It was supposed to be beautiful weather to sail, or so Captain Marx said. But now, here I am, sitting down and holding onto a grab bar for dear life while the yacht rocks dangerously back and forth due to the ever roughening super-storm and hoping that it passes soon.

"Tiffany, are you alright down there?!" I heard Captain Marx's voice shout from the flying bridge over the noisy thunderstorm and waves crashing on the sides of the boat.

"Um, no?! This is terrible! Take me home!" I yelled back, hoping he does what I commanded.

"Hang on tight!" he shouted. "We're headed to a rough spot!"

He appeared down the stairs and sat on the opposite side of the walkway, clutching onto the grab bar on his side of the boat.

"What are you doing?! Shouldn't you be steering this thing?!" I exclaimed.

"I can't do anything! Just hang on tight we're headed toward a few rocks!"

"Rocks?!"

"A few!"

I felt the violent tremor ripping through the yacht before I heard the painful screeching noise of metal against stone. The quake of the ship flung me out of my seat, and I hit my head on something, probably a shelf of some sort, as my vision goes black.

The moment I woke up, my head pounded like sticks against a drum and I heard Captain Marx shuffling around, packing and unpacking duffle bags.

"Good, you're awake," he said.

"What happened?"

"Well, you hit your head pretty hard back there when we crashed onto shore. You're bleeding a bit but that's probably just a cut. You gotta get over it if we're gonna find a way off of this island together."

"What do you mean 'together,'" I asked, using air quotes with my fingers for emphasis. "You got us into this mess so you're going to get us out."

Captain Marx sighed and shook his head. He mumbled about how he liked me better when I was knocked out under his breath and left the cabin, climbing the stairs.

"What was that, Captain? I didn't hear you!" I snidely commented after him.

Ugh. The nerve of some people. Captain Marx was an old man who sailed the seas for the majority of his lifetime. He was the most reliable person that I was able to hire for my "me" time vacation, but he lost track of where he was and accidentally sailed straight into a storm causing us to end up where we are right now.

So much for the "aged like wine" saying. This guy aged like peeled boiled eggs. His brain probably rotted.

I stood quickly, but sat straight down after feeling nauseous from the sudden elevation change. After the feeling died down a little I again attempted - a lot slower - to stand myself up. The bright rays of the sun and a clear blue sky greeted me when I emerged from the cabin. Odd, wasn't it just thunderstorm-y and all scary-like earlier?

Everything was too calm.

"Captain!" I yelled because I couldn't see him anywhere.

"What? What? You don't have to sound so frightened. I'm right here," he said from behind me.

I turned to see him shoulder a red duffle bag with the words EMERGENCY printed across the side. Well, this was quite an emergency as I would imagine. Good preparation.

"How long have I been out?"

"Half a day or so. I treated the cut on your forehead. And don't worry you weren't in a coma or anything; after a while I realized you were just asleep," said the gray-haired man.

"Gee, thanks for waking me up."

He huffed a breath and said, "I set up what I could on the shore already. I slept on here last night because of the storm, but I'm not sure this boat will hold any longer, so it's best for us to get off of it before-"

"Why didn't you tell me it was dangerous up here I would've gotten off years ago."

Captain Marx audibly sighed. "Look here, Tiffany. I've been working all this morning to build us a camp so you and I both can get a decent shelter. I would appreciate if you shut your piehole and put out some manpower to help me."

That got me quiet. Having someone older than my dad reprimand me was a bit discouraging. I understand that I can be a brat sometimes, but that's just my personality and usually it's "if ya don't like it, deal with it." But seeing that I'm stuck with Captain Marx for the rest of my time here until we get rescued, I should probably get on his better side.

I took a deep breath to clear out my thoughts. "So, what can I help with?"

"We need to gather some twigs and wood, whatever you can find, for a fire. It'll get really cold at night. I already tried to use the radio to call but there was no signal. They probably already know we're missing, though, since I told them we were headed into a storm."

"Great, so when will we get out of here?" I asked.
 
"I would think in a matter of days, Tiffany," responded Captain Marx.

"Days?!" I was aghast at the revelation. "I can't be stuck on here for days! I need my wifi!"

"I don't think wifi is anyone's priority as of right now."

"It is mine," I huffed indignantly. "Anyway, how are we supposed to get off of this thing?"

Captain Marx gestured downward and I looked over the railing to see a blown-up raft.

"I see," I said. I saw Captain Marx looking at me expectantly. "What?"

Did he just roll his eyes at me?

"Well get on with it! Get on!" he said.

Ugh. "Now?"

"We don't have much time until sundown for you to be dilly dallying like this the entire time," he replied as he put both hands on his hips.

I scratched my head and took another peek at the raft. It was quite a ways down from the edge of the yacht where I stood. Captain Marx cleared his throat.

"Oh, alright. I'm going, I'm going," I begrudgingly said.

I grabbed onto the railing and slowly climbed down the ladder on the side of the yacht. When I reached the bottom, I lowered my feet onto the raft and quickly sat down to not sink the thing with all my weight being put in one spot. This is tiring already.

Captain Marx threw the duffel bag filled with emergency kits onto the raft first before he lowered himself onto it. Untying the rope that was keeping the raft attached to the boat, he pushed us away from the damaged yacht and rowed us to shore with the plastic oars.

I hopped off of the raft the moment we slid onto the sand and saw some blankets spread out on the sand where Captain Marx had inhabited the island.

I headed toward the bushes and woods, determined to gather as much food for the fire as possible before returning.

"Let's go together!" Captain Marx called out after me.

"It'd be faster if we look in different areas. Besides, I'm not going far."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, but be back here in about 10 minutes. Make sure you're not going too deep, we don't know what's out there."

A watch was something that I didn't have, but nonetheless I nodded my head in affirmation of his request.

"10 minutes," I repeated.

I entered the bushes through a clearing and picked up as many dry twigs as I could find to feed the fire. After a couple minutes of silently scanning the ground for material, I felt the hairs on my neck stand straight up as if trying to warn me of bad vibes. There was a chill in the air, and it wasn't from the wind; an eerie feeling that someone - or something - was watching me.

I stood up and surveyed the area around me, finding nothing but more low-hanging branches and leaves in the way. I shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling and continued picking up as many sticks as I was able to carry.

Wait a minute. Oddly, there was a clearing through the bushes as if someone had traveled through and broken down all the branches and pushed the leaves out of the way, creating a path leading to who-knows-where. I was about to head down the path, forgetting that I had a time limit on my disappearance until I heard Captain Marx's voice call out my name.

"Tiffany!"

Abruptly turning toward the sound of his voice, I yelled out, "I'm right here!"

I took one last glance at the undeniable pathway and wobbled my way over the jungle's floor to get back to the camp. As I appeared, I saw that Captain Marx already started a fire in a makeshift pit by the blankets. It was still earlier in the afternoon but I guess he wanted to start it early so that we can keep the warmth in our bodies. I set the bundle that I gathered by the fire and studied the setting. What else would make it more comfortable?

Of course, I was anxious and scared about crashing ashore onto an uninhabited island. But this is what I saw in movies and read in books, and I always wanted to try it out.

The sun's rays were beating down hard on us and I trekked through the sand to wade in the water. It was a beautiful jade beach, as seen in the Bahamas or somewhere of similar regard. I slipped my sneakers off along with my socks and slid into the cool water.

I closed my eyes and reveled in the relaxing sound of the waves crashing against the shore. It was peaceful here, sure, but I missed home. I've been gone for three days out of my four day vacation.

I was supposed to have a fansigning the moment I came back. I only just came out with a single for my solo debut and now I'm stuck where no one knows.

Panic set in and my eyes crash open when I think about the possibility of not ever being found. I trudged back to the site where Captain Marx is lying beside the fire.

"Captain Marx?" I start.

He hummed with his eyes still closed.

"Are you sure we're going to get out of here?" I asked, my voice wavering.

He peeked an eye open at me, and seeing my distraught face he softened his hard gaze.

"I'm sure. Don't you worry one bit," responded Captain Marx. "How about you go explore a bit. Stay close by, but have some fun. Think of this as an extended vacation."

"How are you so calm?" I asked, my voice peaking a bit.

"I've just controlled my anxiety. Nothing good comes from an unclear mind," he answered. "Now shoo, I'm going to nap for a bit. I think my skin needs some Vitamin D. By the way, sunscreen?"

He tossed me a bottle of SPF 40 which I caught in a flurry of arms. It looked suspiciously familiar.

"Where did you get this?" I asked.

"Your bag."

"What?"

"Your bag," he repeated.

"Do you know how much this costed?! You just slathered it all over yourself," I exclaim.

"So? Sunscreen's for using, sweetheart," he replied. He rested both hands behind his head and adjusted to get more comfortable.

The nerve.

I exhaled in annoyance, but applied some product to my face and body anyways. Might as well. I grabbed my shoes and put them next to my bag that Captain Marx had dropped by a log. ping my belongings, I picked up my sandals and strapped them to my feet.

I checked my phone and saw that it was quite a while past noon. I glanced at Captain Marx who was bathing in the sunlight. I'll be back before he wakes up. I pocketed the smartphone and roamed away from the camp. With a deep breath, I entered the same clearing in the bushes that I had earlier once again and went to work searching for the pathway that I had seen before.

There it was. A noticeable break in the trees and brushes that were pushed aside. Swallowing the tension that was keeping me from moving, I started making my walk toward the pathway that was carved out.

I followed the path for what seemed like half an hour before hearing sounds of crashing waves - no, it was the sound of a waterfall. The air became more humid than before and I was able to smell the scent of wet stone and damp earth. I hiked up a mound of dirt and the most picturesque scene came into view. There was a waterfall with beautiful flowers all around the edge of the pool that the water dumped into.

Mesmerized by the beauty of the scene, I dipped a finger to gauge the temperature of the water. It was cool, but not cold, so I slowly slid off my clothes to clean myself off in the naturally flowing liquid.

I was weighing whether I should or should not dip my hair into the water as an attempt at cleaning the strands that were filled with sweat and oils when the same prickly feeling ran up my neck. It was an instant chill that I felt as if somebody was watching.

Hearing a rustling in the bushes I turned and asked, "Hello?"

There was no response and everything fell silent to me, even the loud crashes of the waterfall wasn't enough to drown out my heartbeat. We don't know what's out there. Captain Marx's voice repeated in my head. 

I pushed myself out of the water and put on my t-shirt and shorts again. The fabric instantly stuck to my wet skin but at this point it didn't matter because I had felt the creepiest feeling that there was something out there preying on me. I slipped on my sandals and ran back the way I came.

I didn't stop running and I thank the training for concerts for all my stamina. As I exited the clearing I looked left to right, trying to spot Captain Marx and our camp. I caught a glimpse of the red emergency duffle bag and saw Captain Marx lying beside it along with the crackling fire.

Slowing my pace, I took a breather and headed toward the sleeping man. I dragged the blanket further away from the fire to lessen the heat that would be radiating to me.

"Captain?" I asked as I sat down on the blanket.

He grunted, a signal that he was listening, but kept his eyes closed.

"Do you think there's something out there, here?"

"This isn't an island that's been charted on maps. And I've seen a lot of them," he replied. "But I think if anybody were to say that there's nothing out there, they'd be the dumbest person I ever met."

"So, what do you think may be around here?"

He turned his head toward me and opened his old eyes. "Dangerous, not-so-dangerous. Gee, I don't know. If you explore enough you'll find out, but I wouldn't recommend it."

I nodded and longingly stared at the ocean ahead. It would be quite a while before I'd be able to get home, wouldn't it?