Jessica was asleep. She dreamed that she was a famous athlete. She had won many games and was very wealthy. She had broken lots of records and was married to Chris Hemsworth. But the dream had soon vanished, replaced with darkness. And pain.

She felt intense pain all over. It was as if she were on fire. But she couldn't cry out. She couldn't do anything. She could only lay there in agony. Eventually she started hearing voices. Then they would fade. She caught bits and pieces of conversation. She heard things like "Autumn. Shelter. Ship. Noah. Stranded." She wished she would just wake up.

Jessica tried to speak, but it came out as a groan. It wasn't enough, but it was progress. She tried to open her eyes, but they were just too heavy. She felt empty. As if she had died, but her soul remained. She tried to move, but that resulted with a searing pain shooting through her body.

You can do this, Jessica. It wasn't the first time she had thought this. You have to do this. You have to wake up. Her eyes flew open.

~~

Dimitri walked outside. He didn't care if it was raining or not. He needed some space. The rain pelted his skin, but he barely even noticed. Lightning flashed overhead, and he just sat down. It was dangerous, he knew, but he didn't care. He looked out over the ocean, and he watched the water. Then he felt a buzzing. He reflexively pulled out his phone. He glanced at the screen and stared in disbelief. He was getting a call. Relief washed over him as he answered. "Hello?"

"Dimitri? Åh tacka Gud! I've been trying to call you all day!"

"Clary?" he said.

"Who else?" came the reply. "How's the trip?"

"Um... I'm on an island."

"Already? How fast are those ships?"

Dimitri chuckled. "Apparently, they're pretty fast. Listen, I could lose you at any second. So I need you to hear me out. I don't exactly know where I am. And no. It's not amnesia. The ship crashed. I don't have any wifi. Do you think you can trace the call, little sister?"

"Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I can! I'll call you as soon as I find out, okay? I'll see y-"

"Hello? Hello?!" Dimitri looked at the phone. The call was disconnected. He sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. Dripping wet, he went back inside.

The stranger was sitting up, eyes open. She looked at him. "Hello."

Dimitri gave a half-hearted smile. "Hi. You're finally awake."

She nodded. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"As far as I know, three hours. Most likely longer. What is your name?"

"Jessica. And you are?"

"My name is Dimitri."

"I like that. What happened?"

"That's where it gets complicated. You know how we weren't supposed to see land for a few more days?" When Jessica nodded, Dimitri continued. "Well, it seems that we've found an uncharted island. No one saw it, and we crashed right into it. The only thing that makes no sense is that the ship landed too far away from the water."

"I see. And is anyone else still alive?"

Dimitri shook his head. "No. There were no more survivors."

"I... I see." The hope seemed to drain right out of her.

"Hey Dimitri," Autumn said. "Do you think it's possible that this storm could blow down the shelter?"

"Yes," he replied. "It's very possible. It's also possible that lightning could strike and set the shelter on fire. I'm sorry, but I am not one to go to for comfort."

Autumn took a shaky breath. "Okay. What are we supposed to do if that happens?"

"Well, heading into the jungle would be a mistake. We have no clue what's in there and the lightning could start a forest fire. Our safest bet would probably be to stay at the beach. It's still dangerous, but it's the safest option."

"Th-thanks," Autumn said.

"I told you. I'm not good at comforting people." Dimitri looked straight ahead.

Autumn nodded. "I understand."

Lightning flashed across the sky. The rain was coming down hard. They could hear hail pounding on the make-shift shelter. Strong gusts of wind threatened to blow the hut apart. Dimitri reached for his chest. He clutched a necklace.

"What's that?" Autumn said, pointing to the necklace.

"My father made this for me." Dimitri showed the necklace to the group of survivors. "He told me never to lose it. He said it's a lycka charm. A good luck charm."

"I think it works. Otherwise, you could be dead."
Dimitri laughed bitterly. "Yeah. There's always a silver lining."

Meanwhile, the storm raged on, into the night.