“Look!” Annalise exclaimed. “they seem stranded!”
Elina navigated the boat to the shore. “let’s see what’s going on.”
Clara's wary nature kicked in. “we don’t know who they are”
Monica hesitated “We can’t just leave them; it will be fine Clara” she reassured.
Elina altered course to rescue the girls.
They disembarked onto the island's sandy beach.
“hi! Are you okay?” Elina asked the girls.
The girls explained, “Our engine seemed to have died. We’ve been here for three hours. There is no signal on our phones and no way to contact the Coast Guard."
Elina examined the engine. “I will try to see what’s up with the engine” as she gets the toolbox from the speedboat.
Monica frowned “There is no signal on this island”
After a few minutes, Elina announced, “Everything appears to be in order, but the engine won’t start. The boat will be towed that way I’ll take two of you back to the seaport, cause the speedboat can’t fit everyone.” Elina suggested.
And they all agreed.
However, when Elina tries to start the speedboat, it refuses to respond. Clara's concern grew.
“why isn’t it responding?” Annalise asked.
“I am confused honestly; everything seems to be fine since Zayan fixed it”
“Zayan is not someone you can trust, especially since he pranked Clara despite knowing she is hydrophobic, this is so not good at all. And there is not even a signal here,” Annalise said, looking worried.
They all sat on the ground, facing each other, their eyes glued to their phones as they searched for a signal. Fear and worry were evident on their faces. Clara wondered how her parents would feel if she couldn’t return home. Her thoughts spiraled, recalling how the past few days had been filled with strange nightmares. Her new habit of waking up late was unlike her, and today had been the worst. She buried her head in her lap, her mind clamoring with unsettling thoughts.
“I think we should walk further into the island to search for Signa. It is getting late, and this is the last place anyone would look for us,” Annalise suggested.
“That’s the only option. By the way, since we are now on a signal-hunting adventure, my name is Beyonce Wilson, and she’s Miranda Mack” Beyonce said as she introduced herself and Miranda.
Clara and Miranda stared at each other for a moment, both feeling an odd sense of familiarity. Clara wondered where she had seen Miranda and heard that name before. Miranda seemed to feel the same.
The group split up to search for a signal, each pair heading in a different direction but not too far away from one another.
“Could this mean the folklore is true”
“what folklore?” Clara asked, her voice tense.
“There is a story in our town that every March 31st, no one should work at the port or travel on the ocean. It is said to disrespect a woman and a prince who were wrongly accused and killed centuries ago,” Miranda explained.
Clara felt a chill down her spine, her whole body tingling with fear. Her dreams flashed before her eyes. She struggled to breathe and began unzipping her jacket in panic.
“Are you okay?” Miranda asked, her voice filled with concern.
“Y-ye...yes...I’m fine,” Clara stammered, though her face said otherwise.
“I’m so sorry if I said anything to upset you” Miranda apologized gently.
Miranda pats Clara gently on her back to calm her down, guiding her to sit on a rock. Clara took deep breaths, slowly calming down.
“Thank you,” Clara said softly, her voice trembling but grateful.
“It is obvious you are not okay. I heard from your friend that you are hydrophobic, but I want to assure you that we will be out of here soon enough,” Miranda assured.
“Thanks, I feel like it is my fault. If I hadn’t left my friends at their practice and gone to the seaport alone, I wouldn’t have met Zayan. He pranked me, knowing fully well he wasn’t on good terms with Annalise. I just forgot all of that at the moment. When Elina came to rescue me, I should have pleaded with her to take me back to the dock. None of this feels right. Loving the peace of the ocean while being deeply scared of it feels so abnormal for me” Clara confessed, her voice heavy with guilt.
“Well, I don’t think it’s your fault”, Miranda replied. "It’s just a coincidence. Honestly, I could say I am the one to blame. Beyonce suggested we go shopping, but I wanted an adventure especially to this ancient island. The history and stories have read and heard about it fascinated me. I took advantage of the fact no one would be at the port and stole my dad’s speedboat. And now, being stuck here makes it feel like that folklore might be true”
Miranda laughed and added, “Meanwhile all Beyonce could think about is her sunscreen.” Clara chuckled softly as Miranda continued, “Come on, I think we should get going. Let’s catch up with the others”
Beyonce and Monica stuck together, walking through a path surrounded by tall palm trees and patches of thick greenery. Beyonce had her phone out, capturing every moment with it.
“This place might be creepy, but it is giving me tropical vibes. Perfect for my CamChat streaks,” Beyonce said, angling her phone for a selfie.
Monica glanced at her, a little amused. “you love nature”
“of course! I’m a fashion and nature influencer. Every moment is content.” Beyonce turned her head suddenly, spotting movement. “oh my gosh! Is that a squirrel? So cute.”
Monica squinted in the direction Beyonce pointed, but she didn’t see anything.
“I didn’t see it, whatever it is, let’s keep moving before it gets dark.”
Beyonce leaned against a tree, snapping a photo. Monica signed but couldn’t help laughing when Beyonce grabbed her into the frame.
“fine, but this better go viral,” Monica joked.
Annalise and Elina combed through a rocky area, scanning their phones for any hint of a signal. They walked in silence until Elina spoke up.
“So, if you are Zayan’s cousin then Mrs. Katherina Garcia is your mother, right?”
Annalise looked over, slightly guarded.
“yeah. How do you know that?”
“My dad spoke about her once, she was one of the kindest people he’d met.”
Annalise's expression softened. “That sounds like her. She’s always been there for people”
The tension between them eased, and they continued their search. Clara and Miranda searched near a dense cluster of trees. Clara suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“Do you hear that?” she asked, her voice low and trembling.
“hear what?” Miranda frowned.
“it sounds like…whispers. From over there” Clara said, pointing to the dark entrance of a cave.
Miranda looked in the direction but shook her head. “I don’t hear anything, Clara.”
Clara hesitated, but the whispers grew louder for her. She took a cautious step toward the cave.
“Clara, wait!” Miranda called, reluctantly following.
As they neared the cave, Miranda’s phone suddenly buzzed.
“signal! I’ve got a signal!” Miranda said, relief spreading across her face.
Meanwhile, Annalise and Elina stumbled across Beyonce and Monica, who were sitting under a tree, laughing at Beyonce’s phone.
“Seriously?” Annalise snapped. “we’re all supposed to be looking for a signal, and you two are just taking selfies?”
Beyonce raised an eyebrow. “relax, Annalise. At least I’m making the best of this nightmare.”
“She’s right. Besides, weren’t that far off from you guys,” Monica added, trying to diffuse the tension.
Before Annalise could retort, they heard Miranda calling out to them.
“Guys! Over here! We’ve got a signal!” Miranda’s voice echoed.
The group rushed toward Miranda and Clara’s location, relief washing over them as their phones buzzed to life.
Monica glanced around and suddenly frowned “Wait… where’s Clara?”
Miranda froze, scanning the group. Clara was gone.
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