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The Lost Island
Chatterbox: Inkwell
The Lost Island
The Lost Island
The man was wearing a black jacket; a size or two too big. The wrinkles of fabric along the back of rectangular body were easy to see, but the rest of him came together in patches and blips, like the pixelated screen of a faulty c-com. His face was all blurry, except for a traingular, pointed nose. He was wearing fingerless gloves in an odd color. Green, maybe. His hands were doing something, but it was too difficult to make out. There must have been something there. Anything at all. Some loud thought pulsing in his mind; some displacement around him that would garuntee a location. Some connection...it was getting closer, closer now. It had a sound, a shape. A letter? No, a word, a—
"Kennedy? We found the—"
"Shhhh," the sudden interuption was cut off by another voice, but it was too late. The word was gone.
Kennedy banged his fist on his desk. The handmade wooden carvings of circles, squares, traingles, rhobmuses, and countless other geometrical shapes that lined his desk jumped.
"Is five minutes of silence really that hard? Does every second of every day have to be filled with so much noise? I think that the world would be a better place if NO ONE talked at all!" He swatted a rectangle off of the table, which hit the floor near the doorway where his two friends were standing.
"For the record. It's been twenty minutes," piped up Laura.
"And you were just sitting there at your desk. You didn't look very busy," chimed in Justin.
"For the record," Kennedy retorted, "I was VERY busy. Where's Nadia?"
"I'm here! I'm here." Nadia Erdilaya's low, soothing voice dominated the room as she slipped into Kennedy's "office." Her petit form made her the shortest of the group, but she was the only one everyone listened to. Laura and Justin jokingly called her "Mom" behind her back. Nadia only dressed in one color at a time, and today, it was pale pink. There were pink lotuses flowering across her pants, and a matching headband tied back her short, dark hair.
"I'm sorry, I tried to stop them," she continued her fingers straying up to her head to adjust a short, wide ringlet, "but they just wanted to tell you they found the man who was stealing from the dockworker's district."
"Yeah, he was exactly where you said he would be. How did you even know about—"
Kennedy cut Justin off.
"That's not important. What's important is absolute silence. Why don't you two go home and we can meet again tomorrow?" He looked at Nadia, who easily took over.
"That's a good idea. Laura, are you okay sailing home alone? It's getting dark. Maybe Justin could go with you."
"No way! I'm good to go," Laura replied, shaking her chin-length hair out of her face to reveal two bandaids crossed over her chin.
"If we got into trouble, I'd probably be more help than Justin. No offence," she said, giving a sideways smirk to her friend.
"None taken," Justin replied. But he rolled his eyes nevertheless as walked out of the room and tramped down the creaking stairs of the rickety house. Nadia softly closed the door behind them. Kennedy sat back heavily in his chair, playing with the edge of his white button-up shirt.
"I was so close this time," he sighed.
"To what, the island?" Nadia asked.
"A clue," he clarified, "something about the island, something about where to find it. It was some sort of—" he gasped and clenched his fist to the bridge of his nose, knuckles driving into the lines of pain around his eyebrows.
"I went too deep that time...but I was so close," he repeated.
"Kennedy, what if they're gone? What if the island really was destroyed?" Nadia had asked the question countless times. She asked it on the orphan's ship as days were filled with endless sea. She'd asked on dark nights while they moved from home to home, on the ferry boats, the long bus rides, or by windowsills in the moonlight. How many times had she asked in this very office, while staring at decrepid copies of the poems of Horace and the diagrams and shapes straight out of a Geometry text book that filled the room?
Kennedy never answered. And as long as he didn't have an answer, Nadia promised to believe him until he did.
"Tell me about the island," she said suddenly.
"No. I can't."
"Don't tell me about that day," she replied, "just tell me something about your island. About the school. About the things you did there."
He was silent, and for a second Nadia wondered if she'd gone too far.
But then he spoke, slowly, without looking at her.
"We had a group...a club of sorts, my friends and I. A writer's club. We called ourselves The Chatterboxers."
submitted by The Inscriptor
(October 10, 2019 - 2:41 pm)
(October 10, 2019 - 2:41 pm)
I'm in, but I won't give a description other than that I'm a girl.
(October 11, 2019 - 7:17 pm)
Even at first glance, Kennedy Rogland didn't look like the sort of boy who would hold the door open for you or look you in the eye while speaking.
He had sandy hair that he only cut when absolutely necessary. And he only did it himself. Nadia didn't know if the reason was paranoia or stubborness. Surprisingly, he did an excellent job. Maybe he had eyes in the back of his head. Who could say? Anything was possible. His eyes were such a dark, intense brown that they looked they could see anything. Back of the head definitely included.
The lower half of his face was usually molded into a deep, perpetual frown. Nadia tried to frown like that in front of the mirror once. She ended up making ridiculously exaggerated faces until her mouth was too taught with laughter to do anything but smile.
Apparently the Frown™ was something only Kennedy could pull off. He looked so different in the times that it slipped away altogether. Like when he first met Laura, and the two of them helped a lost kid find his parents. Or the time when he and Nadia hid underneath the garden stairs at the orphanage on Krakashian Island, and made a pact to be brother and sister forever. They had even signed a notecard in blood, or tried to anyway.
Nadia watched it slip away now, as he talked about his island.
"Tell me about The Chatterboxers," she implored.
"Everyone had a code name," he said, running his fingers absentmindedly along the edge of his desk, "like Fleet, Nyx, Hummingbird, or Quill. We weren't just writers. We all had decided to do something. To... make the world a better place. Tuxedo Cat and Tafinx, they decided to be detectives. There was never a case to solve around the school, however, so they decided to hide encouraging notes, seceretly pay for people's lunches, stuff like that. We all did it." Until now, Kennedy had been staring at the diagrams and pictures along the walls. Now he looked straight at her. It was dark. Nobody had bothered to turn on the light, and now the sun was gradually going down. In the shadows of her friend's face, Nadia sensed something completely new. Even his voice sounded different, farther into the past as he said,
"That's why i'm looking for the lost island. And that's why we help people. The four of us. As a team. The islands, and the rest of ther world, we need more of that."
Nadia couldn't speak. What was she supposed to say? This was new. And new things take adjusting to. But she was used to adjusting; to snapping back like a rubber band and seeping into the mold laid out for her.
"Yes, I think you're right."
~
Justin raced home on his bicycle. He had only a few minutes before sunset; his curfew on weekdays. And also dinnertime. He was starving.
He didn't bother to slow down as he pulled onto the driveway, but swung his bike around just as he reached the porch and jumped off of it. It fell against the porch railing with a sound that might have been a little too loud.
"Justin? Is that you?"
"Yes, Mom," he answered as his fingers went through the mindless routine of opening the front door and screen door, and locking them both. His parents rarely went out at night. The Insignas were early people. Early to bed, early to rise and all that.
"I was worried!" His Mom rushed to meet him in the Foyer, C-com clutched in both hands.
"That's so silly. I was only a few streets down," he reminded her.
"No, not that. Someone caught a theif earlier today. He was held in the Council House of course, since the Inscriptor isn't here to pronounce judgment. But they said he escaped. I was worried that you...I mean he might be dangerous. I think he escaped by boat. Some members of the Council went after him." She clicked her C-Com a couple times.
"There's an alert sent out from Ghera Island. Looks like he's been cornered just off the coast..."
Ghera island...
Justin whipped around and reached for the door.
"Where are you going?" His mom asked, sharply looking up from the C-com.
"I let Laura sail home by herself tonight! Ghera Island...Mom, that's where Laura lives!"
(October 12, 2019 - 10:35 pm)
I love it! The suspense! Agh!
Also, I’m guessing Justin and Laura are younger than Kennedy and Nadia? Is Kennedy, like 20+? Or are they all teens? Lol I’m so dumb
(October 13, 2019 - 9:10 am)
This is great! I'm looking forward to reading more!
(October 13, 2019 - 2:11 pm)
ThIs Is ReAlLy CoOl! Especially seeing mY nAmE iN tHe StOrY!
(October 13, 2019 - 2:00 pm)
I love it! This is great, I love the suspence, please write MORE!
(October 13, 2019 - 3:16 pm)
Ahh, this is so good! I'm in! No description.
Please keep going!
(October 13, 2019 - 6:28 pm)
tip to the top
dadada
pop
toptoptoptothetopppp
(October 16, 2019 - 8:28 pm)
I'm sorry, this won't be a full update. I blame the PSAT for sucking my creative will. Did anyone else take it today?? So I'll call it...part one?? I hope this isn't too confusing. I should have probably introduced the characters a little better. Oh well. Let's see how much I can write before I fall asleep on my laptop.
~
"Justin, you can't just leave!"
Justin looked from his mom to his hand, which had started doing an anxious jelly-fish dance towards the door handle.
"I have to...I have to do something. I don't know Mom, she could be in trouble!"
The thief hadn't looked very intimidating a few hours ago. Kennedy had mentioned one of the dockworkers was stealing from his boss. He didn't say how he knew; he just knew. Justin had gotten used to that. It was like Kennedy had cameras on all 25 Islands. Heck, he probably had cameras on the Mainlands too.
He and Laura caught the man redhanded. He hadn't looked very intimidating. Justin had said his face looked like a goat. Laura told him to shut up, but he caught her snickering later when they turned him in to The Council and he bleated his innocence to deaf ears. The Inscriptor would judge that the next time she visited the island.
Now, the memories from the day grew horns and fangs inside his head; devouring all other thoughts.
"I have to do something." He repeated. The phrase was something Kennedy would say, something he put into Justin's head. Kennedy believed there was a way and means to do everything.
"Okay, I know, J. Let me think," his mom answered, rubbing a spot on her gold earring that had lost its lustre thansk to frequent worrieds. She was still dressed in her works clothes; a red skirt and matching blazer with the infamous Twin Torturers on her feet adding a few inches of height and a few miles of pain.
Justin's mind raced to Ghera island and back for the millionth time in the last thirty seconds. Is the theif armed? Where's Laura? Did she make it home? Have they caught him? What is going on?!
"Let me get your father," she decided eventually, and hurried back into the house.
Before she disappeared behind a corner, she stopped, took of The Twin Torturers, and kept going.
"Luis? Luis, where are you? Have you seen the news?" And then, a little later, "Justin, come here, we need to talk to you."
But there was nobody waiting in the foyer, and Justin's bike and helmet were gone.
~
At first, Laura hadn't paid any mind to the speed boat. Yes, he kicked up enough sea spray to leave her spluttering angrily and blinking water out of her eyes, but that was all. Motorized vehicles. Acting like they own the islands.
Laura stared ahead at her home island, carefully guiding her boat in. It was a fairly windy night. Just enough to tease the ends of her hair and whisper sweetly into her sail. She was just starting to feel an unusual, comforting peace as the sirens started.
(October 16, 2019 - 9:02 pm)
This is so good! I also took the PSAT yesterday, and yeah, it was pretty draining.
(October 17, 2019 - 4:06 pm)
Aw I get you, PSATs are stupid. Anyway, great writing! Face like a goat lol I like it ;D
(October 18, 2019 - 11:54 am)
So I meant to say earlier, if any of y'all want to post an idea or story or pov, you're welcome to post too, if you have anything you want to add. I'm just making most of this up as I go along, so there's not a real set story yet. And I'm really sorry that updates are going to be pretty sparse. I have a seasonal job on the weekends but as soon as that's wrapped up I'll have more time to post!
Also, Tuxedo Kitten, I'm sorry I didn't see your question! Yes, Kennedy is older than everyone else and Laura and Justin are younger.
(October 20, 2019 - 9:34 pm)
Awesome. Thanks for the clarity!
(October 24, 2019 - 9:50 pm)
This is a boring entry, but I promise things will pick up soon!
~
Laura gripped the edge of her boat as she turned around. Behind her, Eghsiel Island was a blur of frothy water and blinding, sweeping lights. Sirens spiraled down into her ears like twin drill bits. Council workers.
Okay, Laura, think. Done anything illegal recently?
On the islands, The Inscriptor heard the cases of the citizens as represented by the Council Workers, and judged right or wrong based on the basic code that all 25 islands followed. Laura didn’t remember any cases in the past about sticking chewing gum underneath the railing on the boardwalk or staying up all night playing volleyball or soccer with friends on a tiki-torch lit beach. Although, the way they carried on, that could be filed as “disturbing the peace.”
Don’t be stupid, they aren’t after you. Turning back to scan the waters in front of her, Laura looked for signs of activity on Ghera. She could make out people on the beach, and a big cargo ship in the harbor that hadn’t been there when she left in the afternoon.
The roaring of the faster boats behind her filled her ears. No doubt about it, they were heading for Ghera. But for what? If there was a mishap or dispute that required Council intervention, wouldn’t the workers from Ghera be involved on their own island?
Unless… they’re chasing someone!
Assuming it wasn’t her, it must’ve been that other speedboat that passed her by. Laura had hardly paid attention to it. But now as she drew close to her home island, she could see no sign of it at the private docks. It had been headed towards the left, but once someone got past the beach, the area became so tangled in mangrove trees that it would be impossible to stop anywhere for several more miles around the island.
Or at least, that’s what everyone said. But Laura knew otherwise. She had explored every nook and cove on the island. And one old, weatherbeaten private dock hidden in a net of mangrove roots. It was hardly usable, and only lead to a small clearing that had been abandoned for who knew how long, but it had to be where that other boat went.
Laura adjusted her course for the hidden cove.
This was a really dumb idea. The thought played over in Justin’s head on repeat, keeping in time to the sloshing water around him as he pushed his little green kayak off of the rocky beach. His family were probably the only people without a boat on any of the islands.
He started paddling, his fingers squeezing and releasing on the paddle in time to the rhythm of the sirens ahead of him. He’d done the short distance to Eghsiel’s sister island before, but his awkward paddling could not be called by any standard of definition "fast." But he had to do something, right? This was their mission; the thing that had brought him, Nadia, Laura, and Kennedy together. Always trying to do something.
(October 24, 2019 - 9:10 pm)
ToP tHiS tHrEaD pLeAsE aDmInS!
(October 28, 2019 - 11:19 am)