Chrys woke up in a panic and frowned in confusion. First off, it was very bright when she woke up, her room is normally dark. Secondly, she swore that her son had fallen asleep with her last night since he had been having night terrors. Thirdly, the sheets beneath her had turned into a packed, hard texture. Well if anything, the clear blue ocean water and the beach she was lying on was a clear sign that she was definitely not where she fell asleep.

Some walking around led Chrys to believe that she was indeed, on an island. The only other thing on the horizon was a far-off blob of grey-brown, presumably another island? She could only hope. It seemed like the perfect paradise, as tropical as the Bahamas and as peaceful as a river. Except… Chrys knew different, she could feel it. 

Further exploration (meandering around until she found something exciting) led Chrys to another person. At first she thought it was her son, but when she started running closer the boy on the shore was not quite the perfect fit. He turned at the sound of footsteps, and his expression slipped into muted distraught. 

He questioned, “Who are you? And why are you here?” 

Chrys in return frowned. Maybe her confusion bled through too much because the boy scrambled to his feet.
“Wait wait wait!” She reaches out a hand, attempting for a calm demeanor. “My name’s Chrys, I don’t really know where we are though… I’m sorry.”

His posture was still tense, but he seemed less panicked. She took it as a sign to straighten up a little. Perhaps this place might not be as bad as she thought it would be.

Carson was named for how his sister believed he would act. A high achiever, always edging too close to the metaphorical sun. She thought it would be weird to call him “Icarus” since that’s just a weird name, so she took the ‘car’ in the middle and added a ‘son.’ Still a weird line of thought, but he wouldn’t question his sister. Anyways at the moment he was really confused. He was on an island, and it didn’t look like there was any way out. He was so confused he ran all the way around the sandy beaches, and there was literally nothing. Except for another island off the west coast. Or maybe the north coast, Carson didn’t know compass stuff.

Later that day, he met a woman named Chrys, but she acted like he was a caged animal. He wasn’t the skinniest guy ever! And he was like, a teenager! (Ten and a half, specifically.) Whatever, Apparently she had just appeared here as well, but that’s kinda duh because there literally isn’t any other way to get anywhere. She tried to make small talk as they explored together, but he just ignored her. There were better things to do, like finding a way to get off this dang island. 

There was a jungle bit in the middle of the island, but it was still super small. There was a building in the middle, kinda old looking. Chrys that could have been from people who lived here earlier, Carson thought it was dumb looking. Oh another thing is that the sky never turned anything but that weird looking blue that only happens on cloudless days. It was weird, and Carson felt tired but it wasn’t right going to sleep with the sun up (or without his sister). Chrys insisted he sleeps, but he didn’t want to. But his legs felt kinda weird, and he just couldn’t keep his head up, so Chrys got a few palm leaves to lay on the sand. Carson got way too tired to keep his eyes open, so off he went counting sheep.

Chrys had to care for Carson before she was able to go off exploring the ruins in the middle of the island. Once he was asleep though, she went off. He was a sweet kid, the polar opposite of her kid though. Maybe if she was able to escape, they would be able to meet. 

The ruins were worn, it looked like something had weathered them besides time, like some form of water. It was odd, since the weather seemed to remain unchanging with the blue skies and the peaceful waves. It really wasn’t a huge structure, only one room was probably contained by the walls. Maybe that was the way to get out? Just if there was a way inside…

Carson woke up with a stunning idea, mostly from his dream. He leapt up and yelled, “Chrys!!” 

No response. “Chrys?” he called again. Nothing again. Well, off to explore again. Carson explored all along the coast, gentle waves rolling in and out. He saw the other island blob off the coast again, maybe that’s all they have to get to. They as in Carson and Chrys, and Chrys is gone and not on the coasts. Maybe she went into the jungle?

Carson was just walking towards the path that was totally made before they made it to the island, when the trees began to shake. Confused, and still frustrated Chrys, Carson began to run towards the middle of the island. He found a blackened crater where the old building was, with no Chrys in sight.