Heart-On: Turf Wars #2, Bella Jewel [ebook reader screen txt] 📗

I look down again and see the waves are smashing up against the sides of the rocks. There is no way I can climb down and swim the short distance back to the sand. Those waves are way too rough after the storm last night, and I’m not a strong swimmer. I’ll just end up hurting myself, or worse. I walk all around the large cliff slash rock, but there is no way off it. It’s not really joined to the land part of the island as such, it’s sort of a stand-alone clump of rocks that I had to adventure out to, but when I came out, there was no water surrounding the base.

I’m an idiot.

Why didn’t I think of the tide?

It could be hours before I can get down now.

I call out, but I know I’m too far away and nobody will hear me.

I sit on the ground and exhale, putting my head in my hands.

I have to wait now, I have to wait for them to notice I’m not back and come and find me.

Then I have to explain why I’m so dumb.

Why didn’t I think to check the tides or even consider that the water might come up close?

I huff and cross my legs, wondering how long it will take for them to come and find me. Hopefully not long, Eve will worry.

It’s almost better if they don’t come, then I won’t feel so damned stupid.

Anyway.

Enough of the self-pity.

I walk around, admiring the view for a bit longer, and eventually start getting a bit too hot for comfort. There is nothing up here, nothing to protect me from the sun. The only thing I can do is pull my shirt up over my face, to stop it from burning and press my back against a rock to stop it from catching the sun now that it’s bare.

A few hours pass by when I finally hear my name being called.

It’s Adan.

I walk over to the side of the cliff and look down to see him on the sand, looking around.

“Hey!” I call out, waving my arms around.

He looks up, shielding his face with his hand. “What the fuck are you doin’ up there?” he yells over the crashing waves.

“I wanted to climb it,” I call back. “I didn’t know that the tide would come in.”

He glances around. “I’m coming, hang on.”

“No, don’t, it’s too dangerous!” I yell, but he’s already disappeared.

I become frantic, because if he gets his arms wet, which he will, he risks severe infection. I can’t let that happen. I grab my backpack and start climbing down, I’ll swim before I’ll let him get into the water. I catch sight of him when I’m about halfway down. He has his shirt off and is about to jump into the water so he can swim over to me.

“Don’t even think about it!” I yell out. “Do not get in that water, Adan. It’s not worth it.”

He looks to me, and his face drains of color. “Stop, Ramona. Do not take another fuckin’ step. If you fall, it won’t end well. Do not climb down any further. I’m a stronger swimmer.”

“Not strong enough for that!” I yell. “Please, we’ll wait until the tide goes down.”

“It won’t go down for a fuckin’ long time yet and there is another storm coming, so we have to get off the island. It’s meant to be worse. I have to get you off that cliff.”

My stomach drops, and I suddenly feel very, very sick.

“You’ll risk infection,” I call. “It’s not worth it.”

“I’ll go to the doc the second we get back. Can’t leave you there, it’s only goin’ to get rougher. You’ve got to get off now.”

Fuck.

This can’t be happening.

I look down and he’s right, the water is rougher than it was before. It’s crashing against the side of the cliff extra hard now. I glance out over the horizon and see a thick line of black clouds forming. He’s right, there is another storm coming, and if it makes it to us before I get off this cliff, we’re going to be in some serious trouble.

Heart racing, I look down at the water again and figure out if there is a way I can get past the crashing waves. There is an overhead rock that sort of goes out to the middle of it. I could climb onto it and jump from there. At least I wouldn’t be right where the waves are. Still, there could be anything beneath the surface. I don’t know where all the rocks are and I could just as easily land on one. I’m fucked. I don’t know how I’m going to get off these rocks.

I take a step and look over a bit more, but in doing so, I slip. My screams travel across the otherwise quiet day as I scramble to get hold of anything I can. I manage to curl my hands around a large branch, but now I’m left dangling over the very strong, very powerful water. “Adan!” I cry out, my heart is racing so heavily I can barely breathe, the fear gripping my body right now is out of this world.

I don’t see a way down from this.

“Fuck,” Adan yells. “Hang on, I’m coming. Do not fucking move. Stay there.”

He dives into the water.

I cry out for him, but he’s no longer able to hear me. I watch, sick to my stomach, waiting for him to surface. Please god, let him surface.

He does, he has made it to the bottom of the rocks. I don’t know how, but he has. He starts climbing as fast as he can to get to me, and I’m trying to keep calm even though my insides feel like they’re going to fall out. My arms are burning and I’m just dangling here, waiting to fall. I don’t know how much longer I can hang on.

Adan climbs until he reaches the rock the branch is hanging from.

“I’m goin’ to need you