of you ladies please assist me?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, a young girl replies, “Of course.” She crawls toward her like a shadowy panther, her stunning green eyes almost glowing in the early twilight. Evelyn is struck immediately by the girl’s beauty and drawn by her warm smile, as she inches closer.
“Thank you, dear. My name is Evelyn, who are you?”
“I’m Mia. Is he going to be okay?” She tilts her head toward the injured man.
“I hope so Mia. I need you to keep pressure on his wound, okay?”
Mia hesitates for a second and then replies, “Okay.” She approaches the injured man and positions her hands as Evelyn’s were. Evelyn places her hands on top of Mia’s to demonstrate the proper amount of pressure. When Evelyn lets go, the top of Mia’s hands are stained with sticky, coagulated blood that leaves her feeling lightheaded. She closes her eyes tightly and takes deep breaths in and out, trying hard to keep it together.
Evelyn, sensing her uneasiness, reassures her. “You’re doing great, just keep the pressure even. How old are you, Mia?” she asks by way of diversion.
“Eighteen,” she whispers.
Evelyn nods and smiles. “The man you were seated with, the one I helped get out of his harness, is he your brother?”
Mia looks over to the others and sees her brother leaning over the raft and paddling with his hands. “Yes, his name is Max. We’re twins.”
“Is that right?” Evelyn asks rhetorically, as she washes her hands in the ocean. She lifts herself up and then quietly says, “I need to speak to that woman over there.”
Mia peers over Evelyn’s shoulder and sees the woman curled up in a ball, her arms clutching something. She realizes that something isn’t right. “Okay... I got this.”
Evelyn smiles at Mia. “Thank you.” She moves to the woman in a fetal position, her hair covering her face. She clears her throat. “Excuse me, I am a doctor. My name is Evelyn. Can I have a look at your daughter?”
The woman doesn’t move. Evelyn looks at Mia who stares back at her, and the young girl’s expression reflects the gravity of the moment. Evelyn takes a deep breath and this time reaches out to gently touch the woman’s shoulder. The gesture unsettles the woman and she recoils. “I’m sorry,” Evelyn says. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Is there anything I can do for you or your daughter?”
The woman sits up, relinquishing her hold on the little girl, wiping the tears from her face. She is a petite Asian woman with long black hair, her eyes glassy and red with torment.
“There’s nothing you can do for her now,” her voice falls like shards of glass. “She died in the crash…. But we couldn’t leave her… we… just couldn’t.” She begins to sob uncontrollably.
Evelyn wraps her arms around the weeping woman and begins to cry as well. She looks down through her tears at the little girl, her face pale and angelic. She wears a white ruffled dress with tiny red polka dots and a black silk sash still tied in a bow across her waist. Her feet are adorned in white ruffled socks and her shoes are a well-worn pair of red Mary Janes. The girl appears to be sleeping, with no visible signs of trauma, except for a trace amount of dried blood that has collected in her left ear.
T he moment is broken when Noah shouts, “Land ahead!” She looks to see for herself. The island, while a welcome site, appears foreboding, its terrain engulfed in a raging fire courtesy of Mei Long’s broken wing. The sight is surreal, but it rejuvenates the onlookers and they paddle hard toward the fiery coast.
As they push their way closer, they watch the landscape burn. The flames reveal a jagged beachfront, with huge boulders that form a natural barrier separating the west and east sides of the beach. Casting a brilliant orange hue, the fire is contained on the west side, so Noah directs the rafts to a shallow, boomerang-shaped strip of beach on the east. Set apart by a
Without a moment’s hesitation, a young girl replies, “Of course.” She crawls toward her like a shadowy panther, her stunning green eyes almost glowing in the early twilight. Evelyn is struck immediately by the girl’s beauty and drawn by her warm smile, as she inches closer.
“Thank you, dear. My name is Evelyn, who are you?”
“I’m Mia. Is he going to be okay?” She tilts her head toward the injured man.
“I hope so Mia. I need you to keep pressure on his wound, okay?”
Mia hesitates for a second and then replies, “Okay.” She approaches the injured man and positions her hands as Evelyn’s were. Evelyn places her hands on top of Mia’s to demonstrate the proper amount of pressure. When Evelyn lets go, the top of Mia’s hands are stained with sticky, coagulated blood that leaves her feeling lightheaded. She closes her eyes tightly and takes deep breaths in and out, trying hard to keep it together.
Evelyn, sensing her uneasiness, reassures her. “You’re doing great, just keep the pressure even. How old are you, Mia?” she asks by way of diversion.
“Eighteen,” she whispers.
Evelyn nods and smiles. “The man you were seated with, the one I helped get out of his harness, is he your brother?”
Mia looks over to the others and sees her brother leaning over the raft and paddling with his hands. “Yes, his name is Max. We’re twins.”
“Is that right?” Evelyn asks rhetorically, as she washes her hands in the ocean. She lifts herself up and then quietly says, “I need to speak to that woman over there.”
Mia peers over Evelyn’s shoulder and sees the woman curled up in a ball, her arms clutching something. She realizes that something isn’t right. “Okay... I got this.”
Evelyn smiles at Mia. “Thank you.” She moves to the woman in a fetal position, her hair covering her face. She clears her throat. “Excuse me, I am a doctor. My name is Evelyn. Can I have a look at your daughter?”
The woman doesn’t move. Evelyn looks at Mia who stares back at her, and the young girl’s expression reflects the gravity of the moment. Evelyn takes a deep breath and this time reaches out to gently touch the woman’s shoulder. The gesture unsettles the woman and she recoils. “I’m sorry,” Evelyn says. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Is there anything I can do for you or your daughter?”
The woman sits up, relinquishing her hold on the little girl, wiping the tears from her face. She is a petite Asian woman with long black hair, her eyes glassy and red with torment.
“There’s nothing you can do for her now,” her voice falls like shards of glass. “She died in the crash…. But we couldn’t leave her… we… just couldn’t.” She begins to sob uncontrollably.
Evelyn wraps her arms around the weeping woman and begins to cry as well. She looks down through her tears at the little girl, her face pale and angelic. She wears a white ruffled dress with tiny red polka dots and a black silk sash still tied in a bow across her waist. Her feet are adorned in white ruffled socks and her shoes are a well-worn pair of red Mary Janes. The girl appears to be sleeping, with no visible signs of trauma, except for a trace amount of dried blood that has collected in her left ear.
T he moment is broken when Noah shouts, “Land ahead!” She looks to see for herself. The island, while a welcome site, appears foreboding, its terrain engulfed in a raging fire courtesy of Mei Long’s broken wing. The sight is surreal, but it rejuvenates the onlookers and they paddle hard toward the fiery coast.
As they push their way closer, they watch the landscape burn. The flames reveal a jagged beachfront, with huge boulders that form a natural barrier separating the west and east sides of the beach. Casting a brilliant orange hue, the fire is contained on the west side, so Noah directs the rafts to a shallow, boomerang-shaped strip of beach on the east. Set apart by a
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