Chapter 128

Carol’s POV

They say when you are about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. Boy, they were right.

Everything happened so fast, I couldn’t even grasp it.

Images of my time growing up, living with my parents, meeting my best friend, meeting my first boyfriend, meeting someone I thought was my mate, and then finally meeting my mate, flashed through my mind at rapid speeds like a flash show. All the mistakes I have ever made, and all the accomplishments slammed into my head as tears spilled from my eyes.

My entire body shook as the feeling of my stomach in my throat increased. Aiden’s arms which were once wrapped around me were no longer reachable and I felt cold and alone. I couldn’t even open my eyes to see if he was okay. I tried to speak, but no words came out of my lips besides a breathy and throaty scream that broke free from me.

I wasn’t used to flying on a plane other than the private jets that Aiden insists we use to fly to the Capital. This wasn’t his private jet though; this belonged to the King, and we were supposed to be safe. This was the safest jet for us to use in the world, but it ended up being our biggest nightmare.

“It’s just turbulence,” were Aiden’s final words to me before everything literally went dark.

The lights turned off and the engine sounded as if it was no longer running. Fear crippled me as we were slammed to the ceiling, neither of us wearing seatbelts because we were supposed to be safe.

My head hit the ceiling with force, and I felt the warm pool of blood trickling down the side of my face.

Aiden wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me back towards him. He managed to keep hold of his chair and keep himself from flying to the ceiling too much. He was able to pull me back into my seat and put the seatbelt on over my body. I’m not sure if he was able to put the seatbelt on his body as well, but he kept his arms wrapped around me like he was holding on for dear life.

I guess in a way he was.

I’m not sure at what point he let go, or why, but I couldn’t open my eyes to see. I felt us falling and images of my life, of our life, flashed before my eyes.

And then, there was nothing at all.

There was no sound of crashing. There were no feelings of pain.

It was as if I just slipped into a peaceful sleep, and I thought for sure I had died. Everything was numb and everything was silent.

…..

My fingers twitched as I came through. Slowly, I started to get a feeling of my body again and I really wished I hadn’t. Pain was all over the place; what was once numb, was now agony and I could hardly breathe without feeling a shot of pain coursing through my body.

As wiggled my body, I didn’t think anything was broken, which was strange considering I was pretty sure the plane I was just in crashed to the ground while we were high in the air, and I’m almost certain I was no longer in the plane.

I felt the warmth of the sun hitting my features and it burned the scratches and cuts along my jawline and my bare back. I gasped when I realized that I was naked. Or at least it feels as if I’m naked. Maybe my clothes were just torn.

I finally managed to open my eyes and immediately closed them as sand attacked my eyeballs. My face was buried in the sand. The water hit my feet and I made another realization that I was wet. I must have fallen in the water and washed up on shore.

I lifted my head, ignoring the ache of my neck and the pounding in my temple. The sun was bright and because it was directly over my head, burning into my bruised flesh, I could tell it was probably around noon.

We left in the evening, which meant I had been here all night.

Panic struck me as I looked around at my surroundings.

I was alone.

Where was Aiden?

In a raspy and low tone, I called, “Aiden?”

Even if he was nearby, he wouldn’t be able to hear me.

I glanced down at my bruised body and saw that I was wearing clothes, but they were torn and filthy. I groaned in agony as I attempted to move each of my limbs, including my fingers and toes.

Nothing appeared to be broken; just pained though.

I finally obtained the strength to sit up and I felt incredibly dizzy from the motion.

I squinted and looked around at my surroundings; it was a beach… actually, it was an island. Maybe a deserted island? There didn’t seem to be any signs of life in sight. At least not human life. there were no houses or sounds from actual people; there were no boats or planes. Just tons of sand and water. There was a forest far behind me and a chill ran up my spine.

I couldn’t even see signs of the plane or wreckage.

How had I washed up here?

Where the hell was Aiden?

I reached into my pocket and frowned when I didn’t feel my phone. I shouldn’t be surprised that my phone didn’t wash up with me. Even if it did, it probably wouldn’t have worked. It would have gotten water damage.

I felt so stupid for that ping of hope that grew only slightly only to be disappointed.

My legs were cut and bruised, as were my arms. My stomach had cuts as well that were still kind of bleeding, but probably not as much as they once were. I winced as I attempted to stand to my feet. It took me a few tries, but I eventually got there.

What the actual fuck happened? How did we crash like this?

I hear about plane crashes on TV, but you never really think it would happen to you. But then it did. It happened to me. Me and Aiden. Were in a goddamn plane crash.

I finally got my voice back as I screamed for the hundredth time, “Aiden!!!”

Gathering the small strength I had, I started ot move around, trying to get a glimpse of something… anything. As I walked the perimeter of the island, I was feeling helpless and alone. I’m not sure how long I walked for, but the sun went from being directly above me, to casting shadows along the horizon. The evening was falling a chill crept across my flesh as the heat began to turn cold.

I wrapped my arms around my body and shivered as tears threatened my eyes.

What I wouldn’t give for a blanket right now. Or Aiden and his big strong arms to keep me warm. My chest felt constricted at the thought of Aiden, wondering what had happened to him.

I was never a girl scout, I was a math and chemistry nerd. I never went camping. I don’t even know how to make a fire or capture food in the wildness. I can’t even fish.

I wrapped my arms around my body like I was trying to hold myself together and I allowed myself to cry. I hadn’t let myself cry this entire time, but I had been walking around the island, trying to find some source of help, trying to find Aiden and I had come up empty. Nobody even knows I’m here and I don’t have a phone or any source of communication. I’m hopeless and I don’t know what I’m going to do.

I knelt in the sand; it was still a bit warm from the day's sun it provided me with a little bit of warmth. Tears soaked my face as I breathed out Aiden’s name once again, staring off in the horizon that was getting darker by the minute. Pretty soon it was getting dark, and I had no idea the kind of creatures that came out during the night.

I’ve seen the show Lost. I know what happens at night on deserted islands and it’s never good. I was alone and I was never going to be able to help myself in any kind of scenario.

I bowed my head and prayed to whatever God or Goddess was out there; asking them to send me help. Asking them for anything to get me through this.

As I let myself cry, I laid down on the sand and curled my knees up to my chest. With my aching head and body and the exhaustion I felt from the day of walking around aimlessly, not to mention the stress, depression, and chronic fear I was currently feeling, I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

I’m not sure how long I had been sleeping, but when I opened my eyes, the sun was starting to rise. I could have slept for the entire night, or maybe I slept for a couple of nights. There was no telling of time on a deserted island.

All I knew was my entire body was dry and it still ached as it did before I fell asleep. My mouth was bone dry and I was incredibly parched. My stomach ached with hunger pains, and I was dirty as hell. I smelled and I felt gross.

But that wasn’t what woke me, the sound of my name in the distance is what opened my eyes.

I lifted my head and peered out into the water, trying to get a glimpse of something or someone. Maybe it was a dream? Or maybe I just imagined it?

“Carol…” I heard a croaking sound once again.

I squinted, trying to get a glimpse into the distance; and then I saw it.

It was part of the plane, floating towards me in the ocean. It was still a distance away, but it was there.

It was only the pilot's cabin that was intact, the rest of the plane was nowhere to be seen. But the front of the plane was in the water, floating.

Then I gasped when I saw that on the very top of the hot metal part of the plane, was a body.

“Holy shit,” I gasped, trying to get to my feet.

“Carol…” I heard the raspy voice again.

I recognized the body immediately and the raspy voice that spoke my name.

“Aiden!!!!!”