The last building on the island is a hospital.  When Caim and I enter the building, we almost immediately run into Marzy and Evangeline.

"...I do agree that we could use a small Lamiaceae patch somewhere.  I'm certain Dana would love to put it to use," Marzy is saying as we approach.

"I'm sure Dana wouldn't be the only one to use it," Evangeline giggles before looking up and seeing me and Caim. "Oh, I'm sorry!  How long have you been standing there?"

"Not too long," I assure her. "What are you guys, uh, talking about?"

"We were just discussing our favorite plants," Marzy explains. "Of course, as a biologist, I am familiar with the families and other groupings of all of them, so Evangeline and I discovered that we have an overlap in specialities."

"What's... lame...ee...ace...e...ay?" Caim tries.

Marzy snorts.

Evangeline quickly responds, "Lamiaceae?  It's the mint family."

"Oh!" Caim perks up at the realization. "I like mint!"

"As do I." Evangeline pauses. "Caim, would you like to accompany me on my trip to the ruins?  I just remembered that I wanted to make sure there are no poisonous plants that could harm anyone, and I'm sure you know your way around tools."

He gives her a big grin. "I'd love to!"

As they leave, Marzy takes a second before telling me, "Evangeline just remembered that I'd told her a few minutes ago that she would be helping me sort through and clean out all the cabinets in the hospital."

"So she threw me under the bus," I grimace.  Marzy nods.

"Well, let's get to it, Sophie," he says, leading me into the first room.  From there, he begins handing me various bottles and telling me to check the expiration dates.

"Um, they all seem to be fine so far," I say as I put the fifth bottle back on the shelf. "Nothing expires until, like, six months from now at the least."

"That's nice to hear.  But we have to make sure that everything else is fine as well.  Including syringes that could be used, tools that could be rusty... you get the point.  Medical practices require little to no error.  We cannot be lazy when it comes to the health of our classmates."

"...I thought you're a biologist."

Marzy gives me a look. "Tell me, then, have you ever taken a biology class?"

"I mean, I did a few years ago," I reply.

"And what did you learn?" he presses.

I stop to think for a moment. "We learned about the human body, and veins and arteries, and the cardiovascular system, and the respiratory system, and... oh."

Marzy gives a curt nod. "I may not have the proper medical training, but biology is closely connected to it in a variety of places.  God forbid should someone get injured, I would not hesitate to do what I can to help.  Especially now that the closest thing we had to a doctor is deceased, we need to be sure that we have someone to fill the role.  I will gladly be that person."

So we'll actually have a doctor.  Good to know.

"What if you die, though?" I point out. 

Marzy furrows his brow. "We all declined quite possibly the best motive to kill that Monokumace could think of.  Except for Ryn, who ultimately paid the price.  I highly doubt that after that, anyone would make a move.  Mind you that even if someone tried, they would immediately get tag-teamed by you and Stolas."

"So you really think we're actually good now?" 

"I think there is good reason to believe so."

"You know what's funny, Marzy?" I ask him.

"What?" He tilts his head to the side.

"The fact that you didn't want to look after a cow and are more than willing to play doctor for the rest of us."

"Ha, ha," he says dryly. "Really, Sophie, you do realize that there is more to the situation than just a simple yes or no question, right?"

Before I can answer, he continues, "Taking care of an animal, while probably not all far off from a human in the sense of my awareness of the body and its functions, is nowhere close to taking care of a young adult human.  For instance, a young calf requires constant monitoring, a certain diet, and other vitamins and things that vary greatly from the medicines that humans consume or use.  Treating a human patient in their late teens, when they can speak for themself, look after themself, use the same medicines as I do, and don't require a strict diet for the most part, is much easier.  Does it make sense now why I am much more willing to partake in medical practices for humans?"

I don't think I got half of that, but it sounds reasonable.  So I just nod.

"Can I ask a weird question?"

"And the one you just asked isn't?"

Okay, damn, Marzy.  Harsh blow there.  Why you gotta go attacking me like that?  What did I do?  

I put on a smile, even though I want to smack the smug expression off of this prick's face, and say, "Well, it was just a random question.  Something I thought of."

"Alright, alright, fire away," he responds as he continues fishing through drawers.

"Did you always want to be a biologist?" 

Marzy looks up from his searching to give me a surprised glance. "That's not quite as strange as I'd anticipated."

"Am I gonna get an answer?" If he's gonna sass me, I'm gonna sass him.  Don't f*ck with a teenage girl, Marzy.  You should probably know that already, though, considering you don't seem like the type to get b*tches.

He resumes his scouring through cabinets as he says, "I, like most, had a time where I wanted to be a veterinarian.  Around the age of eight or so.  Then a rocket scientist when I was ten, and I didn't really think about it much until secondary school, when I first learned about biology.  Mind you that I always had the best science grades up until this point, and biology was no different until I was switched into the A-level biology class not even halfway through the year.  I still finished out with the best grade in the class.  After that, I knew it would be in my best interests to continue down this path." He pauses before adding, "My apologies, I believe I went off track there."

"No, that's cool," I insist. "But, uh... what the hell is secondary school?  College?"

Marzy lets out a deep sigh. "Right.  It's what you Americans call high school.  But frankly, I've never understood the idea of 'high school' or 'upper school' and 'lower school'.  It makes it sound like some strange hierarchy."

"Y'know what else is strange?  Your dental plan."

"You never will stop prodding at me, will you?" he groans , crossing his arms. 

"It's not my fault you're so prod-able," I fire back.  This man is never going to recover from this.  What a nerd.

Marzy ends up just kicking me out of the hospital.  Aka telling me to leave, and when I refuse just to piss him off, he has the audacity to carry me out and dump me on the ground.  I normally wouldn't have kept up the snarky act for this long, but something tells me that Marzy appreciated the conversation.  Especially when I glimpse him smiling as he goes back inside.

"Damn, what'd you do to get thrown out like that?" Zeben asks as he walks by.

I don't even get to my feet, just lie down on the dirt path and stare up at the big blue sky. "I hope Dana isn't cooking tonight, 'cause we're having roasted Marzy."

Zeben chuckles, and I hear him get closer before I see him lie down next to me. "That's crazy.  You don't strike me as the roasting type.  Furfur must be rubbing off on you."

"Maybe," I agree.  We lie there in silence for a minute.

"How are you holding up?" I try after a second, praying that I don't kill the mood.

"I'm doing okay," he answers. "Just doing my best."

"Aren't we all," I add.

"You're doing a good job, Soph."

"What do you mean?"

Zeben sighs. "Catching the culprits.  Protecting the rest of us."

"Only because Stolas does most of it first," I object. "Otherwise I'd suck at it."

"Nah, you're pretty good on your own.  It already takes brains to put it all together," he insists.

"Huh.  ...thanks, Zeben."

We lie there for a few more minutes, bathing in the sunlight and just enjoying the peace before I hear him get to his feet.

"Thanks for the nice moment," he says.

"I just didn't know you had a setting other than 'goofball'," I tease as I get to my feet as well.

Zeben sticks his tongue out at me in response. "Don't go targeting me now."

From there, we part ways, and I decide to start heading back towards the central island.  I can feel all the dust particles stuck in my hair now, and I need a shower.   However, as I'm walking, I nearly run into-

"Careful where you step," Stolas says. "You do know that there are several venomous species on these islands, right?"

I blink. "...no?"

He sighs. "That's what I thought.  Allow me to show you."

As quick as a bolt of lightning, he's snatched something up from the ground just a few feet away from me.  He's holding a colorful snake by the top of its neck in such a way that no matter how hard it tries to whip its head around, its fangs can't reach his hand.

"Coral snake," he explains. "Venomous.  You could've stepped on it."

I stare at him, dumbfounded. "You... you just yoinked it."

Stolas narrows his eyes. "I did, in fact, just grab it.  Keep in mind that my skills are not limited to kicking and punching.  Reaction time and speed are much more important than a poorly-directed blow to an opponent's face."

He tosses the snake to the side. "You've already finished exploring the island?"

"Not everyone examines every square inch of this place," I argue.

"No need to be defensive.  I just asked a simple question."

"...I just took a lap around."

Stolas nods. "I see."

With that, he walks past me without another word.  I stare after him for a moment before continuing on my quest to take a shower.  I see him around time after time, but it just makes me more confused.  I don't understand this man.

Two days after the snake encounter, I run into him before I go to my cottage for the night.  He's engaged in a conversation with Will, who seems to be begging the combat pro to let him film a few action shots.  

I decide to spare poor Stolas by interrupting, "Hey, Will, how about we sleep on it and talk more tomorrow?  We're all exhausted from the beach games."

Will, as if reminded of his exhaustion, yawns. "Yeah.  I'm still kinda mad about how Stolas kicked everyone's *sses in beach volleyball."

Stolas, for once, almost looks smug.  Once Will walks away, I look up at the massive dark-brunette and say, "Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me?" he asks.

"For having fun today," I add.

"Oh." He's quiet before quickly continuing, "It was nothing.  I thought about my relationships with our classmates.  It appears I have isolated myself quite a bit by spending too much time exploring.  In reality, further understanding my peers and their personalities is quite favorable."

"It's just nice to see you hanging out with people.  Everyone really appreciates it, and it really looks like you're getting closer with everyone."

"The greatest victory is that which requires no battle," Stolas says.  I swear he's quoting something.

"Well, I'm off to bed," I decide.

Stolas bows his head before turning and retreating towards his own cottage.  Once I shut my door, I go to the shower and promptly shake out all the sand from my shoes.  Thank god I'd remembered to get here half an hour before nighttime officially starts, otherwise showering wouldn't be an option and I'd ruin the hell out of my bedsheets.  I quickly rinse even more sand out of my hair and wash away all the seawater, then continue my bedtime routine and finally make it into bed.  My eyelids drop immediately, and I practically sink into the mattress as I finally relax...

Crash.

I jolt awake to the sudden noise, my heart beating out of my chest.  What time is it?  What was that?  I try to look out the window, but it's too dark.  I think for a long moment if I should go check out the noise, ultimately deciding that it can wait until the morning.  Honestly, I don't think my legs want to function properly right now, so I won't make them.  I set my head back down on my pillow and...

***

(2089 words)

I feel really meh about this chapter ;0; I'm sorry-