Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



"Ouch!" Eileen exclaimed as she slapped Egbert's hand away for the third time, leaving his skin flushed and tender.

Egbert finally released her, and Eileen straightened up, her eyes blazing as she confronted him. "What the hell, Egbert?"

Egbert arched an eyebrow, then glanced back at Hobson and Sylvia, who stood by innocently with their hands raised in defense.

Sylvia protested, "Hey, we're just friends here!"

Egbert said, “But we're not friends, and we're lo..."

Before Egbert could finish his sentence, Eileen's hand clamped over his mouth, stifling his words. She glared at him, and he couldn't help but laugh, which only earned him another smack on the arm. "Stop your hugging and cuddling! You're giving him ideas! This guy's rotten to the core!" Eileen turned to Egbert with a command. "Get our supplies sorted out, now!"

He chuckled and dutifully bent down to organize their things, while Hobson and Sylvia exchanged looks that said, "Wow, she really knows how to handle him."

Later, dinner was a modest affair-just some stir-fried greens and a variety of fruits, no main course. It was enough to fill them up somewhat, but not Eileen. She felt barely a quarter full.

That night, Eileen and Sylvia slept in a makeshift shelter about the size of a tent. It was wrapped in banana leaves, leaving it quite breezy due to the gaps between the leaves.

Looking at those slits, Eileen had a brainwave. She handed her blanket to Sylvia, suggesting, "You should get some sleep."

A bit sheepishly, Sylvia said, "Let's share it, alright?"

Dismissing the offer nonchalantly, Eileen said, "I'm pulling an all-nighter anyway, you go ahead and sleep."

With that, she stepped out of the tent and took a seat next to the campfire, plonking herself down beside Egbert and asking,, "Are we going to stay here for the next few days?"

"There are no caves on this island," Egbert replied after a moment, dashing her hopes of finding a more comfortable shelter.

Eileen's gaze flitted between the dilapidated shelters and Egbert. She let out a sigh and made a decision. "Tomorrow, you're on food duty. I'll whittle a spear for fishing. I'm going to build a better place to live. I can't stand these shacks."

Egbert just looked at her, bemused.

Meanwhile, Aurora was on the brink of collapse from dehydration, her lips cracked and her body slumped on a rock under the punishing sun. "Aurora!" called Calvert, rushing toward her with a handful of wild berries.

She took a bite and immediately spat it out, grimacing from the sour and bitter taste. "These are horrible!" she protested.

Calvert, after taking a reluctant bite and grimacing himself, advised, "Just eat it without tasting. It's all we have."

Refusing to give up, Aurora wept with frustration, "Why is the crew doing this to us..."

As they struggled, they heard a surprised voice, "Mr. Calvert, Ms. Bell?" It was Hobson, looking rugged with rolled-up pants and a straw hat. He hurried over with his hands full.

Seeing their forlorn state, Hobson crouched down and asked, "What happened to you guys? You've been okay these past couple days?"

Calvert and Aurora, with their dark circles and sunburnt skin, could hardly believe their luck. Hobson, who seemed to be managing just fine, might just be their ticket to a better situation on this unforgiving island adventure.

Calvert put on a bitter smile and shook his head.

Seeing them this way, Hobson didn't feel it was his place to pry. He quickly pulled out a flask from his belt and handed it to Aurora, saying, "Ms. Bell, your lips are all cracked. Have some water first."

Aurora snatched the flask with a look of desperation and gulped down the water as if her life depended on it.

Calvert watched her drink, his throat bobbing, desperately swallowing his own saliva.

Hobson hurriedly dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of juicy berries, "Try these, they're sweet and full of juice."

Calvert had seen these berries before but wasn't sure if they were safe to eat, and without any hints from the crew, he had been reluctant to try them. Now, encouraged by Hobson, he eagerly devoured them.

Once Aurora and Calvert had regained some strength, Hobson looked at them pitifully and said, "You two haven't eaten or drunk anything for days, camping out in the wilderness? That won't do. Why don't you come back with me? The rest of us are together; you should join us for some support."

Calvert blurted out an agreement, but Aurora, clutching the flask, immediately said, "I'm not going!"

Calvert sighed as he looked at her.

Aurora was adamant. No meant no!

Hobson, thinking about the seafood in his basket that couldn't stay in the sun too long, hesitated before offering, "If you change your mind, just follow this path for about half an hour without turning, and you'll find us."

Calvert and Aurora said nothing.

With no other choice, Hobson walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Calvert looked at Aurora and suggested again, "Maybe we should give up?"

"No!" Aurora bit her lip stubbornly, then after a moment, she closed her eyes, stood up, and said, "Let's go see. Even if they're living better than us, it can't be by much. I want to see Eileen's miserable face. Once I see that, I'm out!"

Calvert thought she had lost her mind.

An hour later, following the direction Hobson had indicated, Calvert and Aurora arrived deeper into the jungle. But they still couldn't find the large group Hobson had mentioned...

They walked a bit further and suddenly, from beyond a cluster of trees, they heard Sylvia's voice, "I don't want fish tonight, maybe crabs? Mr. Hobson, how many did you bring back?"

They then heard Hobson reply, "Only set two traps last night, didn't catch much, just three crabs and seven or eight shrimp."

Sylvia suggested, "Oh, shrimp? How about we do a simple grill?"

"No!" Eileen's cool voice chimed in, "Save the shrimp for marinating. Mr. Reed wants marinated shrimp!"

"Mr. Reed again!" Sylvia complained.

Hobson tried to smooth things over, "Marinated is good too, Sylvia, don't pout. What about the strawberries from yesterday? Have some of those."

Sylvia exploded, "There are no strawberries left! Eileen turned them all into jam, saying Mr. Reed likes his jam on toasted oatcakes!"

Hobson, caught off-guard, could only chuckle awkwardly, "No worries, next time we find wild strawberries, they're all yours."

Sylvia muttered sulkily, "I'll believe it when I see it!"

Aurora, confounded, parted a banana leaf.

And there, in the dense forest shadow near a rock face, was something astonishing... a castle?

The square structure, built against the mountain, had wooden frames and was covered with banana leaves. Apparently, deeming the leaves not secure enough, a layer of mixed mud was pressed over them.

The hardened mud, baked and solid, shielded against wind and rain, and through the barely visible door gap, one could see soft grass mats and thick blankets inside. The spacious and sturdy house, with its orderly front yard, conveyed a sense of peace.

There was a campfire, a wooden rack, trees laden with veggies and smoked fish! And on a large rock nearby lay an array of dried fruits.

Aurora spotted Eileen amid the crowd.

Eileen was holding a bunch of leaves, busily engaged in some task.

Egbert sat beside her, a serene man, occasionally picking up a dried fruit and tenderly feeding it to the girl next to him.

Eileen accepted the fruit with natural grace, not even looking up as she ate.

Aurora, her face growing pale, grabbed a banana leaf, feeling her features twist.

Eileen, munching on a piece of fruit, suddenly looked up.

Her gaze swept forward, and she immediately saw the uninvited guests.

Leaning back with an air of surprise, Eileen casually remarked, "Well, well, if it isn't some unexpected visitors."

Caught off guard, Aurora flung off Calvert's supporting hand and walked straight towards the group.noveldrama

Sylvia and Hobson were taken aback to see Calvert and Aurora, and even Egbert glanced over briefly before returning to feed Eileen another piece of fruit.

Eileen accepted it naturally, and this scene was the final straw for Aurora.

She rushed over, grabbed a piece of dried fruit from the rock, and shoved it into her mouth.

Eileen blinked in surprise and then narrowed her eyes.

Aurora glanced at Eileen, tossed away the remaining fruit, and stepped onto a rock, reaching for a piece of smoked fish.

Like a madwoman, she opened her mouth to take a bite.

But before she could taste a morsel, a sharp "slap" sounded, and her cheek stung from a sudden strike.

In shock, Aurora looked up to see Eileen before her.

Eileen tossed the fish to the ground, dusted off her hands, and with a cold voice said, "Here's a little life lesson for you, Ms. Bell. You can tell a lot about a person's character from their palms. For instance, when my palm lands on your face without a second thought, it means I have a short fuse. You dare to touch my stuff? Are you tired of living?"