The Lovers Survivors

4. Searching

"The plane has been found in the middle of the sea. The flight VN2354 heading to the Maldives has been interrupted by an explosion. The rescue team is searching, and there are still no signs of survival."

Leighton's mother sobs again while she watches the TV. She has been waiting for days to hear good news but she has only been hearing the worst. Her physical state worsened once she knew that her son was in that flight. She has been crying day and night. 

Tyler is in a bad state too. He's furious because he can't help his brother, he doesn't have the power to do so. He's also upset because the media have been talking more about the actor than the rest of the passengers. The government is helping too, especially because of him and his rich family.

Everyone is doing everything in order to satisfy his father.

Tyler has had enough of everything. He needs his little brother back, he has to save their mother from dying of sorrow and pain.

His job at the music shop isn't enough to buy his mother's medication. Thankfully, Evelyn has been helping them since Leighton left. She took charge of her medical bills and stayed with her when she had free time.

Leighton has to go back, but everyone is searching for Julian Evans and forgetting about the rest.

He has to do something.

After he closes the shop, he takes the bus and stops at the National Intelligence Service. The agency is in charge of the research and the rescue teams sent to the aircraft zone. He has to talk to them even if it sounds ridiculous to him. They are surely going to reject him in front of the gate, but he has to try anyway.

When he arrives at the building, he gets welcomed by two armed military guards. They ask him to leave, but he refuses. He tells them he wants to see the head chief but they push him outside.

"I need to see him! He has to save my brother!"

The guards point their weapons at him and threaten him to shoot if he doesn't leave the territory.

Some agents pass by, wearing their fancy suits and drinking their coffees peacefully. They look at him with confusion and start laughing with each other. It's probably the state he's in. He's wearing his work clothes and his hair is messy. His eyes are puffy from too much crying.

"I need to talk to the head chief of the search team!" he shouts to catch everyone's attention.

"We warned you!" the military guards push him outside again.

Tyler starts crying and falls on the ground. He's weak and sad for his sick mother and his disappearing brother. "I need to see him."

The guards share a look and nod. They grab his arms strongly, they are ready to throw him on the ground and kick his legs until he understands that he's not wanted in such an important agency when a voice suddenly stopped them.

"Come on gentlemen! That's not how we treat our citizens." the young man crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. He leaves the building and walks slowly to the man on the ground. The guards go back to their position and leave him alone with the intruder.

Tyler lifts his head and sees a black-haired male approach him. He's wearing a fancy black suit and his hair is well styled, making him look very handsome.

He offers his hand and helps him stand up. "One of the passengers is family?"

Tyler nods, "My brother." he replies.

The young agent gives him a sad smile, "You're not the first one to come this week. A lot of families are worried."

"Don't you have any news? Any traces of survival?"

The agent shakes his head, "For the moment, we only found bodies." he sighs, "What's your last name?"

"Pet—, I mean Wright." The agent raises an eyebrow.

"His name is Leighton Wright."

The young man hums and rubs his chin, "I don't think this name is on the list. The teams are still searching."

"Can you please check the list for me? I need to know if my brother is still alive. Please."

The agent smiles and nods. "Follow me inside, please." Tyler does as asked and gets inside.

The agent ignores the employees’ weird looks and guides Tyler to the elevator. He looks at him and sees the worrisome and tiredness on his face.

He offers his handkerchief to wipe his sweat. Tyler mumbles a quiet ‘thank you’.

"What's the name?" the agent asks.

"Leighton Wright."

"No, I meant your name."

Tyler lifts his head and his eyes connect with the agent. "I'm Tyler."

It's raining for the first time since they arrived on the island. The gentle breeze and the quiet wind disappeared and the storm started.

Leighton and Julian are hiding inside a cave, they're watching the droplets of water invade the landscape surrounding them.

Julian, who doesn't like the rain, found himself mesmerised by its beauty.

It's calm around, both are silent and enjoy the relaxing sound of the rain.

Leighton can't stop sighing. The rain reminds him of Evelyn, they used to spend the cold evenings in her living room, cuddling and drinking a warm cup of chocolate while watching the droplets fall from the window.

Those were simple moments, but he enjoyed them a lot. Just having her by his side made him the happiest man on earth.

On the other side, the rain only brings a sad memory to the actor. It reminds him of the day everything had changed for him. The day he lost the person who counted the most for him, the only one who truly cared for him. His brother.

It was a rainy day, all the family gathered in the cemetery to bury the oldest son of Parker Evans and the first heir of Evans Corporation. But he

wasn't only this. He was the kindest and most generous man people have ever known. He was humble around them and always loved to help them.

He was also a loving brother to Julian, he took care of him since their mother gave birth to him. He was the one who spent the most time with him, and the one who was there for him instead of their parents.

Julian looks away to chase the memories out of his mind. Thinking about his brother hurts him a lot more than it should.

"I think we should spend the night here," Leighton interrupts his thoughts. "We can't see anything outside."

"Yeah, I know," Julian sighs. "It's not like we have a place to stay in anyways. We can sleep anywhere, we don't have a home here."

Leighton frowns and crosses his arms, "You're an expert at making the situation even sadder."

"I'm not making it sadder! It already is, it's the reality."

Leighton widens his eyes. He's surprised by Julian's sudden change of tone. He gets up and walks toward him, he squats down to face him and frowns. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Julian looks away and mumbles, "Are you that stupid?" he presses his lips and faces him, "We're in the middle of nowhere, should I keep reminding you? We're on an island, no one knows we're here. We might spend the rest of our life here, and you're still asking me what's wrong," he raises an eyebrow, "Do you think it's some kind of movie? That we're going to do our best to live happily here without concerning ourselves with our past lives?"

Leighton gulps and looks down. Julian’s words hit him harder than they should. He doesn't answer him, he quietly gets away for him and sits in a corner to face the rain again.