The Island (The Madion War Trilogy #1)

Chapter Four, Part III - Theo

I prayed that my last days in this world would not be filled with the princeling's terrible sense of humor. His superiority was disgusting, and his attempts to remind me of his status as a royal only served to make me wish I had the nerve to kill him.

"So...tell me about yourself."

I glanced over at the princeling across the fire. "This isn't a date."

"No, because if it were, I doubt I'd choose someone with such a piss-poor attitude, but here we are."

I had to give him credit; he had some bite to him. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, what's your name?"

"Theo."

"That's not your name," he scoffed. "That's...a nickname or—"

"Theo Kallistrate," I said, not bothering to explain to him what kallistrate meant in the old Raven language. I doubt he knew anything about my country, seeing as his father was intent on wiping it out.

"But Theo's a guy's name." He seemed preoccupied with this fact. "I mean, are you trying to pretend to be a guy for military purposes or—"

"That is the name they gave me at the orphanage and that is the name I use," I said, hoping the conversation would end.

Unfortunately, it didn't. "You're an orphan?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Yes."

"Did you even know your parents?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Princeling, if you're going to doubt everything I tell you, why ask at all?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked. To my pointed look, he added, "I won't doubt what you say."

"Because you're the...princeling," I said with a small shrug. "You aren't the heir, and you aren't the military hero. You're just..."

"I see," he said. "So I'm a big joke to you guys too, huh?"

"The tabloid stories didn't help."

"Oh son of a... It was like, twice!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the clearing. "I'm not allowed to make a mistake twice?"

I wondered if I should contradict him, seeing as our lucky wall back in Rave had no less than six separate instances of public intoxication, and, at last count, ten different girls. But I decided against it, seeing as he was arguing with me anyway.

"And I suppose you've never made a mistake in your entire life?" he asked me.

"Not one that made the papers."

He snorted and grumbled under his breath. At least he had the decency to be embarrassed. If his claims about his medical degree were true, then perhaps he was trying to make a change for the better.

But the conversation was making my head ache—I needed peace and quiet, and the sun was starting to set.

"It would probably be best if we took turns staying up and guarding the campsite from predators," I said. "So one of us should sleep now." You, please.

"Predators?" He nervously glanced into the darkening woods. "You think?"

"I think we should prepare for all possibilities." I shifted and nodded towards the makeshift tent. "You sleep now. I'm used to staying up all night anyway."

"Why?"

I wished I hadn't said anything. I had made a habit of staying up to watch over the newer female pilots so that the male ones wouldn't bother them, like some of the older girls had done for me when I was a kid. But I didn't want to tell the princeling anything about Rave. I just wanted him to shut up and let me think.

"Go to sleep, princeling," I snapped, hoping it would end the conversation.

"You know," he said, standing up and walking over to the tent. "If we're gonna be stuck here, you might have to suffer and talk to me for more than two minutes." And with that, he lay down away from me, and quieted.

I glared at his back for a moment, and then the reality of our situation came to me. I was trapped on a deserted island with the Prince of Kylae, without whom I would be dead. And by some cruel twist of fate, we were dependent on each other. He was useless as he was, and I was useless with my injury. But our supplies would not last through another day, and it was imperative that we work together to secure food, shelter, and water.

I glanced at the half-empty water bottle and grimaced. Unless I could find a fresh water pond somewhere (doubtful), I would have to figure out how to desalinate the seawater. Somewhere in the back of my memory, I knew the basic principles of evaporation and condensation, but finding the right tools would be the challenge.

Without the incessant yapping of the princeling, I could hear the quiet forest, the far off lapping of the sea waves against the beach, the sound of small bugs chirping and sleep pulled at me.