We managed to find a safe spot to sleep and recuperate just off the beach. Rachel's bruised ankle was now swollen whilst I struggled to push the sight of my best friend disappearing right before our eyes out of my mind

"Get up, you two. New day, fresh start!" Adrian said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

The morning air felt as hot and heavy and moist as steam, as the scorching Sun's radiance beat down on the island's inhabitants. Bees and dragonflies buzzed around the bushes and trees, whilst birds chirped and flew around elegantly. The beaming sun rays reflected off the waves, emitting splashes of heat, as it gently caressed the coast.

The pleasant weather did little to improve our morale, as I rubbed my eyes and got up from the leaves we'd gathered to make somewhat of a thin mattress. My limbs and muscles were sore and felt aggravated, but I had to muster up the strength to fight off the threatening obstacles the mysterious island would soon begin to catapult at us. Rachel also got up, trying to walk, but her bruised ankle from the fall proved to be a struggle.

"Wait, wait just relax, sit down," I urged.

Adrian analysed Rachel's blue and swollen ankle.

"This looks really bad," he sighed. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be back with treatment."

I sat down next to Rachel on a smooth rock and stared out into the distance.

"I blame myself for Zak going missing," Rachel said, sounding defeated. "I should've hit the tiger and not hesitated for so long. Now Zak is gone because of me and we have no idea where he is!" Rachel looked distraught, with dark circles surrounding her sullen eyes and her posture slumped.

"No, don't say that. No one is to blame for Zak's disappearance. It was all so unexpected and uncalled for. Look, a tiger out of nowhere attacked us. What could we have done with no preparation?" I tried to sound reassuring to lift up Rachel's mood.

Rachel merely nodded and didn't reply. She sighed and looked out to the ocean, picking up a pebble and throwing it as far as she could, in frustration.

"Nice throw!" Adrian joked, arriving back with one leaf, one shiny grey pebble and a flame on a small stick. "Now, just relax. Rachel, this will help you recover in no time!"

Rachel nodded, slowly turning round to face him with her ankle elevated on a large piece of rock.

"Marco, I need your help. Just have all my things ready here, so when I need them, you just give them to me. Sound good?" Adrian said.

"Alright, yes of course," I replied.

I looked at the strange array of treatment Adrian had brought back. Just one singular leaf, a grey pebble and a little flame. How was this meant to cure a bruised ankle? Back at school, we'd learnt that resting, icing, compressing and elevating would help treat an injury such as Rachel's. But looking at what Adrian had brought back was startling.

"Give the leaf, Marco," Adrian ordered.

Adrian gently stroked the leaf on the bruised area of Rachel's ankle. Rachel winced in pain, and scrunched up her face, the leaf evidently aggravating the pain even more.

"This will hurt and it might sting, Rachel. But remember after this, you will be fine to walk," Adrian informed reassuringly.

"Just get it over and done with," Rachel said impatiently.

"Pebble," Adrian demanded.

I gave the pebble to Adrian and he placed it on top of the leaf, this time putting pressure on the bruised area. Rachel cried out in agony.

"Slowly give the flame to me," Adrian said.

I passed the flame on the stick carefully. Very quickly, Adrian placed the flame on the pebble and wrapped the leaf round it.

Effortlessly, Adrian vigorously rubbed the treatment on the bruised area, ignoring Rachel's squeals and contractions of pain. After a few minutes, he dropped the leaf-pebble-flame remedy.

"We need to take her to the ocean. I need to splash some water," Adrian said.

We lifted Rachel up, one of her arms slung around my shoulder, and the other around Adrian's shoulder. Dragging her diligently to the edge of the ocean, we gently let her down on a rock. Adrian threw the icy water of the ocean onto the bruised area, rubbing it with his hands simultaneously.

"Finished," he said casually.

"Rachel, how do you feel?" I asked.

"I don't know, just lift me up," she replied, still feeling the pain of the treatment.

I held her hand as she slowly got up and stumbled for the first few steps. Then miraculously, she was walking perfectly fine. She smiled, relieved.

"How?" Rachel asked, as stunned as I was.

Adrian looked at her, with a beaming smile and a chuckle.

"Experience," he replied.

We all laughed together and for a moment, as the sizzling sunshine continued to beat down on us, our worries had disappeared.