§ § § -- April 12, 1998
Annie was frankly a bit surprised the next morning to find that she had awakened safely in the bed where she'd drifted off to sleep the previous night, but very relieved. Well, they did say that things looked brighter in the morning, and it was a pleasant surprise to find it was true. After a good night's sleep, she felt ready to take on a new day. To that end, she got right up, took a quick shower, clipped her wet hair into the ever-present barrette and put on a swimsuit under a tank top and shorts. Stepping into her flip-flops, she left the bungalow and took a leisurely walk to the beach.
At this time of day it was quiet; there weren't many people out here now, just a man walking two dogs and a young family taking an early-morning swim. Annie took off her flip-flops and swung them carelessly in one hand, meandering aimlessly in the sand, now and then spotting an especially pretty seashell and picking it up to admire it. The sun sparkled off the water, and gulls screeched overhead, wheeling through the morning air and swooping down to the sand at times in search of some tasty tidbit.
Then some of the screeching acquired a strange quality and Annie looked up, only to see the young parents standing at the waterline, frantically waving their arms and shouting. Something else caught her eye and she gasped. There were two small heads bobbing in the water! Frantically she looked around, but there was no lifeguard. I wish I could swim…if there were ever a time when I could've used the ability, it's now! Those parents need a hero!… The opal gleamed.
…And suddenly she was stripping off her shorts and tank top, flinging them behind her as she ran for the water and splashed right in. Anita, champion swimmer, didn't even have to think about it; she was operating on pure instinct. She splattered through water up to her knees, then made a shallow dive in and struck out for the two figures caught in the undertow. In a couple of minutes she had caught up with two panicked pre-teen kids who flailed helplessly, screaming whenever they could get their heads above the surface. Anita grasped the girl and yelled, "Hold onto my neck!"
She had to repeat herself a few times before she got through, but at last the girl got a solid grip around Anita's neck. To the boy she shouted, "Hang onto your sister and don't let go!" She made sure the boy was clinging to the girl's shoulders, then struck out for shore, letting the current carry them along till it reached a shallow shelf and she was able to break free. She dragged the kids onto the sand just in time to meet the sobbing parents, who had raced down the beach while she'd swum along with the children. Anita scrounged up an acknowledging smile for the grateful mother and father, only then noticing she had attracted a few spectators—the man with his dogs, a few beachcombers, and Roarke and Leslie.
"Very well done," Roarke complimented her. "Very well done indeed."
"Let us buy you breakfast," the father urged. "It's not enough to thank you for saving Bryce's and Debby's lives, but we insist. Please."
Anita demurred. "Oh, don't think you owe me anything. I'm just glad I was here at the right moment."
"Don't argue," the father said firmly. "We'll have it sent to your bungalow…what's your name? Like I said, it's the least we can do."
Anita shrugged, smiling, and Roarke interjected, "We'll take care of it, Mr. Reichert. I am terribly sorry for the trouble."
"It wasn't your fault, Mr. Roarke," the man said. "I guess we were just very lucky. I'm really grateful, miss. If it weren't for your swimming ability—I've never seen such a strong swimmer before."
"Neither have I," remarked Leslie, a little dryly. And just like that, Anita was back to being Annie, unable to swim a stroke and scared of water deeper than a foot. Fortunately, there was apparently no physical change this time, for which Annie was profoundly grateful as the Reicherts headed back for dry land and her hosts turned to her.
"The choker will work if it's wet, won't it?" Annie asked inanely.
Roarke and Leslie looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same moment, making Annie turn red again. "Obviously it does," Leslie said, "or else you'd have started to drown right alongside those kids as soon as you dove under."
"Right," Annie mumbled, a foolish grin breaking out. "Uh…well…"
"You appear to be handling your fantasy quite nicely, Miss Johnston," Roarke said, seeing her distress. "Perhaps you'd like to join Leslie and me for breakfast. I must say I am very pleased that you utilized your fantasy in this fashion." They headed back down the beach as they spoke, and Annie retrieved her clothes and flip-flops.
She smiled shyly. "That sounds nice. I hope it's okay if I go back to my bungalow and change clothes." Roarke and Leslie laughed again and agreed to see her at the main house in half an hour, then made their way off the beach and towards a jeep that sat a few yards off the sand. Annie struck off for the bungalow, the significance of what she had done only then hitting her. The glow lasted all the way through breakfast and eased her meeting with Roarke's cook, Mariki, whose handiwork Annie liked so much that she made certain she tried at least a little of everything on the menu.
Finally she thanked her hosts and pretended to waddle off the porch, leaving laughter behind her. Her idea from the previous day about trying to grow daffodils came back to her, and she decided to strike out for the shopping district in Amberville and see if someone had some bulbs to sell her. And as it happened, it was a good thing she did.
‡ ‡ ‡
Roarke and Leslie were about to go out onto the porch for lunch when the door flew open and a group of people strode inside, two men and two women. Father and daughter stopped short and watched, the former quizzical and the latter a bit startled, as the newcomers trooped in and paused in a phalanx near the desk. "Are you Roarke?" one of the men demanded imperiously.
"Yes, I am he," said Roarke calmly. "What may I do for you, sir?"
"My name is Jedediah Johnston III, and I'm here to collect my wayward daughter and take her back home. Where is she?"
"Unavailable at the moment, Mr. Johnston, I'm sorry," said Roarke, polite but firm. "Have you just arrived? Perhaps you would prefer to take some time to freshen up. I am sorry that there are currently no bungalows available, but there are vacancies at the hotel."
"The only reason we're here is to get Annie," said the older of the two women, her nose seemingly rising farther into the air as she spoke. "That child has really taken the cake this time. If she hadn't exhibited her usual clumsiness and left a perfect paper trail, we might never have found her."
"This is damned inconvenient, let me tell you," announced the younger man. "We've had to bail Annie out of scrapes before, but this one…I'm still hornswoggled."
While Leslie was absorbing his use of the word and wondering who else on earth ever said that these days, the younger woman added her two cents. "I'm sure she's probably caused plenty of damage—minor stuff, of course, but damage all the same—and if she has, we'll pay for it. But she's got to come home. Honestly, that girl's been an embarrassment to this family almost ever since she was born. I hate to think what she's done now."
With a sniff the older woman put in, "Especially since she's been out of our sight for three entire days. Fourth's campaign is in full swing and he was very fortunate to be able to get away. The same with Leah; she's at a critical moment in her training right now. Jed was about to close a very important takeover deal, and my biggest charity has to have me there for some badly-needed fundraising functions."
"Quite so," blustered the older man. "I ask you again, Roarke, where is she?"
"As I said, she is unavailable at the moment," Roarke said, his voice cooling, though he was ever polite. "If you must see her, then I will send for her, but it will take some time. My advice to you is that you take a room at the hotel and relax. When we have found the young lady, we will notify you promptly."
"Look here, Mr. Roarke—" the older woman began, but her husband put a hand on her arm and shook his head.
"Let be, Dorothy. We don't want to make the man think we're troublemakers; we just want Annie back. And since we know she's on this island, there's no real need to rush. Besides, I could use a little lunch, and the restaurants here have excellent reputations. How about we have a meal and then check back here later?" To Roarke he said, with extra threat that was plainly just for show, "You'll be hearing from us again soon, Roarke, count on it."
"I look forward to it," said Roarke, evoking surprise on Jedediah Johnston's fleshy features before the foursome swept out the door as if they were royalty.
Leslie gave Roarke a very dubious look. "Did that woman just call her son 'Fourth'?" she asked incredulously.
Laughing, Roarke nodded confirmation. "Yes, my dear Leslie, I am afraid she did. It appears that the Johnston family has little imagination when it comes to naming their male offspring." Amidst Leslie's snickered agreement, he said, "We'll have lunch first—at our leisure, I might add—and then, if you would, please, track down Annie Johnston and bring her back with you. Sooner or later the young lady will have to face her family, however distasteful she may find it."
Lunch was fairly substantial and took over an hour, although this wasn't entirely due to design. Their other fantasizing guest appeared about forty-five minutes into the meal and took the extra chair to wail and moan at Roarke about an unexpected and unwieldy twist in his fantasy, requiring both Roarke and Leslie to remain where they were and patiently calm the guy down, help him work through the problem and assure him that if he applied himself, things would work out. By the time they saw him go on his way, almost 90 minutes had passed since they'd first emerged onto the porch. "Yeesh," groaned Leslie. "It's been a long time since we had someone get into such a sticky wicket."
"A what?" Roarke asked, arrested in the process of getting out of his chair, staring at her in surprise.
Leslie grinned. "Something Mom used to say when I was little. As far as I know, it's New England slang."
Roarke laughed and remarked, "Those New England roots of yours are amazingly strong for someone who spent only the first eight years of her life there. Are you finished? If so, you may as well embark upon your search for Annie Johnston."
"Sure, but I feel sorry for her, though. That family of hers…what a bunch of pompous windbags! No wonder poor Annie wanted her fantasy so badly."
"Indeed," said Roarke, smiling. "Good luck, child."
Leslie took a jeep, fairly certain that she was going to have to search a large part of the island before she unearthed Annie; and as it turned out, she was right. Forty minutes after departing the main house, she parked at the amusement park and slipped through the gates with a smile at the admissions attendants. After scanning the lines at a few of the rides, she paused at a kiosk to ask about the day's performance schedule.
"There's only one show today, Miss Leslie, and it's in progress right now," the native girl behind the window told her. "It's at the pavilion—Midnight Sun is performing a special concert there. Just go backstage."
Leslie brightened. "That's right, I'd forgotten! Father and I were supposed to see the group sometime this week anyway—they're here on vacation. Thanks, Inoa." She headed for the pavilion at a fast walk, a little excited herself. Midnight Sun, a four-man group from Norway, was one of the biggest musical acts in the world and was well-established, having first appeared on the scene in the 80s with a smash-hit debut song, "Tell it Straight", that was still a staple on radio. Their music was always fresh and original, keeping them up-to-date with the times, and Leslie and most of her friends had been casual fans for years. So there was little doubt in her mind that that's where she'd find Annie Johnston.
And she did—but in a most unexpected place. Or maybe not, Leslie considered, under the circumstances. The security contingent recognized her and let her in, and she found her unobtrusive way onto the end of the front row at the stage. It was a lively show, and there was a good rocker of a song in progress as she paused to scan for Annie. Surprised when she didn't see her in the row of eager fans stretching hands up for a quick touch from the heartthrob of a guitarist, she shifted her attention to the stage and gaped, her hand drifting to her mouth with amazement. Despite herself, she was impressed. There was Annie on stage, her hair in a bouncy ponytail, clad in a green halter-top dress with a long skirt that flared way out whenever she spun on one foot—dancing with the band's lead singer. Leslie had to laugh. That girl sure knows how to daydream! She leaned onto the corner of the stage, moving in time with the music, enjoying herself.
As for Annie, she'd become Annissa—devoted Midnight Sun fan, outgoing and quick to take advantage of lead singer Kåre Braavik's signaled invitation to join him on the stage and dance with him to the song the band was performing. Even in real life, she was a true fan; but never in a million years would plain old Annie Johnston have been chosen to come onstage for a few minutes. In the guise of Annissa—and thanks to her fantasy—she was just about guaranteed her moment of fun with one of her favorite groups. She was having the time of her life, and beamed joyfully when Kåre leaned over and kissed her cheek at the end of the song. "Let's hear it for Annissa, everyone!" he called into the microphone, and an obliging cheer rose out of the gathered crowd. The gorgeous guitarist, Magne Heldt, came over to shake her hand, and the keyboardist and drummer even came out from behind their instruments to acknowledge her. Gaute Kaggestad put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed in friendly fashion, and boisterous drummer Karsten Henning drew her into a full-bodied hug which Annissa returned with equal enthusiasm. "Come backstage after the show and we'll sign some stuff for you," Karsten promised, and she nodded eagerly.
Annissa practically floated off the stage, buoyed by a natural high that seemed to inflate that much more when she spotted Leslie waving at her from the corner of the front row. As soon as Annissa jumped down, she abruptly morphed back into Annie, but the young woman's excitement wasn't dimmed one whit. "Oh, Leslie, did you see me?" she bubbled, bouncing in place. "That's the best time I ever had in my whole life! I just can't thank you and Mr. Roarke enough for granting my fantasy—this never would've happened without it!" Still thrilled, she spontaneously hugged Leslie, who laughed and returned it.
"The show's almost over," Leslie said. "I'll get you backstage and we can wait for the guys to finish and give you their autographs." She simply hated to stick a pin in Annie's balloon of joy; and anyway, she wanted to meet Midnight Sun herself. The Johnstons could wait; Leslie had no problem with letting them cool their heels, either in their hotel room or in her father's study.
Some three-quarters of an hour later, after both Annie and Leslie had talked a bit with the band and collected autographed CDs, Leslie checked her watch and was more than a little startled at the time. "Wow! I'm sorry, guys, I hate to cut and run, but we do have an appointment," she said apologetically. "Listen, if you can, come have dinner with Father and me at the main house sometime this week."
"That sounds wonderful," said Gaute Kaggestad. "I have always heard that this island has some of the best food in the world."
"By all means, bring it on," Magne Heldt agreed, shaking hands with Leslie. "This really is quite a place you have here. And, uh…Annissa?" He gave Annie a slightly wary look. Leslie couldn't blame him; after her retransformation, Annie's ponytail had exploded into dull-blonde frizz and her swirly-skirted dress had become a tank top and a pair of shorts. "It was fun having you onstage."
For her part, Annie knew why he looked like that and smiled sheepishly, turning bright red yet again. It's my stock reaction to everything, she thought with self-disgust. "I had the greatest time ever," she said. "Thanks so much for everything." The group and the women bid one another farewell, and Leslie led Annie out of the backstage waiting room and back into the normal bustle of the surrounding amusement park. Only then did Annie finally venture, "What's the appointment, Leslie?"
Leslie glanced sympathetically at her. "As much as I hate to tell you this, your entire family is here. They insist on seeing you—I think they're planning to pack you up and drag you back home with them."
