Ruby’s POV

Coughing and Spluttering I attempted to sit up, but the pain panged through my head forbidding me from moving from my lying down position. I looked around me to see wreckage and sand. I let out a cry as the pain intensified. People were running around frantically, but I couldn’t move, it hurt too badly, and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to walk.

Someone knelt down beside me.

“We need to get you out of here,” the man stated, “I don’t know if you’ll be able to stand you’ve hurt your leg pretty bad.”

He looked around calling someone over.

“Okay we’re going to help you up and get you away from here,” The first man explained.

The two men helped me sit up, with their hands under my arms. They helped me so I was standing on one leg, as the other was covered in blood and hurt profusely. Together they practically carried me away from the plane wreckage before sitting me on the floor.

“I’m going to try and help other people, stay with her,” One man stated to the other.

Within minutes the second man excused himself running back to the wreckage. I felt kind of useless just sat in the sand off at the side, not being any help to anyone. It wasn’t like I was just being lazy, I couldn’t put pressure on my leg, and that’d just cause more people danger than it would help if I went back into the mess. It was clear that the men didn’t have good first aid skills, seen as I was nearly certain pressure was needed on the wound on my leg. I took off my blazer pushing it against my leg.

It took a while before the panic lessened and people were away from the shrapnel trying to figure out what happened. I knew that I had bad luck but I didn’t think that it’d be that bad to be in a plane crash- well on the bright side I wasn’t dead.

By the looks of it, people were gathering with their loved ones they had been traveling with but I didn’t know anyone on the flight.

Soon enough one of the men who had helped me arrived with someone else.

“She’s hurt,” The man said.

The other one rolled his eyes kneeling down next to me. He removed my blazer from my leg looking at it.

“Do you mind?” He asked gesturing towards my blood sodden tights.

“Sure, what use do I have with tights anyway?” I chuckled.

He smiled softly ripping the fabric so he could access the wound. I presumed the man was a doctor, or at least had some sort of first aid training. He quickly sorted out my leg, which did ease the pain even though I was sure my balance was probably still bad.

“Just do your best to stay off your leg. It’ll hurt for a bit, but you haven’t done too much damage, it’ll heal in time,” he smiled.

“Thanks,” I smiled back.

He got up and left me going towards someone else, whilst the man from earlier sat down next to me.

“I’m sorry for not being much help,” He chuckled.

“It’s okay you helped me over here. To be honest you didn’t have to help me at all, so even that was nice. But I’ sure there are a lot of people who could use your help a lot more than I do,” I shrugged.

“No one needs my help. I’m not great in a crisis. It’s probably better to take care of you, as I can’t do much damage,” He smiled.

I smiled in return letting out a soft laugh.

“I’m Ruby by the way,” I smiled.

“Charlie. Are you from the UK?” He questioned obviously gaining it from the accent.

“Yeah. I’m guessing you are too.”

I sat with Charlie for a while, but he joined two other people to go and find something in the cockpit of the plane. Everyone was doing their own thing, some were sat down and others were looking through the wreckage for food and what not.

There wasn’t really anything for me to do, seen as every time I got up to help, the doctor (who I’d learnt to be called Jack) told me to sit down. Even though he had gone, the others clearly just saw me as a teenager who was as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Without anything better to do, I stood up hopping my whole way across the beach to sit down next to someone else who wasn’t doing anything. I practically collapsed into the sand next him, which certainly gained his attention.

“Are you okay?” He questioned helping me sit up properly.

“I’ve had better days, but I’m sure we all have. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me earlier,” I smiled softly.

“It’s okay, no one is heartless enough to leave you in the midst of that wreckage,” He shrugged.

“Well thank you anyway. I’m Ruby,” I smiled.

“I’m Boone,” He stated.

“It’s nice to meet you, I guess it’d be nicer under different circumstances, but we might as well make the most of a plane crash,” I chuckled.

He let out a deep chuckle. I guess being so optimistic wasn’t the best here, as the chances of us actually being found on what seems to be a deserted island was minimal, but if I didn’t have hope at this early stage, I’d probably go insane.

“I guess,” he smiled, “I’m sure that we’ll all figure this out soon, and someone will find us.”

“Hopefully, we haven’t been here for a day yet, it’d be a bloody miracle if they found us this quickly,” I shrugged.

So far I had only spoken to three people on this island, and they all seemed nice enough but I didn’t want to be stuck here, I wanted to be in America where I was meant to be. Maybe it was a sign that I shouldn’t be looking for him, but I still wanted answers, a small scrap of paper and a tattered photo wasn’t explaining anything to me.

As the darkness begun to come over we all began to find some sort of shelter to sleep under until the morning.

~*~

I woke up to someone softly shaking my arm.

“Wakey wakey Ruby,” the soft British voice said.

I stretched opening my eyes, to see Charlie sat next to me.

“Morning,” I smiled.

“Would you like something to eat? There isn’t much other than what we could find in the plane, but it’s something,” He shrugged handing me food.

“Thank you.”

Quickly I ate my food before Charlie helped me over to where some others were sat sorting through people’s belongings.

It felt kind of morbid as most of the people who owned this stuff were dead, but it had to be done, so we had supplies for however long we were staying here.

We had separate piles for different things, such as a clothes, medicine and personal objects. I was mainly looking for my own stuff, but whist doing so I sorted out everything else.

I didn’t find the one thing I was looking for but I hoped someone else had already found it. Sadly the three people I actually knew the names of had gone somewhere else along with some other people.

There was a pregnant woman who didn’t seem to have anyone to talk to, so I sat down next to her on the sand, attempting to befriend as many people here as I could.

“Hey,” I smiled softly.

“Hi,” She responded fiddling with an envelope.

“What’s that?” I questioned gesturing to it.

“An envelope, I found it in the midst of everything. Just no one knows anyone with the name Scarlett, so I’m guessing she didn’t survive the crash,” She stated.

“I’m pretty sure I met someone called Scarlett earlier, I’ll go give it to her if you want,” I smiled.

“Thank you,” She smiled in response, handing me the envelope.

I stood up with a soft smile on my face walking away from her. Walking wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but I hobbled out of her view and to the edge of the forest, before crouching down in the plants so I was hidden. I pushed my back against the tree opening the envelope.

Inside were a photo and a piece of paper with words scrawled across it.

To my dearest Scarlett,

I know you will not understand why I have done this, or what has really happened for a long while, but one thing I want you to know is that I love you. It may not see like I do, but that’s the only thing that you really need to know.

There is no acceptable explanation as to why you haven’t grown up knowing your Mother and I. I can’t speak for her but I knew you wouldn’t have a good upbringing if you stayed with me.

It was so surprising when I opened my door, to see a small baby lying on the front step I didn’t know what to do. I was even more surprised when there was a mother on the news who had disappeared with her new born baby. The only thing I could do was contact the police and they came to get you. I stayed with you for a week, but I knew that I couldn’t be a Father.

By no means was I a successful man, I barely had any money, actually I was in debt, I probably still am as you read this. I am not a good man, I have done many bad things, and I was sure your Mother would’ve been better at being a parent, but it’d be better suited for you to have a new family.

A family who can take care of you, and love you as their own, all I want is you to grow up as a smart and beautiful woman, who can accept herself in society and achieve all of her hopes and ambitions.

Scarlett I love you, and you will forever be part of my heart, no matter where you are in the world. I understand if you hate me for what I had to do, but I hope one day we’ll be reunited.

Your Father

James Ford.

P.S- Attached is a photo of me. At least that way I am close to you some way.

I read through the words multiple times clutching the paper to my chest. That’s how I spent my day, I kept reading the letter until the dark succumbed the island. As I sat there no one noticed my disappearance or noticed that I was here, until I ended with someone lying on my lap.

They obviously didn’t see me as they tripped over me falling to the ground with their legs lying on me. They rolled over rubbing their head.

“What are you doing over here?” He chuckled, sitting up next to me.

“Just reading through a letter, which I thought I lost,” I shrugged putting the piece of paper and the photo into the envelope.

“So what is your story then Ruby? Why were you in Australia and trying to get to America?” Charlie asked.

“Supposedly my Father was in Australia, but I couldn’t find him, but he’s American, so I thought my best hope was to go to America and look. I’ve been trying to track down my Father for over ten years, maybe this is a sign that I shouldn’t look any longer,” I shrugged.

My explanation wasn’t the most detailed thing in the world but what else could I really tell him without explaining my whole life story.

“Why were you looking for your Dad?” He questioned.

“He left me as a baby. I grew up in foster care as my Mum left me on my Dad’s front steps. He didn’t want me either but he left me a letter explaining it all, and I just wanted to find him to speak to him and get some answers. Most people know their stories, I don’t,” I sighed, “how about you?”

“Um… I went to see my brother in Australia, to try and get our band back together and then I was going back to America for our tour, but I couldn’t get him to agree,” He shrugged.

“You’re in a band?” I smiled.

“Yeah. Drive Shaft, you’ve probably never heard of them,” He shrugged.

‘Drive Shaft’? Really I was sat here with someone from ‘Drive Shaft’?

“Haven’t heard of them my arse? I was like one of your biggest fans growing up. Granted your music got me kicked out of multiple foster homes. I never thought I’d be stranded on a deserted island with Charlie Pace from Drive Shaft, granted if I did think that I’d probably be considered mental,” I chuckled.

“You were a fan?” He smiled.

“Were, I still am. I was actually listening to your music in the plane,” I shrugged.

He smiled, “Well I’m glad you like my music. But is there a reason you are sat so far away from everyone else?”

“I’m no help. What good is a nineteen year old who has no life experience let alone survival experience?” I shrugged.

“I’m sure you have some life experience, you are wearing a suit,” He stated.

“Yes wearing a suit obviously makes me have life experience. I was trying to look neat and respectable for when I met my Father, I’ve been dressing like that for the last year, so my Dad thinks I’m remotely successful and haven’t been moving between youth hostels since I was sixteen,” I shrugged.

I certainly wasn’t the successful woman my Father hoped for me to be, but I was as successful as I could wish to be at the moment, without a job, and trying to track him down. Just it wasn’t going to get too far seen as I was stuck on an island.

“Your Dad will be proud of you no matter what. He’ll certainly be proud when he finds out you’ve survived on a deserted island,” he chuckled.

“Yeah I guess.”