by Lilly Wilder
“Then find other investors! You were looking long enough. There must be alternative options.”
“There aren’t any Amber. I’m sorry to say but most people don’t feel as passionately as you do about this expedition. The mystery of Dragon Island has been out of the public consciousness for so long that most people are happy enough to shrug their shoulders and carry on with their lives. You know very well that archeology is struggling. People don’t seem to care about the past anymore. They’d rather invest their money in technology, in the future, so if you really need it to be made plain then here it is, this expedition is not going to go ahead without the money from the Mapothers, and they’re not going to provide the money if they’re not allowed to go. So you can cancel the trip if you want, but I think it’ll be a case of spiting your own face by cutting off your nose.”
I huffed and glared at the floor, chewing my lip nervously.
“I hate this. I hate being beholden to other people. I hate having to depend on other people to get anywhere in life. It’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not, and I’m sorry it’s been sprung on you like this. I have tried to talk to them, to persuade them that it’s too dangerous for anyone without experience to go, but they won’t be dissuaded. Their single-mindedness to go on this expedition reminds me somewhat of you. I know it’s not ideal, but they’re good people and they’re passionate about our profession. I know you probably think they’re just rich boys looking for a thrill, but they do have pedigree. I’d give them a chance Amber, because without them you’ll be stuck here cataloguing artifacts for the next few years.”
I looked around the dreary office and knew that I couldn’t stay here. It was a fate worse than death. I had to be out there, exploring Dragon Island, finishing the work my parents had started. I hated to admit it, but Professor Ford was right; most people didn’t care about my story. To them, my parents were just two fools who went somewhere they shouldn’t and got killed by an unfortunate accident. With everything happening in the world, people weren’t easily swayed from taking care of their own lives. Who had the time to worry about some mysterious island when there was so much else to worry about?
It disgusted me, but I had to accept. I wasn’t proud enough to dismiss this opportunity. I had to get to Dragon Island by any means necessary.
We walked back into Professor Ford’s office.
“I’ll be happy to have you along. I’m sure that we can all learn a lot from each other, and I wanted to thank you personally for funding the trip. I hope you know how important this is to me on a personal level,” I said, trying to prevent my words from sounding forced. I wasn’t entirely sure I succeeded.
The Mapother twins inclined their heads at me. I was still unsure about them, but I decided that there was little else I could do than come to terms with the situation.
“I have a few bits of paperwork to tie up here,” Ford said, “why don’t you go and get everything ready. A car will be waiting to take you to the plane whenever you’re ready,” Ford said.
I nodded at the three men and then took my leave, glad to be out of there. I was itching to be on Dragon Island and put all the bureaucratic nonsense behind me. As I left the office, I placed my thumb on my locket.
I’m coming, I thought.
2
Dani fell into step with me as I went to my smaller office and checked that everything had been gathered properly. I explained to her what had happened and she offered me her sympathies, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of you.”
“It’s okay, I’m sure that one day you’ll be on an expedition of your own,” I said.
“No, not because of that. I mean, you’ll be stranded on a deserted island with those two. I can’t think of many other places I’d rather be,” Dani said, with a dreamy look in her eyes. It was impossible to hide the smirk from my face at imagining the demure, petite Dani being such a lusty person.
“I’ll have much more things to worry about. Don’t worry, I’ll put in a good word for you and maybe when we get back, you can have your pick from them,” I joked.
“Please do, I can’t imagine actually dating a handsome billionaire, it’s the stuff dreams are made of,” Dani said. I shook my head and could only laugh. Something like that was way low down on my list of priorities. The only thing that mattered to me was finding what my parents had gone to Dragon Island for, and then when I was back, perhaps I would pursue a romance with Bobby.
“You can have your pick. They’re not my type anyway.”
Dani looked at me as if I had gone crazy. “Amber, they’re everyone’s type.”
We went through the inventory together. It helped distract my mind from the curveball I’d been thrown. I still didn’t understand the details of the situation as the plans for them to go must have been made in advance, yet I was only hearing about it the day we were leaving. Perhaps it was Ford’s doing, or more likely it was the brothers living up to the stereotype of the wealthy; always expecting anything to be done on their schedule, not caring that other people had to be considered.
I tried to put them out of my mind, because whenever I thought of them, I instantly became angry. Dani didn’t help, going on about their sparkling blue eyes, their height, their manly builds, and the way they smelled. She acted as if they were gods.
“See them again when we’ve just waded through a swamp in the heat of a jungle. I think your perspective of them will change somewhat,” I said.
Dani scoffed, not letting anything could dampen her opinion of them. Once everything had been checked and was ready I pursed my lips and nodded. It was finally happening, and nothing was going to stop me from succeeding where my parents had failed.
“I’m actually going to do it,” I said.
Dani squeezed my hand. “I can’t wait to see you when you get back. You’re going to be famous. They might even make a movie about this someday. I know why you’re doing this Amber. Your parents would be so proud if they were here.”
If they were here, I wouldn’t have to go on this expedition. I didn’t correct her though. I merely embraced her tightly and held back tears. Dani had become an integral part of my life and part of me wished she was coming with me, but she didn’t have the training or the expertise. It would have been irresponsible for me to take her, but I was confident of returning.
I nodded at her and then wiped my eyes as I walked back through to the main part of the building again where Professor Ford and the brothers were waiting for me.
“I’ve checked everything, and it’s being loaded onto the plane as we speak,” I said. “It might take them a little longer as they have to adjust for the new passengers.” William chuckled to himself and leaned into Thomas, for they knew that my words were pointed at them.
“Then this is where we part,” Ford said, walking towards me. In lieu of his usual handshake he gave me a big bear hug. “Godspeed Amber. Make us and your parents proud. I know you’ve wanted this for a long time and I know that you’ll put a lot of pressure on yourself, but just keep safe, okay? Remember your training and remember that if anything goes wrong, there’s always a way out. The most important thing is that you keep yourself safe and you get back here in one piece.”
His tone reminded me of a worried father. I nodded and sniffed, surprisingly sad at leaving him. Ford and I had always butted heads over certain matters. In his eyes I was reckless and thoughtless, and in my eyes he was far too bound by red tape and cautious, but when we both had a passion for archeology and these were the times when we shared our common bond.
“Thanks Professor. You’ve taught me a lot, and I know I don’t seem it at times, but I really am grateful that you’ve helped make this trip possible.”
He squeezed my shoulder and then turned to the brothers and shook their hands vigorously. He tossed a glance towards me. “Keep them safe,” he said with a wink. I smiled. I’d try my hardest,
but I couldn’t promise anything. Dragon Island had swallowed up my parents. The same fate might very well await us, but if Thomas and William were willing to put their lives on the line then who was I to stop them?
I left the building and got into a taxi, expecting the brothers to follow me, but they said they had their own car. I watched as they got into a sleek black car that dripped of wealth. I looked at my drab yellow taxi and sighed once more. I wasn’t upset at spending time on my own. I was going to have to spend every waking moment with them soon enough, so these precious few minutes of solitude were something to be cherished. Thankfully, the driver wasn’t one of those who wanted to chat incessantly so I was able to be alone with my thoughts. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and as I was so often, I was transported back to that moment when I had last seen my parents alive.
I was at the airport. The rain came crashing down. I was too young to see it as a bad omen then, although my parents didn’t seem to care. Their small plane was waiting for them, looking so vulnerable and spindly in the wake of the thrashing rain. It pattered against our umbrellas and splashed around our feet. Mom bent down and pressed the locket into my palm.
“We’re going to miss you so much, and we’re sorry we can’t take you with us. When you’re older you can,” she said. She always said that and I wondered exactly how old I would have to be to be included in their trips. She kissed me, and although I didn’t realize it at the time, I can see now that her tears mingled with the rain. I breathed in her sweet perfume. I remember being confused. An instinctual part of me knew deep down that this was the last time I was going to see them, and now I hate myself for not shouting it to the heavens, for not doing everything I could to prevent them from going, even though I know nothing could have stopped them.
Mom pressed her lips against my cheek and left a ruby imprint, one that managed to resist being wiped away by the rain. She turned away, a gloved hand covering her mouth, her shoulders shuddering. Dad squeezed her shoulder and whispered something in her ear, one of those whispers that were always so mysterious as a child, as though adults had some secret code that one day we would learn. Dad leaned down and took my hands. He smiled at me. He was always good at acting calm and treating upsetting moments as if they didn’t matter too much, as if everything was going to be alright. He took my small hand and pointed it up at the stars, which were just about visible through the pouring rain and the bleak clouds.
“If you ever get lonely, if you ever start to miss us, just look up at the stars. We’ll be looking up at them too. Even though we’ll be far away we share the same stars, so it’ll be just like we’re in the same place,” he said. He wrapped me up. My cheek pressed against his wet trench-coat.
“I love you my little flame,” he said, the pet name that was only used by him. He took one long look at me, and I wonder now if he had the same feeling as me at the time, as if this was going to be the last time we saw each other. Then, he pressed his fingers to his lips and blew me a kiss. I caught it, as I always did, and pressed it against my heart. Then I watched Mom and Dad disappear into the rain. I was taken away by Grandma to the lobby, watching through the window as the plane’s lights cut through the rain, illuminating the drops so that they looked like falling stars. I squeezed her hand, and I can’t for the life of me remember if I cried or not.
I suppose I must have.
The plane roared as it drove down the runway and then took flight, the rain always battering its wings. I watched it disappear. That was the last time I saw my parents.
“We’re here,” the driver said.
I breathed in deeply and rubbed my eyes, shaking myself loose from the memory. I swallowed my fear and tried to remember that many years had passed. I wasn’t that same girl any longer. Still, I touched my cheek where Mom had left her lipstick. When she’d left, I hadn’t washed it off for days, until Grandma had finally gotten tired and forced it away herself. I’d always resented her for that.
Ford had already taken care of payment so I got out and gathered my luggage, then hauled it through to the airport. There was no sign of the car. Perhaps the brothers had gotten puckish and stopped off for a steak on the way.
The airport was big and a cacophony of sound greeted my ears as I stepped inside. I saw people being reunited, people saying goodbye, I saw expressions of love, and I saw people who were minding their own business. There were people from every walk of life in this place, and it reminded me somewhat of a hospital. It was a unique mingling of joy and sadness, hope and fear. The spectrum of human experience was all contained in this one building, and I wondered where I fell upon it.
I pulled out my documents and went to check in. Unlike regular flights, I didn’t have to wait in a long queue and I was glad that I wouldn’t have to be crammed inside a commercial flight with the general public. I was going where no commercial flight path went, into an unknown part of the world, where only mystery awaited.
My heart hammered in my chest and I took a few sips of water, nervous and excited all at once. I had been dreaming of this moment ever since I was young, ever since I’d learned that my parents weren’t back coming home.
Another memory flashed in my mind.
I was playing with my animals, making new stories for them as I always did. A movie was playing in the background. I can’t remember which one. I was wearing my Fedora, pretending that I was exploring a lost world that was only populated by animals, not humans, and I was trying to convince them that I could keep their secret, for they were afraid that if the outside world ever knew of their existence they would be hunted and captured and put in zoos.
I had come to terms with my parent’s trip. It wasn’t the first time they’d gone away without me, but this would be the longest and I did miss them terribly. It didn’t help that they couldn’t call me or write me a letter. Still, I knew there was nothing I could do about the situation and I could tell that Grandma was getting frustrated with me always getting upset. When I look back on it now, I see that she was probably more frustrated with Mom and Dad for leaving me like this. She was always a traditional woman, and she had always done right by me. She’d wanted me to promise that I wouldn’t go down the same path as my parents. I hated to disappoint her, but I couldn’t ignore the calling in my heart.
She came into my room, standing in the doorway looking like a ghoul. I looked up at her and placed my animals down. That gut feeling of mine told me that something was wrong.
“Amber,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. She staggered into the room and almost fell. She sat on my bed, looking older than I had ever seen her before. She looked incongruous amongst the posters of skeletons and the models of animals and the archaeological magazines strewn haphazardly around the floor. She looked paler than usual, and the lines on her face were starker. She had a pained expression on her face and every breath trembled through her lips.
“Grandma, what is it?” I asked in a small voice. She had been looking into the distance, gazing at nothing, but when I spoke, she turned at me and I was fearful of what I saw in her eyes.
“It’s your parents,” she gulped. It must have been so hard for her to tell me what happened. Not only had my parents left me to be taken care by her, but they had also left her to deliver this awful, shocking news. “There was…there was an accident, a storm near their destination. The plane was caught in the storm…torn apart. They’re…Amber, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
She wrapped her arms around me and sobbed. She didn’t have to say the truth outright for me to know that what she meant. My parents were dead. At the time I was numb. I didn’t know how I should feel. How is one supposed to feel? Sad didn’t seem to cover it. I was numb, I was grief-stricken, but I didn’t cry that night. Dad had always told me to be strong, and in that moment, I knew that Grandma needed me more than I needed her.
It was only later that all the emotion poured out of me, when I realized that I would never see them again, when they would neve
r tuck me in at night or read me a story, when Dad would never tell me another joke, when Mom would never wink at me as she let me have a bit of food before dinner.
We couldn’t even have a proper funeral because there were no bodies. There were plenty of people around though, most of whom I didn’t recognize. My parents were beloved in their community and so many strangers came up to me to tell me how much my parents would be missed, and how they would do anything to help me, all I had to do was ask. I didn’t care about them though. The only person I cared about was Grandma. She was the one who needed me, and I even tried not to hold it against her when I overheard her praying that night, speaking to my parents, asking them why they had forsaken the both of us, why they had left me alone. She blamed them for leaving me, for putting the expedition before taking care of their daughter.
I didn’t blame them though. I knew how important it was to explore the world, to ensure that no stone was left unturned. Grandma may have blamed them for leaving, but I didn’t, and I knew even then that one day I would return to Dragon Island to finish what they started, because I knew I would be an archeologist, just like my parents.
3
I walked through the airport trying to push away the emotions that were gripping my heart. I put on a smile as I saw the plane that was being loaded. It was far bigger than the small two-person plane that my parents had chartered. This was long and thick, with a grey hull and four propellers. Although I would have loved to have made this a one-woman mission, I wasn’t so naïve. My parents had each other, and I needed help too. Besides, the university would never have signed off on me going on the trip by myself, so I had hand-picked a couple of experts to aid me in my quest. I was still leading the expedition, and unlike the Mapother brothers, I knew these men wouldn’t try to steal the credit from me.
The first was an ex-special forces commander called Vincent Duprey. He had a grizzled look about him, but secretly he had a kind heart and was amused by all sorts of things. He specialized in survival tactics and weapon use. Since none of us knew what was waiting for us on Dragon Island, I thought it best to have someone who could defend us. The other man was the wildlife expert Duncan Melliss, a British man who had made a career of examining the most dangerous predators in the world. He knew about various insects and reptiles and what their poisons could do, and because of them I had had to endure a scary amount of vaccines in preparation for the trip.