Seventeen

We arrived at the island as the yacht hit the beach's edge.

We all went down one by one, just scanning around, unaware of what to do on an uncharted island.

"Shit!" Terry cried as her phone was up in the air, trying to catch a signal. "Damn, signal."

"What happened, Terry?" Seth asked.

"I was still on the phone with Kendall when the signal cut off," she hits the device. "Never happened before, and I'm pretty sure Kendall's gadgets never failed me."

"There is nothing we can do," Rex announced. "We need to make shelter."

"Why couldn't we stay at the yacht?" Seth suggested, offering a good option since the boat will keep us out of any rainfall and let us sleep on soft beds, not on rocks and sand.

"What yacht?" Logan thumbed his finger at the yacht thirty feet away from the beach.

Seth went down on his knees and screamed in distress. Terry went to his side and hugged her man.

"Man, what are we going to do?" Liam asked.

"It would be easier if we had those lifeboats or our boards." His twin gave some options, but none were accurate since we don't have both. Logan and Liam sigh in unison.

"Anyways, now that the yacht is in the middle of the ocean and-"

"Wilson! Wilson!" Seth cried out to the boat like Tom Hanks in Castaway. But instead of a ball with eyes, it's a yacht.

I shake my head, knowing how ridiculous he is as my brother-in-law. Effie and Lily would feel the same way, but even so, we still love him.

"Will," Rex clears his throat and continues his announcements, "probably drift more by the waves. Logan and Liam find us something to cover our heads. Big enough for ten people. Seth and Ares find wood to make fire."

"What are you going to do?" Asked Logan.

"Stay here with the girls."

"I don't mind if you join the guys, Rex," Terry approaches. "I can protect the girls."

"You need a lot of manpower. Who knows if that escapee brings a few of his friends?"

Terry couldn't argue with that and nodded her head. We all know she can handle it, but having Rex for extra protection just made us safer.

I found a log and sat down. Effie and Lily sat beside me as the others tried to find a way to call for help.

"Rex, honey," I call out to him. "What about Jo? She is still out there."

Ares and Seth show up with a bunch of sticks and set up a bonfire in front of us.

"We will find her. Don't worry. I'm sure they captured her to be bait. I don't think they will hurt her."

"What if they do?" Effie added, as she was worried for Jo. "They might beat her out of the question."

"Given Jo's condition," Terry begins. "They won't hit someone who is mentally unstable. I've seen and dealt with situation that concerns someone who isn't in their right mind. They will most likely lock them up and wait for them to be rescued. So, don't worry, they won't hurt her."

Terry knew these kinds of situations, and we all must trust her.

After the fire, everyone set up camps on the beach.

My stomach growls.

I touched my stomach and groaned.

"Hungry?"

I look up and see Ares standing before me, holding a stack of bananas as he hands me one.

"Thanks," I smile wryly and take the fruit. I peeled the skin and ate it immediately to fill my empty stomach.

Ares sits next to me on the log and stuffs his face.

We both sat silently, eating bananas and looking at the waves as they crashed against the beach. The sounds of the ocean made it a calm night for us while the others were busy building.

I wanted to join, but I was too depressed and worried about Jo in the hands of the bad guys.

I peeked at my brother. It seemed my brother had calmed down after losing Jo. He was pretty beaten up and stayed quiet.

I thought he would continue to gloat and isolate himself.

"Are you worried about Jo?" Ares broke the silence as I stopped my mouth from taking the fruit and glanced at my brother.

His eyes were glued to the ocean, filled with a mix of emotions: anger, sadness, and guilt.

The only person who has these emotions is my brother. Ares hates himself for not protecting Jo, and I know it's killing him inside.

"Ares," I glanced at the ocean as I called his name. "Are you serious about liking Jo? You don't feel guilty after what happened when you two were kids? You just like her because her trauma makes you feel guilty and pity her."

I know he had feelings for her, since he confessed to me earlier, but I wanted to be sure that feeling wasn't just from guilt.

Ares continued to stare forward, then looked down at his third half-eaten banana.

He hesitates to say something but instead lets out a heavy sigh and drops his head.

"I do," another heavy sigh escaped his mouth. "A lot."

That's when I knew how serious his answer was.

"At first, when we were kids, I didn't see her as a woman but as the daughter of a family friend and your best friend," he clarified. "But before that incident, she underwent some changes as a thirteen-year-old girl. I found her attractive. The first day of school, I picked her up from her house so we could go together. I didn't see a tomboy as one of the guys but a beautiful girl who finally bloomed."

"Wow, so poetic," I teased, making Ares chuckle.

"Hey, I'm a romantic."

"So, why didn't you confess yet?" I asked him. "You know Jo likes you, too. Like a lot."

"Really?" He lifts his brow, unaware of the truth. "She does? Since when?"

I nodded. "Since you rescued her from those bullies."

Ares's eyes grew wide. "That long?"

"Yup. You were like her Prince Charming." I say.

"Wow," he gasped and inhaled, then exhaled sharply. "I never knew."

"Well, she was insecure about herself and kept her feelings for you a secret," I clarified.

"Who else knew?"

"Everyone."

"Everyone?!" Ares almost fell off the log. "Was I that dense?"

I shake my head and smile. I wrap an arm around his shoulder and headlock him. "Poor little brother, I was worried after getting your head hit so many times when you fought in the ring. I was planning to have your brain scanned."

"I don't get hit in the head all the time."

I let go but kept my arm over his shoulders. "Anyways, Jo has been in love with you since then."

"Shit," he says breathlessly and drops his head. He stayed quiet for a minute before breaking his silence. "Thea."

"Yes, little brother?"

"We must find her."

I pat his shoulder. "Don't worry. We will." Then I pulled him into my arms as his head rested on my shoulder. "We will find her."

I can't make that a promise because who knows if she's here on the island. She could be anywhere or already be in another country, and we are stuck here with no way to rescue her.

With no way of contacting Don or Kendall, we are all stuck here until we figure out how to leave this island. But for now, we must think of a plan to survive.

And I'm not looking forward to it.