Part 122: I Never

Seth and Shanna stayed closed together as they followed Kate and Sawyer into the jungle. For some insane reason, the southern man had a vendetta he needed to settle with a boar. He was trying to track it but came up short. Kate volunteered to help by tracking the boar for him in exchange for “carte blanche”. From what the two friends could gather, is that Sawyer made his business on the island in the Trade Franchise. He horded the bulk of the useful items on the island and whatever you wanted, you would have to come up with something to trade it with. Kinda petty in Seth’s opinion but this group was nothing like the group he came from.

Night had settled in. Sawyer built them a fire, the sat down. Shanna laid out her sleeping bag and settled in for the night. Kate used her backpack as a backrest. Seth shifted his backpack over to his right side, and sat cross-legged. Sawyer then began to look through his bag, looking over at the young bookstore working. “So, where you from, Boy?” he asked in his heavy southern accent.

“California,” Seth sighed, “You?”

“Tennessee.” Sawyer said proudly.

“What would a man from Tennessee be doing in Australia?”

“I was . . .looking for something.” He said, enigmatically.

“Aren’t we all?” Kate smirked.

Sawyer smiled, rolling his eyes. He then got out a small bottle of alcohol from his backpack. He ripped open the seal cap and began to drink. Seth blinked; wondering how he got that bottle when they were desperately needing it on their side of the island a few weeks ago. Even Kate seemed thrown back by the fact that he had it. “Where did you get that?” she asked.

“Plane.” Sawyer replied as if it was painfully obvious.

“Jack was looking for the liquor cart.” She mentioned.

“Good thing I found it first.” He chuckled, drinking his bottle.

“Got any more of those?” Kate asked with a sly grin.

“I got more of everything,” Sawyer grinned back at her, “But you ain’t got carte blanche yet.”

“Is that a no?”

Sawyer stared at her for a second. He smiled and then tossed her a bottle. “Okay, Sassafras,” he muttered, “But if you want to drink, you got to play.”

“Play what?” Kate asked.

“I Never.” He replied.

“What?” she asked confused.

“I Never.” He replied again.

Seth lowered his head and chuckled to himself. Sawyer looked to Kate and pointed at the bookstore worker, implying he knew what it meant. Shanna was just leaning back, smiling; enjoying the show presented before her. Kate held out her hands, “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

“Call it a way to get to know each other better,” Sawyer explained, “For example, I know you never been to college.”

“How would you know that?”

“Cause if you had, “ Seth smiled, “You would have heard of I Never.”

Sawyer snapped his fingers at Seth, signaling he was correct. He then began to explain the rules, “It’s simple. You say I Never, and then you finish the sentence. If it’s something you did; you drink. If it’s something you didn’t do; you don’t drink.”

“That makes absolutely no sense.” Kate giggled.

“I agreed.” Shanna replied.

“Learn by an example, “Sawyer smiled, “I will say I never kissed a man. Now, Freckles, you drink because you have kissed a man. Savvy?”

Kate took a small swig of her drink. She smiled and sat down, looking at Shanna and Seth. “What about them?” she asked Sawyer.

“What about them?” he replied.

“Oh, c’mon, Sawyer! If this stupid little game is to get to know each other better, then THEY should definitely be apart of this.”

“Would love to, sugar but my charity only goes so far.” He grinned.

Seth smirked. He then clapped his hands, and rubbed them together to create a little bit of friction. “Okay, Sawyer, “he said, “I can see where this needs to go. I’ll make you a deal for a bottle of whiskey there.”

“What kinda deal, surf-boy?” he asked.

“You give me a bottle of that booze if I can guess what type of music you like.”

“Oh, this should be good.” Kate giggled.

Sawyer smirked. It was a rare moment when the brunette was laughing at him so he had to play along. “Okay, Seth,” the southern man flopped his hand on his knee, “Fire away.”

Seth leaned over, staring at him. “You’re from Tennessee and that makes you an Elvis man by birth. But that’s too easy,” he whispered, “Due to your southern nature, Country music would be the obvious answer . . .but I don’t think that is it. I think you simply need a southern feel to it but you desire something harder in your music. What they loosely refer to as Southern Fried Rock. Allman Brothers Band, Lynard Skynard, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, am I right? Huh? Huh?”

Sawyer stared at the young man with a pissed off look. He then lowered his head, closed his eyes and chuckled for a few seconds. He then leaned up, tossing him the bottle of whiskey. Kate laughed that he got it right. Shanna laughed too, saying “Yes!”

“Okay, “Seth said, tossing the bottle in his hands, “Now, you give Shanna a bottle, If I can guess what music Kate likes?”

“Oh, this should be good,” Sawyer said, imitating the brunette’s speech, “Fire away.”

Seth looked at Kate strongly. He studied her features. He was positive had seen her before but he could not for the life of him remember where. But even as he heard the way she talked and the way she acted, he immediately knew what type of music that she liked. “Kate strikes me as the type of person that doesn’t listen to music for music sake,” Seth said, “She listens to music because it reminds her of better times. It reminds of memories, both painful and dear to her heart. Music that reminds of her parents. Perhaps even a former love in her past?”

Kate raised an eyebrow. She felt her lung suck in slowly from the strange knowledge that Seth had about her. “The type of music she likes is soft music. Occasionally she’ll like songs with a beat but most times she likes music that can reign in her wild soul. Not to mention, she is a sucker for Powerful Woman singers. Carly Simon, Carol King. . .maybe Patsy Cline?”

Kate then gasped, holding her chest. Sawyer raised an eyebrow at her reaction. She started to giggle and cough. “Oh, wow,” she smiled, “Seth . . .how did you do that?”

Sawyer threw Shanna the bottle, and the red head laughed as she caught it. Seth leaned over and toasted his friend with their small bottles. “What can I say, Kate?” he laughed, “Musically speaking, I am very well endowed.”

“Yeah, sure, stud,” Sawyer playfully scoffed, “So, we playing or what?”

“Yeah, Okay.” Kate nodded her head.

“Well, Freckles . . .it is your turn,” the southern man pointed out.

“I never . .implied I went to college when I never have.” Kate smiled.

Sawyer then took a drink. “I never been to Disneyland.” He finished.

Sawyer and Shanna then take a drink, but Seth and Kate did not. “Really?” Shanna exclaimed to Seth.

“Man, that is just sad.” Sawyer chuckled.

“It wasn’t high on my things to do,” Seth then held up his class, “I’ve never . . .used a calculator.”

Seth then drank as did Sawyer and Kate but Shanna did not. Seth then at her in a wild stare. “NEVER?” he coughed.

“If there is one thing I am proud of what I do know, it’s math,” she smirked.
”Your turn, riding hood.” Sawyer mentioned.

“I never . . .dyed my hair a different color.” She whispered.

Sawyer then took a drink. Kate slowly took drink but Seth and Shanna did not. The young bookstore worker stared at Kate again; imagining her with a different colored hair. Is that how he saw her? Kate then blinked realizing it was her turn. “I never wore pink.” She laughed.

Sawyer then took a drink, as did Seth and Shanna. All four of the friends got a round of laughs from that last one. Kate kicked a minor bit of dirt in the southern man’s direction. “I knew it.” She giggled.

“The 80’s,” he said, reluctantly, “I never voted democrat.”

Shanna and Sawyer then drank. Seth and Kate remained motionless. “I never voted.” Kate laughed.

“I never cared.” Seth chuckled, and then held up his bottle, “I never had a bar-room brawl.”

Seth and Sawyer drank their whiskey but Kate and Shanna didn’t obviously. Shanna was curious about what type of bar-room brawl Seth would have gotten into. The red head leaned up, brushing back her hair. “I’ve never had a crush.” She smiled.

Kate, and Sawyer drank but Seth and Shanna didn’t. The young bookstore worker winked at his friend, already knowing their personal tales of love. Kate thought of something to say but nothing sprung to mind, and motioned for her hair to pass. Sawyer just shrugged and said, “I’ve never been in love.”

“You’ve never been in love?” Shanna asked.

“I ain’t drinking, am I?” the southern man looked at her.

Kate, Seth and Shanna took a drink. Seth looked at them and whispered, “I never had a girl back home waiting for me.”

Seth took a drink. Shanna slowly took a drink. Kate didn’t move and Sawyer didn’t drink either. Shanna looked at Seth with a slight bit of concern. Her friend just gave a sympathetic look, saying silently that she had nothing to be ashamed of. Shanna slowly raised the bottle to her lips, “I’ve never been in love . . .with a woman.”

Seth immediately took a drink, and so did Shanna. Sawyer slowly drank from his bottle, looking at Shanna the whole time. She couldn’t tell if he was aroused or interested or whatever. Kate sighed, wondering why the red-head mentioned it. Kate held up her bottle, “I never had a one night stand.”

Sawyer then drunk his whiskey. “Bottom’s up, sailor.” Kate laughed.

“I got to drink for each one,” he chuckled, “I’ve never been married.”

Kate took a small sip, “It didn’t last long. I never blamed a boar for all my problems.”

Sawyer took a sip of his whiskey. Seth and Shanna looked at both of them, noticing they weren’t bothering with turns anymore. The red-head thought about the tension between Kate and Sawyer could be cut with a knife. During the pause, Kate’s eye fell upon Seth. He just stared at her, then held up his whiskey. “I never presumed I had seen you before.”

He took a swig. Kate blinked; wondering how he could even have met her before. Sawyer was curious about that too. Then he held up his whiskey and said, “I never cared about having carte blanche just because I wanted to spend time with the only other person on this island that don’t belong.”

Kate took a drink. “I never carried a letter around for 20 years cause I couldn’t get over my baggage.”

Sawyer slowly took a sip of his booze. He was almost finished with it. He stared at Kate intensely. A slow wind caressed the group, making the camp fire jump slightly. The southern man took a deep breath, and briefly looked at Shanna and Seth. The question he was about to ask Kate was something he wanted to know and even though she might not want them to hear it, Sawyer was too curious too care. “I never killed a man.” He whispered.

Kate looked at him. It seemed like an eternity that she didn’t move. Then she slowly took a sip of her whiskey. Sawyer looked at her, then slowly took a sip of his as well. Shanna had a flabbergasted looked on her face the whole time. Sawyer then turned to looked at the two friends, to judge their reaction. Seth looked at the man with a slight bit of contempt. He gently looked at the bottle in his hands and then he took a sip. Seth then looked at them to judge their reaction. Kate seemed shocked but Sawyer seemed to how a mixture of respect and curiosity. “Look at that, Freckles.” He whispered, “We got something in common with the new boy.”



Later that evening, Kate and Sawyer had fallen asleep but the night was so excited for them, Seth and Shanna were awake. The red-head laid on her sleeping bag, staring up at the sky. She marveled at the stars, not seeing such beauty back home. Seth was busy writing away in his journal. He wanted to write down everything he had learned, curious over the fact of certain things that had come to light in the two hours. He leaned back, massaging his neck. Shanna smiled at her friend, then looked skyward. “Seth, do you look up to the sky and see the moon, wondering if you loved ones back home are looking up at it the same time you are?”

“All the time.” He smiled.

“I miss my friends,” she said, “I know you miss Tanya.”

Seth smiled. His friend reminded him of the girl he knew he was destined to marry. As she had spoken about her, he reached over into the back of his journal and looked at the picture of him and Tanya. He gently rubbed his fingers over her face, imagining the feel of her skin as he did. Then when his finger dropped over the picture, he noticed a face in the background. He leaned it looking closer, then coughed at it’s familiarity. “Holy shi-“ he stammered.

“Seth, what is it?” Shanna asked.

Seth held up the photo, looked at it and then looked to Kate, then back at the photo. “SETH!” Shanna whispered sternly, “What are you doing?”

“Holy sh . . .Shanna, look at this!” he said, whispering back to her and getting up to move to her.

Seth kneeled beside her while she was still in her sleeping back. He gave her the photo of him and Tanya. “Do you see that?” she pointed.

“I already seen the photo of you and Tanya,” she mentioned.

“No, look again,” he said, “The girl in the background, tending the bar? The blonde?”

Shanna leaned inward and tilted the photo up into the light. Her eyes then went wide, seeing the blonde girl by the bar with a big smile on her face, wiping a glass.

It was Kate.

“Oh, my god,” Shanna whispered.

“That’s why Kate looked so familiar to me,” he whispered, “Subconsciously I’ve been staring at her every day with Tanya.”

“When was this picture taken?” the red head asked.

“Three years ago. My 21st birthday.”

“And now . .she is here.” Shanna blinked, looking at him, “What does this mean?”

“I don’t know,” Seth wiped his faced, “This is Mia’s territory; not mine.”

“Then you should probably ask her about it when we get back.”

“Yeah, “he replied, taking the photo, “I probably will do just that. After I am done freaking out.”