Christopher’s fever subsided at daybreak. I heaved a sigh of relief and took the strip of cloth from his forehead. At the same time, the sun rose from the horizon, covering the earth with its light.
As its golden rays pierced through the veil of night, the sea turned a beautiful shade of reddish-gold. Far, far into the horizon, the sea captured the reflection of the sun on its surface. If I didn’t look closely, I wouldn’t know which was the sun, and which was the reflection. The new dawn brought with it a gentle breeze that brushed against the ocean, sending ripples flowing everywhere.
It was the first time I saw such a gorgeous sunrise. It would have been a romantic sight if not for the hellscape I was in.
Christopher was leaning on my shoulder. “Nice sunrise,” he croaked.
“Yeah, but it’s nothing on you.” I touched his cheek and brushed my fingers across his face. Come to think of it, I’ve never taken a good look at him before.
Christopher was amused by my response. “Someone has a glib tongue today. You never praised me before.”
“And I’m still not praising you, because it’s the truth.” I rubbed my face against his cheek to calm myself down. Can we really last until the rescue team’s arrival?
“I know; I’m hot.” Christopher chuckled, but even a simple movement like that was tearing his wound open, so he shut his mouth on the spot. “Eve, do you know what it means when someone flashes his car’s spotlights three times?” he suddenly asked.
I nodded seriously. “Yes, but I’m not telling you the answer yet. Let’s save it until we get home. And tell me what’s the relationship between airplanes and love.”
“Sure.” Christopher kissed me lightly, but before he could retreat, I held his cheek and returned a deep kiss. His lips are freezing. He would have kissed me back, but now…
After our lips parted, Christopher jokingly said, “I see you love to show your affection in public. What a little tease you are. I bet you won’t be this daring when we’re alone, but please make the first move next time. You’ll be on top, and I’ll be at the bottom.”
I knew he was just teasing me to ease the situation, so I played along with him and forced a smile. “Sure, I’ll be on top. You’ll be following my lead then.”
“Of course, my queen.”
I went to the beach again. I wanted to get enough food for Christopher, but I didn’t have enough strength to haul the big fish, while the abalones were hidden in the deeper sea. Since it wasn’t abalone season, there were only old abalones left in the shallow seas. I didn’t dare venture deeper in case I was attacked by something.
Good thing there were clams on the beach though, and they were in season. Some of them were taken by the other survivors, but since there weren’t many of us, there were plenty of clams to go around. I picked them up and placed them on my hem, but the moment I placed them on the campgrounds, Crystal came over and took more than half away.
I gripped her hand tightly to keep her from leaving. “Put them down,” I growled.
Crystal complained, “Yvonne, I’m your cousin. So what if I take your food? It’s free, isn’t it? Do you have to be such a scrooge?”
“I said, put them down.”
Crystal noticed the murderous tone in my voice, so she pouted and put them down. “Laugh all you want now, but you’re getting it once we get back,” she threatened.
I shoved her away and enunciated, “I don’t care if you’re taking the things I don’t want, but if you’re taking my stuff without permission, I can and will hurt you.”
“That’s just cruel!” She shot me a nasty glare.
“Get out of my sight!” I barked.
I pried the shell open, cut off the inedible parts, and handed it to Christopher before digging into one myself. When I realized Crystal was still there, I frowned. “Crystal, you have to be more self-sufficient. You can’t just rely on your simps to save you from a pickle every time.”
