I know this is kind of out of the blue but, do people actually like my stories or are they just reading it to find something to criticise about?

Sorry about this philosophical thought but I'm reading through all the comments on every chapter and sometimes I feel like nobody really enjoys my story, I'm so sorry if you don't find it good guys because I know I'm not the best. :( <3
*****

I officially hate mosquitoes.

I know you've all probably heard people complain and hate on them but seriously, I really really hate mosquitoes, per se.

At first it wasn't so bad.  Our plane landed right outside of the Amazon and I couldn't help but feel guilty about it.  If any vegans heard what we had done, we'd never hear the end of it.  We all got off of the plane and was met with a gigantic wall of trees the size of a skyscraper.  The trees were absolutely spectacular, their barks were as strong as armour, their branches extended out to each other and their leaves were a deep green.  The soil underneath us was slightly moist and the loud callings of monkeys, birds and other of its native animals resonated through the Rainforest.  I sounded so poetic but I swear it was spectacular even though we hadn't stepped foot inside it yet. 

Click!  Snap!  Click!  Snap!

"Iz, are you actually fucking kidding me right now?  You're taking pictures on a camera even though we might just be walking straight to our death?"  Jaycon asked annoyingly as I continued snapping away on my camera.

"Shut up, I didn't ask you to take them now did I?"  I fired back while he glared at me like a mother would when she saw her child trodding mud on the newly cleaned floor. 

"You're impossible,"  He sighed and turned away. 

Each one of us had a large rucksack that contained some clothes, food, toiletries (though I didn't know how much use that would be to us), first aid kit, a small tent, a sleeping bag, portable torches and a Swiss Army knife (plus a gun for both the boys but not Clayre and I. Pfffff sexist idiots.)

"It's time to go in," Lucien announced and adjusted the bag on his broad shoulders. Oh boy, how could he still look hot as hell wearing khaki shorts and a plain white shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It was refreshing to see him wearing something other than his usual expensive suits.

"Wait, before we go in..." I grabbed Lucien's wrist and brought him over to where Jaycon and Clayre were and sandwiched us together with them before turning the camera lens to all our faces, "Everybody smile and say Death!"

I grinned and snapped a photo of all of us together.

"She is seriously the weirdest fucking girl I've ever met," Jaycon muttered as I went back onto the camera roll to see our group picture and saw all of our faces. Despite all of his complaining, Jaycon smiled in the pic and smiled so did Clayre who was beaming. I had a big smile on my face but then my breath hitched when I saw Lucien in it.  He was gorgeous of course but... he was smiling... and he was looking straight at me instead of the camera. 

"Come on.  We should go in now and do as much walking around as we can before it gets dark,"  Lucien said and started walking into the forest.  I clicked my camera shut and hung it over my neck and the three of us all followed him into the vast green maze. 
* * * * *
So this is the part where I officially hate mosquitoes. 

They were fucking everywhere. 

Among the trees and shrubs, around my head, in my hair, in my mouth and even up my goddamn nose!

"Ugh!  Does anyone have mosquito repellent spray on them?"  I asked while trying to swat away some mosquitoes that were trying to invade my eyeballs.

"No," they all said in unison.

"Are you fucking kidding? Nobody brought a bottle of mosquito repellent? Shit!" I huffed and frantically waved my hands in front of my face to keep away the army of the attacking little fuckers.

"We might find a citronella plant somewhere. I heard they keep away mosquitoes when you squash the leaf and rub it on yourself," Clayre piped up as I nearly tripped over a moss-covered fallen tree trunk the size of a sewage pipe.

"That's useful but I don't know what one looks like."

"It's a bushy plant with long thin leaves. I've seen one before. My grandmother used to grow them in her greenhouse," Clayre said as we walked behind the boys and was careful not to step on any of the pretty flowers that littered the forest floor.

"I'm tired. How long have been walking for?" I called up to the boys.

"Iz, we've only been walking for 20 minutes," Jaycon laughed and turned around to look at us.

"Well I can't walk for very long, I have a disability!" I argued.

"Oh yeah? What's that then?"

"That I wasn't born with enough muscle power like other people."

"That's not a disability, that's laziness," Jaycon corrected while I tried not to collapse onto a nearby tree.

"Seriously Iz, if you would've participate more in Phys Ed class then maybe you wouldn't be so lazy,"  Clayre chided because she was a gymnast and always got top marks from our Phys Ed teacher, Mr. Sprint.  Such an ironic name right? But he was one of those strange Phys Ed teachers who wore gym shorts that were way too short and way too tight. And all he drank was a double espresso with three sugars which made him more hyper than a hare in the mating season.

I groaned, this was going to be such a long day.

When night finally came, Lucien decided we should camp for the night.

"Fuck yes! My feet are probably disfigured by now!" I cried as plonked down against a nearby tree and wiped the five gallons of sweat off my forehead. The Amazon got dark pretty fast but it was still super hot and humid.

The others began to unpack their things and set up a small campfire.

Clayre and Jaycon went to gather some twigs and so I was stuck with Lucien who got out the tinned food and bottled water.

"We'll need to get to the river soon. It's only our first day but our water supply will soon run out," Lucien informed me as he poured water into several small cups.
I helped open the tins of food and empty it out into a saucepan.

"I know you can eat human food but how long can you go without blood?" I asked him as he leaned back to look up at the trees on his elbow.

"I can go for up to two weeks without blood but any more than that I will get an insatiable craving for blood for a few days."

I nodded and Jaycon and Clayre came walking back to us laughing at each other with a large bundle of twigs and branches bundled in their arms.

"Oh my gosh, Isadora. You should've seen the monkey that stole all of Jaycon's wood every time Jaycon turned his back on his pile!" Clayre laughed hysterically as Jaycon snorted.

"He was a sneaky thief. I would've barbecued him on a spit over this fire if he hadn't thrown those fucking red fruits at me!" Jaycon ground out.

"Now, now Jaycon. You know animal cruelty is an offence," I tutted at him while he mumbled something under his breath and began to work on the fire.

Clayre and I just laughed and even Lucien had a small smile on his face.

Throughout the night, we all chatted and laughed together like friends and shared funny stories from our childhoods. It was fun getting to know Jaycon and even Lucien a little better, it made us even closer.

Jaycon also shared a childhood story that involved him and Lucien planning a freezer raid because they missed out on dessert or the one time they swapped the guests' chair cushions for whoopee cushions instead on Anna and Constantine's wedding day.

It was enjoyable listening to their stories.

After that, we all cleared the dishes and extinguished the fire and set up our tents.

As I zipped up my tent flap and sprawled out on my sleeping bag.

For once I forgot about everything and had fun with Clayre, Jaycon and Lucien that night. It made me feel so happy to be able to share this adventure with them and finally felt like a I had a true family surrounding me. We were family. And despite every misfortune that has happened to all of us in these past months and some crazy things ahead, we had never been closer.
*****
Love y'all so much and please vote and comment because your words always make my day!

Lots of love and kisses,
-Donna xxx <3