As the group finished setting up the camp on the cliff, Rose looked at Jasmine who looked quite worried.
“Jaz? You good sis?”
“Yea Rose, I just feel like something is wrong. Like wrong wrong. We should go home.”
“Oh don’t be a wuss Jasmine,” Talia said as she rolled her eyes and sat on a log next to the fire.
“I’m going to sleep, Cam you coming?”
“Yea babe,” Cameron said as he followed Jasmine into a small tent.
Talia, Caron, Rose, and Jared all sat around the fire making sure they were alert of their surroundings as the night slowly crept on. After an hour or two, Caron and Talia went to lay in their tent. Leaving just Rose and Jared sitting at the fire. As Rose got up to get a drink, she heard a branch break behind her. Frozen by fear, she slowly turned around holding her drink in one hand and a pocket knife in the other.
“Babe?”
“Sorry I must be hearing things.” As Rose walked back over to Jared shaking her head.
“What’s wrong mi reina?”
“I heard a branch snap behind me when I was getting my drink it just scared me. We should go to bed,” Rose said as she unzipped their tent. Rose stepped inside and immediately fell to the floor. Jared grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet.
“Babe what is wrong with you?” he said as he wrapped her in his arms. “It’s okay I’m right here.” Jared laid her on the bed she had made earlier. Sitting there protecting her and keeping her warm he picked up a nearby walkie-talkie.
“Jaz.”
“What Jared. What do you want and why are you not sleep?”
“It’s Rose. She had a panic attack and passed out.”
“I’m on my way.” As the sound of a nearby tent unzipped the walkie-talkie went off.
“Jared.”
“Yes Caron?”
“Is she okay?”
“I don’t know yet. Jaz is gonna look,” Jared said as Jasmine unzipped his tent.
“Move out of my way Jared, also get me a light and some water for her,” Jasmine said as she pulled Rose’s head up onto a higher pillow. Jared handed her then stepped out of the tent to grab the water.
“Sis you need to wake up. You collapsed again. Jared is bringing you water.”
“You know speaking to her while she’s passed out isn’t going to do anything right. It’s pointless to do it she’s fine she just wants atten–”
“Shut up Talia. When did you even come out of your tent? Better question why did you even come on this trip. You constantly act rude, and even though I know you’re better than that, you act like you can’t stand us. So why? Matter of fact, I don’t want an answer just make yourself useful or go back to sleep.”
“Jasmine, what happened to us. We used to be best friends. You used to talk to me every day and we used to go do fun stuff. Ever since Cam–”
“No, Talia don’t bring him into this. He has nothing to do with it, so leave him out of it.”
“Hey not over my girlfriend, you two don’t need to be fighting right now, shut up. Jaz, how is she?”
“She will be fine. But I can’t say the same about Talia,” she said as she glared at Talia. “She’s waking up. Just make sure she drinks that water and takes her iron pills.” As she helped herself to her feet Cameron appeared at the tent door.
“No cat fights without me,” he snickered as he grabbed Jasmine’s hand. “Come on babe, let’s go back to bed.”
“Anyways, wake me up if she passes out again,” Jasmine said as she followed Cam back to their tent.
“Yea, good night Jared. I’m going to sleep. Tell Rose good night for me,” Talia said as she stepped out the tent and zipped the zipper up. Rose opened her eyes as Talia’s shadow faded away.
“Was that Talia?”
“Good to see you’re alive,” Jared said as he rolled his eyes. “You know you gave me a heart attack right?”
“I’m sorry, Hi. So what happened when I was asleep?” Rose said as she sat up.
“You gotta stop doing that, it’s seriously going to kill me one day,” Jared said as he laid beside her.
“Even after the locals warned us that the forest on this island were this dangerous, we all still decided to come up here. It’s going to be worth it, okay. Just because my body doesn’t respect me doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to make it to the falls,” she said as she looked down at her journal. “I have to get there. I can’t afford not to. So I love you, but go to sleep.”
“Listen Rose, I know you want to do this for your mom but you have to remember these woods have changed a lot since we were little. There are things that we don’t want to encounter up here. It would be too dangerous and risky. Maybe we should go back down the mountain. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Jared, I know but like we only came up here to see if what she said was true and don’t forget we all get something out of this.”
“But Rose, is it worth it?”
“Okay then.”
“Jared. you know this means we have to tell the others why we really came up here then.”
“I know…”
To be continued…