I dream about a time when I was eight years old. Dad’s smiling as always while Mom’s cooking in the kitchen, and both of them are telling me to dream big and reach for the stars, nothing can stop you. Dad and I sit at the dinner table folding these tiny paper boats. It’s been a tradition in my family since I was born. My dad and I scribble little dreams and goals on the flimsy boats with my pink princess pens. He tells me continuously that these will bring our family good luck and if we put good energy into them, just like our dreams, the boats will sail far and wide. After folding four of them, Dad takes me to the stream that flows through our property. He aids me in gently sending the “dream boats”, as he calls them, down the stream. Before I release them from my tiny fingers, I close my eyes and wish really hard so the dream can hopefully come true. My Dad stands behind me, stroking my long, brown hair while his hazel eyes turn into crescents when he smiles. In a flash of light that interrupts my dream, I don’t feel my dad behind me. The lush green forest that encloses the property suddenly changes into complete darkness. My dream washes away in the blink in of eye, and now all I feel is pain.
I can barely feel my limbs, but I find the strength to shroud my eyes with my right arm and sit up. Just then, every muscle and bone in my body screams exhaustion. My light skin is red and burnt and my hair clings to my body. Before my eyes adjust to the bright light and my breathing slows, I peek under my arm and can already tell that there are tiny waves of salty water that are lapping against my feet. Sea salt and golden grains of sand create a sort of mold around my dry lips and pruning fingertips. I place my arm down onto my lap and find myself on the most beautiful shoreline that I’ve ever seen. The beach stretches to the left and right of me and curves around the island I now know that I’m trapped on. The ocean is extremely calm and the crystal blue water contains dark spots that indicate the lush reef that lies beneath the surface.
What happened? Where’s the cruise ship? My mind races with thoughts of my parents, my younger brother, my friends and everyone on the ship— Where did they all go? As I try to stand by pushing off the sand with my arms, but notice that there’s a large gash in my left forearm. I wince at the pain, but tell myself that I need to find water immediately before I lose consciousness again. This time, I use my legs and my right arm to push off the sand and stand up. As I turn around, my jaw immediately drops. Two mountains stand tall and tranquil on the eastern side of the island. Before me is a dense rainforest that’s covered with vines and large trees. Scattered leaves, broken branches, and a plethora of plants I’ve never seen before are all along the forest floor. Suddenly, I feel nervous.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” I yell as loud as I can in hopes for someone to hear my cry through the thick forestation. As expected, I’m met with the eerie noises of the rainforest. My heart races, but I know that I don’t have time to be fooling around. I need to begin to look for shelter, food, and water. I swallow my fear and nervousness and slowly shuffle through the sand to enter the unknown. A strong gust of wind comes from behind me and pushes me closer and closer to the entrance of the shadowy and mysterious rainforest. When I enter the dense foliage that intertwines with each other along the forest floor, my senses come alive. I become aware that I’m not the only one walking among the forest floor as I feel tiny little bugs crawling between my toes. My feet sink into the shallow muddy ground, but I’m still able to have a good sense of grip and walk with ease in the rainforest. Before I’m able to take in the beauty of the land, I remember that the sun will be setting soon, and finding shelter, water and food is of my utmost priority. Surprisingly, my hair tie still clings to my wrist and I realize that the humidity is making my hair too much to handle. I grab my hair quickly and throw it into a tight, messy bun, hoping to be fast enough so my arm doesn't begin to hurt even more. 
After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, I notice the sound of roaring water in the distance. My heart begins to race as my tongue licks my chapped lips. All I can think about is how badly I need water. I race past the dense foliage and slip and slide in the mud, but it doesn’t sway my need for water. I feel my knees bruising from the amount of times I’ve fallen onto the forest floor while tiny cuts split my skin open to reveal dark red blood mixing with the brown mud that covers my body. I hear the water even clearly now, it seems like a waterfall.
Suddenly I come to a halt. A cliff lies before me, and my eyes begin to well with tears. The waterfall drops what seems to be a stunning one hundred feet, and at the bottom is a cool, clear pond that ripples fiercely and leads to a large, calm river that finds its way through large stones and rocky terrain. I hurriedly begin my trek down the slope, following the cliffs edge to a flat area that leads to the river while grabbing onto branches that will support my weight in the descent. I break out into a sprint as I reach flat ground. I fall to my knees in the cold river and dunk my head into the water, opening my mouth and gulping as much as I can. My throat burns from the mass amounts of water I’m swallowing, but it tastes and feels so good on my dry throat. I feel my strength return immediately when my head emerges and I find myself gasping for air. I fall back into the river and lay down for about ten minutes before I decide to sit up and wash the muck off myself. I start at my legs and scrub the mud and blood mixture off, watching the dirt and leaves float down the river and disappear. I work my way up and scrub my clothes, my chest and back, and finally, my face. I feel refreshed at the same time as sopping wet when I stand up. I notice the sun beginning to set as it shines through the trees and makes the waterfall glisten with rich colors of blue, orange and pink. I sit at the edge of the river, wondering what to do next.
I decide to venture towards the waterfall in hopes of finding shelter of some sort. While crossing the river I look at the dark shadows that begin to cast down from ancient trees standing tall at the edge of the rainforest.
“Hey!” A deep voice calls out from behind me, “You’re not supposed to be here.” I whip around quickly only to see a man stepping out from behind the black shadows of a large tree wearing a long dark coat with a hood over his head.
Instantly I begin to blubber and panic while saying, “I’m sorry! I think I got ship wrecked and I just ended up on the beach and I needed water so I thought that I should—” I gasp as he takes off the hood.
He’s gorgeous.
He looks like he’s at least twenty years old. His black hair is short and trimmed neatly. I notice a scar across his cheek, but it only makes him even more handsome and mysterious. His jaw line is solid, but his face is stone cold as if his life has been hard and tiring.
“Who are you?” He slightly raises his voice and I immediately snap out of my trance.
“Um… I’m Kyra Kawaguchi. I’m from Hawaii—”
“Kyra Kawaguchi? Hawaii?” he cuts me off with his questions. His stone cold expression morphs into one of curiosity as he steps closer to me, “I’m Prince Hiroshi.”
“Prince?” My mouth drops, “Wait, where am I?”
He smiles and laughs a little, his bright teeth showing, “I can’t believe it! I’ve found an outsider!”
“Wait! Where am I?” I begin to get frustrated as Hiroshi starts to walk away from me. He heads to the waterfall, and steps on a rock right next to it.
He waves his hands and shouts to me, “Hurry up!”
I look back towards the setting sun and realize that I have no choice but to follow Hiroshi before darkness consumes the entire rainforest.