit.” The man next to him spoke, his locks were a nice golden blonde and he resembled the brunette just enough that I thought they were related.

“You’re white as a ghost.” I didn’t need to be told twice as I landed harshly on the ground with my head between my knees.

“Oh! Do I know you from somewhere?” Anjilika had rebounded quickly enough, well hey under different circumstances I’m sure I’d be trying to hit on a hot Australian guy too.

“Hey.” I lifted my head at the accent that wasn’t Australian and was met with the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever encountered.

“What’s your name, love?” His skin was flawless, cheekbones prominent, full lips, and an impeccably shaven goatee.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” I groaned and leaned my face against my knee. He chuckled from beside me.

“That’s an odd name.” I just fell ever so gracefully into a snake pit, had a panic attack and cried in front of Tom fucking Hiddleston. Thanks universe.

“Her name is Kylie or sometimes when snakes are involved I call her Indiana.” I could have kicked her. The reference at Indiana Jones was a long standing one and one I wouldn’t have shared in this situation.

“Hi Kylie, I’m Tom.” I lifted my head and tried my best to smile until I realized I could see his face clear as day. Day.

“I fucking missed the sunrise.” I gestured to the rock that was glowing a deep, dark red that I had only imagined.

“Yes but you just got saved by Thor and Loki.” I turned to glare at Anjilika; I guess she ‘remembered’ where she knew those two. Tom had a look on his face that was a cross between trying to feel bad for me and laughing at Anjil.

“I missed the sunrise.” I groaned and flopped backwards onto my back, resembling a turtle at this point in my life. A fucking idiotic turtle.
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