(Untitled)

[ignorethehair]

There's something about airplanes, Bee thought, as she peered out her tiny window at the world of pillowed clouds beneath the plane.  When you took a trip on a plane, you started in one place, complete with all its sights and sounds and smells, and then you got onto the plane, and in no time at all you were in an entirely new world - a world of

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[worse_on_friday]

Gus was, in all fairness, not paying attention. He was arguing with Hamlet (about Mayko, but that, honestly, wasn't the point). When he nearly fell over a pretty blonde girl sitting on the sand, at least the pig had the good grace not to laugh at him.

"Shit," Gus said, with feeling. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you." He held out his hand. "Can I help you up?"

[ignorethehair]

It was surprisng to Bee to fall asleep on an airplane and wake up on a beach, and it didn't really help to then almost be tripped over by a man who was talking to a pig. Fighting with him, sounded like.

She was worried about the man's sanity, and getting ready to inch away, but she was caught off-guard by his sincere apology and the concern in his voice. "It's fine," she told him, and took his hand, pulling herself up so she was standing. "Thanks."

[worse_on_friday]

"Are you new?" said Gus. "Because if you're new, I have to take a minute to go over the speech in my head."

He gave her a good natured grin.

"I'm Gus. Knickel. And this ill mannered reprobate is Hamlet."

[ignorethehair]

"Um, I guess?" she laughed. "I don't really know what I'm new to, but if there's a speech involved, I'm not sure I want to." She grinned back at him, despite her growing feeling of fear and uncertainty.

"Hello, Gus," she greeted him warmly, and then, turning to the pig, said, "Hello, Hamlet. Nice to meet you both."

[worse_on_friday]

"You don't have to worry," said Gus, and really attempted to look comforting. She did look very young. "We're gonna look after you."

He cleared his throat.

"Okay. The speech. Welcome to Tabula Rasa."

[ignorethehair]

At that, Bee relaxed a little more. There was something about Gus she found very comforting, and even the pig was a source of reassurance, in an odd way. "I'm Bridget, by the way. But everyone calls me Bee."

Tabula Rasa. She had heard that before, in some class at school, her tenth grade history course, probably. Something to do with a british guy... John Locke? Yes, that was it. And Tabula Rasa... She dug deep in her memory until she remembered. "The blank slate?"

[worse_on_friday]

Gus smile widened into a grin.

"Bee, I like you already. Come on. We can walk and talk and get you in out of the sun sooner."

He nodded his head towards the path at the top of the beach.

"This is Tabula Rasa, which does mean blank slate. It's an island, and I'm afraid that you're rather stuck here."

[ignorethehair]

Bee began to walk beside Gus, his presence an unexpected comfort to her.

"Stuck... meaning, there's no way to get off?" She looked at him pleadingly, wanting to have heard him wrong, have it not really be true. She couldn't stay here. What about Tibby and Lena and Carmen, Eric, her father and brother?

[worse_on_friday]

"Hey, hey," said Gus, noticing the touch of desperation to her, his smile turning reassuring, concern in his eyes. "It's okay. Well...it's not okay, but it's not so bad. People are good here. It's not the worst place in the world."

[ignorethehair]

Bee attempted feebly to compose herself, to appear as though she were fine, really. She smiled at Gus once more. "I guess if they're anything like you, I should be alright."

It's more everyone I left behind that I'm worried about, she thought, biting her lower lip.