Chapter 8

Anyone could tell Scott had stranded Victoria on that deserted island on purpose.

Was he seriously going to say he just fell into the water?

That excuse was so weak that it was almost laughable.

Victoria wasn't stupid. There was no way she'd fall for his nonsense.

Scott knew that after this, Victoria would probably realize he'd been playing her all along.

She'd probably figure out that all those ridiculous things in the past were just more of his lies.

Maybe after this, the way she saw him would be totally ruined.

She probably wouldn't want to be near him anymore.

Just imagining that the girl who'd always been there for him since they were little, always orbiting around him, might leave, Scott felt like his heart was being stabbed with needles.

But none of that really mattered. What mattered was that Victoria, battered and wounded, had been abandoned by him on a wild, untouched island.

Scott was pretty sure there weren't any man-eating monsters lurking out there.

But the place was swarming with mosquitoes, and there was a good chance snakes could show up.

Victoria was absolutely terrified of snakes. What if she actually ran into one?

Would she try to run? If she did, her stitches might tear open after just a few steps, and she could end up bleeding out right there.

A rush of awful thoughts flooded Scott's mind.

An uneasy feeling gnawed at him. He just knew something bad might happen to Victoria.

But he'd promised Katie he'd leave Victoria on that island for a night, as punishment.

Katie had promised Victoria that after today, she wouldn't mess with her anymore.

Scott's heart was in knots.

He let out a long sigh, staring out the window at the moon. He just wanted the night to be over already.

As soon as the sun came up, he'd rush to pick her up.

Scott sat on the edge of the bed, smoking one cigarette after another, anxiety gnawing at him.

For Scott, this night felt endless.

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, Scott couldn't wait any longer. He bolted out the door.

He floored it in his car all the way to the shore, then gunned the yacht at full speed, heading straight for the island.

But as he got closer, Scott didn't see Victoria anywhere on the shore.

He'd told her to wait for him there, and Victoria always did what he said, so why wasn't she there?

A bad feeling suddenly washed over Scott.

Scott felt a wave of anxiety. 'No way, it can't be. Did Victoria really run into a snake like I was afraid of last night?' he thought.

Scott muttered to himself, "No, no. Victoria's always had good luck. She wouldn't get into trouble that easily."

Scott called out anxiously, "Victoria! Victoria! I'm here to take you home. Where are you?"

But by now, Victoria had already taken off with Romeo Barrett, so of course, no one answered him.

Scott called out a few more times, but still, there was no response.

Scott totally freaked out for a second. He just stood there, completely lost and helpless.

He forced himself to calm down, trying to convince himself that Victoria was okay. The most likely thing was that she'd just fainted somewhere from exhaustion.

The island wasn't that huge anyway. If he just kept searching, he was bound to find Victoria. She was going to be alright.

Scott was muttering to himself, trying to stay calm, when suddenly he heard a rustling noise coming from the trees nearby.

Scott was startled and excited. Maybe Victoria had heard him and was coming his way.

Grinning, Scott called out as he moved closer, "Victoria!"

But instead of Victoria, a pack of wolves suddenly burst out of the trees.

Scott's brain short-circuited the instant he saw the wolves.

Scott wasn't frozen by fear, but by the thought that Victoria had spent the whole night out here, with wolves on the island.

Scott's face went ghostly pale.

He stood there, rooted to the spot, his mind racing with just one question: was Victoria still alive?

Scott couldn't tear his eyes away from the wolves. Maybe he was seeing things, but it looked like there was blood on their jaws.

Scott's eyes went wide and red as he yelled, "Victoria! Where are you? Where are you?"

No matter how much he shouted, there was no sign of Victoria. She wasn't coming, no matter what.

All he managed to do was attract the wolves, who suddenly charged straight at him.

Scott was frozen in place, with only one thought racing through his mind: he had to find Victoria.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Scott from behind and hauled him back with all their strength.

One of his buddies yelled, "Scott, the wolves are here! Why are you just standing there? Move it!"

By the time Scott came to his senses, his two friends had already dragged him back onto the yacht.

Scott watched as the island faded into the distance, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Victoria's still out there! I have to save her! I have to save her!"

He was about to dive straight into the water, but his buddies grabbed him and held him back. "Scott, don't be crazy! There are wolves out there. Even a bunch of grown men like us wouldn't last a minute against them."