Island Jumper 3

by M H Ryan

  “Wait, like you can hear my thoughts?” I asked, glancing at her chest and her bright bikini top holding a pair of high-alphabet twins.

  “Yeah, pretty clearly,” she said and adjusted her top.

  “That’s freaking crazy,” Benji yelled across the camp.

  “Yeah, but not the girls, just me?” I asked.

  “They’re as blank as fresh paper, but you’re different,” Emma said, looking confused. “I think I need to sit down.”

  She sat next to the fire, staring at the flames. “So I’m gifted to see into the mind of a man.” She wasn’t asking anyone the question, more talking to herself.

  “Hey, at least you don’t feel the weather,” Aubrey said. “I’m like some old guy’s crummy knee, telling him it’s going to rain.”

  “I had an uncle that swore his nut sack would ache when a thunderstorm was coming. Said it was from chemical exposure in desert storm,” Kara said.

  “You had an uncle with a weather sack?” Sherri asked.

  Kara laughed. “I swear. He really thought that.”

  “Good Ol’ Uncle Thunder Balls,” Sherri said.

  Kara laughed harder, slapping her thigh.

  “You’re shitting me?” Aubrey said. “Did he ever offer to show you his weather sack?”

  “No, gross,” Kara said.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Benji said, interrupting the exchange. “If we had some plates, we could serve as well.”

  “Yeah, I’m getting started on the pottery stuff. Maybe someone can help me with the kiln,” Kara said.

  “I don’t care about plates as much as getting a proper bathroom next,” Sherri said, getting some food. “I’m sick of squatting next to the ocean. I swear, one of the freaking crocs is going to bite my ass off.”

  We all grabbed some food. I just used a large green leaf to hold my portion of the egg and avocado dish and then took a seat on the sand near the fire.

  With the sun gone, the girls gathered around the fire with me. I enjoyed watching them in the firelight. They were all so beautiful, and the casual conversations seemed to brighten their faces, making them even prettier. The terrible moments of the day were melting away with each minute we spent on the island.

  “Have you guys thought about why we’re here?” Emma asked.

  “I came here to kick shark asses and chew gum,” Benji said. “And I’m all out of gum.”

  “Oh God, I know the line,” I said, snapping my fingers, trying to pull the name of the movie out.

  “Come on, Jack, don’t disappoint me.”

  “No, never,” I said and then it hit me. “They Live!”

  “Yes!” Benji said, clapping.

  “No, I’m serious,” Emma said. “Do you guys ever think maybe we died on that boat? And maybe this is just some afterlife?”

  “I have,” Kara said. “When I awoke on these islands, I thought I had been sent to hell. Shit. I’m not even religious but there I was, praying to Jesus to take me to heaven.” She eyed me and winked. “Maybe my prayers were answered.”

  Emma looked between us and her brow wrinkled in thought. We hadn’t had the talk with Emma about the relationships that had blossomed among the group and me. She would put the pieces together quick enough; it wasn’t like the girls were bashful about it.

  “I mean,” Sherri said, “I guess anything is possible. But it’s sort of a bummer to think we’re dead, and this is some kind of strange afterlife. I mean, we’re destined to constantly escape death when we’re already dead?”

  “I spent a few days on that island by myself,” Emma said. “You sort of start asking questions like that. When I saw you guys, I about wet my drawers in excitement.”

  “And you beat the shit out of those kidnapping mer-people,” Aubrey said, giving Emma a high five.

  Emma laughed. “It was at that moment, seeing you guys, that I knew I had a reason to fight.”

  “You gave us a reason as well,” I said. “When we knew another girl needed our help, we jumped right to it, and I’m so glad we did. No one should be alone out there.”

  “What do we have, five more missing?” Emma asked, doing a headcount.

  “Four sisters and one mom,” Sherri said, patting Eliza on the shoulder.

  “Four more of them are out there,” Emma said. “They’re probably scared as a cat in a rocking chair store.”

  “That’s the thing,” Benji said. “They seem to be appearing on this island at different times.”

  “I would say that’s crazy, but it’s the truth,” Emma said. “That and these gifts we’ve been given make me think there’s something else at play here. My mom would say, ‘God gives you a gift, don’t go squandering it.’ Maybe we’ve been given these gifts to do something.”

  “The king,” I said. “That is a name we seem to keep hearing. It was important enough for the fish people to die while telling me about it. He has some kind of hold over them.”

  “I think we’re being punished here,” Cass said, staring off into nothing. She hadn’t spoken much since the sea monster fight. “For the things we did back on earth. There is a master seeing over all of this. There’s a master, and we’re just puppets in his playground. Probably this king they mentioned. Every step we take will lead to his amusement, and he will continue to punish us until we are worn down to nothing. Only when we are broken into pieces will he then dispose of us like the garbage we think we are.”

  An awkward moment of silence followed her dire statement.

  “Lighten up, Francis,” Benji said.

  I laughed hard at this quote. “Stripes!”

  She put a finger on her nose and pointed at me with a big smile.

  “This place isn’t a joke,” Cass said, getting angry. “When the king’s done with us, we’re all going to die.”

  “If this is the afterlife then the king could be the devil,” Emma said, looking up at the night sky.

  “Wow,” Sherri said. “You guys are getting deep. Yeah, there is some freaky stuff here, and weird animals and crazy captains and shit, but if this were hell, or some kind of punishment, then we wouldn’t have each other. I’d say this is a lot closer to heaven.”

  “She’s right,” I said. “I consider this place a blessing. Before any of this, I was lost. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I took jobs like working on the Veronica. Just nowhere jobs that killed time and put money in the bank. I’ve never had a steady girlfriend or job. I’ve never really knew what I wanted to do in my life. But out here, I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt, and I’m surrounded with people that I could only dream of. I’m going to enjoy the good moments we have out here together.”

  “Here, here,” Sherri said, raising a bag of water in the air. “Couldn’t have said it better. This place has changed my life in every way possible, and for the better.”

  “You guys are unbelievable,” Cass said, getting up and walking toward the house. “I’m going to bed.”

  She climbed the ladder and went inside the house.

  “I get the back right corner,” Aubrey yelled and then whispered to us, “I will move a bitch if I have to.”

  “She okay?” Emma asked.

  “I think she’s just taking it hard out here,” I said, not thrilled that I kept having to defend Cass’s behavior. “I see moments with her when I think she’s happy, and she’s a pleasure to be around. Then she forces herself back into this spiteful mode.”

  “Not sure what purpose it serves being like that,” Emma said. “My head’s about to explode while thinking about this place, but I would never be rude to you guys.”

  “Or that lazy,” Aubrey said.

  “We are not talking trash about her without her here,” I said. “She’s a member of the group. We’ll give her the time she needs to come around.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” Eliza asked.

  “Then I will deal with her,” I said. “I don’t want any of you saying a bad word about her, okay?”

  “Okay, we’ll leave it u
p to you, fearless leader,” Sherri said.

  Benji got up and set another log on the fire, sending sparks flying into the back sky.

  The whoosh sounded as the geyser blasted into the sky.

  “What in the Bloomingdale’s was that?” Emma asked, looking back toward the dark forest.

  “We’ve got an island geyser,” Sherri said.

  Over the next few minutes, the warm mist spread over the forest, and a fog began to rise up a few feet off the forest floor.

  About four more logs on the fire later, we had our fill of laughter and stories. We told Emma more about what had happened since we landed, and she, in turn, told us of her days on the island by herself. One thing the girls left out was their relationship with me. They teased at the idea with Emma but never flat-out said it. I knew if Emma had asked, they would have been comfortable answering honestly, but it just didn’t work naturally into the conversation.

  One thing that amazed me about Emma was that she had been extremely resourceful on her island, and I couldn’t wait to see her in action the next day. We needed more hands to complete the campsite tasks, and she was a great addition to the group. I would have fought several of those sea monsters to have Emma at my side.

  “Hey, how about a nighttime swim at the pool?” Benji asked. “I bet the water is warm and perfect right now.”

  “You guys have a heated pool?” Emma said. “I take it back. You all were stupid for leaving this place to come and get me.”

  “I’ve been telling them that,” Aubrey said with a laugh.

  “Sorry for that,” Eliza said. “When I get that feeling, I can’t help myself.”

  Benji stood up and rubbed her arms. It wasn’t that cold, but the girls seemed to take the cold a little worse than me.

  “I think a swim sounds great,” I said, getting to my feet.

  “Yeah, what the hell. I haven’t had a night time swim in like, ever,” Kara said.

  “Sure,” Aubrey said. “My muscles could use some heat on them.”

  “Pool party!” Sherri said, jumping to her feet.

  Eliza shrugged and looked to me. “I think I’m going to go to bed,” Eliza said.

  “No way,” I said. “You’re coming with us.”

  “You sure?” she asked, with a big smile.

  “Of course,” I said, and walked to her, putting my arm over her shoulder. “Now get that sexy ass moving.” I patted her on the ass as she jogged to catch up to the girls.

  Emma stayed behind and I could tell she wanted to speak with me. I slowed my walk to the forest, waiting for Emma.

  She took a deep breath and looked me up and down, as if appraising a prized pig. Good Lord, her sayings were starting to get into my head.

  “Jack?” she asked.

  “Emma?”

  “When I got into your head, I saw things. I don’t think you were thinking about them, but I saw you with some of the girls here.”

  “Yeah, about that.”

  “No. That’s the thing. You don’t need to explain it. I felt the way you felt about them. I almost wanted to cry because it was so beautiful and pure. I didn’t know men could think like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “That you could love them so unconditionally,” Emma said. “All of them. I mean, you don’t even have a favorite among them but instead, have this…” I saw her struggling and getting misty-eyed. “This admiration and respect for them. You worship different aspects of them.”

  Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath, and she fanned her reddening face.

  “Well, yeah, they’re awesome,” I said. “And everyone has something in them that makes them a ten.”

  “Jack,” Emma said, getting closer. “I felt the way you feel about me as well.”

  Now it was my turn to get some red in the face. “I guess there is no reason to hide anything from you. Yeah, I like you as well, and the girls adore you. I’m just so happy to have you here.”

  “Sparkly tits and all,” she said with a wink.

  “Emma!” I said, feigning shock with a hand over my chest.

  She laughed. “I wasn’t sure about you, Jack. I saw the way my sisters looked at you, but it wasn’t until we touched that I knew everything I needed to know. Now I just need my brain to speed up before my heart takes over.”

  “Hey,” Aubrey said, coming back from the forest. “You guys coming or what?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “We’ll be right there.”

  “Come on,” Emma whispered. “Get your sexy ass moving.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Chapter 21

  The pool of warm water steamed, giving the surface a slight haze. The bright moonlight reflected off the water and made the whole forest around us glow. Water flowed from the upper pool and down the waterfall, sending small waves over the pond and the four girls playing a game of “chicken.”

  Emma stood about chest deep in the water, with Sherri sitting on her shoulders. It wasn’t even close to a fair match, with Kara holding Eliza on hers. They were squared off, about ten feet apart, ready for battle. Only Eliza looked confused while Sherri glared at the competition.

  “So I just try to knock you over?” Eliza said, as she grabbed Kara’s head for balance.

  Aubrey and Benji were on either side of me as we lay on the sandy beach, spectators to the spectacle.

  “Yeah,” Sherri said. “Just try to knock me off Emma. It’s pretty simple.”

  “Well, this seems like an uneven kind of match,” Eliza said, sounding nervous.

  “The first victory is the one you have in yourself,” Sherri said, and with that, she and Emma rushed Kara and Eliza.

  Eliza cringed, but Kara seemed determined and shoved Eliza into Sherri. They wrestled for a second or two before Eliza went head first into the water with a yelp.

  Sherri climbed off Emma’s back and they high-fived each other. We gave a few polite claps as Kara pulled Eliza from the water. Eliza laughed and shook her head, pointing at Sherri.

  “Hey, Jack, watch this!” Benji said and jumped into the water.

  She swam to the deep end with a nice freestyle stroke we’d been working on, turned and then swam right back to me.

  “You’ve been practicing without me?” I said as she swam up to me and put her hands on my knees.

  “Yeah, I wanted to impress you,” she said. “You got me over my fear of the water.”

  “This place has given me a whole new fear of the water,” Aubrey said, leaning against my shoulder.

  “Maybe you can get me over some other fears,” Benji said, moving her hand up my leg.

  “You have to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side,” I said.

  “That’s really cool,” Benji said.

  I raised an eyebrow and her eyes went wide.

  “I don’t know that one.”

  “The Good Dinosaur.”

  “Wow, really pulling from the deep end on that one.”

  Benji smiled and moved up between my legs, getting closer to my face. She dripped with water and some of her hair dangled down, touching my chest. The moonlight gave me plenty of illumination to witness this gift of a woman in front of me.

  Benji got closer still and put her cheek against mine, giving me a light kiss. I returned the kiss with one of my own. The water running over her face wet my lips. Her chest touched mine in a sensual hug as she nuzzled against my shoulder

  She kissed my neck, and I pushed back some of her hair so I could see that perfect face. I bent down and gently held her chin, moving her face to where I could kiss those lips. She moved back up and our lips met. Even in all this constant exposure to sun and salt water, her lips were soft, with a hint of that mango lip balm she must have still had. We touched each other’s hair and face and got lost in the moment.

  “Damn,” Emma said.

  I opened my eyes and noticed we had gathered some spectators ourselves.

  Benji moved back from me, smiling. A few days ago, she would ha
ve been embarrassed about the situation, but I didn’t see any of that now. She looked proud, just as she had when she showed me her swimming skills.

  “I like watching you two,” Aubrey said, who was still sitting next to me and now rubbing my arm.

  “Yeah, that was hotter than a rat on a tin roof in July,” Emma said.

  “That was so weird,” Sherri said, staring at Emma.

  “Sorry, a tension of any kind gets me spouting sayings like a sinner in church,” Emma said and then closed her eyes in frustration, realizing what she did. “And they start making as much sense as a—” She slammed her mouth shut and her lips thinned.

  Sherri laughed and hugged her. “This is one of the many reasons why we love you, sweetie.”

  Emma hugged her friend back while staring at me. I felt as if she could read my mind from a distance, which was a strange feeling. It wasn’t that I had anything to hide, but the buildup of a connection between two people usually took time. Knowing me as well as she said she did, she gave me looks of desire and wanting that far exceeded the time we’d spent together.

  “Don’t you stop because of those gawkers,” I said to Benji.

  “I won’t, not this time,” Benji said.

  “Me either,” Aubrey said and started kissing my neck.

  Benji’s lips met mine and she slid her tongue into my mouth. She tasted just as sweet as I remembered, and I wanted the rest of her. A surge of adrenaline rushed through me as Aubrey and Benji both touched and kissed me.

  “Oh shit, this is actually going to go down,” Emma said with open-eyed wonder.

  “Fuck yeah, it is,” Sherri said and then took her bikini top off, tossing it to the shore.

  Sherri didn’t walk as much as bounce across the water toward me, a sight that would never get old and I would always remember. With Aubrey to my right, Benji front and center on me, Sherri nuzzled up to my left side with a sweet smile and then started unbuttoning my shirt. Benji moved back enough to allow her friend's hands to reach all the way to the bottom button. She didn’t stop at my shirt though—she unbuttoned my shorts as well.

  “Have fun, guys,” Eliza said with a big smile.

  “I might watch this,” Emma said and then blinked rapidly, looking at the moonlit sky. “I…I better go with Eliza, just in case.” She stammered her words. “You guys are incredible and…I’m making as much sense as a dog with shoes right now. Shit.”