.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Later that night, Analeah sat with her back against the wall on a bed cot where she had claimed for the night, a blanket across her lap as she watched Marlow trim his beard into something he claimed more presentable. Nieves was standing by Marlow's side having his usual complaints about everything and anything like it may help their situation, which shocker, does not help in any way whatsoever. San and Brooks were also in the room seated to the side while Mason stood on the balcony admiring the Northern Lights in the night sky.

James was standing near Marlow while Slivko focused on his radio, the song Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie began playing through it. "What kind of music is that? What happened to Swing?" Marlow asked as Analeah swayed lightly to the tune. "You're like a time traveler, man. I'm telling you, this is the new sound," Slivko replied making Analeah laugh, Slivko looked over at her with a soft smile. "He's telling the truth, Marlow. Some still listen to old tunes though like Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman," Analeah spoke up. "Benny Goodman is good," Marlow told her as he pointed the knife at her with a grin.

"I don't know if I'm gonna like whoever's under this beard," Marlow spoke up after a moment of silence just listening to the music. "I really hope that thing that you call a boat can get us upriver in thirty-six hours," Nieves told Marlow as he walked around him, "Because if we miss that window, we're, uh, literally up a creek." Analeah sighed through her nose at Nieves' complaints, she understood that the man was scared and hated every moment on the island but he had to of known that something could've gone wrong from the beginning. She turned her head to focus on Brooks as he spoke, "When I first wrote that paper on the Hollow Earth theory, the whole committee laughed out loud."

San looked up at Brooks, "Not Randa." Analeah still had a problem with Bill Randa for keeping important information to himself, they could've been more prepared if the man hadn't kept it all a secret; more people would've survived, possibly everyone. "The one guy in the crowd who actually took me seriously. It felt good. Then I thought he was crazy when he said the earth was full of monsters." Analeah scoffed to herself before turning back to Marlow as the man leaned closer to Nieves, "I can't tell when I'm talking or when I'm not talking." She laughed to herself seeing the man mess with Nieves who was clearly starting to annoy Marlow.

"You're talking," Nieves replied to Marlow who squinted his eyes. "Am I?" Marlow questioned while Analeah bit her lip to stop from laughing, Slivko watching Analeah; his eyes focused on her lips before he blinked rapidly and looked away. "Yes," Nieves answered him with a nod. "I'm talking?" Marlow asked him. "Yes," Nieves repeated with another nod and slightly widened eyes. "Your mouth is moving," Marlow said making Nieves furrow his brows. "What?" Nieves questioned. "I'm gonna stab you by the end of the night," Marlow warned Nieves who leaned back slightly with wide eyes. "Just kidding," Marlow said with a chuckle while Analeah laughed.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Slivko moved his way toward Analeah and held out his hand, "May I have a dance?" Analeah smiled as she shrugged, "Not really slow-dancing music, is it?" Slivko squinted slightly before moving over to the radio, he messed with it a bit before a new tune began playing; Could It Be I'm Falling in Love by The Spinners. Analeah blushed lightly as she let Slivko pull her up from the bed being cautious of her injured arm, her uninjured arm rested around Slivko's shoulders as he rested his hands on her waist; the two swaying side to side with the music as Analeah rested her head against his chest feeling relaxed for the first time since they left the ship.

Analeah hummed along with the music as Slivko rested his head on top of Analeah's, he closed his eyes and just let the moment play out. James turned to look at his sister and smiled seeing her dancing with Slivko with a carefree aura surrounding them. "No overprotective brother mode?" Mason asked James quietly. "Analeah can handle herself, I'm just there to comfort her when she needs me," James answered though the smile on his face never fades. "They look cute together," Mason said with a smile of her own. "Analeah's never really had a relationship... most people consider her a freak because of her wild heart," James told Mason with a slight frown.

"Those are some people who are missing out," Mason replied to him before grabbing her camera and turning it to the teenagers, "Because from what I've seen, she's an amazing person." James smiled at Mason's words, he nodded in agreement before turning to the lights in the sky. Analeah moved her head to look up at Slivko, he smiled at her before reaching up to pull her hair from the ponytail so she wouldn't sleep with it in. "Aside from all of the obvious dangers, this has been my second favorite expedition," Analeah whispered to Slivko. "Second? What was the first?" Slivko asked her as he placed his hand back on her waist after running his fingers through her hair to untangle it.

"I was twelve. It was me, James, and our dad," Analeah started as she smiled softly remembering the day like it was yesterday, "I had been obsessed with wolves since I was old enough to know what they were, their wild souls and the way they worked as a pack always interested me. So for my birthday, our dad took us to Western Montana to locate a wild pack that was being tracked and we got to watch them for two days. It was incredible." Slivko smiled at the way her eyes lit up talking about her experience. "Is that why you became an animal behaviorist?" Slivko asked her. "Partly. I also wanted to prove that the predatory animals weren't just wild beasts that kill," Analeah answered him.

"Well, I think you're incredible," Analeah smiled up at Slivko, his whispered words making her heart skip a beat as her cheeks tinged pink. "T-Thanks..." Analeah replied making Slivko smirk as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You don't understand how difficult it is for me right now to not kiss you." Analeah swallowed slowly at those words, she bit her lip as Slivko pulled away enough to look at her, enjoying the way her blush deepened. Slivko winked at Analeah reveling in the way she reacted while Analeah tried to think of something to say back with no success, the silence only making Slivko's smirk deepen. "Let's get some rest," Slivko told her before letting her step away, her heart was racing as she lied down on the cot and closed her eyes.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The next day, the group minus - Analeah who felt completely useless with her injury but had already been told off by everyone when she attempted to help - got to work on the Ploat preparing it to set sail on the river. Nieves tried to start the boat causing the engine to sputter resulting in Slivko being smoked out of the engine bay, "Not yet!" Analeah raised a brow at Slivko who shook his head with a small smile. "Prime the lines," James told Slivko. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Slivko replied to him before getting to the task. Analeah removed the bandage from her arm and check the wound for infection, thankfully it was healing fine.

"Wind it up, let's go!" James ordered as Analeah rewrapped her arm, she tightened it carefully to ensure that the stitches Mason had done wouldn't split. Analeah watched as Mason began winding up the engine, James pushing the lever to start it as the others watched in anticipation; they all cheered happily when the engine roared to life after the third attempt. "Yes!" Slivko cheered as Analeah stood up, she smiled widely as Slivko pulled her carefully into his embrace before they turned to watch Marlow say goodbye to the Iwis. Analeah leaned into Slivko's arms as the boat moved away from the dock and headed out of the gate; the group was finally river bound.

Mason and James stood at the bow of the boat looking out into the distance as Marlow steered the boat, Nieves sitting to the side as Brooks and San sat by the edge talking more. Slivko had assisted Analeah up onto the roof of the cabin, he pulled her to sit between his legs with the radio sitting on her lap; her back to his chest as he left one arm around her waist while the other was holding the radio. Analeah closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sun beaming down on them, the sound of the water splashing beneath the boat and the movement of the jungle around them was relaxing to Analeah while Slivko admired the girl in his arms; his mind focused on protecting her, no matter what.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Rosemary Speaks

Seriously... Analeah and Slivko are so dang cute!
What do you think?

See you in the next chapter!