"Are you sure that they will do that?" Beatrix is a little doubtful.

"Of course! It is how Solaris Empire works! We will just have to wait for one to two weeks for the rescue to arrive."

"Two weeks?!! That is a long time!" She blurted out as she begins to worry.

"Yes, but we do not have a choice. The ship's part won't take us far from here. We do not have the tools to create a boat. We do not even have shelter, clothes, food, and water." He pointed out the obvious.

"I understand what you mean..." She said as she checked the sea for any other ship nearby but there is none! Suddenly, she saw two things floating on the water! She immediately runs then swims towards it, he followed her and they fetched the two floating wooden crates out of the water!

The crates are probably what remained of the shipwreck! They worked so hard to open the crates. One crate contains eight sets of simple male clothing, several papers with scattered and unreadable writings, a fire starter, a finely crafted sword, and a small exquisite dagger. They thought that this crate is probably a gift for someone but sadly, this gift and letters will not reach the intended owner anymore. They opened the second crate and realized that it is filled with five large bedsheets. They thought that this is probably one of the ship's things that survived the wreckage. They are a little disappointed because none of the two crates has any food or water but they are also very thankful that all the contents inside the crates are important for survival.

"It is already noon and we have not yet eaten, do you like to come with me and search for food and water or any resident on this island that could help us?" Valentine asked her.

"Sure!" She immediately agreed, thinking that if he means harm to her he could have done it long ago when she is still unconscious and even if she screams for help, her instinct told her that no one will be there to help her because, except them, the island seems deserted!

They strolled inside the forest on the island in search of food, water, other survivors, and island residents. They both want to know what this beautiful island could provide them. While strolling and to kill the boredom, they talk more about each other. Beatrix learned that Valentine is also an only child and came from a known family in Solaris Empire. He said that his family loves to camp in the wild and hunt when he is young until he grew up that is why being in the wild is not new and scary for him. She observed him and realized that he is probably telling the truth based on how he moved and how he checked his surroundings. He seems knowledgeable, experienced, very wary, and extremely careful! From time to time, he points something and warns her not to eat this, not to touch that, not to go this way or that way, and tell her the reason after they continued strolling.

After a long time of strolling, they did not see any signs of other survivors or any residents but they discovered a stream and several edible fruit-bearing trees and plants. He struck a bamboo using the sword that they retrieved from one of the floating crates then he drank its water. He struck another one and gave her water. They ate the fruits and drank a lot of water from the bamboo. They continue walking after that.

Beatrix felt so tired but she dare not complain. She knew that he is probably tired too but he did not complain and patiently look for things that they could use to survive. He stopped in front of a cave. He created an improvised torch, lit it using the fire starter, and decided to enter.

"Stay here, I will check if it is safe for staying." He told her.

"No! There might be snakes lurking there..." She worriedly said and unconsciously clung to his arm to prevent him from entering. She does not want him to encounter harm and perish, leaving her alone on this beautiful yet deserted island!

"Would you rather stay in the open?" He said and continued. "Trust me, you do not want to stay in the open... The scorching sun, the rain, the cold wind, and the dangerous predators... You do not want to be openly exposed to them." He explained further.

"I am sorry..." Beatrix said and immediately let go once she realized that she clung to him like a jealous wife preventing her husband from leaving their home!

"Do not worry, I will be careful and come back soonest." He smoothly assured her like a husband telling her jealous wife that he will immediately go home after his work.

© 2021 Jezel Mandin Sapata-Gentiles. All Rights Reserved.