Derick and I had taken refuge in our small shelter. Aside from formulating our plans, that remind me of our strategic team meetings we've had in the past, it was mostly silence. We immediately broke off to work on different tasks once the rain had subsided, leaving the sticky humidity behind. The sun's rays had begun to bleed themselves between the trees, and the sun had shown signs of settling down in the sky in maybe an hour or so. I took a refreshing sip of the rain water and continued with my task. Derick wanted me to stay as stationary as possible to not stress my leg, but to collect what I could without overworking myself. I had been working to make our shelter more secure, but it was proving difficult to do without tools. I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I continued collecting sticks, branches, and leaves that littered the ground.

My stomach pinged with hunger as I continued to work, putting my collected items where I thought they'd fit best. Derick had been laying kindling material on the beach in hopes the sun could dry it enough to start a fire. In these moments, I had never considered the thought of being stranded. That kind of thing happened in movies. I was never interested in camping, or survival shows. I was never outdoors unless I needed to be. Now, all I can think about is what can I do to be helpful? What can I do to not hinder us? I knew the basic necessities, but to have the capacity of surviving with nothing?

I had never considered this kind of predicament happening. Why would I? I would never fly again in my life. I knew that my fear was rational and I should have never taken my feet off of the ground. I grew angry with myself, growing irritated in my decisions. All I had wanted to do was fill my life with demanding work, so that I couldn't be left in my own thoughts, but at this moment all I could do was think.

I thought about Mrs. Hughes and the pilot, and how guilty I felt to be alive. Derick told me he couldn't get to her in time, and the pilot surely had died when the plane broke apart. The memories of the explosion brought chills to my core. I could have been more help, but instead I was afraid, I froze. I didn't know what I could do. I felt I should blame myself. My purpose in this world was to help make the lives of those around me better. Inspire others. Be available for people to open and express concerns. I still had so much growing to do.

I knew Mrs. Hughes had a husband and two grown children. The thought of her family not knowing where she is destroyed me and even more so with the fact that she would never make it home. As I glanced in that direction, I thought back to the plane and faintly saw the large white pieces of metal that were left. She and the pilot were in there, and the thought of their bodies still stuck inside made me feel ill. I took a break to see what Derick was up to. I collected some water in a large leaf and folded it up so it wouldn't leak, and walked from the shade of the canopy to the soft sand and warm sun.

I scanned the beach for as far as I could see, and saw nothing but more sand and trees. I would like to eventually walk this beach, and know if there was anyone around who could help us. The waves lapped gently against the sand, which was a stark difference to the choppiness it possessed mere hours ago. Other than the humidity, there was no way of knowing if there had even been bad weather... or if a plane had crashed.

Derick was working on the second to last letter of our SOS signal, hoping that a plane would fly above us to notice it. He had plans to make it more noticeable tomorrow. I walked carefully around the deep holes as I brought the improvised cup slowly to him as he noticed me and stopped with his signal making.

"Thank you, I was starting to get thirsty!" He said as we exchanged the water, and he downed it quickly. 

"How is the shelter coming along?" He asked.

 "I've grabbed more branches and vines to weave around it, but it's so hard without tools. Do you have any ideas of what we could do to make it easier?" I questioned. He sighed, and his eyes darted back and forth in thought. 

"When the plane exploded, it left shards of metal. If we were to examine the area for the sharpest piece, we could rig it into a blade of some kind." He suggested.

"That could work. It would help with the shelter, and I'm sure we could use it for other things too."  

We began our trip from the beach back to shelter. "Where did you learn all of these survival traits from?" I asked. 

"My father spent a lot of time away from home when I was younger as he was always busy with working. However, he made deals with me that if the numbers were good, we would go on camping trips- just him and I. He taught me some skills, but we were never truly alone. We always had exactly what we needed, and it wasn't even camping in my opinion, but I got to spend time with him without the interference of him being the CEO, and instead just my dad." He responded.

"I think your version of camping is what the 'sophisticated' world calls glamping." I explained and he chuckled a little. 

"I would agree with you. But, I wish I could go back to those simpler times of your called 'glorified camping', instead of a world with more problems that I know how to handle." He admitted.

"But don't you have it all? You're the CEO of an amazing company, and not that I've seen your net worth or anything, but you live a very nice lifestyle." I said.

"You have a point. I've always been accustomed to the lifestyle I live, but money and power can't give me more time with my father." He stated, and I grew quiet with understanding, and I regret my previous comment which was very heedless of me.

"I didn't know your father very well, but he was amazing from what I do know." I added quietly after a few moments of silence, taking the time to reflecting on my own life. 

"That means a lot Ella, thank you." He said somberly. Derick and I made it back to our small setup. I showed him the changes I made, and he gave me his input and suggestions that we fixed together.

"Before it gets too dark, I'm going to look for something sharp at the wreckage, and if I can find anything else that could be useful." Derick informed.

"Let me come with you. I want to help." I said. "Are you sure? I don't want to stress your leg, or for you to step on anything sharp. You aren't wearing shoes." He noted. He did have a valid point with my shoes, but I didn't want to feel useless, or just sit around.

"No! I'll take my time and be careful." I promised him. "If you injure yourself further, I'd have to carry you, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that." He pointed out the slight thought of 'what I did though?'  came to mind in my own delirium. "I can assure you there will be none of that. You've done enough by helping me walk, but the pain is more dull. I'll make sure to rest when we get back."

Seemingly satisfied with my response, the two of us set off into the greenery with Derick leading the way. I took my time being careful where I stepped and within a few minutes, we had made it to the area of the crash. I thought I was dreaming as this morning's events seemed so unreal. Yesterday could not tell me what today would have been like, and my old life crumbled before me. I don't even believe I had time to process the situation that I was in. Derick put us straight into survival mode which I was grateful for because it was a good distraction and necessary. However, now as I was staring at just how mangled the plane had become, trying to believe I was flying on it hours ago was inconceivable.

"Wow..." I whispered, taking it all in. "It's hard to look at." Derick agreed, as we slowly approached. I began to look at the debris scattered around, looking for sharp objects that may help us. I took extra care to step around things I could see. For the most part, shards of glass, metal framings, and fibers littered the ground. I carefully picked up a few pieces that could be helpful.

"Ella, come over here." Derick called. I met his eyes as I made my way to him. He was staring at what was still left of the cabin part of the plane. My skin rose with goosebumps at the thought of what was inside. I passed under the wing, and came to meet with Derick.

"I want to go inspect the inside and see if there's anything. With the way the plane is tilted, I can't reach, but I could lift you up, and you could tell me what you see inside."

"Um... No, I don't think that's a good idea." I said, immediately taking a step back. 

"Listen, there could be things inside that could help us survive. We have to work together." He reasoned, but my own fears were leaning more unreasonable.

"Derick, what if.. her body is still inside?" I worried. I couldn't imagine what the pilot or Mrs. Hughes' bodies looked like after being inside the plane with the heat, fire, and explosion. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"I can't tell you that you won't see something like that, but there's the possibility you might. Look towards the seats... focus towards the rear of the plane." He advised. My pulse increased as I contemplated.

 "Could I just lift you up there instead?" I suggested and he scoffed.

 "I don't mean to offend your strength, but I don't think you could lift me up. Come on, this will be very quick. We don't have much daylight left for banter." He convinced, and I sighed. I put my collection of items down, and got ready to be lifted up.

"Don't look up upward as you lift me." I warned, making him aware of my skirt. I set my foot into his hands as I glared into his eyes. He seemed surprised I would even say that. 

"I will look elsewhere, I promise."

Content with his promise, I counted us down as he hoisted me upwards. I grabbed onto the base of the door, and pushed myself up with a decent amount of effort. I huffed a deep breath, and slowly made my way inside. I slid down to the side of the plane to the other end letting out a gasp as I braced against the wall. I hissed out in pain at my leg when it made contact with the wall.

"Are you okay?" Derick yelled out to me. I looked down at my leg, and noticed the trail of blood that was seeping out of the bandage.

"I'm fine! I just hit the other end of the plane," I told him, doing my best to mask the pain laced in my voice.

 "What do you see!?" Derick asked. 

"I see lots of things but they're mostly just rubble." I yelled out as I continued my slow walk towards the back, scanning for anything that would be useful. It was hard to find my footing inside, as everything was tilted on its axis. I was stepping along the sides. It was a lot darker in the plane, and I stumbled. I let out an audible sound as I hit the floor.

I stared at her body as I began to tremble. The overwhelming panic inside me took over my senses. I wanted to move but I couldn't. I was paralyzed on the ground. I had tripped over Mrs. Hughes leg that laid out on the aisle of the plane. I tripped over a dead woman's body. Her head was slumped backwards against the wall as her body lay in between two sections of the seats. 

She looked completely unrecognizable. The skin of her face was charred, her hair was charred and her clothes shredded. Deep lacerations marred her skin, but the most terrifying sight was the way her mouth was frozen open, her eyes ghostly and wide, but her soul was gone.

"Ella, what's going on!?" Derick called again, sounding more panicked. I continued to stare, as I hadn't ever seen a dead body in person. I never saw my fathers as he had an empty casket. 

"Damn it Ella, answer me!" Derick demanded his words snapped me back to life. I pushed myself upright, forgetting the entire reason we came in the first place.

"I- I saw her!" I shrieked. 

"Get out of there; I'm right outside." He instructed.

I looked back to the exit, but my eyes glanced back to her. What horrible pain she must have endured. I tepidly moved forward. My hand shook as I reached out. Her skin was frigid as my hand made contact with her it. I closed her eyes, and my own as I gagged. I couldn't do anything for her now, but I could do this, and hope it was enough to give her body some bit of  peace.

I got up, and began to make my way back. I looked up at the planes exit. I would need to get back up. I contemplated my route, before I put my good foot against the anchored table in the cabin, and pushed off. I grabbed the chair on the exit side, and pulled myself towards it. I strained as my bodyweight relied on my arms. I moved my foot around to find some sort of grounding, and placed it inside one of the open floor panels. I grasped onto the exit door, and I gave my all, pushing my body up with adrenaline.

 I slid over, and was caught in Derick's arms. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have made you go inside," He apologized as I stared into his eyes as I huffed out in exhaustion. I couldn't move from his grasp around my arms as I put my head down and began to shake, my shoulders shuttering as my body responded to my fears.

"Ella, please stop crying... It's going to be alright." He comforted, but I couldn't stop. Why would any of this be alright? Why did this happen? Why would this happen to me? Why was this alright to Ms. Hughes and the pilot? Why am I alive? These thoughts continued to invade my mind as Derick pulled me into his chest. I continued to sob uncontrollably against him. We stayed close in an embrace until I could calm myself down.

I brought my arms up to put some room in between us, and put my arms on his chest. "Thank you." I mouthed, turning my gaze back to his eyes. Had I ever noticed his eyes were this shade of jade before?

He stared down at me, as our eyes locked in on one another. My brown and his green. Emotions flowed and connected in between our eyes, some words couldn't describe. I then was more aware that his arms were still around me, how close I was to him, and my heart fluttered. I pushed back more, and he released his arms from my body.

"Let's head back to the tree line." I insisted, turning to grab my previously dropped items. Derick followed behind me this time. I could not believe I had let myself get so worked up. I felt uncomfortable that I had cried in his arms. When dealing with hard things, I usually went off to myself, and chose not to invite anyone in. I kept my emotions in check for the most part, and I definitely didn't embrace my boss for comfort while crying.

Today I did though. I don't know what possessed me to feel so comforted in his care. My mind was drawn back to the way his arms wrapped around me, the feeling of my head on his chest listening to his steady heart beat, and how he drew small circles with his hands that seemed to calm me instantly. As our shelter came into view, the invasive thoughts of his touch came to an end and were filled instead with making it through the night, and what tomorrow might bring.