Bond

"I remember seeing a fog come over the plane. Lighting strike flashes near the plane but never touches it. It was darker than midnight in that fog. I couldn't even see the pilots until a strike went off. It didn't feel natural." The young woman recounted. Selena Mist. The lone survivor of the survey flight team 59. There destination? Smack dab in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. Usually, no one ever dared fly or sail near such a place. It was a hot spot for unexplained losses. She was the first to survive in a long time, and while her memory was still fresh, she wrote down her experiences before the memory faded from her mind.

"I could barely hear everyone's panic over my own. Do you know the feeling of breathing underwater? How the water pushes against your chest as you take a deep breath, making you feel like you aren't getting enough air even though you are? That's what I was feeling." The memory brought back the panic. Hands started to shake over the keyboard. She was beginning to just focus on her hands, seeing the darkness creep around them.

'Breath Selena. You're on the ground. Safe, dry, and still very much alive.' She told herself. With a deep breath, calm washes back over her with each shaky moment. Opening her lavender eyes again, she placed her now steady hands back on the keyboard.

"I can remember the pilot saying he couldn't tell where we were. "The compass needle is spinning, Cain! For all I know, we went off-center, and we are heading east!" That's what the man, Rick, said. It was at this point something possessed me to look at the time. 1:30 pm 09/09/29. I don't think this time and date will ever leave my mind. I made sure to have it etched into memory. By the time I looked up, I suddenly felt my stomach drop. "Rick? Rick?!" I could hear the co-pilot shouting and trying to shake the man at the wheel. He had passed out, and I could just make out Cain trying to get the steering and pull the plane back up with each flash of lighting. Then, it accrued to me; the drop in my stomach suddenly made sense. It was dread. We were in a nosedive. Heading right down into open water nowhere near where we were supposed to be."

Selena moved away from her computer and looked out her window. She needed to see tangible evidence that she was not locked in her memories. 'You knew this would be hard to recount, Selena. Remember your breathing.' Her lavender eyes then darted to her calendar. 09/19/29. Then to the clock. Noon. She was running out of time. Urgency took hold and got her back to her computer.

"The more I saw Cain struggle, the more I felt myself being pressed back into my seat. I then shut my eyes. I knew what was coming, yet I couldn't find it in myself to scream, shout, or reach out and help. Fear was gripping me tightly in those moments. Suddenly I could see the light of day behind my lids and Cain's voice, "What the hell is that?!" his reaction made me open my eyes, and what I saw took my breath away. An island in the middle of a storm. The shape, however, was what was astonishing. There were pillars connecting to a single ridge forming a hallow mountain at the far side. Pieces of land curled around the main body. The most enormous parts of land staying near it were smaller ones that were a little more away, and towards the middle of the main island, there was an odd shape I couldn't quite make out from the overhead view. The only thing I can tell you is that the more I looked at it… The more I couldn't help but think this was a skeleton. A very massive, something that came out of a fairy tale, skeleton. That, over many years, turned into an island. What was this enormous creature, and how did it get here? 

"Selena! Selena, damn it! Help me, or we are all dead!" His words snapped me back to reality. I used all the straight I had to pull myself forward and reach over him, grabbed the wheel, and pulled with all my might. However, it wasn't enough. My memories are blurred and jumbled together on what happened next. I assume this is how my mind is protecting me from what happened. We had cashed right onto the island."

"I awoke what must have been hours later. My body was sore and scratched, but I was still alive. Sitting in pure shock, I scanned the wreckage looking for the others, but I was only with one half of the plane. From what I could tell, the plane must have hit one pillar on the way down and turned the plane sideways. Then hit a second one and split the plane in two. It placed me in a somewhat protective pocket, and then it hit the ground, pushing it back open, and I flew out of it. I managed to stand up with a few deep breaths, nothing broken, but I noticed a big gash on my arm after a closer look at myself. In minutes the logic side of my mind finally kicked in, and I looked for the first aid kit. Praying it was on my side of the plane. With my luck, though, it wasn't. I tore my shirt, made a split and bandage, then started my hike to find the other half of the plane and the pilots." 

"Don't think I didn't take note of what I was seeing. The plant growth was things you would see in the rain forests. Trees that stretched miles high with viridian vines strung between them. Plants with blooms I have never seen before. I have no training in agriculture, so I made sure to keep my distance from such plants. I did not want to worsen my declining health any further. Days had passed, don't ask what I ate; I don't want to relieve the taste of those foul fruits. From what I could tell, they wouldn't kill me, of course, that was after watching monkeys eat it."

"On the eve of the 12th, I saw the other half of the crash. My feet couldn't take one step further. I was scared of what I would find. I hoped that they were both alive and were looking for me. Or a way to get off this island. With one last mental preparation, I moved. No amount of prep could have prepared me for the sight. Their bodies were mangled. Dried blood covered their seats, and worst of all, I saw the metal shrapnel sticking out of their bodies. Next, I retched. By the time I was done, my body had swayed and fell to my knees. My eyes gazing at the heavens. I was alone."

That sinking feel wiggled its way into her heart. Being alone at home was no issue because she had neighbors. She could look out her window and watch people go about their day. Those days on the island… Gave her a new outlook on the word alone. No humans to watch as they go about their day. Just the wildlife. Selena stared into space. 'It...felt like home.' Selena shook her head sharply and pushed that thought away. 'Shit! I have to focus!'

"I don't think we realized how dreadful it can feel. Until it happens. I was locked inside my mind running over every question one would ask themselves. What am I going to do? What if I can't find any food? What if I can't find a way off this island? Can I get off this island? … Can I survive? Hours had passed before the wind and trees spooked me back to my scenes. First things first, I had to take care of my wound. After some rummaging, I managed to find enough supplies and first aid to take care of the gash. Next, I packed in a backpack that stayed in one piece. After that, I left the crash site. Worried about what predators were out there. I didn't have the time or strength to bury those poor men, but I knew that I would make sure no one would forget them if I got off that island."

"I'll save you the details on what happened next. I'm sure most of you can guess. Looked for shelter, scavenged for food, and made a fire. The stuff you see in movies or read in books. By the next day, I had to force myself to do something. Depression was creeping in and now was not the time to sink into it. So I decided to find the formation I saw. The one I couldn't quite make out because of the canopy. Plus, I thought there might have been freshwater. I was hoping anyway. I couldn't take eating that fruit anymore. So I tried to figure out where I was by facing the pillars to see what angle I was facing. I know it was the most stupid thing to go by, but I had no survival training and no compass that worked on the island. The more I looked at it, from all the places I stood… The more it looked like a rib cage. Curiosity is a powerful force, and I did my best to ignore it. But we all know what curiosity does. By the next day's dawn, I managed to find the formation. It was a grand and confusing view, but at least there was a waterfall there. Pouring out of a cave. I think. It looked like… an eye socket. I lifted my hands and started to shape them about the surfaces and slops while murmuring to myself to prove my theory. 

"There's the eye socket." I had formed a circle by the waterfall. Then I used my pointer finger and traced the downward slop to another opening on the ground by the creek. "That looks like a snout." I turned my attention to the other side, scooping my hand where a chunk of the earth seemed to be missing. "There's the other eye socket." I used my hands to follow these spiral-shaped rocks resting on the sides. "... Are those horns?" An image started to form in my head… One I only ever imagined as a kid. "Am I looking at a dragon's skull?" I couldn't hold back any more… I had to look under either. I rushed up to the side and started to push and tear away at the foliage. Trying to find the ground grew from. I got to a hard surface and stopped my frantic tearing, and grazed my figure tips over it. The texture was smooth and didn't give in to any pressure I applied. Nothing flaked off either. It was burnt ivory in color. "It's… Bone."

Selena rubbed her hands over her face. Writing about it brought a great sadness into her heart. Separating some of her fingers, she looked at the clock. 12:45 pm. She was falling behind. It was almost time, and she still had so much to write. Placing her hands back on the keys, she gave herself one last push with tears running down her face. Her words were frantic and not as elegant as she was known for. 

"I was lost in the discovery I had made; I didn't even notice that I was suddenly no longer alone. A sword had been pressed against my neck. My breath quickened, and my body stilled. Eyes not leaving the weapon. After a moment, the person holding the weapon tapped it on my shoulder. Making me jump, but I got the hint. They wanted me to turn around. Each inch I took felt like it took hours. Once fully turned, my breath was once again taken away. A man had been holding the weapon. He had been rather tall. Maybe 6 ft – 7 ft. He had sun-kissed skin and a toned body. He was a fighter. His hair was white, and his style was fascinating. The length was down to his shoulders. From what I could see, the top layer of hair had been pulled back into a ponytail with a piece of twine. There were feathers tired or braided into his hair. But in sum sections… They looked like they grew from his head. He wore an all-black outfit, but it looked like something you'd see from home. Black trench coat with the shirt, pants, and shoes to match. I locked my eyes with eyes. Anger radiated from those royal purple eyes. He dug the blade more, and I pressed back into the earth cover skull. Why was he mad? Stupid question. What did I do? He said nothing to me. He just stared. I felt the blade bite into my skin, making it bleed, and I snapped my eyes shut, tears falling down my face. "Please don't." hoping my plea didn't fall on deaf ears. I waited. Waited a little more. Then cracked an eye open. He was in a trance, looking at the structure behind me. And for a split moment… I felt heat on my back pulsating from the bone. In the following moments, his eyes darted to my arm. He grabbed my injured arm and ripped the banged off, putting his blade away."

"He licked it…. He had brought my arm up to his face… and licked my wound. I had no words. I still have none. He spat out my blood and looked me dead in the eye. He was calculating, thinking, debating even. He had my arm pinned between his own body and arm with his back facing me in a flash. I begged him to let go. I knew it had gotten infected. That's why I was looking for clean water. I tried to look over his large frame at what he was doing, but it was hard. Whatever he did, though, started to sting! The more he put in the gash, the more the feeling changed until it burned. Once he was done, I pulled away and looked at my arm. Blue liquid had been dripped into my wound. I was going to demand him to tell me what it was. But I saw him clean off his hand. My pain-addled mind tried to put two and two together, but the pain was corning up my arm. Panicked, I rushed to move to the stream, only for him to grab my waist and hold me back. I kicked, screamed, and struggled, but he was strong… and my vision was fading. I had fainted once more."

"I woke up. Feeling better than I ever had. Lifting my arm, I noted the gash was healed. Not even a scar was left. Scrap. That man was still there, and I frantically moved away from him. He was sharpening his blade. His eyes now lazily staring at me.

"Wh-what did you do to me?"

The stranger answered, "I followed what was asked of me… Now you have a choice, Selena Mist." The language he spoke was unlike anything I had heard. His words reverberated in my skull, and I just… knew what he said. I must have looked confused to him because of his next words."

"We are connected now when I saved you from infection." He put his blade away and watched me. "Now, a choice. Will you embrace your new self, or will you fall? You have until 09/19 to give me an answer." And just like that… in the blink of an eye… I wasn't there anymore… I was on the Florida coast. Sitting dumbfounded. I managed to get myself off the beach and straight home, and for the next 3 days, I felt a change in myself. I… I don't fit in the city anymore… I don't want to be here. I don't belong here."

Before Selena could go on, a knock came on her door. Glancing at an old photo, she took in her old self. A slender young woman with dark brown medium hair and blue eyes. She was so excited about the adventure that she didn't think of what she could find there. Now, her once brown locks had bleached white, and her eyes took on a lavender huge. A knock came once more. She typed one last line before getting up.

"Goodbye." She whispered. Turning, she walked up to the door and opened it, and there he stood. 

"Your answer Selena?" His voice was so soothing to the woman's soul that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Take me home."

"Date 09/19/2029. I'm going home."