My mouth drops open in shock as he tells me this. "Beautiful?" I repeat incredulously. How can he possibly think that? I'm not beautiful; I'm just... well, me. But the way he says it... it almost sounds like he means it. My heart flutters wildly in my chest at the thought of him thinking this about me.

I look away again, trying to compose myself. "Fine," I mutter reluctantly. "Your turn."

I take a deep breath and force myself to meet his gaze. "Dare." I'm not sure why, but there's something about the way he looks at me that makes it easier to accept dares than to tell the truth right now. Maybe because the truth is just too overwhelming... or maybe because I want to see what else he could possibly say or do.

"Dare you," I manage to get out, barely above a whisper, "to admit that you had a crush on me too."

Alright then! Let's go have some fun and get all dressed up for our date!

(She follows him and watches as he changes into a clean shirt and jeans. He looks really cute when he's trying to be all fancy.) Okay, I'm ready! Let me just fix my hair and we can go.

No! Caballero Alterno, wait! You can't do this! We need to work together if we want to make it out of here alive! But as she watches him plummet toward the ocean below, her words are swallowed up by the wind. Tears welling in her eyes, she takes a deep breath and grips the controls tightly.

With a trembling hand, she reaches over and flips another switch. The helicopter shudders once more, but this time it responds to her touch.

Finally free from the island, she banks hard into the sky, heading toward the mainland as fast as the old chopper will take her. Behind her, she can just barely make out Caballero Alterno's figure, struggling against the waves. But for now, she focuses on flying, praying that she'll reach safety soon.

Hours later, exhausted and trembling with relief, she spots the lights of civilization in the distance.