Jaxon woke up early again. The sun wasn't up yet but the sky was starting to turn blue. He stood up from his hut and walked toward the shore like always. He didn't know why he kept doing it every morning. Maybe he just wanted to see if something new had washed up. Or maybe he just liked walking. The sound of waves always made him feel less trapped.
Lina followed him again like yesterday. She didn't ask where he was going. She just walked beside him. Jaxon stopped walking when he saw something floating near the shore. Two shapes. Not moving. He narrowed his eyes. Then his feet started moving fast. His legs splashed through the water. Lina ran with him.
Two girls were lying in the shallow waves. Soaked and still. One had long hair stuck to her cheeks. The other had short hair and scraped arms. Neither of them was breathing.
Jaxon pulled the first girl out of the water. Lina dragged the second. Jaxon didn't speak. He just leaned over and started CPR. His hands moved fast and hard. He had done this before. He didn't remember where. Maybe he read about it.
Lina copied him without asking.
A minute passed. Then coughing. One girl gasped and rolled on her side. Then the other started breathing too. Their eyes opened slow.
Jaxon sat back. His chest was tight but he didn't show it.
A soft chime rang in his ears.
Task Complete: Save them both.
+30 Coins
+Basic Building Information Unlocked
He blinked. He didn't react. Lina didn't hear it. Only him.
The two girls sat up slow. They looked confused, scared, tired.
"Where… where are we?" the girl with long hair asked. Her voice was small and shaky.
"Island," Jaxon said.
"No kidding," the short-haired girl said, looking around. "What the hell…"
Lina put her hand on the long-haired girl's back. "You're okay now. You're safe."
"I don't remember anything," the first girl said. "I was on a ship. I think."
"Same," the second girl muttered. "Everything was shaking. Then water."
"You both came from the same ship as us," Lina said. "It sank."
Jaxon stood up and looked around. "Let's go back."
They helped the girls walk back to the camp. Jaxon lit the campfire fast. The girls sat close to it, shivering a little. Steam came off their clothes. The heat from the flames felt good.
"Thanks," the long-haired girl said, looking at Jaxon. "You saved us…"
He sat down near the fire. "Yeah."
"What's your name?" she asked, still watching him.
"Jaxon."
"I'm Iris," she said, smiling. "Thank you… Jaxon."
He gave a slow nod.
The short-haired girl leaned back. "Kayla," she said. "And thanks too. I guess."
"I'm Lina," Lina said with a smile.
Iris smiled at her. "Nice to meet you."
Kayla nodded. "Yeah. You too."
A quiet moment passed. Only the sound of the fire crackling.
Jaxon looked at the ocean. He didn't say much but he was thinking a lot. More people meant more food, more space, more problems. But he didn't say that.
Iris stood up slow. Her legs were shaky. She walked over to a pile of sticks and rocks near the trees.
"What are you doing?" Lina asked.
"I want to help," Iris said. "I read about making tools once. I think I can do it."
She started tying a stick and a rock with a piece of vine. Her hands were clumsy. The rock slipped. She tried again but it fell again.
Jaxon walked over. He picked up the stick and took the vine from her. He didn't say anything. He just tied them together clean and fast.
Iris watched him. Her face turned red.
"You're really good at that," she said.
He didn't answer.
She held the next stick and watched him work.
"Back at home," she said, "I always read books about survival. Never thought I'd actually use that stuff."
"You remember a lot?" Lina asked.
Iris looked at her. "Bits and pieces. But this… this all feels like something out of a story."
Kayla spoke from the fire. "This island's weird. You ever notice that? The trees, the fruits, even the animals. Everything's off."
Lina looked at Jaxon. "It's not just us then."
Jaxon didn't say anything right away. He tied the last piece and gave the finished tool to Iris.
She held it like it was something special. "Thank you, again."
He nodded.
Then he looked at the trees again.
"Maybe it's not from any map," he said. "Maybe it's a place nobody found yet."
Iris sat back down with the new tool in her hands. Her fingers held it gentle.
Kayla crossed her arms. "Whatever this place is, it better have coffee."
Lina laughed.
"You okay now?" she asked them.
"Better," Iris said. "Still cold though."
Lina moved closer. "We'll build something for you both. We have huts."
"I can sleep outside," Kayla said. "I'm tough."
Lina raised an eyebrow. "You'll get eaten by wild birds."
"Fair point."
The fire burned slow. The sky was bright now. The waves were quiet.
Iris kept sneaking looks at Jaxon. Her eyes were soft, curious. Her cheeks pink. She didn't say much after that, but her thoughts were loud in her head. He helped me. He didn't have to. He didn't even speak much but I felt… safe. Is something wrong with me?
Lina glanced at her then looked at Jaxon too. She sighed a little. "And now there's four."
Jaxon just stared at the trees.
Jaxon placed a few extra branches near the fire and stepped back. The flames danced softly, warming the space between them all. Iris hugged her knees, her soaked shirt still clinging to her arms. Kayla was sitting with her hands resting behind her, leaning back like she didn't care—but she kept stealing glances at Jaxon.
Lina shifted a little closer to him, sitting cross-legged. She looked at the girls and then looked at Jaxon.
"You okay?" she asked.
He gave a small nod.
Lina smiled faintly. "You always say that."
"I mean it."
She leaned her shoulder a little into him. "I know."
There was a short silence. The fire crackled. Wind moved through the trees softly.
Iris broke it. "Is this... an island?"
Jaxon nodded.
"I mean, I know it is, but—like—is it on a map?"
"No," he said. "I don't think so."
Iris looked at the trees behind them. "I don't recognize anything. The plants, the birds, even the smell. I've read a lot. But this place... it's not normal."
Lina looked at Jaxon too. "Maybe it's like... undiscovered."
"Could be," he said.
Kayla groaned. "That would be just my luck. Stuck on a mystery island with strangers."
Jaxon stood up and brushed off his hands. "I'm building another hut."
Lina stretched her arms. "Need help?"
He looked at the girls. Then shook his head. "You stay here."
But Iris was already standing. "I want to try too. I've read about it."
"You're still cold," he said.
"I'm fine."
Kayla rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm staying here. My muscles don't work when I'm soaked."
Lina giggled. "They worked fine when you were being rude earlier."
Kayla smirked. "That was survival mode."
Jaxon didn't say anything. He started walking toward the woodpile behind the hut. Iris followed.
They both stood near the edge of the trees. Jaxon handed her a small stone axe.
"It's sharp. Don't swing wrong."
"I won't," she said, holding it carefully. He's close. He doesn't smile much. But... he's not cold. Just quiet. Why is that kind of nice?
They gathered wood together for a few minutes. It was slow. She was still a little shaky, but she didn't complain.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked after a while.
"You're here."
She smiled faintly. "That's it?"
"Yeah."
They returned with an armful of branches and vines. Jaxon started building a simple square with a few long logs on the ground.
Lina stood beside him, arms crossed. "You're not just going to build her a hut and then walk away, right?"
He didn't answer.
"Because she'll probably fall for you if you do that."
Jaxon looked at her.
Lina smiled. "What? I'm just saying."
Kayla called from the fire. "What are you guys whispering about?"
"Nothing," Lina shouted back.
Iris was watching Jaxon's hands again. The way he tied the vines tightly, carefully, without even talking. Is it bad that I'm watching him this much? He's just focused. That's all.
Jaxon handed her a vine. "Tie it around that side. Not too tight."
She nodded and crouched down. Their hands brushed again. She froze. Then tied the vine the way he showed.
"You learn fast," he said.
She looked up at him. "Thanks."
Lina leaned her head back. "Yep. She's gone."
Kayla stood up. "God, this group is weird."