A/N:
Once again, it's Thursday folks! How fast a week can go by and yet feel so slow at the same time. Isn't that amazing?
Well, I don't really have too much to say up here, and I don't intend to keep you from reading the chapter so I'll meet y'all at the bottom again, 'key? ;-)
Title: The Mystery of El Jardín
Author: MarieCarro
Beta: SarcasticBimbo
Genre: Mystery/Adventure/Action/Romance
Rating: NC-17
Summary: A group of college students with clashing personalities wins an all-expenses-paid weeklong vacation at a luxury resort in the Caribbean, thinking it will be spent on the beach in the glorious sunshine. However, after landing it becomes very apparent that all is not as it should when the students find themselves alone on the island with only their pilot and one guide. Or are they..?
Disclaimer: Plot is derived from the Choices story Endless Summer and is the property of Pixelberry Studios. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Names and places have been changed for the purpose of Fanfiction.
{CHAPTER 3}
Icy, still, penetrating darkness. It trapped me in it. And then something stirred in front of me. Slowly closing in—
I awoke with a start, panting and covered in sweat. The memory of the thing I'd seen the night before still haunted me and apparently affected my subconsciousness. I wiped the dampness off my temples as I sat up in bed and, for the millionth time, tried to figure out what the prowling mass was.
No closer to an answer than I'd been when I went to sleep, I got dressed for the day, and headed down to the resort's main restaurant where I found everyone looking slightly worse for wear.
Garrett was staring at his plate, piled with a suspicious-looking concoction of various ingredients I couldn't fathom worked well together, and then gave Emmett a skeptical side-eye. "When you said you were going to cook breakfast, I figured, you know, pancakes and bacon. Not… what is this, again?"
"It's my Hangover Special 9000," Emmett said proudly. "A perfect scramble of eggs, potatoes, oysters, and bananas, topped off with pickle juice. Trust me. It'll cure your hangovers before you know it. Might taste gross and weird, but it's a guarantee. Just try it," he encouraged, but the others still hesitated.
Edward pushed his plate away. "I've eaten a lot of weird shit in my day, but I'll pass on this."
Rosalie was leaning over onto her hands, occasionally dry-heaving as if she was literally seconds away from throwing up while Peter at the next table over was stuffing his face.
"You're missing out," he said to anyone who'd listen. "This is delicious."
Kate looked up from her own plate at him, her expression drawn with disgust. "I once saw you eat a rock."
Peter grinned. "Damn proud of it, too. I won ten bucks."
One by one, they started noticing me in the room, and the chaotic noise died down as everyone turned to stare.
Edward leaned back in his chair with a teasing smirk. "Well, well, well. If it isn't The Girl who Cried Monster."
"Yeah, seriously, Bella, you shut down the party faster than the cops back home," Emmett said, but it earned him a scowl from Leah.
"That's what you care about?"
After my sleepless night filled with haunting nightmares, I wasn't in the mood or had the energy to defend myself, so I pretended to brush off the entire situation, if only to put matters to rest. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I kind of freaked everyone out last night. I don't know what happened or if what I saw was even real, but I promise I won't ruin any more parties, okay?"
"Good," Emmett said, perfectly appeased by my answer. "'Cause we're back at it again tonight!"
Some laughed while others groaned and cradled their heads, but Leah looked at me with disappointment, and I tried to not let her dark eyes get to me.
Benji sidled over to me as I helped myself to some food, holding his own plate loaded with Emmett's sizzling dish. "You okay?" he asked, sensing my somber mood.
I shrugged, unable to lie to my best friend. "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess. It was just… a rough night."
We grabbed a table next to Peter, Emmett, and Kate. As soon as we'd settled in our seats, I heard Kate mention the gym at the hotel, and I knew I had to at least attempt to be friendly with her after our disastrous first meeting. So I turned around in my seat to talk with them.
"Did you say gym? I'd be down to hit that up?" I said and smiled, but Kate's expression immediately soured.
"Great, that ruins the fun for the rest of us," she replied, and I bit my tongue as I turned back around, determined to keep the nastiness I wanted to spew at her inside.
Just then, the door to the restaurant swung open, and Alice entered. "Good morning!" she chirped, energetic as always. "I hope you're all enjoying your lovely breakfast in our five-star restaurant, but I might've found what happened to all the guests."
Edward took a sip of his coffee. "Well?" he said when she didn't immediately continue. "Spit it out, Dimples."
Alice smiled patiently. "I went into the staff office to look for information. One computer in there, the one used for island-wide broadcasts, was still running. Turns out exactly two days ago, at 3:45 PM, someone used the emergency broadcast system to trigger a full evacuation of the hotel," she explained casually, as if the procedure was a normal occurrence.
"An evacuation? Why?"
She waved the question off to show that we shouldn't worry. "It's standard procedure at all Cullen International resorts. In the event of a natural disaster, the guests vacate the premises and head to a secure shelter!"
"Natural disaster?" I asked. The untouched food on most people's plates was an opportunity I couldn't let pass me by. "You mean like Emmett's cooking?"
Peter guffawed and almost sputtered food all over the table. "Ha ha, burn!"
The look Emmett gave me was simultaneously appraising and amused, but he took my jab in stride. "Ouch, Bella. Major ouch," he said, the hints of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Without letting our banter deter her, Alice continued. "Questionable cooking aside, the resort's security team specifically designed the evacuation procedure to only handle certain cases such as a hurricane, a viral outbreak, or Mount Suerte finally erupting."
"Uh-huh," Edward said, not appearing to be convinced. "Problem is, I don't see any hurricanes, viruses, or lava flows."
Garrett agreed. "So why trigger the evacuation procedure?"
"False alarm, maybe?" Victoria suggested. "But then why hasn't anyone come back?"
"Everyone could still be there," Leah said, and turned to Alice. "This shelter; where is it?"
Alice's smile fell. "I—don't know entirely. I've never actually been there." She quickly plastered another smile on. "But the signs on the trail say we'll find it if we hike north a few miles."
"I'm in."
Alice turned to Edward in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
Edward finished his coffee and stood up. "You're going to look for it, right? Well, I'm coming with you! The rest of these kids are having fun playing Home Alone 2: Island Boogaloo, but I was supposed to be in Cancun a day ago. I'm losing cash every second I waste here."
I looked down at my plate to hide the surge of disappointment I felt when Edward mentioned leaving. I logically knew that was the only reason he was still here, but I'd somehow made myself forget that.
"I'll join you," Alistair said, but when everyone looked at him in surprise, he clenched his jaw and straightened up in his seat. "I'd like to get the lay of the land around here."
"I want to go, too," Victoria exclaimed, effectively taking the attention away from Alistair, whose face had turned every shade of red in the brief span of a few seconds. "I'd love to help and see some sights along the way."
Edward glanced over his shoulder at me. "How about you, Princess? You coming? You've been adamant to figure this mystery out since we landed."
"I—" I hesitated, and my mind flashed back to the previous night and the shadow stalking toward me.
Edward must have seen my distress because he immediately backpedaled, a genuine gleam of sympathy in his eyes. "Hey, don't worry about it. If you're scared, you're scared. Just stay back here with the rest of The Goof Troop."
Those who'd volunteered started leaving the restaurant, and I looked after them. I didn't want to be scared, and I really wanted to find out what had happened. I'd have the others with me, so I pushed my fears aside and called after them. "Wait! I'm coming too!"
Benji turned to me, surprised. "You are? Why?"
"Because I want to know what's going on. Aren't you curious why everyone went to the shelter?"
"Oh, sure, I'm curious," he said, but he wasn't keen on joining just because of that. "But I've also, you know, seen a horror movie. 'Hey, guys! Let's go check out the mysterious shelter on the deserted island! How could this possibly go wrong?' Next thing you know? Blam! We're zombie chow."
His ridiculousness instantly improved my mood and made me forget my fears. "I think I'll take my chances with the zombies."
He conceded after a moment of disgruntled mumbling. "Fine, fine. I'll go with you. But only so I can say 'I told you so' when something horrible attacks us."
I gave him a soft punch to the arm. "That's the spirit."
Alice clapped her hands to regain our attention. "All right, then! Let's head out!"
A little while later, Alice spearheaded us along a winding trail through the island's dense jungle. Edward and Alistair made up the back of our train, while Victoria marveled at the flowers, which glowed iridescently under the green canopy of the dense foliage above us.
"Unbelievable," she said and leaned closer. "These colors, these textures, they're like something out of a dream."
I halted and leaned over to inspect them myself. The purple petals flickered and pulsed without a logical source for the impossible light. "I've never seen flowers like these before."
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Alice took a breath and jumped into a well-rehearsed speech, which was perfectly educational, but rang slightly false in my ears. "Because of El Jardín's geographical location, the island has one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet. There's no record of the flora and fauna existing anywhere else in the world."
Edward scoffed, and when I turned to ask why, he was shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Sure thing, Dimples, keep spewing that Cullen International propaganda. I ain't buying it."
Alistair furrowed his brows, and his eyes were glittering with offense. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying, all the brochures go on about how this place is some sorta Disney paradise," Edward said, and gave us a surreptitious smile. "But drink in the right dive bars, and you'll hear rumors about what really goes on here."
"Like what?" I asked.
"Criminal plots. Illegal experiments. Folks going missing. All kinds of crazy."
Victoria crossed her arms and raised her brows skeptically. "Conspiracy theories? Really?"
Edward shrugged, unbothered by her insinuation. "Laugh it up, Merida. While you were busy instagramming about your pumpkin spice latte, I was flying covert missions over Kandahar. Once you've peeked behind that curtain…" He trailed off and we locked eyes for a second. For that brief moment, I thought I saw a peek of the real Edward behind all the jokes and nicknames, but then he looked away again and cleared his throat. "Well, let's just say there are some things out there that would blow your mind. Those pretty purple flowers you're gushing about? They might just be sizzling with radiation."
"That is preposterous," Alistair sputtered.
I glanced at the flowers again and then stepped back. No matter the truth, there was something weird about the island, and I didn't want to take my chances, even though radiation was the last theory on my list.
"I knew I could count on you, Princess," Edward said with a pleased smile.
"Tell me you don't believe his conspiracy theory prattle." Alistair glared at me with annoyance shooting out of his eyes.
"I don't know what I believe," I said and nodded toward the flowers. "But unique ecosystems or not, flowers shouldn't glow like that."
"I still think they're beautiful," Victoria said defiantly, and leaned even closer to the flowers. "And I won't let some conspiracy theory keep me from appreciating that."
Ahead of us, Alice stopped and looked around, confused. "Huh… this doesn't make sense."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Well, the signpost said the shelter should be right here!"
Alistair groaned exasperatedly. "Oh, great, even the tour guide's lost. What do they pay you for, again?"
"Tactical Scouting 101, kids. Get to high ground." Edward looked around and then pointed to the right. "See that rocky cliff over there? We should be able to see the shelter from there."
"I think we should stick to the trail," Alice said to him. "The shelter might just be further ahead."
"You do that, I'm gonna do my thing," he said and pointed over his shoulder at the cliff. He turned to leave, but stopped when he passed me. "What do you say, Princess? Want to keep me some company?"
It was the third time he invited me along for something, but instead of cracking a joke at his expense, I just gave him a teasing smirk. "If you insist."
We split off from the group and pushed through the undergrowth toward the cliff. Whenever we met a hurdle like a log or low-hanging branch, he deftly avoided them, showcasing his experience with backwood areas.
"Impressive," I said, with just a hint of annoyed amusement at his perpetual list of skills. "You do this a lot?"
"Get stranded on mysterious islands with a group of plucky college kids?" he asked cheekily. "Gotta say it's a first."
I laughed softly. He was, admittedly, very charming when he joked around. "I meant go hiking; walking through jungles, that kind of thing. You seem pretty confident in the outdoors."
"I grew up in a Louisiana town so rural, it wasn't even on the map," he said as an explanation. "When it comes down to it, the swamp and the jungle ain't so different."
"Probably not as many gators out here, though."
"Fewer gators, more jaguars. I'll call it even." He glanced at me over his shoulder, once again appraising me, trying to figure me out. As if I was the mysterious one. "How about you, Princess? This your kinda scene?"
I shook my head. "Not exactly. I'm originally from a rather small town, but I prefer the air-conditioned, high-speed internet life."
"Course you do," he said and nodded as if I'd confirmed everything he'd already assumed about me. "Betting you've never spent a day roughing it your entire life."
If he was insulting me for enjoying the comfortable life, I wasn't sure, so I just shrugged, not denying his presumption. "My family camped when I was a kid, but I never liked it much." I grinned because I knew before I even said it, he'd laugh at me. "I always thought the forest was too wet."
As I'd predicted, he snorted. "I rest my case."
I joined in on the laughter for a moment, but then sobered up and admitted the truth. "Honestly, I don't know the first thing about the outdoors."
When Edward smiled this time, it took on a crooked shape. It was nothing like the smiles I'd seen him give me before. This one struck me as more genuine. "Is that why you came along with me? Hoping to learn some survival tips?"
"Actually, I just wanted to spend more time with you," I admitted, because I wanted him to know the truth.
He hadn't expected my answer, though, and his mouth fell open to create a perfect 'o.' "Oh?"
"Yeah," I said, and smiled. "If you haven't noticed, I like you. You're not like the others. You're confident and capable, and you seem like you know what you're doing." I felt no shame in admitting how I felt around Edward. He could be arrogant, sarcastic, and really fucking annoying at times, but even in that first dream I had, there'd been a sense of safety and comfort around him. "I don't know what it is, but… I want to be near you. I feel safe with you. Is that weird?"
He cleared his throat and collected himself before answering, his tone as teasing as ever. "Nah. Not weird. Just dorky and a little on-the-nose. Classic Princess."
Despite his words, I could see my words had affected him, and he was just trying to hide it. "Are you ever gonna call me by my real name?" I asked, even though I'd already grown fond of his nickname for me.
He laughed and winked. "When you've earned it."
I shivered at the insinuations of how I could earn that privilege, then cleared away some bushes, as we found ourselves at the foot of the sharp, jagged cliff face.
Edward tilted his head back and looked toward the top. "If we can just get up there, we'll have a clear view. How's your rock climbing?"
"I'm a bona fide pro," I said sarcastically, since I'd told him a minute ago I didn't do the outdoors. "I've climbed walls at the gym, though, so… average?"
"Good enough for me."
Edward crouched down, clasping his hands together, and gave me a boost, hoisting me up to a low ridge. We climbed the rocky cliff side by side, grabbing handholds and using cracks to stabilize ourselves.
He crested the top first, and I was about to follow him when the chunk of rock I was holding snapped off in my hand. On pure instinct, my hand shot out and grabbed the ledge before I fell backwards, and luckily, there was enough traction for me to pull myself up.
Edward gave me an impressed look, his hand still outstretched as he'd prepared to help me. "Nice moves, Princess. What do you even need me for?"
We stood on the cliff and gazed out across the island, taking a moment to appreciate the view.
"I gotta hand it to this place. It never ceases to take my breath away," I said. The lush greenery was stunning, and the sun bathing it in yellow light made the sight even more beautiful.
He leaned closer to my ear and whispered. "That's the radiation." We laughed, and then he agreed with me. "Seriously, though, it's one hell of a sight."
"And no weird lights in the sky, either," I said, referring to the day before in the control tower.
"For now." Edward looked down and his expression darkened with immediate suspicion. "What's this?" He bent down and brushed some dirt away from the ground. Underneath, carved into the stone, was an unfamiliar symbol.
"What's that?" I crouched down next to him.
"Don't know. There's no writing or anything. Looks like… a wolf?"
"Do you think it's part of the resort? Like something the corporation put here?"
Edward shrugged and continued to stare at the symbol with pointed intensity. "Maybe… looks quite old, though?"
I snapped a photo of the symbol on my phone, then turned back to the view. I immediately spotted what we'd climbed the cliff to find. "Look! Down by that river over there. Looks like a gray building. Could be the shelter."
He grinned, pleased we'd accomplished our mission. "Hot damn. Good eyes, Princess!" He straightened out, and we almost bumped noses because of how close we'd inexplicably gotten.
We looked at each other for one long, silent moment, and I wanted nothing more than for him to make the move I could see he wanted to.
"We, uh… should probably head back," he said, and I did my best to hide my disappointment as we stepped apart. "Find the others and tell them where to go."
"Yeah, we should," I agreed and stared at the ground. "Definitely." I was sure he had his reasons for keeping me at a distance. I respected his boundaries, but it confused me that he readily encouraged my flirting—and flirted back—but when it came down to it; he turned as cold as an icicle.
Edward stepped toward the edge, but then stopped and looked back at me with a sheepish smile. "Gotta say this was actually kind of fun. Maybe, before I fly back, we can go on another climb together."
That was probably the closest thing I'd get to a date with him, so I happily accepted. "I'd like that," I said, and then followed him back down.
A few minutes later, our reunited group arrived outside the enormous, overgrown shelter.
"Great job finding this place," Alice said to me and Edward.
Benji, however, was less impressed with the condition of the building. "I wouldn't go popping the champagne just yet. Anyone else getting some 28 Days Later vibes off this place?"
Victoria timidly agreed with him. "It does look a little… dilapidated. How old is this place?"
"They built it simultaneously with the resort. I'll just have a stern word with the caretakers," Alice said, not at all worried that the stone structure appeared decades older than the pristine hotel.
It didn't bother Edward either, and he started toward the building. "Whole point of a shelter is keeping you safe inside, not looking good on the outside. Come on." He took the lead with Alice and headed for the entrance.
Alice pushed open the doors and revealed a long ramshackle hallway. Vines snaked along the floor, and sparks showered from broken fixtures overhead.
I crossed my arms and rubbed them for warmth in the much cooler air inside. "It's empty," I said, confused by the lack of guests we'd expected to find.
"On second thought," Edward started, far from as confident as before. "Maybe Pop Culture Petey was right. This place gives me the creeps."
Benji groaned and hung his head. "I finally get a nickname and it's 'Pop Culture Petey'? Everyone else got a cooler one!"
Victoria shuddered and backed away, gravitating back to the light and warmth of the outside. "Anyone else want to go back to the pretty jungle with the magic flowers? Anyone?"
Edward kneeled down and grazed the ground with his fingers. "There are a lot of muddy shoe prints. They seem recent."
"You mean the guests were here?" I asked.
"No," he said, and chills immediately ran down my back. "But someone was."
Just then, there was a skittering sound to my left, and I whipped my head in that direction. "Did anyone else hear that?" I could only see a pitch-black hole where the concrete wall had crumbled.
"I think it came from in there," Benji whispered and pointed at the hole.
"Someone should take a look," Alice said, but took a step back at the same time.
I took it upon myself to check, but had to take a deep breath before leaning closer.
"What do you see?" Benji leaned over next to me.
"Hmm… there's something in there." A small shape shifted in the darkness and I could see the glint of light reflected in a pair of eyes. Not like the eyes from the night before. These belonged to something much less threatening.
"Certainly it's just a rat, right?" Alistair said, and his voice shook.
A strange clicking noise came from inside the hole, along with the sound of claws scraping on stone.
"That's no rat," Edward said, and I felt his hand hover over my shoulder, ready to pull me out of the way if necessary.
The shape suddenly rushed toward me and pounced into the light. All of us stared at it for a moment, unable to comprehend what we were seeing.
"What is that?"
"Literally the cutest thing I've ever seen," Victoria gushed and crouched down on the ground, holding out her hand toward the strange animal.
"Can we all officially agree that's not a real animal?" Edward said. The blue, little fox-like furball retreated into the corner and trembled. Frost clung to the walls near him, and Edward softened. "Huh. It looks scared."
"But what is it scared of? Us?" A low, deep, blood-curdling growl resounded from right behind me, and I had my answer. I slowly turned around, only to see a massive beast prowling toward us out of the shadows. I instantly recognized it from the night before in the forest. The fox-like creature scurried behind me in terror and pressed against my legs.
We all froze and stared at the beast slowly stalking toward us.
"Edward," I stage-whispered. "What do we do?" I hoped he had a plan, or, at the very least, could figure one out, but when he turned to me, I saw, for the first time, his eyes glimmering with the same fear I felt.
He grabbed my hand.
"Don't move."
A/N:
So now the others know that the shadow Bella saw was for real, and not just an illusion. Leah didn't seem too pleased that Bella "folded" to the others, kinda claiming the monster might not have been real. What do y'all think of Leah nowadays? She's still quite a mystery, but what are your thoughts on her?
What about those flowers, huh? What do you think is the deal with those? Do you believe Edward's conspiracy theories or Alice's Cullen International brochures? What do you think is the real reason Alistair wanted to tag along to the shelter?
Why does Edward flirt with Bella mercilessly while still keeping a solid distance? What was up with the metal plate on the cliff?
Where exactly are the guests, and what was up with that fox-animal?
All of you who review or PM will get a teaser from next week's chapter!
Love you! Xx MarieCarro
