Chapter 6: The New Teens in Town

Junior and Justine find that they're no longer the town celebrities when the children of a rival family abruptly crash land on Isla de Exilio.

Little did the twins know that the loss of Justine's virginity would not be the only notable thing to take place that night. High above the rest of Shipwreck Village was a treetop hut constructed out of a submarine wreckage, and within it was a slim, middle-aged man who acted as the town's lookout. He sat slumped in an ordinary wooden chair, snoring quietly on the job. It wasn't until a loud, ominous noise akin to a jet plane landing could be heard that he woke up with a jolt.

He quickly scrambled up to the periscope that had been built into the submarine, and looked through it. Only then did he notice what seemed to be a smoking jet plane making a forced descent onto the rocky formations where the Simmons twins' plane had crashed a month prior. The sight and sound of it crashing offshore made the man jump, prompting him to hurry towards the Jones residence.

"C-Captain Jones!" he bellowed. "Jones! Come quick! It's an emergency!"

---

The next morning, crowds of townsfolk were gathered in the town square, curiously observing what appeared to be a fragment of a plane wreckage, which had been repurposed into a makeshift hut overnight. The plane was black, with a blood red trapezoid painted above the doorway. The word "Seymour" was painted within said trapezoid in golden capital letters. The villagers continuously muttered amongst themselves until the hut's only occupants finally emerged, yawning and stretching a bit before climbing down the ladder onto the ground. They were boy-girl twins with a peachy complexion, about the same age as Junior and Justine.

The boy was tall and barrel-chested, with turquoise eyes and a platinum-blonde pompadour, and an outfit that conformed to his muscular, top-heavy physique. He sported a tight polo shirt, a bolo-tie, and canvas sneakers without socks, alongside some khaki shorts and leg warmers that, at first glance, made it look as though he had pants on. The girl had a similar height and body-type to Justine, though she was nearly flat-chested. Her gray eyes were framed with rosé-colored, cat-eye glasses, and her white wine-colored hair was styled into a curly bob-cut. She sported a baggy shirt that hung off one shoulder, revealing a lacy bra-strap, khaki capris that were ripped at the ends, and slip-on sneakers with bobby socks.

"Honestly, I never thought I'd be able to sleep that well after such a rough landing," the girl commented.

"Yeah, well I guess disasters take a lot out of you, huh?" the boy replied, before the twins froze at the sight of everyone staring at them.

"Alright, what are all you bottom-feeders gawking at?!" the girl demanded in a sudden mood-change.

"We just want to wish you a proper welcome to our humble town of Shipwreck Village," Captain Jones formally greeted them.

"Tch, 'humble' might be way too much of a compliment," the girl snarked back, briefly surveying the town square. "But regardless, we don't need your stupid welcoming committee. We just crash-landed here, and the minute we're able to leave, we're gonna do so."

As his sister argued with the village leader, the boy took notice of the elevated hut directly across from them, where he saw Mark Jr. and Justine peering out of the doorway after having just woken up. His eyes narrowed at the sight of them, as well as the logo that was painted on their residence.

"Huh, I wonder what all the commotion's about," Junior commented.

"Beats me. I guess the only way to find out would be to get a closer look," Justine replied, starting to climb back towards the ground.

"Are you sure you two wouldn't like a quick tour of the place?" Captain Jones persisted. "I'd hate for either of you to live here unaccustomed. Here, I'll have my daughter show you around. Most gifted tour guide in the world, I tell ya'."

Right on cue, Mandy stepped up to the twins, putting on a toothy yet courteous smile.

"Yeesh, someone was born with faulty genetics." the new girl sneered. "Yo, buck-tooth! You mind telling your old man over here that we don't need any help?"

"Don't need any help? Well gee, that's unusual. I've never had someone turn down the offer before," Mandy chuckled.

"Beat it, you lard-coated b***h!" the boy roared, punching Mandy square in the face and sending her falling onto her behind. "Why can't you and all your castaway buddies just leave us alone?!"

"Hey!" a voice chimed in, prompting the twins to look up.

It turned out to be Justine, obviously angered at the sight of her girlfriend being mistreated by the newcomers. As the rest of the population dispersed in order to go about their business, she stomped into the town square with her brother following close behind.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Justine asked.

"Well gee I would, but I'm the biggest guy here... with Ms. Butterworth's over here coming in a close second," the boy retorted, thumbing towards Mandy.

"Oh, damn. That trash talk kinda' fell flat, didn't it?" Justine muttered as she helped her girlfriend back to her feet.

"Why don't we just get straight to the point? Who are you two, and where do you get off hitting women like you're some sort of chauvinist?" Junior asked.

"The name's Mike Seymour Jr., and this is my twin sister, Josephine," the boy introduced.

"The pleasure's all yours," Josephine grumbled, folding her arms. "And before you ask, he's the older one. But he sure doesn't act like it."

"Hey! Nobody asked you!" Mike Jr. snapped back.

"Wait a minute... 'Seymour'?" Mark Jr. asked, before looking up at the newcomers' hut. "Say, you two are part of the Seymour family? The second richest family in the United States?"

"Took ya' long enough to figure it out, huh," Josephine butt in. "And judging by the hut you two just climbed out of, I'm guessing you two are part of the Simmons family? The dinguses whose business empire rivals that of our parents?"

"Hey, you'd better watch what you say about our parents, girlie!" Justine warned, her fists bunching up.

"Yeah, well an enemy of our dad is an enemy of us too, even if you're that enemy's son or daughter," Josephine replied. "C'mon, Junior, let's stop breathing the same air as these scumbags."

The Simmons twins simply remained silent as they watched their new rivals walk away, presumably to explore the town on their own.

"Gee, what's up with those two?" Mark Jr. scratched his head.

"I seem to recall hearing about the Seymours a few times before, but all I knew was that their empire wasn't quite as large as Dad's," Justine interjected. "But he sure as hell never told us that they had this heated rivalry with each other."

"Well that's definitely something we'll have to talk to him about if and when we get back home," Mark Jr. replied. "But for now, I suggest we keep an eye on those two. Something tells me they've got a bit of a mean streak."

Justine simply nodded in agreement.

---

For the rest of the day, the four wealthy teenagers went about their business, but not without getting in each other's way more times than any of them cared to count. The earliest such instance occurred later that morning as the town's chefs busied themselves preparing breakfast in the center of the square. A few of them were chopping up a fresh fruit salad, while others were preparing and seasoning some freshly caught meat and seafood to use in omelets made from local seabird eggs.

Off to the side, the street vendor who normally sold snacks was instead busying himself stirring two hot stone pots of water, which was mixed in with locally grown coffee. One pot kept its contents black, while the other had coconut milk added to it. Each time a customer from the growing line approached him, he wordlessly scooped some of the caffeinated substance into a stone cup for them to drink it from. Some stone bowls of freshly harvested sugar and wild boar milk were on the side, to be optionally added to each person's beverage if they so desired. Waiting patiently in this line was Justine, who was nearly at the front. However, little did she know that she was about to suffer a moderate inconvenience.

That inconvenience came in the form of the Seymour twins, who had finished their self-guided tour of Shipwreck Village as well as the rest of the island, and were now reentering the town square, immediately catching a whiff of the somewhat traditional breakfast items being served.

"Well at least we don't need to worry about living off nothing but tropical fruits three meals a day," Josephine sighed in relief, but didn't crack a smile. "You have no idea what an all-produce diet can do to your bowels."

"Yeah, but eating nothing but fruit would do a good job in helping me with my cut cycle," Mike Jr. replied, flexing his biceps a little.

"Ugh, leave it to you to always be obsessed with your outward appearance." Josephine rolled her eyes.

"Look who's talking, Miss 'I'm insecure because my tits never grew as large as Mom's'," Mike Jr. jeered. "And she's an A-cup, for crying out loud!"

"Watch it, you!" Josephine warned.

"Come to think of it, why do you even wear bras anyway?" Mike Jr. continued.

"I dunno. Why do you of all people wear boxers?" Josephine smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'd better grab my daily joe. Gotta see if it's anywhere near as good as that Blue Mountain coffee we tried in Jamaica last summer, though I honestly doubt it."

Upon making her decision, she fast-walked over to the coffee line and, without stopping, proceeded to shove her way past the many customers, completely ignoring their grunts of protest.

"Excuse me! Someone who actually matters coming through!" she said nonchalantly as she made her way to the front of the line, subsequently cutting in front of Justine, who was about to place an order for herself.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Justine asked.

"Just getting my daily caffeine fix. What's it look like?" Josephine replied.

"Well okay, but I hope you realize that you just cut in front of dozens of people who have been waiting for much longer than you have," Justine said.

"Well okay, but I honestly could care less, sweetie," Josephine spat. "Anywho, I'll have one cup of, uh... non-black coffee please."

"That'll be eleven bucks," the vendor replied upon handing the cup to her.

"E-Eleven bucks?!" Josephine asked incredulously. "I could've sworn this stuff was a lot cheaper back in the states!"

"The non-black coffee contains coconut milk, which we recently raised the tax on, hence the higher price," the vendor explained.

"Rrgh! It's one thing to raise the prices on housing, gasoline, and life-saving healthcare, but morning coffee?!" Josephine roared, before chucking her cup back at the vendor and storming off.

"First world problems," Justine jeered in the midst of coughing, only to receive a sucker-punch to the breast in response. "Ohhh!"

"That's what you get for having b***s!" Josephine called back.

---

Later on, Mark Jr. was busying himself at the general store, seeing if anything new could be found among its varied, constantly changing inventory. His question was answered as soon as he spotted a particular book on the shelf near the back of the establishment.

"Huh. 'Eat It And Weep, an onion-based cookbook. Chock full of recipes that all feature onions, ranging from appetizers, to entrées, to even desserts and cocktails. Includes a guide on how each type of onion tastes and what dishes to use or not use them in'," he read from the cover. "Wow, this sounds cool... albeit not quite as cool as that Coca-Cola cookbook I found at the World of Coke in Atlanta, though. Heh heh, I still remember reading about that gazpacho with Coca-Cola reduction on top."

Right as Mark Jr. was about to finalize his purchase, he accidentally bumped into Mike Jr., who immediately put on a mischievous grin upon noticing him.

"Well, well, if it isn't that goody-two-shoes nerd from the loser Simmons family," he jeered.

"Oh gee, it's you again." Mark Jr. sneered. "Well whatever. I'd love to feed your ego with a comeback, but I'd best be on my way."

Right as he tried to step around his rival, however, he was taken by surprise as he stepped in front of him, blocking his path as he maintained his smirk.

"Uh, do you mind getting out of my way?" Mark Jr. asked.

"Nah, don't feel like it," Mike Jr. replied. "But I do feel like giving that cookbook a read. Looks like it'd make an awesome souvenir."

"What? No way! I found it first!" Mark Jr. barked back, holding the book close to his torso. "Besides, I doubt you'd even have the ability to read it, being the dimwitted oaf you are!"

"I wasn't asking who found it first. Now gimme the book." Mike Jr. adopted a harsh glare.

"Not a chance, pal!" Mark Jr. snapped.

"Fine, I see how it is. Well how 'bout this, small fry? I'll make it so neither of us gets to keep the book!" Mike Jr. smirked.

Before his rival could figure out what he meant, he suddenly felt himself getting punched in the face and knocked onto his rear, his glasses being knocked off his face and the cookbook being knocked out of his hand, before the latter was quickly karate-chopped to shreds in midair right before his eyes. He couldn't help but gasp as he eyed the heavily torn pages scattered all over the floor.

"Uh, dude? You're gonna have to pay for that," the heavily-tattooed store manager chimed in from behind the counter.

As Mike Jr. stormed out of the shop, carelessly stepping on Mark Jr.'s glasses in the process, he wordlessly pulled a gold bar out of his pocket and chucked it at her, producing enough force to send her keeling over backwards.

---

Between noon and dinnertime, the Seymour twins just wouldn't let up in tormenting their new rivals. Whether it be Josephine constantly demeaning Justine and pranking her while she hung out with Mandy, or Mike Jr. relentlessly pushing Mark Jr. around and threatening him with his wrath, the Simmons twins just couldn't seem to catch a break.

That evening, Mark Jr., Justine, and Mandy sat together on a stone bench as they enjoyed tonight's supper, while also discussing the arduous day they had gone through.

"Ugh, I can't believe those a******s," Mark Jr. grumbled, now with tape on the bridge of his glasses. "I can't even go anywhere around the village without that brute Mike Jr. attacking me. Every time I find something that looks cool, he's always right behind me and instantly destroys it."

"I'm just surprised he didn't completely destroy your glasses, like by popping out the lenses or anything," Justine replied, helping herself to some lemur tartare.

"Please don't give him any ideas. For all we know, he could be lurking nearby," Mark Jr. warned, chomping on a wild boar chop.

"Sometimes whenever I see young people acting like that, I just can't help but wonder what their parents are like," Mandy ate some stew as she spoke. "I remember all those kids who bullied me for my weight when I was younger all had abusive parents, so maybe that applies here too."

"Their parents are most likely snooty and conceited, just like how rich people act in cartoons," Justine replied.

"Definitely the type of people Dad tends to avoid," Mark Jr. added. "And most likely the type of people we should try to avoid too."

"You know, it's kinda' funny when you think about everything that's happened so far this summer," Justine continued, setting aside her emptied dishes.

"What do you mean?" Mark Jr. asked.

"Well it wasn't too long ago when we'd just finished high school. We've been eighteen for less than six months, and we're one summer away from starting college," Justine explained. "Yet all of a sudden, we've just been thrust into the adult world with no warning. For the last month, we've had to make serious decisions without our parents' input for once, as there was no foreseeable way we could ask for their help... but that didn't matter too much as it mostly concerned all the fun parts of adulthood."

"And now, you're starting to deal with the downsides, and that includes getting involved in all the drama and crap your parents have to constantly put up with," Mandy chimed in after swallowing her last bite. "Including that generations-old rivalry, apparently."

Mark Jr. just sat there in stunned silence for a few seconds, taking in the rare moment of profound insight he'd just been given. He knew his sister was far from stupid, but it wasn't everyday when she would make that type of statement, and it usually fell on him to be the smart and sensible one.

"Huh. Well in that case, I suppose we can weather all this just fine. Just so long as we stick together," he said after a bit.

"Sure thing, bro." Justine smiled, hugging her brother as snugly as she could. "That's a promise."

Mandy smiled as well, as she watched the twins' embrace. It always made her feel good to see other people feeling good, and right now was no exception. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that her new friends could handle the twists and turns of early adulthood no problem.