by Lilly Wilder
We greeted each other warmly and both of them were eager to get going.
“I’m glad we’re finally getting underway. It feels like you’ve had this expedition planned for years,” Vincent said.
“In my head I have, ever since my parents first disappeared,” I replied.
“Well, don’t you worry, we’ll finish what they started. We did hear that we’re going to have two extra passengers,” Duncan said. I glowered at this.
“Yeah, unfortunately, but they’re paying the bills and they want to come, so Ford couldn’t really say no, and I’ve waited too long to put off the trip together. I just hope they don’t expect to steal my thunder or take control.”
“Just make it clear to them as soon as we set out. I don’t think anyone will stand in your way when they get a sense of your temper,” Vincent said with a wink. He and Duncan moved off to continue making sure everything got on the plane correctly. I watched as the airport workers were carrying big boxes of equipment onto the plane, and smiled as I saw Bobby directing them, getting annoyed with them when they were being too rough with the equipment. I strode outside and let the warm sun kiss my skin. I squinted at the brightness and enjoyed the sound of distant thunder as a plane zoomed along the runway and took flight, its white hull gleaming as it soared through the sky. Even though planes had become commonplace, there was still part of me that enjoyed a thrill whenever I saw it happen.
“Give ‘em hell Bobby,” I called out to get his attention. His tense expression relaxed when he saw me and he came up, shaking his head.
“You’d think these people don’t have any idea of the significance of this equipment. I’ve tried my hardest to make sure that everything is safe, but if anything is broken, well, you know who to blame,” he cast a disparaging glance at the men hauling the crates onto the plan, and we both winced when one of them crashed against the ramp. Bobby sighed and turned away, shrugging at me helplessly. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
His eyes sparkled and I felt the tension rising between us. There had long been an attraction, which neither of us had acted on until it was too late. After our passionate embrace at the party, rational heads had prevailed and we’d agreed that we wouldn’t do anything until I returned, else it would be impossible for either of us to concentrate on our work.
“I’m okay, a little annoyed at the latest developments,” I said.
“Yeah, Dani just called me saying to expect you in a bad mood. You’re handling it better than I thought you would though.”
“Thanks…I think. But yeah, I mean, what can I do? If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to go on this expedition in the first place, so I’ll just have to swallow my pride. I’ve already made compromises with having Vincent and Duncan along, so two more won’t make too much difference. I just hope they realize that I’m in charge.”
“I’m sure you’ll make it clear to them pretty quick,” Bobby said with his easy smile. I was going to miss that smile.
“Bobby, about the other night…”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to say anything. We agreed we weren’t going to say anything. Let’s just let it lie and we’ll worry about all that when you come back.”
“But what if…”
“When you come back. You’re not like your parents, and what happened to them won’t happen to you. You’ve done your prep, you know what to expect. You’re going to finish what they started and then you’re going to come back and reap the rewards. Your name is going to be said in the same breath with all the greats, right back to Schliemann.” He cupped my cheeks in his warm hands and kissed me lightly on the head. My body flushed with arousal and a warm feeling rippled to the ends of my fingers and toes. All my life I had been happy with being alone by myself, but only recently had I actually begun to explore the option of being in a relationship. I decided that once this expedition was over, I’d try it out properly and see what all the fuss was about.
Our farewell was interrupted by a car as it pulled up, its tires skidding along the ground. I couldn’t believe that the Mapother brothers had bypassed the usual ways of getting into the airport like this, but then again, the rich and wealthy always lived by different rules. I scowled as they got out of the car, still dressed in their suits, looking more like they were ready for a business meeting than an expedition.
“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Bobby said.
The Mapother twins came up to us and handed Bobby their bags, before marching straight past us onto the plane. I went to call after them to correct them, for I didn’t like how they had assumed Bobby was a part of the airport staff, but Bobby shook his head and told me not to worry.
“You’re going to clash heads with them a lot, don’t waste time doing so over me,” he said.
He tossed their bags onto a crate and watched as they were carried in. Almost all the luggage had been taken onto the plane, so there was nothing more for me to do, other than say goodbye. When I looked at him, I was taken back to that moment all those years ago when my parents had said goodbye to me. I was never usually one to let myself get swooped away by emotion, but I found myself saddened by the possibilities I might be missing out on. I knew that in romance it was important to strike when the iron is hot otherwise the feelings might change. I could be gone for months, and I certainly didn’t expect Bobby to wait for me, even though he probably would, for he was a gentleman.
“I’ll see you when you get back,” he said softly, and kissed me on the cheek. I nodded at him and then walked away, not wanting to turn back. That was something else I learned from my father. When you made a decision, it was important to commit yourself to it and walk forward without regrets, without looking back. I walked along at a clipped pace and entered the plane, the shadow of the inside swallowing me up, and I gazed at the motley crew in front of me.
The pilot, Daniel Barnes, was making the final checks, while the others were arranging the crates and strapping them down, so they didn’t slide about. Neither Thomas nor William were helping, which didn’t endear them to Vincent and Duncan. The brothers were standing to one side, engaged in a deep discussion. I took one look at Vincent and Duncan, and then realized what I had to do. If I didn’t make the order of things clear now, it would only lead to problems later down the line.
I whistled loudly. The piercing sound rang shrilly through the plane and got everyone’s attention.
“You two, over here now,” I said, pointing to the spot directly in front of me. I glared at Thomas and William, who were taking far too long to do as I asked. I held my gaze. At first, they looked at me with disbelief, before they arched their eyebrows and sauntered over to me. They had taken their jackets off and their sunglasses were hanging in their shirt pockets.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“Just talking,” Thomas replied.
“Oh, just talking? Well there’ll be plenty of time for talking when we’re up in the air. Right now, we need to get things ready. We need to strap down these crates, and it’ll go a lot more smoothly if you help. We’re not your servants here, and this isn’t some kind of vacation. You wanted to come here, and I expect you to do everything I say. You might have funded this expedition, but I’m the leader here. Everyone else knows this and respects this, and if you can’t do that then it’s only going to lead to someone getting killed. We’re going into a dangerous, unknown area, and if we’re not on the same page it’s going to be a risk, so you’d better get it into those rich skulls of yours that you’re not in control here. You can’t simply do whatever you want to do. If you think you should, then you might want to go down that ramp and stay here.”
I pointed emphatically to the runway. The brothers looked at me and I held their gaze, not wanting to show any sign of weakness.
“You should be more careful about what you say. One call from me and we could get the funding taken away, and then where will you be? Right here,” William beg
an. Thomas put his hand on his brother’s shoulder and pulled him back. He smiled at Amber and took over from where his brother had left off.
“I’m sorry Amber, you’re right. I think we’re just a little overwhelmed by the occasion. Of course, we’re willing to pitch in. Just tell us whatever you need to do and we’ll do it,” he said, and then glared at William, who didn’t seem to share his brother’s good nature. I instantly knew which one I preferred.
I directed them to help Vincent and Duncan, hoping that the men could get to know each other, and we could rub off each others’ hard edges.
“I hope you brought a change of clothes as well. Dragon Island really isn’t a place for suits,” I said. Thomas smirked at me but didn’t say anything in reply.
While they were busy doing that, I went up to the cockpit to talk with Daniel, who said that everything was ready and once we gave the signal, we’d be able to take to the air. I nodded at him and slapped him on the back. It was a trusty crew, although a part of me was ashamed that I wasn’t able to do this alone. My parents had come out here by themselves, and part of me felt as though I should have kept it in the family. However, I was also keenly aware that my parents had died. The more help I had, the better, because I wanted this expedition to succeed where my parents had failed. I was doing it for them, and for the little girl they had left behind.
After speaking with Daniel, I checked through the manifest, the inventory, and the other various bits of paperwork we needed. I was standing by the ramp. The air was blowing in, making the sheets of paper I was holding flutter. I was holding my locket open, looking at the pictures of my parents, their smiling faces gazing upon me with love. I was startled when Thomas came up behind me, and snapped the locket shut.
“I’m sorry about what happened earlier, it was thoughtless of us. We really do want to be assets to you. I know you probably think we’re just out for an adventure, but I promise you we aren’t,” he said. I wondered how many girls he had charmed with that smile. Well, it wasn’t going to work on me.
“We’ll see,” I said curtly.
“You know, I think it’s a shame that you weren’t able to get funding from anywhere else. When we heard about the expedition we had no hesitation in putting the money up front. I think it’s amazing that there’s a part of the world we know so little about when so many other mysteries have been uncovered. And I just wanted to say that I’m sorry to hear about what happened to your parents. I know that this is important for you and I hope that we haven’t dampened your enthusiasm.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, wanting to get to the heart of the matter. Thomas looked a little taken aback, but I was curious to know his answer.
“You’re not the only one burdened by the past.” I kept silent, hoping that he would elaborate. Instead, he asked about Bobby. “Who was the guy? Is he your boyfriend?”
“Not exactly, we’re on hold until I come back.”
“I see. So you’re going into the darkest part of the world alone, and you think he’ll wait for you?”
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”
“In my experience, it’s quite easy for a man to get distracted.”
“Bobby isn’t like other men,” I scowled defensively. Thomas pursed his lips and nodded in agreement, although I could tell he wasn’t convinced. I caught his eyes roving down my figure and I instantly crossed my arms, hating that he thought he could look at me as some kind of object.
“I think you should go and get strapped in. We’ll be leaving soon,” I said. Thomas bowed his head and left. The conversation hadn’t done much to endear him to me, but I was curious about why he and William were here. If what Ford said was true then it could have been just a simple matter of wanting to prove themselves in arduous circumstances, yet there seemed more to it than that. The way Thomas had mentioned the past made it seem as though they were beholden to some legacy as well. I hated the thought that we had more in common than it initially appeared, but I assumed that eventually the truth would come out. We were going to be spending plenty of time in close quarters, and eventually we were going to run out of small talk.
I gave the signal to Daniel and instructed everyone else to get in their seats. Thomas and William still seemed separate from the rest of the crew. I couldn’t put my finger exactly on why, there was just a different energy or aura about them. Vincent and Duncan strapped themselves in, and then I took my seat. I rubbed my locket and looked out of the window at the ground below us as Daniel revved the plane’s engine and drove onto the runway. This was it. It was finally happening. I was about to go and take over from where my parents had left off.
The mighty plane rumbled as it moved into position and I saw Daniel flick a few switches. I held my head high and rested it against the back of the seat. I’d never been one to be afraid of flying, but this first quake always reminded me of a rollercoaster. I gripped the leather arm of my chair as I felt the whole plane thrum with energy, and then move forward. The air whined and groaned as the plane picked up speed, and the world outside quickly became a blur. A tear trickled down my cheek as it was finally happening. There was no going back.
There was a bump as the plane tipped its nose and ascended, its wheels leaving the comfort of the ground. I leaned back and let the G forces do their work, my stomach churning, my ears popping. The planed arched up and suddenly we were airborne, and the world disappeared below us. Vincent and Duncan whooped and high-fived each other while I smiled down below, knowing that Bobby was watching me. I’d return to him soon, and with news about the lost Dragon Island.
4
Once we were in the air, we availed ourselves of our safety belts and moved about the plane freely. I continued to look outside until we were among the wispy clouds, and then checked with Daniel about the course we had plotted. From the satellite imagery we had gathered we knew that it was going to be smooth flying for most of the journey, although such things were always speculative. It would take us a number of hours to get there, so for the time being there was little we could do but talk to pass the time.
“Duncan, do you want to talk to us a little bit about what we might expect?” I asked, hoping that the more we spoke as a group, the easier it would be for us to bond. I didn’t want us to be divided, and I hoped that if Thomas and William knew something of what was going to happen they might start realizing that they had to count on us.
“Well, of course we don’t know any specifics about the natural life on Dragon Island. Presumably, there aren’t going to be any dragons,” he said, chuckling to himself. I noticed that Thomas and William weren’t laughing at this, and I frowned. I hoped they would have better humor than this. “But we can make some educated guesses based on the climate and the environment. It looks very much as if the environment is similar to Central American jungles. It’s going to be humid, hot, and there are going to be plenty of insects around. I’d expect to see amphibians and reptiles as well, with a high probability of venomous snakes. Now, we’ve all had our vaccinations, at least I hope we have,” he said, glaring pointedly at the Mapother twins, who remained unmoved, “but for all we know there are species we’ve never discovered before. We’ve got antibiotics and creams and ointments, but it may not be enough. I want you to be making regular checks of your bodies and if you come across something you haven’t seen before, come to me. Even the tiniest scratch might prove fatal. There’s a disease that occurs in Central America that comes from small bites that get infected. Looking at it you’d think it would be innocuous, but it can lead to the foundations of the face crumbling and eventually falling off, resulting in death. I can’t think of many more excruciating ways to go.”
I looked over at the brothers again, but they didn’t seem fazed. Either they were incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid. I wasn’t eager to find out which. Duncan continued by going over some safety procedures and then Vincent took over, talking about various weapons and different tactics we were going to use. Then it was
my turn to take the stage.
“Firstly, I want to thank you for coming with me on this expedition. Many years ago my parents journeyed to this island because they thought there was something there. They never made it, and all this time I’ve been eager to finish what they started. I’m glad to be given the chance, and to finally uncover the mystery of Dragon Island.”
“Did they ever tell you why they were so interested in this place? What did they hope to find here?” William asked.
It was difficult for me not to see his inquiry as an attack on my parents’ integrity. He’d been so abrasive that I could see myself clashing with him regularly. I was hoping that Thomas would interrupt him again, but this time I was not so lucky.
“No, I was only young when they left, and they didn’t leave any specific hints in their journals. They did write about a lost civilization, so I think we might be looking at something like the Incas or the Mayans. I’m hoping that because this place has been untouched we’ll be able to find a lot of buildings intact. Be on the lookout for temples and other large buildings that could form settlements. I want to know who lived here. This could be the discovery of the century, and if it is then we’re making history by going there.”
William and Thomas gave each other a shifty glance and once again I was curious about what their true agenda was. I didn’t trust them, and I made a note to myself to keep an eye on them. Their question did bring about questions that I had asked myself over and over again, questions that I perhaps should have gotten answers too before I came out here. I never learned where my parents got their information about Dragon Island from, or what they were hoping to find. I was hoping that by solving this mystery I wouldn’t just learn about Dragon Island, but about my parents too.