Episode 2 (Serena Season 2)

Another moment of awkward silence passes before the woman smiles.

She holds out her hand to shake and I take it, even though I'm still reeling from shock.

???: "I was about to ask you the same thing."

???: "I'm Olivia."

MC: "Uh, ."

MC: "And this is--"

A rustling sound behind me makes me whirl around,

but it's only Serena, trying to pry a sharpened stick out of the ground.

She stops when our eyes meet, and my jaw drops a little.

MC: "Serena! She's not hostile."

Serena: "That remains to be seen."

Olivia: "I'm empty-handed, I promise."

Serena narrows her eyes in displeasure but lets the stick drop anyway, crossing her arms.

(Okay, that's one crisis averted.)

MC: "How--"

MC: "God, I have so many questions."

MC: "How did you get here?"

MC: "Are you by yourself? Did you just get shipwrecked?"

Olivia: "Well, I walked here."

Olivia: "I was just out looking for some edible plants."

Olivia: "Although if you mean how I got to the island, that's a whole other story."

Olivia: "How did you get here?"

MC: "A world-ending storm kind of threw our ship on the beach and smashed it in half."

Olivia: "Ouch."

The sympathy in her smile is nice to see,

and the spike of anxiety that had run through me at the sight of seeing a stranger here,

is being replaced by a warm glow of excitement.

(There's more people here!)

(If we're really not alone, we can probably work together to get off this island.)

Serena: "You haven't really answered her questions."

Olivia: "I'm sorry."

Olivia: "My own curiosity is getting the better of me."

Olivia: "I've been here for a while."

Olivia: "I'm a doctor, actually, so my skills have come in handy."

MC: "Wow, you too?"

(If there's a correlation between hot doctors and being stranded on islands,)

(television has a lot more truth to it than I realized.)

Olivia laughs softly, taking a step forward and looking me right in the eyes.

Olivia: "Do I have medical school company here? That would be a first."

Serena: "I'm the doctor."

The ice in Serena's voice clearly catches her off-guard,

but she recovers with a small smile.

Olivia: "Oh."

Olivia: "You wouldn't happen to be a surgeon, would you?"

Olivia: "Because that's an area I'm really not skilled in."

Serena: "No, I'm a general practitioner."

Serena: "What exactly put you on a ship close enough to be wrecked here? Doctors Without Borders?"

Olivia: "Hah, I wish."

Olivia: "I was just on vacation."

Olivia: "Is it just the two of you together out here?"

MC: "No, there's six of us. We're staying at a resort nearby."

Olivia: "A resort?"

Olivia: "God, if that's been there the whole time, I'm going to feel silly."

Serena: "It's been there for years, if the wear and tear is any indication."

MC: "Do you want to come back and see it with us? We were just getting breakfast together."

Serena: "We do still need to do that."

Olivia: "I'd be happy to help you carry a load of that fruit up to the resort if you want the help."

MC: "That'd be great."

MC: "And I'm sure everyone else would love to meet you."

MC: "It's just been us for a while."

(Not that I don't like hanging with the guys, but a new face is super exciting.)

(I bet they'll all be hype.)

Serena doesn't look very excited herself, but I know how she is around strangers.

It might take some time for her to warm up to Olivia,

but I can't see a drawback to there being more than one doctor around.

(It will give her a break from doing so much work.)

(Then Serena and I can spend more time together...)

Serena: "."

MC: "Uh, what?"

Serena: "You were staring into space."

A. Tell Serena you were thinking about her.

B. Stay silent.

---

B. Stay silent.

MC: "Oh, sorry!"

I give Serena a smile and wave her concern away with a flick of my wrist.

MC: "I was just spacing out. Don't worry about me."

Serena tilts her head curiously at me, and I catch the ghost of a smile on her mouth.

(What is she thinking about?)

Serena: "Okay."

---

She fondly runs a finger down my cheek and I blush,

my attempt to steal a kis waylaid by a handful of mangoes being dropped into my arms.

Serena: "Later. Let's get back and eat."

I'm too hungry and too excited to try and argue, but I file away the promise in the back of my mind.

The walk back is uneventful,

but we don't make it more than a foot past the door before Logan pops up from the couch,

almost dropping the controller in his hands when he sees us.

Hope buzzes happily next to his shoulder, letting out curious little beeps.

Logan: "Didn't you two just leave for fruit?"

Logan: "How'd you come back with a third person?"

MC: "Blood magic."

Serena: "You see, Logan, when two people love each other very much--"

Serena and I look at each other and share a snicker, leaving Logan flustered.

Logan: "Can I at least get her name before you roast me?"

Olivia: "Hi, Logan. I'm Olivia."

Footsteps carry from the kitchen as Clyde and Arthur appear,

deep in a conversation that grinds to a halt the second they step into the living room.

Clyde: "You-- wait a second."

Arthur: "We do seem to be one over headcount."

MC: "This is Olivia! She's a doctor."

TK: "A w--"

I turn and see TK at the top of the steps, staring at all of us with his camera between his hands.

TK: "A doctor?"

Olivia: "They did give me my license, promise."

TK: "Well, sweet. Now we've got two."

Serena: "That doesn't mean y ou have permission to throw yourself off a cliff any time soon."

Clyde: "Roger that."

Clyde: "But you look like you're in good shape, Olivia."

Olivia: "You mean I don't look like I just washed up on shore?"

Clyde: "Aye."

Olivia: "That's because I've been here for quite a while."

Arthur: "Really? On this part of the island?"

Olivia: "No. I just wandered over this way because I was hunting down some plants."

Olivia: "Usually I don't go this far, but I wasn't having any luck."

Serena: "With no way to protect yourself? Isn't that risky?"

Olivia: "I've learned that this island has as many benefits as it does risks."

Serena's tight frown looks even more displeased than before,

and I slip my hand into hers, offering a light squeeze.

Her thumb idly circles over mine, welcoming the contact, but Serena's expression stays frozen.

TK: "So you've been surviving here all by yourself?"

Olivia: "Oh, no way."

Olivia: "There's a village here."

Olivia: "...None of you have ever seen it?"

(Wait, seriously?)

A. "We thought the island was empty."

B. "I knew people still had to be here."

C. "How is that possible?"

---

C. "How is that possible?"

MC: "No, we haven't."

MC: "How's that possible?"

MC: "Unless this place is a lot bigger than I thought it was."

(But she was close enough to walk here.)

---

Clyde: "How many people are we talking here?"

Olivia: "Quite a few."

Olivia: "The village has been around a lot longer than I have."

Olivia: "I'd love to take you over there."

Olivia: "Angelo's the guy in charge, but he's super welcoming."

Arthur: "It wouldn't be too much trouble?"

Arthur: "I imagine resources are still a concern."

Olivia: "We do a good job of keeping a surplus."

Olivia: "No one's going to starve any time soon."

Logan: "Then we should check it out."

Logan: "This resort is a little shabby."

TK: "That's one way to put it."

TK: "I still have to make sure my pillow isn't growing mold."

Olivia smiles wide, her eyes locking right on mine.

Excitement bubbles up in my chest, and I can't help smiling back.

(If there's a whole village out there, it might change everything.)

Serena: "You need to eat first, ."

MC: "Oh, right."

Clyde: "No hiking on an empty stomach."

Olivia: "Nothing to worry about there."

Olivia: "We've got mangoes for days."

The guys grin, moving to help us carry the fruit into the kitchen.

(I think this is the best day I've had in ages.)

Clyde and Serena lead everyone in packing up the essentials so we can get walking.

Olivia warned that there would be a bit of mountain climbing to do,

but that it was early enough in the day to get there before nightfall.

(If we had gone over the mountain range while trying to find clean water,)

(would the village have been right there?)

Serena and I make up the back line,

while Olivia holds the front with Arthur, giving directions while they chat back and forth.

More than anything, he seems excited about getting to see more of the island.

MC: "It's a good thing you wanted to find more fruit, huh?"

MC: "If we had even gone an hour later, we might have missed her entirely."

Serena: "That also means it's a good thing we stayed in bed so long."

MC: "True."

MC: "Not that I'd ever complain about that with you."

A little smile quirks at the corner of her mouth and I count that as a victory.

Serena's mood seems a bit better as we start hiking up over the mountains,

even if she never says another word to Olivia.

Olivia: "Okay, just climb down this ledge and we'll be close."

Olivia: "It's right through the trees!"

When she says trees, I'm looking down at the ground,

only to stare in shock as a copse full of treehouses come into view,

chained together by long bridges of wood and rope.

Everything is lush but clean, built by skilled hands.

Clyde: "Bloody hell."

Logan: "You've got to be fuckin' with me."

Olivia: "Beautiful, isn't it? Come on, I'll take you to meet Angelo."

Olivia leads us up a ladder and to the web of bridges,

and several people poke their heads out of doorways as we pass,

looking surprised by offering waves and smiles.

The last house she leads us to is larger than the rest, and Olivia taps a quick knock on the door.

???: "The door's open!"

The voice that answers is warm and kind, but the person I first see is a tall, impressively muscular man.

If I had to guess, I'd say he was more than a decade older than Clyde, but it's hard to tell.

Olivia: "Hey, Angelo."

Angelo: "Olivia."

Angelo: "I see you brought company."

???: "Dad, who is it?"

Angelo: "Guests, Leilani. Come out and say hi."

A younger woman with bouncy brown curls appears from the other room, smiling the second she sees us.

Leilani: "New folks, huh? It's been a while."

Olivia: "They were shipwrecked."

Angelo: "Not an uncommon story here."

Angelo: "Almost everyone was stranded on the island somehow."

Arthur: "And the others?"

Angelo: "We were born here."

Angelo: "Were born here."

Serena: "She's what, in her twenties? You've been on the island that long?"

Angelo: "I've made it my home."

TK: "Being stuck here long enough to start a family."

TK: "Never thought about that."

(I hadn't either.)

(We struggled with our first few weeks on the island, and this guy's been here for decades...)

Olivia: "They were staying in a resort together, Angelo,"

Olivia: "but I thought we might be able to offer some better hospitality."

Angelo: "Of course."

Angelo: "We've got plenty of space."

Clyde: "That's mighty generous of you."

Angelo: "We haven't gotten this far by turning away friendly faces."

A. "Can we really stay here?"

B. "This is a lot to take in."

C. "Serena, what do you think?"

---

B. "This is a lot to take in."

MC: "This is a lot to take in."

MC: "I didn't even know this place was here a few hours ago."

<p style="text-align:center;">---

Leilani: "I keep telling my dad we should find a way to put some sort of signal beacon out."

Leilani: "That way people who get stranded here know right where to go."

Our whole group starts chatting, only to be interruptedby a faint knock at the door.

An older woman comes into view and Angelo welcomes her with open arms.

Angelo: "Kiyoe! It's good to see you."

Olivia: "Are your joints feeling alright, Kiyoe? I was going to check on you today."

Kiyoe: "Oh, I'm fine, Olivia."

Kiyoe: "Your treatment has done wonders."

(I'm sure glad we have so many doctors around.)

Kiyoe: "But I won't keep you from your new guests."

Angelo: "I was just going to show them one of the empty houses."

Angelo: "Please, stay."

Angelo: "Give your feet a rest a while."

Leilani: "I'll get you something to drink, Kiyoe."

The two of them head into another room with Olivia, and Angelo escorts the rest of us out of the house.

As the sun starts to set,

it filters through the trees and casts everything in a beautiful light like nothing I've ever seen.