People die.

Every day, every hour, every minute. For many different reasons: some can be avoided and some cannot, but ultimately, fate decides when it's time for someone's life to have an end. Friends, acquaintances, strangers die; famous people, young people, those two groups of people who seem untouchable, but also die. And although it's difficult to believe and bear for a while, the world doesn't end with it.

People forget.

We forget everything: where have we left the keys? Will I have locked my house when I leave? Have I left the oven on? Whose birthday was it today? The saddest thing is when we forget people. Those people who have left a mark on us, in our lives, and whom we barely remember because we haven't seen them for a long time, or we are no longer able to remember their voice, their look, their smile, and sometimes that is the saddest feeling of all.

Just those two things Lydia's mind began to spin once she began to be aware that morning. The girl slept in a deep sleep, away from everything that was happening around her, plunged into a lethargy from which she had awakened before, and who knew when she would do it again. Lydia hated those two concepts: death and oblivion. Perhaps because she had been hit closely.

Her maternal grandparents had passed away years ago, life taking away from young Lydia what little she had in England. She hadn't had as good a relationship with them as she had with her paternal grandmother, but even so many times she had had to stay with them when her parents worked, and the truth was that many times she preferred their company to that of her own parents. At least they paid her some attention.

Since their death, because it had been inevitable, at least on Lydia's part, she had fundamentally promised herself one thing: not to forget anyone who had had a major impact on her life, especially her grandparents. Year after year she fulfilled it; she even prayed for them on the day of their death and on Christmas, because although she wasn't a believer, her grandparents had been, and if a short prayer would make them happy, Lydia would do anything. She kept pictures of them in her room, watched videos of her childhood with them so she wouldn't forget what their voices were like, what their smiles were like.

Lydia was very afraid of death: it was a tragic, abstract and inevitable concept, something she couldn't control, and if it couldn't be brought under her control, Lydia was repelled by it. She hated funerals, tears, sadness, emptiness, wanting to tell something nice and realizing that the other person is no longer there. But she was even more afraid of oblivion, because at least with death, even if it hurt, one was able to remember. If we forget, there is nothing left.

And Lydia didn't want to be forgotten, she had always thought so. She wanted to be remembered in some way, whatever it was, that her actions had even a minimal impact on the lives of those she loved; if she couldn't change the world, at least change a little of other people's world. The young woman wasn't perfect, far from it: she was stubborn, irrational at times, guilty and stubborn on many other occasions, but her heart and her intentions were pure.

Perhaps that was why this hadn't been the end of her life.

Maybe it was because she really was destined to change things.

She didn't know.

Lydia woke up one evening.

She had a severe headache. She felt like she was going to explode, like she couldn't even open her eyes because the effort would kill her with pain. Everything was spinning around her: the palm trees right in front of her seemed to be ten instead of five. She tried to put a hand to her face to check that she was okay, that she was breathing, and that she was aware of what was around her, but she couldn't. She rubbed her fingers against each other, feeling the skin of her hand covered with a cloth, and by the touch she guessed that it was a bandage.

What had happened to her?

She couldn't remember anything.

She remembered that her parents had sent her on a vacation to Hawaii thinking that maybe she would find herself again, that the plane had wrecked, that she and nine other girls had ended up on a desert island, that one of them had died, and everything else that had happened on that piece of land. But she couldn't find in her memories how she had come to that situation, and that frustrated her deeply.

The frustration led to a whimper of complaint that didn't go unnoticed by the person closest to her.

Toni quickly turned her head, her eyes widening as she saw what had been an inert body now came to life. She put all the pieces of wood and dry leaves that she had quickly collected on the ground to go just as quickly to Lydia's aid.

"Oh my God. Lydia, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Toni put a hand gently on her cheek to make her react, and when she glimpsed little by little the blue of Lydia's irises, who was opening her eyes with an effort, she uttered more expletives that the girl wasn't able to understand correctly.

"Toni," Lydia's voice was raspy. She hadn't spoken, eaten or drunk for who knew how many days, and her throat ached momentarily when she spoke.

"I'm here. Hold on, I'll get you something to drink," Toni urged, but the blonde called her name again, this time a little louder, and Toni understood:" It's okay, I'm not leaving."

"What happened?" Lydia managed to say with a frown. "My head feels so heavy."

"You don't remember what happened?" Toni asked regretfully. When Lydia tried to shake her head, she put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "We found you a few days ago in the forest. Apparently you woke up before any of us, went into the forest and probably slipped and fell. That was a nasty blow, though."

Lydia realized in that moment that she would probably never get to see her face in a mirror again, and therefore the wound that was now on her head. Toni gently recounted what it was like, what had happened, and how they had managed to close it with stitches. The turns the remaining girls had taken day and night to keep her wound from infecting and to clean the blood that leaked between the gauze pads. The moments when they had feared Lydia would never wake up again.

"So, basically you've saved my life," Lydia concluded.

"You saved mine," Toni replied with a twinkle in her eyes. Lydia smiled a little at her words, causing Toni to mimic her gesture. "There you go, that smile. You should probably rest a little if your head hurts. I'll let the others know you're awake."

Lydia didn't protest because the truth was that she barely had the strength for it. Her breathing was slow, it was as if she had a huge weight on her chest that prevented her from doing so. The sun was hard on her face, so she struggled to cover the light from her eyes again to avoid the migraine that would cause heatstroke.

She looked around, and despite not remembering what happened, she did remember everything that was near her, so she calmed down a bit. She saw a small bonfire burning beside her, and she knew it was Toni who was taking care of keeping it ablaze when she saw a few dry branches and leaves near it. She wanted to reach for the canteen Toni had offered her, but from her position it was impossible, so she tried to force herself to sit up, but her jaw clenched as the pain in her head became unbearable.

She wanted to curse her clumsiness for having stumbled and ended up in that situation, but she didn't remember anything that had happened, so she decided not to torture herself more and close her eyes gently, breathe rhythmically and thus be able to momentarily forget the pain of head that besieged her.

She felt the sand beneath her move, and was struck by the acuity of her senses now that she was convalescing. She heard voices behind her and waited for them to appear in front of her so she could see them. She smiled when she saw that it was Dot and Fatin, because despite not being aware that she had been away for days, she had missed them.

"You motherfucker. Don't ever do that again, you hear me?" Fatin welcomed her in her own way, and though she was smiling, Lydia could see her watery eyes.

"I won't, I promise," the girl replied in a small voice. Then she looked at Dot. "Have they been behaving themselves?"

The Texan laughed. "I managed. Would've been easier to control them with you, though. It's good to have you back, Lydia."

The reality was strange, the blonde realized. If she had suffered a fall like the one she had experienced in the real world, she would be in the hospital right now, her grandmother by her side, no one else would have cared about her; sad but true. But there, miles from society, seven girls she didn't know at all had gone out of their way to make sure that everything was fine with her, that she lacked nothing, that she breathed every moment, even, and she thought she liked this world more than the world.

"Can someone help me up?"

"Are you sure?" Toni inquired. "You just woke up, maybe it's for the better if you stay like that."

Lydia frowned. "I want to try. I've been out for a long time, haven't I? Besides, I don't want to be a burden, I want to be better as soon as I can."

"Spoken like a champ," Dot nodded, impressed. "Maybe we could let it flow. If she's hurt, she can go back to resting."

Toni shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you," the three girls crouched down to help the blonde to her feet, who, despite the pain caused by the effort, momentarily hid it to stand up. She leaned for a moment on the trunk of the nearest tree, panting and slowly moving her joints, checking that everything was going correctly. "If you feel dizzy or light headed, please rest. Take this with you all the time, in case you need to refresh yourself," Toni handed her the canteen of fresh water, and Lydia nodded.

"Obviously my head hurts, but I'm feeling well, considering everything," the girl put a hand to her forehead to wipe away the sweat and groaned when she felt the bandage on her hand. "Do I still have to wear this?"

Dot nodded. "You may be feeling well now, but we don't know how long that's gonna last. Give it a week or so," Dot glanced back, checking that her chore was still unfinished. "I still have to wash the clothes, so I have to get back to it. Toni, you're with the fire, yeah? Fatin can take you around in case you need some help. Call us if you need anything."

Lydia tried to lift her thumb, but felt she didn't have enough strength for it, so she nodded slightly. She walked little by little, because after so much time resting in the sand, her legs didn't respond in the same way. Fatin realized and took the same pace as her, looking at her with concern, and at this Lydia only smiled, shrugging it off. "In no time I'll be the one who's doing your chores, so you'll be the one resting."

"Are you sure you're alright? You don't have to force your body so soon."

"It's okay, really. I won't do anything I don't feel capable of doing. For now, a walk to the shore it's enough for me."

And they did it like that. Fatin watched each step her friend took cautiously, in case she had to come to her aid any moment, but the truth was that Lydia was stronger than she looked. She stopped to rest only once, claiming that the heat was too intense and that she felt that her head wouldn't be able to bear it, but they resumed the journey despite the pale skin of the blonde.

"So, what did I miss?" Lydia asked once they reached the shore, the girl leaning on Fatin so she could sit on one of the rocks.

"Nothing much, really," replied the cellist. "Leah's been somewhat calmer. She's not causing any messes lately, as if your state has really affected her. The twins are more united than ever. Everyone's been putting more effort to everything. Finding you like that was a wake up call for most of us: if these are our last days, we better make the most of them."

"Where are the rest of the girls now?" Lydia couldn't say out loud that she wanted to see Shelby, so she covered it up with that question.

Fatin pointed into the forest. "Toni's been the one to take care of you today and keeping the bonfire alive. Dot and I were the ones to clean all the clothes. Nora and Rachel often go to the lake to get water, and Martha and Shelby are the ones to gather some food. We found some trees further with other fruits on them, so we've been surviving off them," The cellist looked at her for a few seconds, as if debating whether to say something or not. "It may sound crazy to you, but Martha and Toni fought again, so I think she's returning to Shelby like the first days. On her part, Toni's been focused on you. She was the one to sew you up, so I think she'd feel guilty if you didn't wake up. She's almost never left your side."

"Really? Big bad Toni?"

Fatin smiled and nodded. "I think you're the only one she could really open up to. Besides Martha, of course, but you and Martha are very different, and maybe Toni needs that. Also, that's made Shelby super jealous. I can't believe I was the only one who could see church girl killing Toni with her eyes every time she got close to you."

"How has she been? Shelby?" Lydia inquired with a sad look. "I left her all alone."

The cellist was about to punch the Englishwoman on the arm, but held back because she understood that she was still weak enough to make jokes. "Don't you dare say that. It wasn't your fault, it could've happened to any of us," then Fatin sighed. "While Leah has been better, this situation has taken a toll on Shelby. She barely speaks to any of us, as if she's always in deep thought. I've tried to be friendly with her, but it's like she's not here. Maybe now that you are, she comes back."

Lydia sighed, mimicking her friend's gesture. She thought of Shelby, how lonely she would have felt on that island the entire time she hadn't been there. Because she knew that, although the others spoke to her and included her in their conversations, they were still careful of her because of her words addressed to Toni. Also, after her mental breakdown Shelby had become a more closed person and less bubbly, a facet that probably only Lydia could resurface.

Night was beginning to fall. They had spent a pleasant hour on the beach, enjoying the sea breeze, Lydia giving thanks for having this when under different circumstances she would have been bored to death. She thought of how incredible it was how quickly things changed and how much she appreciated everything she had now that she had nearly died —or so Fatin was saying, maybe she was exaggerating, Lydia would never know.

When she got to the camp, a bit more sleepy than before from the walk and the headache that kept hitting her, she saw that some of the other girls had already arrived. Martha approached her with an angelic smile. "Oh my gosh, Lydia, I'm so happy you're okay. How are you feeling?"

"A bit tired, but nothing I can't handle. Did you have any luck with the food?"

"Oh, yes. You'll like what we found, it's so refreshing. Shelby is still in the lake trying to clean them. She'll be so happy to see you!"

"She's been missing you a lot," Nora mentioned slowly, moving closer to her. "I'm glad you're fine. You had us scared here," she laughed a little nervous. "Toni told us you don't remember what happened?"

Lydia shook her head. "I don't remember anything past that. Maybe I was sleepy and fell, I don't know what happened, but that's the most normal thing, right?"

"Anyways, we hope you're feeling better. It's been weird these days without your common sense around here," Rachel commented with a smile that mimicked hers.

The English girl leaned against the tree behind her, too tired to continue standing but not wanting to feel displaced and burdened, so she quieted her discomfort and watched the scene with a strange renewed energy: sitting around the fire, chatting animatedly with each other, relieved smiles on their lips, and Lydia realized how much she would miss their company once this was over, if it ever ended. Anyway, she thought about how much she had come to appreciate those girls, and smiled to herself.

She turned her head a little, and it seemed that everything was happening in slow motion. Shelby appeared from behind the nearby mound of sand, a basket in her arms. She looked down at the ground to be careful where she stepped, walking slowly so as not to spill the contents of the basket. Lydia saw her tousled blonde hair, peculiarly cut on one side and still long on the other, her face slightly dirty, probably from her exploration of the forest. However, Lydia found her to be beautiful.

"Shelby," Dot caught her eye, who still seemed to be one of the few people who chatted willingly with her. "We may have a surprise for you."

The blonde Texan looked up, and the moment her eyes met Lydia's, her world temporarily stopped. She didn't even care at the time that she hadn't been tipped off, because any description of what the Englishwoman looked like wouldn't do justice to how Shelby's eyes saw her. "Hi," Lydia smiled sheepishly.

Lydia's heart broke a little when she saw her eyes fill with tears, so she tried to get closer to her, as if she wanted to show her that everything was okay. "Watch out, you're gonna hurt her!" Toni yelled before Shelby's body quickly collided with Lydia, holding her tight.

The girl lost her balance and the impact hurt a little, but she didn't complain, but responded willingly to Shelby's embrace, who was sobbing sadly almost in her ear. Lydia pursed the corners of her lips, looking at the other girls, who were watching the scene expectantly. She stroked her hair a little while whispering in her ear. "I'm fine, see? Everything's alright, Shelby."

The Texan pulled away from her, wiping away her tears harshly. "You promise?" She hiccuped. "When I saw you I thought— I thought you were dead. There was so much blood everywhere, we thought we'd lost you."

"It's alright, I promise. I had the best nurses in the world, I will get better."

"It's just— I couldn't—"

"We all missed her dearly, Shelby," Martha interjected, trying to provide the Texan with a way out.

"It's different, okay?" Shelby exclaimed, frustrated. She gasped at her sudden outburst at the girls, who stared at her like that day when she lost her temper, and Shelby, fearful of being judged again, hurried out of there.

But this time Lydia wasn't about to let it happen, despite her physical conditions. She followed her as best she could, ignoring the warnings of the other girls, especially Toni, who hadn't been taking care of her day and night so that now she was throwing everything away. She caught up with Shelby not far from there, holding her by the arm and panting from the supernatural effort she had put in that now had given her a horrible headache. But she thought it would've been worth it for Shelby.

"Please, don't go. I can't run after you," the English girl said breathlessly.

"It's frustrating," Shelby pointed out. "I tried to stay positive, I prayed every day and every night for your wellbeing, but nothing seemed to work. You laid there so lifeless, so sad, and I couldn't help but feel hopeless. I thought I was going to lose you, and I can't lose you."

Lydia looked at her seriously. "You're not going to lose me. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I get you all were worried about me, but it's over now."

"Are they seriously arguing?" Rachel pointed from a distance with a frown, as she watched but didn't hear the two figures speak. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

Shelby laughed humorlessly, coldly. "You don't understand. I was feeling so guilty because I wasn't there for you when you needed it the most, I left you alone there to die, I didn't know what you were going through, meanwhile you never left me alone when I was down. You took care of me and I couldn't do anything for you. And the recurrent thought about my father being disappointed because I was praying so hard for a girl, it's like he was in my head telling me about all the sins I'm willing to commit for you," Shelby said determinedly. "I just couldn't bear the thought I was going to be alone because you left."

"I'm not leaving you. I don't care what your father says, you're beautiful inside out."

"I don't want you to leave, but part of me does. Because all I do is hurt people. The more I like them, the more I harm them. It's who I am," Shelby laughed again through tears. "Because I like you so damn much, but you'd be better off without me. I don't want to lose you, but I don't deserve you."

"Shut up," was all Lydia said.

Then she pulled her close and kissed her, mimicking the urgency Shelby had put into the first kiss she'd ever given her. She ignored her headache and focused on the girl whose body was inches away, how her lips felt on hers after so long, her insecurities, her words, and how Lydia was willing to risk all the pain in the world just to see her smile.

From their position, the expressions of the remaining girls could seem almost comical. Their eyes were wide open, like their jaws, hardly believing what they were seeing, astonished at the image of Lydia kissing Shelby, her reciprocating her kiss, getting even closer to her and resting her forehead on the other girl's.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?"