Castaways

Chapter 2

Day 2: Continued

Kurt took what he thought was a steadying breath, but instead he started hyperventilating.

"This is not happening!" Kurt shouted out loud. "I'm not marooned on a deserted island, this kind of stuff doesn't happen in real life!"

He could scream about it all he wanted, but that wouldn't change his situation. Kurt was just happy that there was nobody around to actually hear his outburst. He had only been on this island for a day and he was already acting like a crazy person. Kurt looked around desperately in a futile attempt to see any sign of human life, but like before all he could see was island, sky, and ocean. Kurt remembered how excited he had been to be able to visit the beach, but now he was already growing homesick for Manhattan.

He walked towards the water and bent down to rinse the sand off his face and arms. It was saltwater of course which would seriously dry out his skin, but for the moment it felt refreshing. The sun was beginning to beat down on his face, and Kurt knew he would have to find shelter during the day if he wanted to avoid a bad sunburn.

Kurt's eyes drifted towards the jungle at the edge of the beach, and he wondered what he would find there. Hopefully there would be fresh fruit he could eat and water that wasn't salty. He knew that he would be completely responsible for his own survival, and really it was kind of scary. While Kurt had never been a big fan of the outdoors, he was suddenly grateful that his Dad had dragged him along on more than one camping trip when he was a kid. Though camping in Ohio was of course very different than trying to survive on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific.

Kurt felt a lump in his throat as he thought of his father. Would he ever see him again? He couldn't bear the thought of how his father would react when Kurt suddenly turned up missing. Burt already had a heart condition, would this actually kill him? No, he couldn't think of that. Kurt was determined to get off this island, after all wouldn't technology find him soon enough? There was probably a black box on the plane, and the sea was full of ships. Not to mention there were probably helicopters searching for him right now.

As Kurt looked down at his feet, he suddenly spotted something that made his heart leap in his throat. Footprints! He studied the ground to see how one set of footprints led off down the beach. Knowing Kurt's luck, it was probably some crazy native. But then it could also be help, or it meant that Kurt wasn't the only one who survived the crash. It was such a relief to know that he wasn't the only one on the island, that he started to follow the tracks without another thought.

Kurt didn't get very far before he had to stop and take off the boots and waterlogged socks that he was wearing, since he was already starting to get blisters on the soles of his feet. It was definitely much better walking barefoot in the sand, and he was able to cover more ground quickly. A few minutes of tromping through the sand, and Kurt finally had his answer. Kurt could see a man standing with his back to him, a short ways from him. He wore ripped pants, a light colored shirt and had dark curly hair. The man's skin tone was tanned and made Kurt wonder if he was one of the Polynesian locals. The man didn't turn around as Kurt slowly approached him since the sound of the waves covered up the sound of his movement. When he was a few feet away, Kurt stopped.

"Hello?" Kurt said softly.

The man jumped, startled and quickly turned around. Kurt gasped, it was not a local but Blaine Anderson.

Blaine's hazel eyes widened in surprise, "You!"

It was such a complete relief for Kurt to see a familiar face after thinking he was alone, that Kurt couldn't stop himself from running forward and pulling Blaine into a fierce embrace. Blaine wasn't expecting it, lost his footing in the loose sand, and fell backwards with Kurt landing solidly on top of him.

Kurt flushed as he looked down at Blaine's face that was suddenly uncomfortably close. "Sorry," he gasped, and carefully shifted off and into a standing position offering a hand to Blaine.

Blaine took it and pulled himself up, and smiled warmly at Kurt, "Its fine, I'm just as excited as you are to see another human. I thought I was alone."

"Me too," Kurt agreed. "And I'm also glad that I found you and not a cannibal."

"Or a pirate," Blaine remarked.

"Great," Kurt muttered. "I hadn't thought about pirates until now. Thank you Blaine."

"Don't mention it," Blaine said happily.

"At least I can stop talking to myself now," Kurt mused, speaking what he was thinking.

"You were talking to yourself?" Blaine asked.

"Don't judge," Kurt scolded. "It was just good to hear any voice, even if it was my own."

Blaine nodded in understanding.

"So what happened?" Kurt asked hesitantly, finally asking the question he wanted to know the answer to most. "I remember the turbulence, but I don't remember the crash."

Blaine hesitated for a long moment before he started to speak. "When the plane hit the water, I already had the emergency door opened. We were sitting next to it, remember?"

Kurt nodded, and Blaine continued, "I unbuckled my seatbelt and yours, and I pulled us out. The plane went down quickly and was pulling everything down with it. We would have been sucked down too, but we had crashed right next to a coral reef. I grabbed onto it and held on for dear life until it stopped. The plane has to been over a hundred feet under the sea. One of the plane's seat cushions surfaced then, you know the ones that can be used as floatation devices? I pushed you onto it and I could see the island so I started to swim towards it with you since you were still unconscious."

Blaine paused then and looked nervous to continue.

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

Blaine sighed, "I'm a good swimmer, but the waves were too strong and pulled you away from me. I thought you drowned, and I swam to the shore."

"I would have died in the plane if it wasn't for you," Kurt said gratefully. "I can never thank you enough for saving me."

"I just wish it wasn't just the two of us who survived," Blaine said regretfully. "There were at least thirty other people on that plane."

Kurt had been so focused on his own survival that he hadn't spared a thought for the pilot and the other passengers on the plane. It made him suddenly feel extremely guilty and reminded him just how lucky he was to survive.

"It is going to be so hard for their families," Kurt said sadly. "And ours come to think of it. Do you think there was a black box on the plane?"

"I'm sure there was," Blaine replied. "I'm sure somebody knows where the plane went down."

"Until rescue comes, we need to find food," Kurt said practically. "And fresh water."

"I'm ahead of you there," Blaine said with a smile. "There is a fresh water spring a little ways into the jungle. And I've found a few coconut trees."

"I hate coconut," Kurt complained, and then immediately blushed. "But then I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Well we also do have a whole ocean full of fish," Blaine commented.

"We need to make something to catch those fish," Kurt reminded him. "Not to mention that, we need shelter and a fire."

Blaine smiled, "Well then, let's get cracking."

//////////

By the time the sun set that evening, Kurt was feeling absolutely miserable. He was tired, sunburnt, and sore from using muscles that he hadn't used in a long time. On top of that he had an endless amount of mosquito bites but couldn't itch them since it would hurt his burn. Blaine, on the other hand didn't have the same problems since he seemed to only grow tanner in the sunlight, and the mosquitoes were more interested in Kurt. But at least for all his suffering, at least they had something to show for it.

They had managed to erect a crude shelter facing the ocean, with bamboo poles holding up a thin layer of palm leaves. It had been a challenge to cut the bamboo poles to size, but Blaine had hacked at them with a sharp rock until they were cut to size, and Kurt used strips of palm leaves to tie their roof together. They had planned to make some sort of spear to catch fish, but it was hard to do with only sharp rocks to use for knives. So instead Kurt had found a papaya tree and Blaine had gathered a few low hanging coconuts.

It had been hysterical for Kurt to watch Blaine try to open the coconut on the side of a sharp boulder, and it had taken several whacks before the fruit had split open. The advantage was that once Blaine had eaten the soft fruit, they had the hard shells to use for bowls. The harder challenge had been to start a fire. Blaine had been a boy scout so he was able to create a fire ring, but it was definitely a challenge to start a fire without a flint, match, or lighter. Blaine had given himself a few splinters in the process, but he was actually able to create enough friction to create a spark eventually. And the subsequent fire and smoke did keep the bugs away at least.

"So where are you from?" Blaine asked, as they ate fruit by the fire.

"Well I live in New York, but I'm originally from Ohio," Kurt explained.

"I'm from Ohio too, bizarre!" Blaine exclaimed. "I'm originally from Westerville."

"Isn't that near Columbus?" Kurt asked and Blaine nodded. "I'm from Lima."

"Small world," Blaine remarked. "So how did you get into fashion design?"

"I've always loved fashion, and I started designing clothes when I was in high school," Kurt explained. "I got an internship at Vogue.com, went to Parson's for fashion design and the rest is history."

"What will the fashion world do without you?" Blaine joked, but then quickly said. "For the short time it will take us to be rescued I mean."

Kurt decided to change the subject, "So what about you famous Blaine Anderson? How did you become a singer?"

Blaine chuckled, "By accident to be completely honest. I was in glee club in high school–"

"You were in glee?" Kurt gasped. "I was in the New Directions in high school."

"I was part of the Dalton Academy Warblers," Blaine replied. "I think we went against the New Directions a couple times, and beat us every time. Not that I'm bitter or anything."

"I remember the Warblers," Kurt remembered. "I loved the blazers; it actually inspired one of my designs."

"Well after high school I was busking in the subway in New York and a music producer happened to hear me and offered me a record deal on the spot. The rest is history," Blaine finished.

Kurt laughed, "We're quite the pair, aren't we? Who would have thought that two gay guys from Ohio who are moderately famous would wind up on this deserted island in the middle of the South Pacific?"

Blaine chuckled, "Who knows, maybe it was fate."

"Fate," Kurt echoed with a smile.