"It's not exponents, Sarah, it's friction coefficients, and I didn't just fall on my a.s.s; I nearly fell to my death."

"Whatever. Don't slip and fall, Jonathan, otherwise I'll have to rescue you again."

They all scrambled up, being careful to stay away from the sloped edge.

Once they reached the top of the rock, no one said a word. Sarah had not been exaggerating; the view was really incredible. They could look out over the island in all directions and see where it met the ocean on the south end. Even under the darkened sky, the water was a beautiful blue-green, fading to turquoise and then light brown as it met the beach. Turning northward, they were able to see over the treetops to the far end of the island. The tree cover was too dense to see through. They could see what Sarah meant when she said the island was shaped like a peanut not a sh.e.l.led peanut but a whole one with a couple of nuts inside.

"Wow ... imagine all the stuff that's out there under the trees that we haven't seen yet," said Kevin.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and get rescued before we have a chance," added Candi.

"Well, I for one think this is a good spot to light a signal fire," said Jonathan.

"You're right. Tomorrow I'll lug some wood and stuff up here and get it ready. No point in doing it now since it's probably going to get soaked."

"Speaking of which," Jonathan continued, "I think there's some sort of rainy season here, and if it's like the other areas in the tropics, it comes up in the next couple of weeks or so and lasts all summer. I think we'd better make it a priority to try and find a sheltered area, or maybe we could make one, where we can store firewood and stuff. I know it's hot here, and we really don't use the fire much, but later in the year it will probably get cold, at least at night."

Candi was too engrossed in the view to respond. She was straining her eyes as hard as she could, trying to see an island, a boat anything at all other than Peanut Island. There was nothing.

"I agree," said Kevin. "I guess we have our work cut out for us. Tomorrow, workout on the beach, signal fire building, firewood storage, and then we start on the treehouse. Did I forget anything?"

"Karate practice in the late afternoon," added Sarah.

"Yeah, a little kung fu action, too, that's right." Kevin practiced some slow motion martial arts moves.

"It's not kung fu, that's another discipline. We'll be doing karate," corrected Jonathan.

"Whatever, dude. All I know is, I'm gonna judo chop some of those bamboo trees down."

Jonathan climbed down the rock, sighing. "It's not judo either, it's karate."

Kevin smiled. He clearly loved messing with Jonathan. "Yeah, okay, are we gonna do some tai chi moves then?"

Jonathan looked up at Kevin. "Are you kidding me?"

Kevin feigned innocence. "What?"

"Never mind, you're messing with me."

"Ah, I can't put anything past you anymore, Jonathan, you're onto me." Kevin joined him back on the ground next to the waterspout, putting his hand on Jonathan's shoulder. They both watched the water coming out over the rock.

"Man, could I ever use a shower."

"No kidding. You go ahead, you smell worse than me. I'll go after." Jonathan walked away, leaving Kevin standing there.

"Wait a minute ... Did he just mess with me?"

"Yep," said Candi as she walked by.

"Well, I'll be d.a.m.ned," he said, a smile in his voice.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Sarah as she came down from the rock.

Candi turned to see what the fuss was all about.

"Taking a shower, what does it look like?"

"Well, before you strip down to your birthday suit, maybe you want to wait until we've gotten outta here."

"Doesn't bother me if you guys see me naked."

Sarah looked at him like he was crazy. "Well it bothers me. Ew."

Candi stood there panic stricken, speechless. Kevin was standing there without a shirt on, about to be totally naked.

"Ah ... um ... yeah ... I'm ... I'm gonna go now," was all Candi could say before the heat in her face made her feel like her head was going to explode. She turned and walked away as quickly as she could, back to the base of the tree and out of sight of the Peterson twins.

"I think it bothers her too," said Sarah, as she turned and walked away, smiling.

Kevin chuckled to himself. The pained look on Candi's face was priceless. She was a virgin, he was nearly sure of it. The thought made him excited and worried at the same time. Here they were on this deserted island. He was the only guy in sight; she was the only girl. It was probably inevitable that they would eventually get together if help didn't come for a while. Normally he wouldn't give having s.e.x with a girl a second thought he'd just do it, so long as she was willing. But he knew for some reason that he couldn't and shouldn't be that nonchalant about it with Candi. She was different. Not to mention the fact that there was no birth control out here in the middle of nowhere.

Candi was already different from how she'd acted on the cruise ship. These few days away from the world in a place where they had to fend for themselves had already made its mark on her. Somehow she had gone from mildly cute to kinda s.e.xy. Maybe being stuck on this island with the little sand beast won't be so bad after all.

He wondered if this experience had done the same for him changed him at all. He felt the same, but he was starting to notice things he'd never noticed before, and he was feeling really relaxed for some reason, which really didn't make any sense.

As he rinsed the grime from his body as best he could, he thought about how he should be really freaked out and worried right now. Worried about surviving, worried about his team back home, worried about his parents his life. But he wasn't. It's as if all that stuff had ceased to matter for now. Oh well. He shrugged it off. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

The next few weeks were spent using the lifeboat hatchet to cut down bamboo poles of varying lengths and widths. They used the widest ones to create support poles and joists for the floor of the treehouse which they wedged against various parts of the tree trunk and its root system.

The guys spent a lot of time on the jungle floor and in the tree, studying it from every angle. They didn't want to spend too much time or waste materials on something that wasn't going to be secure or that would have to be re-done. They'd already made that mistake once, and they were still kicking themselves over the wasted effort.

The girls, in their explorations for cloth and other items that could be used to make things for the treehouse, found a group of plants in the jungle that came from what Jonathan thought might be hemp. They were very fibrous and so far were turning out to be very useful. Jonathan had the girls pull the plant fibers off in long strips; they used these strips that were braided together to make a plant rope to wrap around and bind the bamboo poles to one another.

Kevin and Jonathan also did their best to make corresponding notches in the wood so it would join together like puzzle pieces on the ends. It was difficult because the wood was very strong and hard to cut with just the hatchet. Each notched joint was fitted into place, then tied with several lengths of plant rope. Next, it was tested by Kevin bouncing up and down on it. Anything that had too much give or seemed loose was re-done. No one wanted to come crashing down out of the tree to the ground below.

The rock next to their tree was good for sharpening the hatchet, which was a good thing, since the bamboo was so thick and strong and dulled the blade pretty easily. They couldn't believe their luck at having a whole stand of it right near their water source. Now that they'd cut quite a bit of it down, they were seeing how the poles that remained were going to act as a wall that could close off a section of the bottom of their root system, giving them ground storage areas they could protect from animals. Not that they'd seen any animals on the island yet but they had heard stirrings in the night, so it was highly likely something was out there somewhere.

Sarah's roof building and weaving skills had proven themselves over and over. From the first night when they got a downpour until today, they had been able to sleep in relatively dry quarters. Once they were off the jungle floor, it was going to be perfect.

Sarah had been weaving floor mats, roof materials, bed materials and all kinds of things in antic.i.p.ation of the treehouse finally being finished. She'd convinced the guys that the girls needed cots to sleep on, so they had cut some thinner bamboo poles to her specifications; she put the frames together, tying them at the corners using the fibrous plant rope. Now she was working on woven palm fronds as the slings to put between the bamboo pole frames. She had a feeling once the guys saw what she was doing, they would want sleeping cots of their own, so she made extra.

Candi was gone every day, always down at the water trying to figure out how to spear fish. She had found a spot on the south side where there were some large rocks spread apart in the shallow water. The tides and water currents had created small pools where the fish loved to look for food. She'd stand on the rocks and try to spear the fish from above. She claimed that she got close once, but so far had come back each day empty handed. She was determined, though, and no one had the heart to give her a hard time about it or tell her to give up.

The morning exercises organized by Kevin now included a rugby scrimmage at the end. They used a coconut with the husk still on as their rugby ball. It was about the right size and weight. Kevin was determined not to forget his moves or lose his agility.

Unfortunately for him, his team was pretty lame although he had to admit, they'd come a long way in three weeks. Now they could all run around and do what he told them without getting side cramps or collapsing on the beach, gasping for air. He'd even felt Jonathan's strength improving as he tried to tackle Kevin to the ground.

Jonathan's muscles had really started to noticeably develop with the combined work of morning exercise and treehouse building. The coconuts they were eating had natural fats and protein, which gave their bodies the fuel they needed to put on the muscle. Kevin told them that as soon as they had fish added to their diet, they could really amp up their improvements.

With just the coconuts and bananas, Jonathan wasn't able to eat enough calories to get really big muscles, and Kevin could feel himself losing weight. His torn and ragged shorts were getting looser and looser. He'd already had to make a belt out of the plant rope just to keep them up. This would have bothered him more a month ago when rugby was his life. Now he didn't care so much. He looked down to admire his six-pack abs from time to time, which before had not been as sharp or defined because he'd had more body fat. And if the surrept.i.tious looks he kept catching from Candi were any indication, she was happy with what she saw, too.

The karate lessons Jonathan had been giving in the evening were helping all of them with their flexibility and balance. Kevin wondered why he hadn't thought of doing that kind of workout before. When and if he ever got back home, he was going to be unstoppable on the field.

Kevin stopped his musings when he heard a loud whooping coming from the direction of the beach. He could hear Candi crashing through the trees on the path from the beach to the treehouse.

"That's right, b.i.t.c.hes, I caught us a fish! Whoot! Whoot!" Candi came skipping out of the trees, dangling a fish from its gills and grinning from ear to ear.

Sarah came from around the back of the tree where she had her weaving and building workshop.

"Awesome, I can't believe you did it! You totally rock. How'd you do it?"

Jonathan came down from the treehouse where he had been securing a wall Sarah had designed.

"Is that a fish I see there? Holy c.r.a.p, Candi, you did it!" He walked up and gave her a big hug. "I'm so proud of you. You stuck with it, and you did it."

"Yep, I finally did it. Man, I was ready to quit too, you know? But then I just said, no dammit, everyone else is pulling their weight I have to do this. And then I started working more on my technique. It's hard because the water kind of warps the position of the fish, so you think you're stabbing in the right place and then it misses the fish entirely. For the longest time, I thought the fish was moving and that's why I was missing, but I finally figured out that it was the distortion of the water. Duh."

"Uh, yeah, I might have forgotten to mention that little issue of optical refraction to you."

Candi brushed her brother's guilty comment aside. "Doesn't matter, I figured it out. At least, I think I have." She held the fish up in front of her face to look at it closer. "I hope this guy is edible."

"I think as long as it doesn't puff up, have a beaky mouth, or have really bright colors, we should be okay."

Sarah frowned at the fish. "I wish we had a monkey that we could make taste our food to see if it was poisonous. I saw some berry looking things in the trees that might be good, but I'd be afraid to try them."

"You know, Sarah, that's not a bad idea," said Jonathan.

"Uh, yeah, except that we are minus one monkey, which is kind of the key to the whole plan, unless you're volunteering yourself for the job?"

"Stop. No, I know that. But we could use another animal, like a rat maybe."

"Ew! There are rats here?" asked Sarah, looking around her and moving closer to Kevin.

"I don't know, probably. They can swim and they used to stow away on boats all the time. I think at this point they're everywhere. We should try to set some traps, see if we can catch any."

"Well, you're on your own with that one, Jonathan. I don't want anything to do with rats." Sarah shivered.

"They're really not bad, Sarah. We had them as pets at home for lots of years. Jonathan used to do behavioral experiments with them for extra credit in psychology cla.s.s. They're very sweet and lovable. Smart too."

Sarah just stared at Jonathan. "That's just some weird s.h.i.t, Jonathan. Why do you guys tell me this stuff?" She shook her head and walked away.

"What?" He followed behind her to her workshop. "What?"

Kevin couldn't hear him anymore as he rounded the corner. "Good work on the spear fishing," he said, quietly.

Candi smiled shyly. "Thanks. Do you know if we have any open coconuts lying around?"

"No, but I can get you some. We have a pile of rugby b.a.l.l.s over there." He gestured to the pile of coconuts they had gathered from some trees earlier. Jonathan, with his newfound fitness, had become quite adept at shimmying up the coconut palms and pulling the nuts down.

"Okay, I need one broken up coconut and a couple of banana palm leaves. Try to keep the coconut water if you can 'cause I want to use that too."

Kevin was psyched to finally have something new on the menu. "Okay, Chef, coconuts and banana leaves coming right up!"

A short while later he came back and found Candi stoking the fire she had made. He handed her the ingredients, and she set to work arranging them together. "Oh, I also need some salt.w.a.ter, can you get me some?"

He came back a few minutes later with the water and was immediately impressed by what he saw. Candi had taken the fish and laid it in a double layer of banana leaves. Under the fish were broken pieces of coconut with the white meat still attached, facing up. She carefully poured the coconut water that Kevin had saved over the top, and it was resting in the coconut pieces that were slightly concave. She sprinkled a bit of the salt water over the top, then curled the banana leaves over the whole package, handling it very carefully.

"Hand me some of that rope stuff, would you?"

"Sure."

He watched as she tied the package up in several spots, making what looked like a neat, fish-shaped, green birthday present.

"Won't the rope just burn off?"

"Probably, but by the time that happens, maybe the leaves will be dry enough that they'll stay put. Or the fish will be cooked by then. We'll see, this is just an experiment."

Candi gingerly set the fish aside until the fire was going well and the coals were hot. She carefully set the fish over the top of the coals, using two high rocks on either end to suspend the fish above the heat.

"Now we wait about twenty minutes or so. I think."

Kevin and Candi sat there staring at the green package over the fire.

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?" said Kevin, looking up at her.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Candi shot him a winning smile.

"And modest too."

"Maybe not so much, at least not today."

"Hey, you deserve to be proud of yourself. Do you have any idea how sick I am of bananas? I never thought I'd say that. I mean, I used to eat bananas like crazy back home." He paused as he thought about memories that were not as sharp as they had been just a few weeks ago, then continued, "Let's just say that I'm looking forward to eating the catch of the day."

"Well, I hope it cooks okay, because I'm burned out on bananas too."

About fifteen minutes later, Sarah and Jonathan came back around from the other side of the tree, laughing at something Jonathan had said.

Candi smiled and it made Kevin happy just to see it.

Sarah squatted down to admire Candi's handiwork. "Wow, what do we have here? Emeril Laga.s.se in da' hizouse!"

"Hey, that looks really professional, Candi," commended Jonathan. "What's inside? Besides the fish I, mean."

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that."