Chapter 1

​It is hard being a fresh graduate of a course that requires strong connections just to get your foot in the door of your dream job. I was just lucky to have parents who supported all my dreams. I am Hannah Martin, and we live on a small island in the Philippines. My parents are farmers, and the life we live here is quiet and peaceful. The only sad part is knowing I will have to temporarily leave this sanctuary to fulfill my ambitions.

​In a month or two, I will push my luck and head to Manila. I’ve lived with my parents for over twenty-one years, and the thought of living without them makes me feel like a complete stranger to the world. I don’t know how I’ll cope, but I know I must.

​Early one morning, I decided to take a walk. I pulled a pair of shorts and a plain black shirt from my closet, already feeling the humidity making me sweat. I stepped outside to take in the view, but as I looked up, something caught my eye in the distance.

​"Holy sh*t!" I gasped. There was a helicopter in the air, and it looked like it was going down.

​Wait... what the hell?

​It crashed on a neighboring island. People in the neighborhood rushed out of their houses when they heard the thunderous explosion.

​"What was that?" my best friend, Ashton, asked as he ran toward me.

​"A crash..." I answered, my eyes glued to the rising smoke.

​"Do you think we should check for survivors?" he asked. I looked at him in disbelief. His hair was soaking wet, and he had nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. I’d grown up with him, so the sight wasn't awkward, but it was clear he’d been in the middle of a shower when the explosion happened.

​"I don't want to! What if it explodes again? We’re dead, Ash! We’re dead!" I said, my hands flying up dramatically.

​"Calm down, Chloe. I was just suggesting it. If you don't want to go, we won't," he said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes. The smoke was thick now, a dark pillar against the blue sky.

​"That’s the second helicopter to crash on that island," Miriam, Ash's mother, interrupted as she joined us.

​"Second?" Ash and I said in unison.

​"Yeah. The first one was twenty years ago. Same time, same place. This one looks horrible, but the first one was even worse," Miriam said.

​"No one could survive a crash like that," I said, shaking my head.

​"Miracles happen. Someone did," Miriam replied, a small smile playing on her lips. We gave her a skeptical look.

​"If the first one was worse and someone survived, maybe this time... maybe someone is still alive," Ash said, his voice full of hope. That’s Ashton Singh for you—the kind-hearted best friend who could find the good in anyone, even a friend of Satan.

​"I know what you're thinking," I said, shaking my head in protest.

​"Chloe, we should try. What if someone needs help?" he pushed.

​"Ash, I saw it fall. There’s almost no chance," I argued, but he wasn't listening.

​"If you don't want to go, I’ll go on my own," he said. I knew that look; he was dead serious.

​"Are you sure, son? Maybe wait an hour to make sure it won't explode again?" Miriam looked worried, but we both knew Ashton couldn't be stopped.

​"Mum, every second counts. I’ll go get dressed." He turned and ran into the house. When he emerged a minute later, fully clothed, he started walking straight for the docks.

​If he’s my kind-hearted best friend, then I’m his ever-supportive one. I ran after him before he could hop onto one of the boats. "Be careful, you two!" the neighbors screamed as the boat began to sail.

​I looked at him. "This is insane. This is the most heroically idiotic thing you’ve ever done," I muttered.

​He smiled. "But you’re still here, supporting me."

​"Because you're my best friend and I can't just stand there waiting to see if you come back in one piece."

​"This will be a great experience if there’s a survivor, Hannah. You’ll be proud to be a hero," he said, his eyes scanning the horizon.

​"What’s the use of being a hero if you’re dead? What if it blows up the second we step foot there? Oh my God, I’m too young to die!" I cried hysterically.

​Ashton burst into laughter. "You and your 'out of this world' imagination... you really know how to lighten the mood." He laughed again, and I swatted his arm.

​By the time we reached the shore of the other island, the laughter died down. We climbed off the boat and ran toward the wreckage. We couldn't get too close at first because of the heavy, acrid smoke billowing from the engine.

​"Stay here. I’ll go in," Ashton ordered, but I grabbed his wrist.

​"No! That’s stupid. Stop acting like Superman!"

​"Just stay here. Wait for me," he said, his voice desperate.

​"No, I’m coming with you." He looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded and sighed. We headed toward the twisted metal. The closer we got, the more we coughed.

​"Anybody here?" Ash shouted.

​No response.

​We took a few more steps until a frantic coughing sound pierced through the crackle of the fire. It was coming from the cockpit. We split up, searching through the haze.

​"Chloe, over here!" Ashton shouted. I ran toward his voice. He was struggling to pull a man out from the debris. The man's eyes were closed, his face pale. Ashton hauled him over his shoulder and began to run away from the wreckage. "He’s alive!"

​Just as we reached the safety of the shore, the helicopter erupted into a fresh ball of fire. I gasped, tears stinging my eyes.

​"Oh my God. If we hadn't moved him..." I trailed off, imagining the horror.

​"Chloe, we need to get him back." Ash’s voice snapped me back to reality. He laid the man down on the white sand. He looked like a city boy—blonde, well-dressed, and completely out of place.

​"Is he going to make it?" I asked.

​"He’s breathing, but he’s out cold. It might be hours before he wakes up," Ash said, using his nursing student instincts. He lifted the man again and carried him to the boat.

​"How are we going to fit?" I asked. The man was tall and took up most of the space in our small vessel.

​"Sit on the edge and put his head on your lap," Ash instructed. I frowned.

​"What? You can't be serious." He gave me a stern look, and I sighed, sitting down and guiding the stranger's head onto my lap. I looked down at him. It was a miracle he was alive. If we hadn't bothered to check, he would be part of that fire right now.

​When we returned, the islanders were waiting on the shore. Panic rippled through the crowd at the sight of the unconscious blonde man. Ashton carried him straight to his house to give him first aid.

​"Is he still breathing?" Miriam asked nervously as we entered.

​"Yes, but he’s unconscious. He must have hit his head hard," Ash explained as he began cleaning the man’s wounds.

​"He can stay at our house until he recovers," I offered. My parents weren't home yet, but I knew they’d say the same. Ashton’s house was already crowded with his large family.

​"We'll move him to your place later when your parents arrive," Ash agreed. "I’ll visit him every few hours to check his vitals."

​I looked at the stranger one more time. He had no idea where he was, or that his life had just changed forever.