After his painful encounter with Hilde, Duo decided to talk a walk along the beach to clear his head. He left out his back door and welcomed the salty air of his backyard.
After the Eve wars and after he joined the Preventors, Duo had found a nice summer place on the beaches of Jupiter, Florida. It was a small town an hour outside of Orlando. He had the beach in his backyard, and the fresh air was a welcome change from the stiff air of the colonies. He had always admired the beauty of the earth, and the way the sun reflected off the water when it rose and set.
He set off from his house towards the private, less walked-on, part of the beach. People didn’t like to go down there because the sand was rocky and infested with crabs and dried-up jellyfish that hurt like smeg when you stepped on them. And treacherous rocks lay just below the surface of the water.
He never minded the rocks or the crabs or the jellyfish. He liked the time he had alone to think. Besides, he didn’t want to face any happy couples taking walks along the beach to see the sunset.
Duo took off his shoes and dragged his feet as he slunk down the beach, letting the waves lap around his feet and pulled at his ankles. He was so caught up in self-pity that he didn’t notice the girl lying with her face down in the sand until he almost stepped on her.
Duo looked up just in time to see a young girl, about his age, with blonde hair down to her knees lying half in the water, the waves pulling at her body and trying to suck her back in.
"Oh my…" Duo ran to the girl and rolled her onto her back so he could check out her condition.
Duo saw that her blonde hair was in tangles and was dry and cracking from the salt water. Her face, legs and arms as well as any other exposed sink was covered in bruises and cuts, and she had pretty nice rashes on her arms and legs as well. She was probably flipped by a wave and dragged along the sand and rocks. Her face and limbs were stuck with sand and dirt clung to her sticky blood and wet skin.
What really struck Duo as odd was her clothing. Her extremely short skirt and top were made out of fur, animal fur. The top was short and just barely covered her breasts. Her skirt was down to about just above her mid-thigh and was also made of fur. They were held together with rough thread made of tree bark. The stitches were uneven and crude, and the holes were too big. The skirt was held up around her waist by a thicker rope sewn into the top seam of her skirt and was tied tightly. Tucked into her skirt was a small pocketknife and clutched in one hand was a black book.
Duo could see the wreckage of some sort of boat or craft around her, and a few broken clay pots and other supplies. It looked as if the girl had been trying to survive on the ocean waves.
But he had no time to think about that. He checked her pulse and discovered that it was weak. Without thinking, he began CPR. He continued with the emergency revival technique until the girl coughed up the water from her lungs. She sat up with Duo’s help and coughed until she couldn’t cough anymore. She looked up at Duo with tired, ocean-green eyes and looked as if she was about to say something, but then she passed out.
Duo quickly picked her up and began carrying her towards his house. He almost broke into a run as he got close. He opened the back door carefully so he wouldn’t drop her and quickly lay her on his bed. He pulled the blankets over her and immediately put on a kettle to boil water. She would need something warm to drink when she woke up.
He inspected her closely again, and removed the knife from her waist and placed it on the nightstand next to his bed. Then he saw that she was still clutching the small, black book in her hands.
He moved to grab it, and tried to pry it out of her hands. When he finally succeeded, the girl’s hands twitched, as if looking for it.
Her brow creased in concentration and she moaned and slowly tried to open her eyes. Duo leaned over her in anticipation, checking to make sure she was all right.
Suddenly, and without warning, the girl jumped out of the bed and grabbed him and flung him against the wall. Her hand reached for her knife, but it wasn’t there. Duo was glad he had taken it or he would be in trouble.
Her eyes flashed with pure, animal instinct, and on her face was a nasty snarl.
"Its OK!" Duo said, trying to hide the surprise in his voice. "I’m not gonna hurt you."
The girl’s face softened and she looked him over. A look of confusion crossed her face. She reached up her hand and ran it carefully over the curve of his jaw and down his shoulder, looking at him curiously, as if making sure he was real.
Then, a wide grin spread across her face and she threw herself into Duo’s arms and hugged him tightly. She started laughing so hard her body shook and tears streamed down her face.
Duo hesitantly put an arm on her back and said, "Can you please stop choking me?"
The girl pulled herself from him and looked him over.
"Are you really here?" She asked, still smiling.
"Yes…" Duo said slowly, if anything, this girl was strange.
"Promise?" She asked.
"Promise," He said, still skeptical of the girl’s reaction to him.
"I’m not on that island anymore?" She continued, a bright glint flickering in her eyes.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Said Duo "This isn’t an island, it a peninsula."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I’m sure! And Duo Maxwell never tells a lie."
"YES!" The girl threw herself at him once again, this time hugging him harder than before.
"Ok, OK!" He laughed. He pulled the girl off him and smiled. "You’re pretty strange," He said. "Do you feel OK?"
"I feel great." She laughed and looked around his summer home. "Wow," She gasped, as if she were looking at the huge mansion filled with expensive and beautiful things.
In reality, although his summerhouse was nice, it wasn’t what you would call really impressive.
The house was basically only one floor that was as high as two floors. There was a door on one end and a curved wall of windows right across from it. Against the windows was his bedroom area, with a bed, dresser, and nightstand. In the middle was a living room area, with his couch and TV. And near the front, close to the door, was his dining room table. To the left of the front door was the kitchen, and to the right of the front door near his bedroom was the bathroom. There were also a set of double-doors to the left of the windows that led to his back porch and the beach.
The windows had a great view of the beach, and you could always watch the sunset from them.
She turned her head and looked out the windows, where the sun was started to set over the ocean.
"Can I ask you something?" Duo asked, after a moment.
"Yeah?"
"Who are you?"
"Who am I?" The girl thought for a moment and turned back to the windows. She shifted so she was sitting with her legs under her. She hung her head, and it seemed to Duo as if she was trying to ignore his question.
"Hello-oooo," Duo said, sounding annoyed.
"Hold on!" She snapped, and then she groaned. She creased her forehead in thought and then said very quietly, "Sophie,"
"What?"
"Sophie," She repeated, this time looking at him. Her eyes were sad again; as if hearing her own name brought back terrible memories. "That’s what my mom always called me," She looked down at her knees.
"Your mother?" Duo asked, urging her to keep talking.
Sophie nodded.
"Where is she? Maybe we can get you back to her. How did you end up on that beach anyway?"
Sophie closed her eyes tightly and a few tears escaped from where they were building up.
"If you don’t wanna talk about it, I’ll understand." Duo said comfortingly.
"No," She shook her head roughly. "My mother’s dead. I’ll never ever see her again."
"Oh," Duo couldn’t think of anything else to say. "When did she die?"
"Nine years ago."
"Nine years?" Duo was surprised. Usually people were over deaths by then. Even if it was someone close to them.
"Well, my mom died when I was born. So did my dad. No reason to cry about things in the past." Duo said cheerfully.
"You don’t get it," Sophie said bitterly.
"What don’t I get? You guys must have been pretty close."
"We were, she’s the reason I’m still alive."
"Hun?"
Sophie looked up at him with tear filled eyes, but there was something else there: innocence. It was if she had a willingness, or even a longing to share her entire life with the first person she met. It was like she was a child who trusted even a strange man that was coaxing her to get into the car with him. Duo could tell she wanted to tell him something, but was having a hard time getting it out.
"So what happened?"
"Hun?"
"What happened to you? Something must have happened for you to end up washed up on the beach dressed like a cave-girl."
Sophie giggled and looked down at her clothes. "I’m not that good at making clothes," She admitted, "But neither was my mother, and she taught me."
Sophie laughed as if remembering something funny that had happened. "She taught me everything worth knowing." She paused for a long while before deciding to start at the beginning.
"When I was eight, my parents and I were on and airplane an it crashed into the ocean."
"Was that how she died?" Duo asked.
Sophie shook her head. "That was how my dad died. So did everyone else. But me and my mom lived and we got to this tiny little island. For a long time we tried to get help, but no one ever came that way. We didn’t know how close we were to people, and my mom was already sick before we left on the airplane. She died a year later. Before she died she made me promise that I would get off and find our family."
"And you’ve spent the last nine years on an island by yourself?" Duo finished for her. Sophie nodded.
"That’s intense," Duo sighed.
"Do you believe me?" She asked.
"Of course I do. I even believe in Santa Claus!" He laughed. "Maybe that’s my problem. I’m too trusting." His thoughts turned bitterly to how Hilde had dumped him the day before.
"Why is that a problem?" Sophie asked, confused.
"Never mind," Duo sighed. He jumped up and went to the kitchen and brought her some tea. "Drink this," He said. "It’ll make you feel a bit better."
"T-thank you," Sophie said, as she tentatively took the cup. She took a few small sips and smiled. "You don’t know how happy I am to have found someone as nice as you."
Duo blushed, "Yeah well," He laughed nervously. "You should get some rest." He announced.
"I’m not sleepy anymore."
"Too bad," Duo smirked. "Sleep will help you heal. Besides, you look pretty tired."
"I do?" Sophie looked at herself and sighed. "I don’t feel tired."
Duo groaned and then said, "Fine, are you hungry?"
Sophie looked up at him and nodded furiously. "Yeah, I’m starved."
Duo nodded, "Fine, I’ll make you something to eat, OK? We can talk later."
Sophie nodded and lay down on the bed once again, staring out the window at the ocean. The waves were lapping peacefully against the shore, and the sun cast multi-colored light across its surface. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It looked calm and serene. From the island, the sunset was always wild and exotic, and taunting at times. Its light reached the far reaches of the world, and Sophie was stuck. It made the world seem almost alien when wild purples and pinks were cast across the sky.
It was strange how different things seemed now that she was back with civilization. Back where she belonged.
Duo came back with some soup for her, and she grabbed the bowl greedily, not bothering with the spoon.
"Man," He chuckled, "You really have been on an island for ten years, haven’t you? Have you forgotten how to use a spoon?"
"Never bothered with spoons," She answered as she wiped her mouth. "Too hard to make, we only had one."
"You never made more?"
"Why would I?"
Duo shrugged, "Maybe that was a bad question." He stared at her for a moment. "Do you know where any of your family is?"
Sophie shook her head again. "I don’t even remember most of their names. I don’t ever remember my last name." She laughed and took another sip of her soup, slurping up the vegetables. Duo seemed almost amused as she ate.
"What?" She asked.
"You need to use a spoon." He said, shoving the utensil at her. Sophie took it hesitantly and shakily scooped up some food with it. She really wasn’t very good with a spoon.
"When was the last time you actually ate like a human being?" Duo asked.
"Hun?"
"Just asking…" He looked her over and then got up and started rummaging through his drawers.
"What are you doing?" Sophie asked from her soup bowl.
"Finding you some clothes." Duo answered. He pulled out one of his old tee shirts and some shorts. They might fit her. He wondered if Hilde had ever left anything at his house. He searched again but didn’t find anything. Hilde had cleverly taken all her stuff out of his place before she broke up with him. She must have been planning on breaking up with him for a while because of this other guy. Which probably meant... He stopped when he thought of Hilde and that other guy. The pain was still fresh. He could remember clearly what she had said.
"You’re one of the nicest, sweetest guys I’ve ever met…"
And then she went and broke the heart of one of the nicest, sweetest guys she had ever met. How could she do that to him?
"What’s wrong?" Sophie asked from the bed.
"Hm? Nothing," He answered. Sophie didn’t look like she believed him, but she didn’t push the subject.
"Here," Duo said, putting on a smile and tossing the clothes to her. "I don’t know if they’ll fit you, they’re mine, but you might as well change, and take a shower.
"A-a shower?"
"Yeah, you know, like to clean yourself."
"Oh, like a bath,"
"Yeah sure, like a bath under a waterfall." He laughed. "When you’re done I’ll show you to the bathroom."
"I’m done now," She said.
"Oh, well then, follow me." Sophie stood up and followed him to the bathroom. Duo quickly explained how to work the shower and the shampoo/conditioner and then left her alone. He sat on his couch and turned on his TV. After a minute he heard the shower running. After that he heard "AH! HOT!" Then "AH! COLD!"
Duo chuckled to himself and waited to see if she had figured it out. He didn’t hear anything else from her so he settled onto the couch and flipped through channels until she was done.
