One Good Betrayal Deserves Another - Chapter 3：Parting Shots

“Gosh!” Cassie said, lifting her hand to hide a yawn. “Why am I suddenly so tired?” She blinked and rubbed her eyes with her fingertips.

“Talking can be tedious.” Ethan smiled lazily. He was feeling slightly drowsy himself and couldn’t understand why.

Fatigue and the want of sleep were heavy upon him, and his feet were as lead. Cassie went limb in her seat and her hands fell over the armrest. Surely she wasn’t that tired?? She was out like a light and Ethan felt like his surroundings were spinning.

All at once something jogged his memory and he remembered a similar scenario. He summoned the little energy he had in his reserves and amidst his weakness; he was sustained by his strength. He unbuckled his safety belt then threw himself on the floor, then crawled to his overnight bag, where he found what he went for; the antidote to the drug that might have been laced with their coffee, trusting the efficacy of the remedy.

He took a double dose and hoped it would give him the strength he needed to keep them safe from impending danger. He shuffled over to the compartment that housed the mini-kitchen and found Henry knocked out of the floor.

As he turned to go over to the cockpit he came across his ex-girlfriend Janice and the pilot. “Janice??”

“Hello Ethan,” Janice smirked deprecatingly as she exited the door of the cabin. “I’d really like to stay and catch up but unfortunately, I’ve got a sky-diving appointment with your pilot.”

Suddenly the plane shook, somewhat unsteadily, and Ethan lurched across to the window. A nose-dive seemed inevitable, but once more the plane shifted its position. Janice and her accomplice seemed unperturbed as they got into their gear.

“Unfortunately there are only two parachutes darling,” Janice said with a dramatic sigh. “Any last words for Daddy before I love and leave you-again?” she asked scornfully, with a distaste she didn’t propose to lessen. “No?” she leaned forward tried to kiss him but he pushed her away. “All the best to you and your new girlfriend. Some relationships are just doomed to fail. Take care darling.” She blew him a kiss as the traitorous pilot opened the exit door and they leaped out.

“I hope you burn in hell!” Ethan screamed at their retreating backs and grappled his way to the cockpit.

He opened the throttle wide, and advanced the sparking lever a little, afraid to lose control, lest it breaks and drops away. It was kind of difficult to control the plane with the cabin door wide open and the wind blasting in every direction. And so they were, for only fifteen minutes, with the speed set moderately, on autopilot. It would give him a bit of time to get them off before the plane crash-landed.

He opened up a hidden compartment under the pilot’s seat and retrieved his sky-diving gear. He knew he was working on borrowed time so he got to work right away. He managed to secure the gear on both himself and Cassie at record speed. The plane swayed and took a dive downwards, throwing them off balance, as it was making its way straight for the island beneath. Fortunately, Cassie was securely strapped to him so Ethan fought his way to the exit and the jet jerked forward, sending them spiraling into the cold air in a tangled mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cassie woke up to the sound of birds chirping sweetly in the trees. She couldn’t remember where she was and her body was throbbing in pain. All of a sudden it came flashing back to her…She got up gasping as she recalled last night’s events.

Where was Ethan??!

“Ethan!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Ethaaaaan!!”

Cassie scrambled to her feet and saw that she was still entangled in what looked like the remains of a parachute. Her head was still groggy and the last she could remember was talking to Ethan until she felt drowsy, then she blacked out after that. Did Ethan lace her drink and why? What would he benefit? Where was he?

She managed to untangle herself from the straps and looked around her. From what she could make out, she was deep in some strange forest but still clueless about her whereabouts. There were a few bruises and cuts on her body but everything else seemed fine. However, when she tried to stand a sharp pain shot through her leg, causing her to wince.

“Ethan! I’m over here! Where are you?!” Cassie cried out. she felt relieved that Ethan was alive and that she wasn’t in a dark forest all by herself. The path finally broke out into the light and she spotted Ethan running towards her, relief all over his face. He grabbed her and crushed her against his chest.

“Cassie! Thank goodness you’re alright!” He kissed her forehead and held her at arms length, probably assessing the damage the accident could have inflicted. “Sweetheart are you okay??” he held her face between his hands, wanting to confirm that she really was standing in front of him.

“Yes. Are you?” she couldn’t help but smile. His elegant clothes were torn and his face was matted with dirt but she still found him sexy. Her hands flew to her disheveled hair and patted it softly, she must have been a sight. What was left of her blouse only covered her chest and her skirt looked like she was a hula dancer. How could she be thinking of her looks at a time like this? She reprimanded herself.

“I was never going to forgive myself if anything happened to you. I’m sorry you had to get caught up in my messed up family drama.” Ethan apologized, his voice filled with remorse.

“What do you mean?” She said taken aback by his loaded statement.

“First things first I need to take a look at your leg and then check for a few supplies in the wreckage. I always tell the pilot to keep an emergency kit in case something like this happens. Come.” He lifted her off her feet effortlessly and led them to a large tree, that was close to the shore, which signaled they were marooned on an isolated island.