Thread: Island for Two (Mel x Midnight Lass)

All he could see was the last few moments of his life. They kept repeating, over and over again in his mind. The gala the cruise ship had thrown, a mix of opulence and elegance misplaced as the entire ship gathered for dinner. How he had excused himself, claiming to have a migraine. The slow, languid stroll up onto the deck. He had been alone there at first, before another figure appeared nearby. A beauty with dark skin and bright eyes. Quite the contrast to his own pale body. His bright blue eyes rose to meet hers. And then everything became hazy. He wasn't sure what had happened next. If the boat had struck something or if a powerful wave had sent the ship listing to one side. The ship had shuddered, water pouring onto the deck as it leaned towards the sea below. Had it been that had sent him careening overboard? Or did he jump? He remembered hitting the water. He remembered coming up for air, before he began swimming after something. Then, the cruise liner turned, and slowly began to disappear on the horizon... Thomas groaned, his senses slowly returning to him. The brightness of the sun overhead seared into his shut eyes, and his ears were assailed by the sound of gulls and the rolling tide. The young boy blinked, suddenly aware of the taste of sand on his tongue. He raised his head, grains of the offending matter falling from his tangled black hair in a steady stream. To his surprise, he was not dead, but laying on a beach. Before him, he could see palm trees on the outskirts of a small jungle, slowly rising to a small mountain on the horizon. Smoke drifted lazily from the summit, hinting the volcano was still active. The young man stood, droplets of seawater and sand falling freely from his soaked and torn tuxedo. He rubbed his head, trying to regain control of his thoughts. So, he wasn't dead. That meant... His eyes shot open, his gaze turning out to sea. Only the great rolling expanse of blue met his gaze. For a moment, he stared out in disbelief before his shoulders slumped, and his eyes returned to the beach. That was when those blue eyes noticed something, lying down the beach perhaps a few hundred yards away. A coldness grew in the pit of his stomach. It looked like...he couldn't finish that thought. Instead, Thomas steeled himself, and began to make his way towards the ebony hued figure down the beach. He barely noticed that his clothes were torn and ragged, showing off his lean young body in places. He barely noticed he couldn't walk in a straight line. He certainly didn't notice how thirsty he was. He raced over to her with uneven strides, nearly stumbling now and then, until he reached the figure. He knelt next to her, hoping she was still alive, still breathing. His trembling hands found the cold mass, and turned it over. No human visage met his eye, his eyes instead falling upon a wadded mass of clothing. A sigh escaped him. It must have been some linen from the ship that got caught up in the storm. He pawed through the collection of fabric for a few moments, hoping to find something useful, but he found nothing of note. Slowly and reluctantly, he returned to his feet. He had to check the island for other survivors. Maybe someone had already called for help. After the hours he had spent on the open ocean, his legs were burning. But he forced himself forward, with long and slow strides past the mound of clothes and other detritus littering the shore. Eyes scouring the beach ahead for any sign of another survivor. Any sign that he wasnt here alone.