Awake

SERENA’S POV

I woke up to the sensation of someone shaking me vigorously, and for a moment, I was disoriented, unsure of where I was or what had happened. Then, I saw Kaden’s concerned face, and the events from earlier flooded back into my mind.

“Thank God you aren’t dead,” I heard him say. “You had me there for a minute.You hit your head pretty hard. How are you feeling?"

I winced as I brushed my fingertips across the growing lump, sitting up slowly.

"The plane..where are we?"

He sighed. "Stranded on some island."

Looking past him, I saw the dark plume of smoke still rising from the burning wreckage in the distance.

My eyes followed the long stretch of white sand, nothing but jagged rock faces and thick jungle as far as the eye could see. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cooling air.

"Oh my God, did the pilot make it?" I asked, my heart pounding with fear.

Kaden’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. "I didn't see the pilot land on the island. The