Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“Holy fuck,” I say, interrupting him.
“Right.” He nods, now looking at the ground. Maybe lost in the memory. “I was starving and severely dehydrated when I finally reached the manor my father had rented when he did business in Europe.”
“What happened?”
“He was impressed, very much so, but it wasn’t enough. I knew it wouldn’t be enough. He would mold me into the man he thought I should be. I watched as my older brother worked with him, but I knew my path wouldn’t be that easy. I spent my time from that moment on preparing for whatever would come next.”
I wait with bated breath for him to continue, and just when I think he won’t, he surprises me again. He sits down, no longer looking at plants.
His face is sullen, and his posture is stiff. “Finding my way home was nothing compared to leaving me on an island. But at least then I was prepared. I knew which fruits not to eat. I knew how to fish. I had taught myself how to start a fire with twigs.”
“And you know how to pack a kick-ass survival bag,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
“I do. And I keep that bag with me at all times.”
“Why no radio in it?” I ask.
“Good question. There was one.”
“But?”
“But I had a crazy stowaway on my boat, so I removed it.” He looks up at me again, and now the previous gloom is gone, and it’s replaced with a smirk. He likes the fighting. He likes the banter. To Alaric Prince, it’s foreplay.
For me, well, I don’t know what it is. But what I know is I don’t enjoy seeing him like he was before. Lost in a sad memory he can’t pull himself from.
We aren’t so different. When I was nine, I was alone and thought I had no one in the world. But it wasn’t by choice that my parents left me. It wasn’t their choice. The big difference between Alaric and me is Michael stepped in and saved me.
I will never understand what it’s like for your father to abandon you on an island to see if you’ll live or die.
The thought is sobering, and it makes me wonder what else has happened to this beautifully broken man to make him the devil I know.
I know I shouldn’t try to find out. Everything inside me screams at me not to pursue this.
I just can’t help myself.
My need has become so much more, desire, intrigue, fascination? Maybe it’s all of it, but I have to know more about Alaric Prince.
* * *
After his confession, we settle into a comfortable silence. Maybe it’s because there is nothing more to talk about, or maybe it’s because we both realize what his confession means to us.
He opened up to me.
He showed me there was more to him.
Now the real question is, what do I do with the information?
Before long, we are walking back to the camp. He leads the way, making sure nothing is in our path. I don’t need him to coddle me, but I appreciate the thought, nonetheless.
I’m not a porcelain doll, but regardless of that fact, it means something to me that he treats me as such.
By the time we make it back to the campsite alongside the sand, I’m tired and hungry. We’ve been eating less and less, and my leggings are no longer tight.
Although Alaric is still ripped, he’s leaner now. Even with the fish and coconuts, we are both starting to lose weight. We now have enough coconut stored for our rescue attempt, so gathering fruit and fish is next. The fish we bring will have to be freshly cooked. And hopefully, it will stay good because there’s no way to preserve it long term. Fruit has been harder to come by; most of what we have found is still inedible.
Collecting water is one more hurdle we must conquer.
Alaric thinks we will be ready to go in ten days.
I think he just isn’t ready to set off to our death. There’s no question staying here forever is a death sentence, but leaving is one too.
I think the ten days is a way for him to hold on to hope a bit longer.
Maybe someone will find us. Maybe not all his men are dead? They’re the only ones who could track us correctly. If they were wounded in the attack, how many days would it take for them to find another ship and look for us?
Maybe that’s why we’re waiting ten more days because technically, we could scrounge up enough food to leave now. Or we could try to stay here. The thing is, once the two-week mark hits, no one will look for us, and that’s why Alaric gave us ten days. It feels as though a weight is pressing down on my chest every time I think of this, so I walk over to where Alaric is gathering sticks and twigs, and I stand beside him.