Stranded! by Pepper Pace Page B

"I..." she swallowed. "I believe that I did the right thing, but it's still hard." She looked out towards the water and allowed herself to hear the sounds of the crashing waves that she had long ago learned to tune out. "I wanted to have your baby. I still do."

His back straightened and she brought her gaze back to him. He had a disgusted look on his face that surprised her.

He stood up and stared down at her. He had wiped away the look she'd seen there but she would never forget it. "When we get off this Island, it's probably best if we go our own separate ways." He turned swiftly and headed toward the water's edge where he did much of this fishing and thinking. He stripped out of his shorts as he walked and the sun beat down on his bronze skin until he reached the water and dove into its depths, where mercifully all of his senses were muted.

***

That night, Marshall slept on the beach near the fire pit where he and Oceans had shared so many memories. When he'd returned from his swim, many hours later, Oceans had retreated to the hut and after a light dinner he'd fallen asleep where he sat. He knew that he should have apologized for his harsh words. He didn't mean what he'd said. Actually he meant it, but he knew that he meant much more then that statement. Yes he was angry. And he needed to let her know...he even needed space from her. Beyond that he didn't know much else. For so long Oceans had been associated with pleasure, friendship and love. Now this new feeling was overshadowing the other...but did he no longer love her?

Marshall got up and walked to the hut. She was right, it was too dark. They needed a window. Still, it wasn't hard for him to see that Ocean's had left. Her hammock had been taken down and though her suitcase still set in the corner it was empty of all of her belongings.

Marshall stood there for a long time. She had left for the other side of the Island—but just as he'd said earlier...

Where was the other side of the Island?

***

Marshall pulled on the shoes that had once belonged to Geddes. He seldom needed shoes now that his feet had become accustomed to the terrain. Next he shed his worn shorts for a pair of jeans. They rode low on his waist and were too confining for everyday life. In truth, he'd go naked and be just fine. Last he pulled on a short-sleeved button down shirt. The clothing and shoes were necessary for the biting insects and mosquitoes that lived in the denser parts of the forest.

On his way out of the hut he picked up one of his spears and made sure that he had his hunting knife. He walked into the forest, never looking behind him once, and soon the place that he and Oceans had called home disappeared behind him.

If Marshall had hoped to see a clear path that would lead him straight to Oceans' whereabouts then he was sadly mistaken. The forest had been tramped through as they had used the surroundings for foraging. He wondered if she had used the stream as a guide to the main water source. It would mean going beyond the water hole that they had first found so many months before. He had a grim look on his face. Using the water source as a guide was also a sure fire way to run into an actual predator.

They had never seen evidence of anything larger than the wild boar pigs on the island. There were small rodents, lizards, snakes etc. But there were no monkeys—at least on their small part of the Island. There was no telling what they would find by going deeper into the forest, or closer to the fresh water source.

As Marshall walked he couldn't stop his brain from repeating the last conversation that he and Oceans had. His stomach plunged to his feet each time he thought about how he'd told her that they should go their own separate ways. He had to concentrate! He couldn't keep reliving that moment. He focused on his surroundings, listening for the thrashing of a wild boar. If one appeared before him, he knew that it wouldn't be so easy to outrun it. They moved pretty fast