Helicopter blades whirred overhead. Rescue boats with flashing red and blue lights rocked back and forth along the gentle waves of the sea as police officers hopped out of the boats and onto the shallow river bed, rushing towards the burning S.O.S sign made out of wood and twine.

Their voices muffled as if they spoke in whispers, but they weren't whispers. Rather the world around, and the events that transpired were too loud to even think or fathom that help had finally come.

If only they arrived before everything went to shit. If only they had come to our rescue a bit sooner. None of this would've happened.

They raced to the scene "Are you alright?" The words finally formed

"Is there anyone else with you?"

Anyone else? Where? Here? Or elsewhere?

Wrapped in a thermal blanket and taken into the boat, it was finally over. The view of the island slowly disappearing behind as the boat raced forward.

Is it really over, or is this just the beginning?

"Earth to Emma" Max snapped his fingers in her face, calling her back from her somewhat self induced trance "Is there a bird out there that you just couldn't help but stare at?"

Her hazel eyes shot in the direction of Max who was smiling sheepishly at her. She blinked a couple of times, trying to remember where she was "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I asked if you're excited about the field trip?" Max asked her for what appeared to be the second time

"As excited as I am about it, there's like a one in a million chance either one of us gets picked" She paused as she tucked her hair behind her ear "We're more likely to get picked to sweep the entire faculty building than to spend a week at Misthaven Bay at the other side of the planet"

She sighed as her head fell back down onto her hardwood desk.

Misthaven Bay was every adventurer's dream location with its picturesque coastal haven that could easily captivate anyone with its pristine sandy shores, rugged cliffs, and lush forests. The tranquil atmosphere is heightened by the rhythmic lapping of waves and the melody of seabirds overhead.

Inland, vibrant wetlands and estuaries add to the bay's ecological richness, providing a sanctuary for diverse wildlife.

"Well we'll never get to do anything exciting if you keep that attitude up" Max said patting her hazelnut hair "Today could be our lucky day"

The rest of the class chatted away amongst several segregated groups, until Professor Rachel Turner, the head of Environmental Studies, graced the room with her presence. The loud and unsettled classroom became an environment of peace and tranquility.

"As you are all aware" Professor Rachel Turner began to speak "This excursion to Misthaven Bay not only serves as extra credit to this course but it is also a means to escape and relax. All of your essays have been graded and the lucky few have been chosen"

"What are the odds that were a part of the “lucky few”?" Max whispered to Emma making air quotes as he spoke

"Less than 30% but then better things have happened with lesser odds" Emma whispered back

"I have in my hand a list of fifteen students who would take part in the trip to Misthaven Bay, so be sure to signify if your name is mentioned" She cleared her throat as she opened up the piece of paper

"Only fifteen, out of a class of one hundred" Emma sighed, dropping her head back on the desk "forget it. It's hopeless"

"Don't count your chickens till they're hatched" Max tapped her shoulders

"Or snatched" Emma shot back smacking his hand away

"Avery Thompson" Professor Rachel Turner called

"Here" Avery squealed as she raised her hand in excitement

"Evan Reynolds"

"I'm here" He said with his hand up

"Even your brother is going, there's still hope" Max tapped her shoulder

"Unlike me, he has better luck" Emma said lifting her head

"Weird how you're both twins" Max chuckled

"I question my mom and dad everyday on how we're related" Emma said turning to look back Professor Turner as she continued calling names

"Mia Wallace"

"Present" Mia waved her hand in the air

"Lucas Martinez"

"Over here" Lucas yelled from the back of the classroom

"Late again, I presume Mr Martinez?" Professor Turner grilled

"No ma'am. I've been here from the start" Lucas responded

"Very well, moving on; Natalie Wong"

"Right here" Natalie answered from the front row

"Elijah Martin"

"Present and ready to chill" Elijah responded

"Still trying so hard to be funny I see" Professor Turner sighed at his response

"I'll definitely make you laugh before I graduate" Elijah added with a smile on his face

"You can only try" Professor Turner said before she continued reading the names "Isabel Rodriguez"

"Here" She responded adjusting the glasses on her face

"Milo Harper"

"Present" He answered

"How many names have been called already?" Emma asked Max who seemed to be lost in deep focus

"Eight names" Max said to her "Only seven more to go" He added with his fingers crossed

"Zara Ahmed"

"Here" She cheered with and explosive burst of energy

"Caleb Foster"

"I'm right here" He responded stroking his neatly trimmed beard in excitement

"Ava Mitchell"

"Present ma'am" She voiced out

"Owen Ramirez"

"I'm here" He answered breathing into the frame of his shades before wiping off the mist with a soft wipe

"Sophia Chen"

"Here" Sophia answered flicking her hair behind her

"Final two names" Max said to Emma who was between joy and total breakdown

"I can feel my heart pounding inside my chest" She whispered

"Max Baker"

"Here" He yelled at the top of his voice, failing to hold back his joy and excitement. Realizing he scared half the class, he cleared his throat and spoke in a softer tone "Sorry, I'm here"

"And last but certainly not the least, Emma Reynolds"

"Here" She said softly raising her hand

"The following students mentioned are to make themselves available in school tomorrow morning. Myself and Dr. Oliver Bennett would be the supervisors of this trip so I expect you all to be on your best behavior. That would be all" Professor Turner said before stepping out of the classroom.

"We got in," Max screamed, grabbing Emma by her shoulders. "Why aren't you as excited as I am?"

"I'm still trying to process the fact that that just happened" Emma said as a stray tear dropped from her eye

"You're crying?"

"Tears of mother freaking joy" She laughed as she tried to hold back her tears from falling even harder

"Given how much bad luck you have, I'm surprised you got selected" Evan said trailing over from across the room

"Given how dumb you are I'm surprised you managed to structure words together to form an essay or did you use AI?" Emma shot back

"Of course I did. Emma gpt" He chuckled

"Well it's the last time I'm helping you do anything" She rolled her eyes

"Thanks sis. I owe you big time" He smiled as he ruffled her hair

"Can you stop…" She smacked his hand away

"I'll catch you both later" Evan said as he walked back to his group

"Yo Evan" Elijah called out to him "You done playing big brother?"

"Someone sounds jealous cause he's an only child" Evan snickered as he rejoined the circle

"I'm not jealous" Elijah scoffed

"You sure do sound like you are" Lucas joined in the conversation

"Man listen, why can't you just put in a good word with your sister for me?" Elijah said throwing a hand over Evan's shoulder

"Should I put in a good word at the morgue for you too?" Evan grinned at him

"You'd kill me if I talked to her?" Elijah gasped holding his chest dramatically

"Fuck around and find out" Evan smiled

"Alright enough before you two get serious'' Lucas said, stepping in between the two of them "We have a whole week of fun and excitement ahead of us so why don't we focus our attention in that direction. And besides there would definitely be pretty girls over at Misthaven Bay so no need to fight over Emma"

"Already thinking about girls before we even leave for Misthaven Bay" Ava Mitchell said from behind them with Sophia Chen beside her

"Well some of us haven't found our soul mates yet" Lucas gave a snappy comeback

"If you are referring to the rumors of Sophia and I dating then you're as dumb as the rest of the idiots" Ava rolled her eyes

"Yikes. Someone seems pissed off and it's not even noon yet" Evan joked

"I just realized that I haven't prepared anything for the trip and I'll need to pull an all nighter just to get ready" Ava responded looking rather exasperated

"Well you can always come by my place and prepare" Elijah grinned at her

"We'd rather go on the trip naked" Sophia rolled her eyes

"What's with the attitude? We were minding our business before you two came over to ruin our moment" Evan said to them

"Sorry" They both said before turning away

Lucas turned to look at Elijah and Evan who seemed just as confused as he was "That was weird"

"It definitely was" They both added before turning to look at the girls as they walked out of the classroom

"So anyways Evan back to what I was saying, just introduce us" Elijah turned to meet Evan's eyes

"I'll introduce you to my fist if you don't shut up" Evan responded as he made a fist towards Elijah who raised his hands in the air laughing

Zara Ahmed who moved to the front of the class soon after Professor Turner left turned to look at the boys as they fought and joked amongst themselves "Why are boys so loud?"

Mia chuckled as she turned to look at them "I think it's cute how they can just be themselves without having to worry about what anyone thinks or says. Just let them be"

"It'll be hard to just let them be, considering we're all going to be spending the next week with them over at Misthaven Bay" Zara complained before resting her head on the desk

"Well you'll just have to ignore them and focus on me" Mia stroked her hair

"What would I do without you in my life?" Zara said softly

"You'd probably do a lot but with me you'd do them faster" Mia responded with a smile on her face

The rest of the school day went by without worries and or hiccups. The students chatted away amongst their individual and collective friend groups, making plans on how they would waste away sleeping or doing something completely outside of the desired agenda.

The trip to Misthaven Bay wasn't just a relaxing week away from school, but also a means of collective research and extra credit. It was a way for the selected students to explore and expand their current knowledge through hands-on experience on the field, and the only place that could provide that experience for the environmental studies class was Misthaven Bay.

At 4pm, the fifteen selected students sat together in the classroom where they were chosen barely a few hours ago to plan as a unit on how they would carry out their environmental research but also still have the time for rest and relaxation

"I'd say we devote an hour a day to research and data collection" Lucas suggested, being the leader of the pack of boys who would rather talk to chicks and take some pics

"An hour a day seems a bit too limited considering we need to explore the whole of the environment examining the soil, the water and the ecosystem at large" Isabel Rodriguez spoke up

"Well that is true but it's not like we know exactly what research would be carried out. We'll probably be assigned something different and most likely in different designated groups" Caleb foster added

"So what do you all suggest we do?" Elijah asked

"I think we're overthinking this whole trip and work program" Emma Reynolds said, bringing everyone's attention towards her direction

"What do you mean?" Zara asked

"Well like Caleb said, we don't really know what we'd be doing and at the end of the day we might not even do anything remotely related to research so why don't we just look forward to enjoying the break offered to us on a silver platter" Emma added

"And if it calls for us needing to examine and document findings we could all just work in a closely knit group and submit our findings together, sharing whatever extra credit we get assigned. That way everyone gets to make the best of the moment" Max added

"The wonder twins do have a point" Lucas spoke up "But then we all should have it at the back of our minds that we won't be slacking off completely, considering the fact that Professor Turner and Dr. Oliver would be resent on the trip"

"Those two don't know what rest is" Milo Harper chuckled

"I mean like honestly, how old are they anyways, like 60?" Avery snickered

"They're old enough to give birth to all of us here that's for sure"

The whole group burst out laughing, finding a common ground to bond with.

"Well the day is going to turn dark soon so we might as well head out. It's a big day tomorrow" Owen said looking at his wristwatch

"This is the only time I'll ever look forward to coming to school on a Saturday" Max grunted as he rose from his seat "I for one am beat and ready to call it a day"

"Same here" Lucas said grabbing his backpack from the desk in front of him

"See you guys tomorrow" Sophia waved at the group

They all said their goodbyes and trailed slowly behind each other to the front of the school before each found their own way back to their private residences.

It was a new day before the birds in the trees commenced their songs. Before the sky was illuminated by the bright rays of the sun all fifteen students were up and ready, already on their way to the meet up point agreed between them and the professors.

The time on her LED watch flashed 6am with the day's date blinking at the bottom right corner as Emma arrived first on the scene followed by her brother who was trailing closely behind her. The yellow school bus arranged by the faculty to help convey the students to the airport was already parked in a space within the university's parking lot, with the driver in his seat, his cap placed over his face as he slept and waited for others to arrive or further instructions from the professors.

“And here I was thinking I'd beat you here” Emma heard a voice say from behind her

She turned to see Max Baker with his brown hand held traveling bag in his hand, and a backpack slung over his shoulders “Did you even sleep at all?” He asked as he took his place beside her

“I don't think anyone had that luxury” Evan finally spoke

“You can speak for yourself” Avery Thompson said from behind the trio as she arrives on scene with a pink suitcase that looks too big for the trip

“Why's your bag so big?” Evan asked as she walked closer to the group “Did you pack out your wardrobe?”

“I have enough changeable clothes for every hour of each day that we spend at Misthaven Bay. I intend to look good always” She said as she rolled her luggage to a stop beside her

The front of her white top sits comfortably tucked into her blue fitted but yet stretchy jeans as she strides forward in her hiking boots

“Well you look good” Emma complimented her with a quick smile on her face

“Thank you” She smiled back at her as they all waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

One by one they started to announce their presence as they either rolled their bags in or carried it on their shoulders like bodybuilders. It took an extra thirty minutes after the students arrived, for the professors to make their ever so slow presence known to the rest of the class.

Professor Rachel Turner and Dr Oliver Bennett arrived at the parking lot together, stepping out of the taxi they both boarded and strolled over to the students who watched in shock and awe, with several thoughts running across their minds and faces.

Thin lines spread across the foreheads of Evan, Lucas and Elijah as they all shared a collective thought “You don't think-” Elijah started

“That would be the story of this generation” Lucas managed to say as the pair walked closer

“Why does it seem weird to think that they would be into each other?” Milo questioned

“Let's just pretend to be clueless to save ourselves the thought of it” Caleb shook his head, as if to shake off the thought of two of their professors in bed together

“Nice to see that you're all here and we won't have to wait for anyone” Professor Turner said as she got closer to the group “Shall we head out?”

The group looked at each other before a voice called out from their midst “Okay I'm just going to say it cause I know we're all thinking it and I don't want that thought lingering in my head as we begin our journey” Zara Ahmed spoke up with a hand in the air “Why did you both arrive together?”

The rest of the group turned their attention to the professors who didn't seem shocked by the question “Not like it's any of your business to begin with” Professor Turner started to speak “But we live in the same neighborhood” She finished turning to look at Dr. Oliver Bennett who nodded in agreement

“I happened to see her standing by the road on my way here and we decided to share a cab” Dr. Bennett added as he walked closer to the group “Now that that's out of the way, can we get going?”

He walked past the group and took a sit on the front row of the bus, leaving his bag beside him

The group looked at him and then back at Professor Turner and then back at Dr. Bennett before shrugging in unison like a premeditated action. One by One they all made their way into the bus, taking their seats in no specific manner or arrangement.

“Good morning Alex” Professor Turner said to the bus driver who was now awake, previously watching the brief moment of interrogation between the students and their professors and now he was fully awake and ready to drive

“Good morning ma'am” He responded with a smile on his face “Are we ready to leave?” He asked looking back to the group who were chattering away and then back to Professor Turner

“As ready as we'd ever be” She responded back “Thank you for taking out the time to drive us”

With all the bags stacked and arranged neatly at the back of the bus, with the keys turned in the ignition port and gears shifted from neutral to one, the journey began. The time read 7:30am as the bus pulled out of the university's parking lot and onto the open road, heading towards the first point of the journey.

Power lines arranged neatly on either side of the road, humming with energy as they supplied power across the county. The evergreen fields, with a few sheep and cattles munching on grass could be seen in the distance as the bus switched lanes to drive around a red truck that was driving a few kilometers below the speed limit on the highway.

It took a full hour before the bus slowly pulled to a full stop at what seemed to be a private hangar on the other side of the county. The students stretched as they stepped out of the bus, onto the paved runway in front of the open hangar with the nose of a plane poking out of it.

“I could get used to this life” Mia gawked as she stared at the white chartered Bombardier Challenger 850 jet plane

The plane has a sleek exterior with a white fuselage and the charter company's logo emblazoned on the tail. The plane's wings equipped with efficient propeller engines, provides the necessary power for takeoff and flight.

Inside, the interior was well-maintained, with clean and comfortable leather seating with overhead compartments that provides ample space for storing carry-on luggage, while large windows offer panoramic views of the scenery below.

As they stared in fascination at the beautiful plane in front of them, Professor Turner spoke with the driver as he dropped off the bags and luggages on the side of the bus, neatly stacked and easily accessible.

“Once again, thank you Alex for driving us here. I know it's a Saturday and you should be home resting” She said to him as he pulled out the last luggage belonging to Avery

“It's no problem, really” Alex said to her with a reassuring smile spread across his face “I'll be back to pick you guys up”

She pulled him into a quick hug and watched as he hopped into the bus, closing the doors "I'll be back here to pick you all up" He said driving off, leaving her and the students behind

“Well let's get going” Professor Turner said as she turned to face the class who had the same expression written on their face as they did when they saw her come out of the same taxi with Dr. Bennett “What is it this time?”

“Forgive our collective curiosity but who's he to you?” Lucas asked “I'm pretty sure we all thought he was just a hired hand”

“For university students, you're all acting like high school kids” She scoffed and then began her march down to the hangar with Dr. Bennett trailing closely behind her “You'd better hurry up and grab your bags if you don't want to be left behind” Dr. Bennett called from over his shoulder

The squad scrambled to their bags and luggages, and hurried over to the professors as they spoke to a man in uniform and others dressed in blue.

“Good morning Dr. Bennett” The pilot said as they shook hands

“Drop the formalities Jamie” Dr. Bennett said as their hands fell down to their side “It's good to see you again”

“Likewise. I can see you're already getting closer to the great beyond” Jamie chuckled, pointing to the few gray strands of hair on Dr. Bennett's head “Better take it easy on that hip of yours”

“Coming from someone who's at least three years older than me” Dr. Bennett shot back “Don't worry I'll give a nice speech during your funeral”

“Nobody’s dying” Professor Turner said as she smacked Dr. Bennett on his shoulder. “It's good to see you Jamie. How's Lauren?”

The pilot smiled as he pulled her into a quick hug “She's doing good. We're expecting a little one in a few months”

“So I heard. Congratulations” Professor Turner said with a smile on her face as she pulled away from the hug “I'll be sure to send a present when the baby comes”

“Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?” Dr. Bennett asked asked

“We want to be surprised” He said back to him

Lucas looked between the three as they conversed, before clearing his throat loudly, reminding the three of them that the fifteen of them standing behind still existed

“Don't worry we haven't forgotten about you yet” Dr. Bennett chuckled as he turned to look at all of them

“My name is Captain James Bailey” He said waving to the class “I'll be your pilot for today”

“We're in your hands” Emma said with a smile on her face

“Well let's get you settled inside the plane” Captain James Bailey said as he motioned towards the plane behind him “The flight attendants would take care of your bags”

The class moved from the front of the plane and gawked at the beautiful interiors as they stepped into the plane, taking yet again, no specific seating arrangements as they chatted away

“At least we can rule Captain James out of the list of suitors for Professor Turner” Max said, taking a seat beside me “Do you think she's married?”

“I don't even know” Emma responded looking at Max “If it wasn't for the fact that she's a professor at the University I wouldn't even know what her first name was”

“What's her first name?” Zara Ahmed said from behind Emma

“You seriously don't know her name?” Emma asked wide eyed and shocked Avery's shrug and shake of Zara's head

“I just call her Professor Turner and forget about everything else” Avery said from the window seat on the opposite side of where Emma and Max sat

“Professor Rachel Turner” Professor Turner said as she climbed aboard the plane “And I am very disappointed with you Miss Zara Ahmed”

“Damn” Lucas laughed as he settled in his seat after stuffing his backpack in the compartment above

Captain James Bailey came into view as he climbed aboard the plane with Dr. Bennett behind him “We'd be taking off now so everyone please take your seats. If you need anything you can call on one of the two flight attendants and they'll serve you immediately” He said giving us a thumbs up before stepping out of view into the cockpit

“Thumbs up, really?” Avery Thompson snickered

“You don't see that everyday” Sophia Chen said from behind Lucas

“Oh wow Sophia. You finally speak” Lucas snapped his head in her direction to look at her “Thought you were giving everyone the silent treatment”

“Just didn't think there was anything worth saying” She rolled her eyes at him

“Some of us are just here to observe and get lost in the crowd” Owen said from beside Sophia “But we're not asking the right questions”

“What do you mean?” Isabel Rodriguez asks, looking rather uninterested in the conversation

Owen's gaze directly fixed at Dr. Bennett who seemed more focused on fixing his seat belt across his waist “What strings did you pull to get us this kind of luxury treatment? Cause I know there's no school budget to cover this beautiful plane”

All eyes were now on Dr. Bennett who for a second looked like he was in the middle of an interrogation. His expression quickly relaxed before a smile spread across his face “I plan on enjoying the trip, so I called in on a favor to Jamie who was more than happy to loan us one of his planes from his company and even fly us personally”

“You mean Captain James Bailey owns this plane?” Elijah's jaw dropped to the floor

“Would you believe me if I told you that he won it off in an auction?” Dr. Bennett laughed

“No” The group chorused

“Well that's up to you to believe or not then” He shot a smile over to Professor Turner who seemed rather uninterested in the groups joint curiosity

A voice spoke overhead breaking everyone's mental focus on Dr. Bennett “Good morning everyone. This is your captain speaking. Well be taking off in a matter of seconds so I'd advise that everyone is locked and buckled down with their seatbelts and I hope you all enjoy the flight”

The intercom clicked and the plane jerked forward as it began to move. The tires spun as it was pulled out of the hangar and onto the open railway. When in position, the engines hummed as the blades spun, pulling as much air through them as possible.

A few clicks here and there, a few buttons pressed and before the group could say Jack the plane pushed forward, slowly gaining momentum on the runway and was soon in the air as soon as Captain James pulled back on the control wheel before clicking on the switch pulling the tyres in.

The group cheered as they looked through the windows to see the hangar reduce in size till it was nothing more than an ant from where they watched. The whole town shrunk till it was lost in the clouds beneath it. A flight attendant, with a smile on her face, pushed a cart with bottled waters, a jar of orange juice and cups from the start of the walkway to the end, handing out drinks to those that requested.

“Again I could get used to this life” Mia squealed as she drank from the bottle of water handed out to her.

“Well the flight would only last about an hour thirty minutes or maybe two hours, calculating the air speed and all so I'd suggest you don't get too used to it” Dr. Bennett said settling deeper into his chair

“Way to kill the buzz sir” Elijah called out and everyone chuckled

“Just saying” He shrugged

“So guys, what's the one thing you're looking forward to seeing the most over at Misthaven Bay?” Lucas asks the group

“The girls in their bikinis” Elijah blurted out. The words escaping his lips faster than he could cover them

“As always, you can count on Elijah to be a huge perv” Zara rolled her eyes at him

Elijah shrugged before letting out a small laugh “What about you Emma?”

“Oh personally it's the different species of birds all over the Bay I'm more interested in seeing” She responded holding her camera in her hand “I plan on capturing as many as I can”

“That's cool” Avery said “I plan on sitting by a pool side or the sea side and just relaxing”

“So what was the point of carrying the heavy luggage?” Lucas asked

“Oh that,” She chuckled. “The bags are almost empty. I plan on going shopping for clothes and taking them back home”

“So everything about having enough clothes for every hour of the day?” Max asked her

“That was just me pulling your legs a bit” She winked at him “But then when I do go shopping and get enough clothes, I'd definitely have something to change into every hour of the day”

“And what about you Ava?” Lucas asks

“Swimming with the fishes” She responds and everyone shoots her a confused expression

She looks around studying their faces and then it hits her “Wait no no I didn't mean it that way. I meant it in a literal sense. I plan on swimming and observing the fishes closely” She added

“For a second there we thought you were planning on dying” Owen heaves a sigh of relief

“I don't plan on dying on this trip” She says as she flips her wavy blonde hair behind her “Or anytime soon”

“That's good to know” Caleb says his eyes glaring outside the window “Hey guys check out that island” He calls and everyone's attention turns towards the windows on the left side of the plane

“That looks so cool” Mia coos as she takes a picture of the island on her phone

“Imagine having a private island, where you can access whenever you like” Zara says

“Or one you can escape to when the world around you starts to crumble” Milo says

“Or when the cops come knocking” Natalie Jokes

Emma returns back to her seat on the right side of the plane and then turns out to look out her window as well, smiling as the clouds pass by under the wings of the plane. Her brows furrow as she stares deeper through the clouds

“There's another Island over here” She calls and the group race on over to her side to stare at the island

The same island.

“Isn't that the island we were just looking at over there?” Milo asks pointing behind him

“That's not possible” Isabel chuckles smacking his shoulder “It's not like the plane turned around and we're circling back to look at the island”

“It's obviously a different island” Zara calls from behind Mia who stepped back to view the island from the right side of the plane

“Yeah you're right” Milo says in defeat “They look almost identical”

“You all should be seated” Professor Turner says in a rather disapproving tone

“There are birds flying out from inside the trees” Lucas says as he looks at the island through the window on the right

“Same…. Here” Emma paused, sweat trickling down the nape of her neck as the words crept out of her lips

“What do you mean by the same here?” Caleb pushed from his seat waltzing over to Emma's window

“A flock of birds just flew out from the trees, just like Lucas said” Emma pointed at the birds that just flew underneath the clouds

“I can't see them over here” Caleb said as he peered through the sealed window

“But I can” Lucas speaks up looking at the birds as they circle back to the island “They're going back to the island”

For a second the birds on the right side couldn't be seen through clouds but then they came into view as they flew right back towards the island “They circled back too”

“Go back to your seats” Professor Turner commands. The plane vibrates like a car driving through series of cracks and potholes on the road “Now” Her voice louder than before

The intercom above their heads beep and the voice of Captain James Bailey follows immediately after “Sorry guys, we've hit a little bit of turbulence, although there's nothing to worry about but I'm going to ask that everyone sits down if you're moving about.

Everyone does as instructed as the vibrations of the plane slowly turned into what seemed like tremors of the earth. The glasses on the table in front of the students and the cart close to the cockpit shook vigorously as the lights began to flicker.

Until everything stopped. The lights went dark. The teacup on the desk in front of Emma Reynolds slowly lifted from the table it was placed on, floating in the air, as if suspended by magic but the cup wasn't floating, the plane was falling

“We're going down” Captain Bailey spoke through the intercom.

The songs of birds overhead were enough to wake up a dead body, coupled with the crashing waves along the shores of the beach. Broken pieces and floated parts of the plane were pushed on to the shore along with bags, boxes and clothes laid waste on the sand of the beach.

Lucas's eyes shot open as he coughed out water from his lungs, before crawling away from the crashing waves onto the beach, panting and gasping for air as he struggled to keep his mind from wandering

His eyes scanned the scenery around him, taking in the trees that stretched into miles and miles of darkness and then turning to stare at the ocean which stretched so far, with no view of land in sight. He winced at the pain throbbing from his right shoulder as he tried to crawl even further away from the water behind him. He turned to sit on the sand and then it hit him.

The memory crashing into him, like the way the plane crashed into the ocean. The broken parts of the plane now sit plainly in front of him, as he ran his unbroken hand through his wet damp hair.

After the sudden declaration from the pilot in his cockpit that the plane was falling, everything else seemed to move in slow motion and before he knew it, they were submerged in water. The glass shattered from the intense pressure, sending chards flying across the plane, with one sniping the side of his cheek leaving a rather nasty bloody scar on his face.

Asides the dislocated shoulder, slashed cheek and busted lip he seemed to be okay but can he say the same about his professors and the rest of the Misthaven bunch?

He pushed himself up from the sand, holding himself back from screaming at the intense pain his body was just subjected to, holding his right shoulder with his left hand and staggering towards the water to look for anything or in this case, anyone.

“Elijah” He yelled at the top of his voice “Owen… Milo… Evan… Ava… Caleb…” He screamed but there was no answer. The only thing he could hear was the crashing waves and his voice echoing back to him

“Where the fuck are you guys?” He yelled out again but there was still no response.

He groaned as he turned back and returned to the spot where he sat and watched and waited for someone to maybe pop out of the water or call out his name like he did others just now. But there was nothing and there was no one.

“I don't think I'm the only one that survived the crash” He thought to himself “I can't be the only one”

Yet again, groaning in pain as he forced himself up from the ground, he moved carefully over to the bags and clothes floating on the surface of the water, pulling each item with care and then tossing them behind him, onto shore.

He was at it for a while clearing out the shallow water and rescuing any and every useful item he could lay his one good hand on, before lifting his head to watch the current of the ocean pull everything else away.

“Maybe someone one would see the clothes or plane debris and follow the trail back to the island” He thought hopefully before going back to land

“Is anybody out there?” He called out loudly again

But this time his cries didn't go unanswered “Lucas?” The voice called out to him “Is that you?”

“Oh shit it's Owen” He said joyfully “Owen is that you?”

“Yeah” Owen responded and then walked into sight, from the trees behind him

He turned his head around to meet Owen who had the same level of injury as he did, the only difference is that Owen lacked a dislocated shoulder, but obtained a sprained ankle instead as he limped to Lucas's side “It’s so good to see someone else” Owen said pulling him into a hug “It felt like forever. I thought I was the only one that made it”

“We have to find the rest of the class” Lucas said winching at the pain that erupted from his shoulder after the hug

“Sure thing but first we have to do something about that shoulder of yours” Owen said looking around the littered floor “He hopped over to the barely open suitcase, rummaging through the contents before smiling at the item he was obviously looking for. he hopped back over to Lucas who was wide eyed, as he watched Owen fold a thin leather belt in half and handed it over to him “Bite down hard on this”

“Why?” Lucas asks taking the belt from Owen

“You might scare the birds in the trees” He chuckled

Lucas looked to him and then to the belt in his hand before placing it between his teeth, biting down hard as instructed.

“So at the count of three I'm gonna try to pop the bone back in place. Thankfully it's only dislocated and not broken” He said after examining the shoulder

Lucas nodded in approval, his teeth gripping the belt hard as Owen held his hand “One, Two-”

Not waiting until three before he pulled on Lucas's arm fast and hard, till the bone went pop. Lucas's eyes went wide yet again as he screamed through gritted teeth. Tears flowing down his cheeks just as the pain slowly subsided before letting Owen wrap the shoulder and arm into a makeshift sling with a scarf from where he grabbed the belt “That should do it for now, at least until help comes''

“Thank you” Lucas said between deep intakes of air, fighting the nausea that crept up his throat

When he calmed down he took a look at his new casted shoulder, with feelings to his fingers slowly returning, he pointed with his eyes to Owen's hurt ankle “And what are we going to do about your injury?”

“Well you're in no condition to treat me so we'd just leave it as it is for now till we find someone that's not partially disabled” Owen said motioning to the sling

“We better do that fast. It's going to get dark soon” Lucas said looking up at the slowly setting sun

“You check that way” Owen said pointing to the right side of the island which he was staring at “And I'll check the area behind me”

“We'll meet back here before it gets dark with survivors-”

“Or the dead bodies we were able to recover” Lucas finishes the sentence

“Let's hope it's the first instance and not the latter” Owen said before limping away to begin his search.

With each step he tried to take, the pain was mortifying but at the same time, relieving. He stopped limping about half an hour later when he came across three bodies sprayed across the beach “Shit” He pushed himself to run even though his leg was still healing.

Dropping to his knees as he arrived at the first body, he checked to see if she was breathing, praying hard that he hadn't discovered the first dead body of the group and thankfully he hadn't. Air slowly climbed up her nose, filling her lungs before slowly exiting

“She's alive” He thought as he crawled over to check the other two, with a sigh of relief escaping his lungs as they all were just knocked out and not on their way to judgment’s throne.

“Wake up Emma” He patted her cheeks lightly, before increasing the pressure of each slap. Her hazel eyes shot open as he jerked up from the sand, gripping her ribs in pain

“Welcome back to the land of the living” Owen chuckled as he moved to the other two “Come help me wake the others up”

“What happened? Where are we?” She asked grabbing the side of her head only to feel a cut across it

“Survive now, questions later” Owen said moving over to Elijah whom he didn't bother to start with slow cheek taps. A quick hard slap across Elijah's face was all it took to pull him out of his slumber

Elijah held onto his cheek looking around, still trying to process why he got slapped that hard before his brain informed him that he has more cuts and bruises to worry about. “Fuck” He whispered holding on to the back of his head

“Wake up Avery” Emma grabbed hold of Avery as she tried to shake her awake

“Do you need my help?” Owen said lifting up his palm

“Take another step closer and you'd wish you died in the crash” Emma threatened shooting him a look hinting that she definitely meant every word. Even Elijah took a few crawls back

“Avery” Emma shock her with a little more force before her eyes slowly blinked open

“She's awake” Elijah said with a smile on his face as he managed to push himself up from the sand

“Am I in heaven?” Avery asked, certainly unaware of her environment

“She's concussed” Owen says from behind the pair

“Avery, can you hear me?” Emma asked

She blinked a couple of times before her vision adjusted to Emma's bloodied forehead and bruised lip “You've looked better” Avery said holding onto her ribs

“And you don't even look like you just survived a nasty plane crash” Owen said as her eyes met his

The words sent chills down her spine as she looked around to see plane debris floating on the ocean top, nausea creeping up her stomach as she let loose everything she had to eat on the plane and the night before

“Damn that's a lot” Elijah said looking away from the puking classmate “Tell me when she's done”

Emma rubbed her back as the wave of vomit finally subsided and she was now breathing fine.

“Sorry about that” Avery said, wiping her mouth with a piece of cloth she picked up on the ground. “Where's the rest of the class?” She asked, her eyes searching between Emma, Owen and Elijah

All other eyes looked towards Owen as he sighed “So far I can only attest to five people been found and alive which includes You-” He said pointing to Avery “Me, Emma, Elijah and Lucas”

“Where is Lucas”? Elijah asked looking over Owen's shoulder

“He's hurt but he's fine” Owen says before looking over the four of them “Then again everyone is hurt”

They looked at him, holding at least one bruised part of their body

“It's getting dark. Let's go back and regroup with Lucas” Owen said stretching his hand out to Emma as Elijah does the same for Avery

The four of them made their way back to the point where Owen and Lucas agreed to meet, joy filling their hearts as they saw more people, standing around the meeting point. Their pace increased as they return to meet wounded but familiar faces, grouped together like they were having a meeting

“Emma” Max called out as he caught sight of her running towards him in the distance

“You're okay” She said between gasps of air and the tears streaming down her cheek

“You too” He smiled as he held her tight

“I'm alive too” Evan said from behind Max lifting his hand and waving it at Emma who breaks from the hug and buries herself in his arms “A little warning next time” He groaned in pain as he hugged his sister tight

“Good job finding them” Lucas said as he placed his free hand on Owen's shoulder

“Well you found more than I did” Owen said placing his hand on his shoulder as well “Thankfully no dead bodies”

“No dead bodies, yet” Lucas said, dropping his hand to his side. “I didn't find Ava, Caleb, Zara, Mia, Milo, Isabel, Natalie, Professor Turner and Dr. Bennett”

“I'm pretty sure they'll turn up soon” Owen sighed

“I hope so” Lucas said, turning to look at the reunited siblings. “It's getting dark already and we'd need to make a fire. So grab what you can from the shore and the entrance to the forest behind and bring them back here”

The group looked at Lucas and then carried out the instructions without a single complaint. They moved in pairs instinctively, grabbing clothes, twigs and stones, hurrying back to the proposed camp site, then setting the sourced items down

“Does anyone know how to make a campfire?” Lucas asks the group

“Yeah I do” Max raises his hand and steps forward

“Well the floor is yours now” Lucas said, gesturing to the items in the ground.

Max bent down, kneeling on the ground before digging a hole in the sand with his hands, placing the sticks and a few light clothing into the hole, setting stones around the hole creating a border and then striking stone to stone to create sparks which failed on the first twenty strikes.

“Finally” He cheered as the sticks finally caught fire and consumed the clothes in the mix.

“Good job” Lucas said as he turned to look at the group. “We'll set up camp here for the night and then set our tomorrow to look for our missing professors and classmates. It's best not to assume the worst without confirmation”

“Look at you taking charge and being a good leader” Owen chuckled as he settled down beside the fire to warm himself up “The rest of the group mirrored his movement as they all found warmth by the side of the campfire

“I wonder who's clothes those are, at the bottom of the fire” Max said looking at the fire he created

“A few of mine” Avery said not looking up at Max

“And a couple of mine” Sophia added

“Thank you for your sacrifice” Max bowed his head at the both of them which caused a small laugh within the group

“I hope the rest are fine” Sophia spoke softly, like a silent prayer into the fire and just like that the mood was thrown back into the depressive atmosphere it was in earlier

“We'll find them” Lucas assured her

“I think we're going to find them sooner rather than later” Owen said, his gaze fixed on the ocean

“Why'd you say that?” Lucas asks trailing the line of his gaze to meet the bubbles popping at the surface of the sea

Before he could speak or say anything else, something popped out of the water and flowed with the waves to the beach

“Is that a body?” Elijah asks causing the group to turn their attention to the unidentified figure approaching

“It is” Owen confirms rising to his feet and rushing the body on the water

“Shit”