Hedi's wounds were barely healing. Besides his lip, he was lucky that was face wasn't that bad. The worst part was that he was now missing two fingers on his right hand; pinky and ring. He was told that William cut his sleeve to make a bandage for his hand, which was really sweet. It didn't stop it from bleeding through, however. At that point, it was basically useless, but Hedi still used it. Superstition, maybe, but it made him feel better than if he took it off and left the two stubs were his fingers used to be showing.

But he really should be glad that that was all that happened to him. Talon was paralyzed from the crash, Nicholas' face was completely scratched up, Lanier lost his memory, and ten of the students-including Kenzie, the girl he talked to on the plane-were dead, plus the adults. It stunk when he found out she was dead. She was pretty nice. Sure, she liked talking to her brother, Flynn, more than him, but she didn't deserve to die. None of them did. 

So there were a lot of people that had it worse than him. But it still sucked. Also, he almost died back on shore. He would have, actually, if that boy hadn't saved him. He didn't remember who it was, since he didn't get a clear view of his face and he was absolutely terrified in the moment. But he did know it was a boy. Anyone could tell a male voice from a female. But he just didn't know which male, the memory of the voice too blurry to recall.

Was it Jayed? He had been looking at him a little differently recently, but he didn't know how to explain it. Or maybe William? He had helped him once, why not again. No, it couldn't be William. The voice sounded much younger. Quinn? He was the last to return.

Whoever it was, he needed to thank them.  However, until he knew, he needed to do his part to help the group.

Hedi stopped looking at his hand and instead looked forward. He was near the back, the last person being Zeke, who was dropping leaves behind everyone so that we could find our way back to the others. Sure, the ground was filled with leaves, but those leaves stuck out and when brought together made a line that anyone could see. Plus, that was all that they had besides clothes, and there was no way that they were leaving that behind. Marisa and William were leading everyone, and hardly anyone was talking. Hedi thought that was because they were scared or focused, but he was probably wrong. People are hard to read when they are put into a life-or-death situation.

Some people that were talking, however, were Nico and Ty. Of course they were. They were inseparable, even if they hadn't known each other for very long. Anyone could tell that after how Nico defended Ty when people were calling them crazy. Jayed and Quinn were whispering as well, but he could tell that they didn't want anyone to hear them, so he looked away and focused on someone else. The boy next to him, Lanier. He was staring at his shoes as if they held some sort of secret, concentrating extremely hard on them. And at some points he would just give up, huffing as he tried to control his anger. His face flushed for a moment, as if he was about to scream. 

It was quite frightening to watch.

Hedi felt bad for Lany. It must be scary to wake up and not remember anything and having people tell you about your past. Hedi himself knew a little about him, for they talked for a bit on the plane and they were friends before the trip (not very close, but they knew each other alright), but he didn't know if it would upset him. He seemed pretty mad when Karimah Leya tried to help him. Why would Hedi be any different?

But from the way he looked at his sneakers, trying to think, it seemed like Hedi had no choice.

Hedi started to walk closer to him, taking a deep breath. "Hey, Lany," He said, annoyed by how nervous he sounded. Lany's head slowly moved up to meet Hedi's gaze, and Hedi smiled. However, Lany didn't return it. Hedi wasn't upset. He didn't expect him to. "You seem pretty busy over here."

Hedi wanted to slap himself. Really?

"Why do you want to talk to me?" Lany asked bluntly. Even loosing his memory couldn't take away his bluntness.

"Well, for starters, my name is Hedi Montana. And I just want to tell you something." He paused. "I know you're upset, so I think this is going to help."

"I don't need your help!" He snapped, loud enough that one or two people turned around to see what was going on. "How do I know you're not going to lie to me?"

"You don't," Hedi answered, trying to keep his patience. "But I just want you to trust me."

"Why?"

"You trusted me before enough to tell me about yourself. This is no different."

Even if Hedi knew he that he couldn't tell if he was speaking the truth, he hoped he would believe what he was saying. And after a moment's hesitation, he did.

"Fine. Go ahead."

Finally, Hedi could help someone, like he had wanted to do for a while and he never got the chance to. "You live with your older sister Clem and aunt Darcy, since your parents died when you were young. Darcy isn't around much, so it's usually just you and Clem. She scares you sometimes, but you still love her. And Darcy means the world to you, you love her with all your heart. You were born in Norway but you still speak English. Your favorite things to do are skateboarding, baking cooking, and hiking. Also, when you get really stressed or agitated, you have major panic attack. Small spaces also cause them, along with loud noises."

When Hedi was finished, he was surprised that he didn't get any response. He looked up, and was startled that he found slight tears forming in Lany's eyes. They were wider than he thought was possible, as if he was trying to grasp what Hedi had just said. "H-how do you know?" He stuttered.

"Know what?"

"All of it?"

Hedi sighed sadly. "We're friends. Not best friends, but friends. We don't see each other much since we're in different grades, but we ride the same bus. You love talking about your family and hobbies, you know." He smiled a bit, but Lany didn't return it. In fact, he just seemed sadder.

"I loved," He corrected him. Hedi was confused, until Lany continued. "I'm not the same person I used to be, Hedi Montana. They're gone. Lanier NightWill, the Norwegian, skateboarding-loving younger brother is gone."

Hedi was speechless. "It was a good try, Hedi Montana."  And he wiped his eyes, walking away.

It wasn't a good try, Hedi thought. A good try would have made you remember.

***

Something was wrong with Sparna. Liam had noticed it ever since they ran away from the shore. She was just acting... strange. He hadn't known her very well until they went looking for her brother, but even though they hadn't talked much, he still knew something was off. She seemed much more nervous all the time, and especially frightened. Her hands were constantly shaking, she never looked at one place too long and she was always distracted. However, she said she was fine.

There was no way she was fine.

Sparna held on to Talon's hand, biting her lip as she guided her across the ground. Liam could see how much Talon was struggling, her legs not cooperating the way she had wanted them to. Finally, after barely getting over two feet, she fell down in frustration, rubbing her hands on her face. 

"I'm never going to walk again," She cried. 

"Yes you will," Sparna said, grabbing hold of her friend's hand again. She seemed quite frustrated as well, almost angry at her friend. "Just let me help you!"

"Sparna, it's hopeless!"

"No, you're hopeless without my help!"

"Are you serious right now?"

"Yes, I am!"

Not wanting to hear any more arguing, Liam stood up and grabbed Elliot's arm along the way. She was confused at first, but she went with it. He pushed Sparna back from Talon, making sure she was facing him.

"May I have a word with you?" He asked, trying to be calm. She looked at him, confused, but nodded.

"Elliot, take over for Sparna." Before she could argue, he said, "I'm not asking."

She scoffed. "Yes, sir."

With that, Liam led Sparna to where he was sitting, gesturing for her to sit as well.

"What are you doing? I don't even know you."

He sighed. This was going to be tough.

"Okay, okay, fine. Well, I'm Liam Parker. And you're Sparna O'Keel. See? Now we know each other."

She looked shocked. Sure, she knew Liam's first name, and she knew he knew hers, but last name? "How did you-"

"We were in the same group when we looked for Nico. I've heard your name a few times. Plus, you call your brother by his full name a lot. I just figured."

She nodded a little. "So? What is it?"

He took a breath. "Listen, O'Keel, something's wrong, and don't think that I'm can't see it."

She scoffed. "Wow. So this is what everything was about. My fall earlier."

"It's not just your fall. I can tell what people are really feeling. It's my gift."

Sparna tilted her head in disbelief. "You're gift? Really? That just sounds cocky. I'm fine." She laughed and smiled in such a fake way he was surprised she didn't see it. Liam rolled his eyes. How long is she going to deny it?

"Okay, okay. Lie to me all you want, but it doesn't change the truth. I know you just don't want to admit it."

Sparna was speechless, her sarcastic expression changing to a softer one. It was like she wanted to argue, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Liam knew that she was thinking about what he said, but he doubted that she actually believed it. Maybe she did, but if she did, she didn't know it.

Liam decided to change the subject to something lighter. "So, what did you like to do before you came on the island?"

She was a little surprised by his question, but answered anyways. "I-I liked to paint, I guess."

"And?"

"Um..." She thought for a moment, unsure about her answer. "I-I used to visit my grandmother once a month during the weekend. Me and Nico loved to help her take care of her plants and her dog Jojo." She chuckled. "I always thought Jojo was a stupid name for a dog."

Liam smiled, staring at her as she continued her story.

"Grandmother would tell us stories about her and grandfather, especially how he survived the war. It was the highlight of my weekend. Oh, and she also told stories about Dad as a kid." She looked at one of the large, vacant rocks. "Those were always the best kind because they were so farfetched they seemed unreal."

For a split second, Liam swore he saw a speck of true happiness in her eyes, something that hadn't been there since she found Nico. And that made him smile.

"Sounds like a great grandmother," He said. She nodded.

"Yeah. She was." Her happy expression turned to a slightly sadder one. "I wish I was with her right now."

"Hey," He started, putting his hand on her shoulder. "you'll see her again." She smiled, looking into his eyes. Liam paused before adding, "I'm a fortune teller, too."

She laughed a little, smiling and staring at her hands. "You really are cocky," She teased, Liam pushing her on the shoulders in response. 

"At least that made you smile."

Liam didn't know why he cared so much about if Sparna was happy. Maybe it was because everybody on the island was forming a bond with one another, since they were the closest thing to society that anybody had. Maybe Liam just wanted to have a few friends before he died, to show that he made an impact.

Plus, he couldn't ignore her obvious cry for help that she was deaf to.

"Guys," Elliot said. Sparna and Eira turned to her, waiting for more. But it was dead silence between the group.

"Well?" Liam asked, but Elliot shushed him, listening for something. He didn't hear anything, but Elliot obviously did. Her eye widened, her freckles looking like pieces of dust compared to them.

"We need to go," She whispered so quietly that only Talon heard. But Liam could read her lips, and told Sparna what she had said.

"But why?" Talon whispered back, but Elliot pressed her hand over her mouth. She looked around at everybody, and mouthed two words that made everyone panic. But Liam didn't even have to understand her; he figured it out on his own.

It's coming.

A/N

I know that most of you will read this much later than I posted, so don't apologize about being late. My notifications are all wacky as well.

Anyways, sorry it took so long for me to write a Hedi part of this book. I was just trying to figure out the best time to do it. He has been a very minor character through this book so far, but don't worry, he will be getting more spotlight from now on. As will Sparna, Liam, and a few more, for Sparna is becoming for important, like Liam. That's why Orion and Zeke were such a big part of the first part of the book. I like focusing on a few stories at once, with exceptions for ones like Ty and Nico and Jayed and Quinn.

Yes, some characters are in the book more than others, but if they are still alive (except for two), and they have been in the shadows, they will probably come in more later.

So yeah, that's my very-long a/n. Thanks for reading!

-Puffin