Helpless

Crashes and Choir Boys

I opened my eyes to a blur of green and a warm breeze. My head was pounding and all I could hear was a high pitched ringing in my ears. I tried sitting up which only increased the pain in my skull. My shoulder ached and I had scrapes and bruises on the visible parts of my legs. All these terrible sensations accompanied with the suffocating tropical heat made me turn over and vomit into the dirt.

At least the taste of blood was gone.

I rubbed at my eyes and stood up slowly as to not aggravate my headache any further. I looked around at all of the greenery, confusion clouding my foggy mind. One look at the path of charred trees and metal parts made it all painfully clear. I was on my way to America. I had gotten on the wrong plane and ended up flying with a group of boys I had never seen before. Everything was going fine... until it wasn't. All I remember after that is the swooping feeling of the plane descending rapidly. I remember praying, tears spilling down my cheeks, for my safety and the safety of the others. Then nothing.

What happened to the others?

My mind starts to race with all the possible outcomes when I hear a groan not too far away. I don't have any time to think, as my legs start to move on their own. Running towards the source with tears of relief. I don't know what I would've done if I was the only survivor. When I finally reach him it's easy to see that he's conscious, even with his eyes shut. I gave him a minute to regain his bearings, and wait patiently for him to stand eyeing the black cap laying a few inches away from him.

"Jack?" He asks in a scratchy voice. The boy stood only about an inch shorter than me. With raven hair, pale skin, and a few small dark freckles on his face. His lips were also pale and chapped with dried blood in between the cracks.

He's most likely dehydrated. I need to get him water, quick.

"Who's Jack? Is he your brother? Maybe I can help you find him. What does he look like?" The boy stared at me with dark eyes and turned away. Walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, where are you going?!" He kept his pace without looking back. I started chasing after him and realized that we hadn't even exchanged names. "Wait a minute, I don't think I caught your name!" I said, my legs already starting to sting.

Geez this guy was fast.

"If I wanted you to know, you'd know. And besides I hardly think that should be your main concern right now," He turned back and looked me up and down with a look of disapproval. "You look pretty battered," For a split second concern flashed in his eyes before quickly being replaced by the familiar look of disinterest.

"Well you need to drink some water soon or you'll pass out again," I said subconsciously pulling at the hem of my skirt in an attempt to hide the bruises. He hummed in acknowledgment, but still kept walking. His black robe swishing behind him. The rest of the journey was silent, and I took the time to observe the different tropical plants around me. There were flowers of all different shapes and colors along with strange fruit I've never seen before. I stretched out my hand to reach for one when I heard another voice.

"Guys look it's Roger! I told you he wasn't dead," Said a tan boy with brown curls, light brown eyes, and the goofiest smile I had ever seen. He walked up to us and put his arm around the stubborn raven haired boy, whose name was apparently Roger.

"Get your arm off me, Maurice." Roger said unamused. Though it was clear they were close.

I cleared my throat feeling out of place among the group. I was about to walk from the pair's little reunion when a small brunette boy started to yell.

"Look guys, Roger brought a girl with him!"
Shortly after, a tall pale boy with red curls and freckles turned to face our direction. Upon further inspection I noticed that the boy was unsightly, with a long pointed nose and angular features.

"And what might your name be?"
He asked looking me in the eyes. Although his face was displeasing, he had the most captivating eyes. Ice blue met forest green and I couldn't help but envy him.

"Well? Are you going to tell me or are you going to continue wasting my time?" All the boys were laughing now and I felt my ears grow hot with embarrassment. I decided then that I disliked the lanky ginger.

"Arya," I spat with immense distaste.

"What a ridiculous name. You can call me Merridew."

"You think my name is ridiculous? As if Merridew is any more normal?"

"Merridew is his last name, numb skull," Retorted a blonde boy with green eyes standing towards the back.

"Hey! No need to be rude Bill. Now apologize to Ariana," Maurice said with a mock authoritative tone, fists at his hips. It was extremely difficult to take the boy seriously. Especially with the ghost of a smile threatening to form on his lips.

"Arya."

"Huh?"

"You said Ariana. My name's Arya," He looked as though he was about to apologize, when another voice spoke up.

"She literally just introduced herself, Maurice. For the love of God, how much of an imbecile could you possibly be?" Roger physically facepalmed. Although mildly annoyed, he didn't seem to be surprised in the slightest.

"Yeah, you pea brain."

"Oh shut it, Billy."

"Everyone shut up!" All eyes were now on Merridew. "Who cares what her name is? Our top priority right now is to find a way out of this jungle!" I looked to my left and saw Roger and Maurice roll their eyes. I had to fight the urge to laugh. I definitely liked these guys. Even if Roger's personality was a little abrasive.

"Don't you think we should search for the others? I don't know about you, but I remember there being a lot more people than this," I mentally prayed that none of the younger ones were severely injured.

"Fine we'll search for a while, but if we come up empty handed after ten minutes we will resume our previous plan," There was a short pause and then, "I've decided that we should break off into groups of two in order to cover more ground."

"Wouldn't it be smarter if we all stayed together? N-not to say that your idea isn't smart, but what if we get lost. We don't know this jungle all that well," Everyone's attention was turned to the tiny dark boy with the dazzling green eyes and small voice. He looked ready to hide away in his large black robe.

"As I previously stated, Simon. It would help us cover more ground. And I already thought of this issue and have come up with a solution. I'll use my knife to mark the trees in order to find our way back. You guys can use other sharp items you may find to do the same," Merridew sneered. Even if he was a tyrant with a temper, he really did know how to command attention.

"Can we get a move on and break off into pairs already? Those little kids are probably scared out of their minds right now," I said picking at my soiled knee high socks. My white button up shirt was starting to stick to my skin. My tie already discarded and forgotten. The sun was blazing down on us through the clearing we were currently gathered in. Why we couldn't have the meeting in the shade was beyond me, but the boys acted as if they weren't fazed in the slightest. They all kept their thick black robes and hats on as if the sun was not at its highest point in the sky.

"Arina's right, we should start our search as soon as possible," It was so blatantly obvious that he intentionally screwed up my name. It was his way of showing the little to no respect he had for me. Maurice looked as though he wanted to correct his superior, but was stopped by Roger with a nudge to the ribs. Merridew cleared his throat with a smirk and proceeded to assign pairs.