A/N: Hey guys! It's Thursday and that means another chapter in our mystery.
I am sorry there was no teaser for reviewers on the last chapter but the thing is I started a new job last week, and I'm still adjusting big time. I'm not used to actually working full time, five days a week.
I'm used to working maybe a weekend of long ass days but then your other days are shifts that are only 4-5 hours long and that give you so much more time during the days.
I don't have that now, so I'm afraid there won't be teasers this time either. I just can't have everything in my head at once, and a few things have already slipped through my fingers, I've noticed, so I need to slow down a bit and focus on only a few things at a time :-P
I'm gonna continue putting the disclaimer here just be sure that everyone are aware of where this story originated.
This story isn't 100 % mine. I have transformed it into a story from an interactive story app called Choices (an app I am completely obsessed with atm) and the creators are Pixelberry Studios.
So here's my disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the plot of this story. All recognizable content belongs to their respective owner. No copyright infringement intended. Names and places have been changed for the purpose of Fanfiction.
{Chapter 7}
I woke up in my suite the next morning. Furball was curled up next to me, gently kneading my side with his paws.
There was a knock at the door, and then Benjamin poked his head in. "Hey, Bella ... ready for breakfast?"
I sat up and stretched. "I'm always ready for breakfast. But do you think things are going to be cool in there? That fight yesterday was pretty heated..."
"People fight all the time. How could anyone stay mad in a paradise like this?"
We stepped into the restaurant only to find a heavy, angry silence hanging over the room. The only things on the buffet table were cold bagels and dry cereal. The usual jokes, banter, smiles, and laughs were all gone. Half of the group, the ones who goofed off on the beach, sat at one table and the other half, the ones who explored the resort, glared at them from another.
"I guess I was wrong about that," Benjamin whispered to me and we silently made our way toward the buffet table.
Edward stood up to get himself another helping and cut right in front of us in the process. I was about to tease him for hogging all the food, but Garrett beat me to the punch.
"And where do you think you're going?" He also stood up and blocked Edward's path.
Edward glared at him. "Getting myself another bagel, Sergeant Buzzkill. Got a problem with that?"
"Not everyone's gotten a bagel yet. Since you're not big on contributing to the team, the least you could do is wait 'til everyone else has had a turn."
"What are you, the Breakfast Police? Get out of my way." Edward attempted to push past Garrett, but he didn't budge.
"Sit. Your. Ass. Down."
I suddenly felt as annoyed with Garrett's self-righteousness as I had last night. "Did I miss an election where we voted you Supreme Leader, Garrett? Because otherwise, I don't know why you think you can tell people what they can and can't do," I said angrily, siding with Edward.
Edward smirked and placed his arm around my shoulders. "Well, look at that. Even Princess is on my side. That's how you know you're wrong." His smile fell and he glared at Garrett again. "Now get out of my way."
Garrett also glared, but not at Edward. He glared at me. "Wait, seriously, Bella? Why are you backing up a guy like…" He looked at Edward and noticed the way he was glancing at me. "Oh. Right. I get it."
Edward tried to push past Garrett again, but Garrett continued to block his path, bumping him in the chest.
"Last warning, Edward. Sit down or this gets ugly."
Edward narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you have no idea how ugly I can get, Pretty Boy."
"What are you gonna do? Sucker punch me again?"
"Now that you mention it..." Edward shot a sudden jab at Garrett's face, but he was ready for it this time and weaved to the side.
With a roar, Garrett lunged forward and tackled Edward. The two slammed into the breakfast table and knocked it over as they grappled.
"Oh, snapaloosa!" Emmett exclaimed and rose from his chair, but made no attempt to stop the fight.
Garrett wound up for a punch when Furball jumped forward, growling. He let out a fierce growl, and a jagged icicle burst out of the floor, just a few feet from the two men.
"Whoa," Benjamin said quietly and stared at Furball in awe.
The moment passed. Garrett shoved Edward away and turned to walk off.
"This ain't over!" Edward called after him.
Garrett turned around but continued to move out of the restaurant backward. "You wanna sit around and brood, be my guest. I'm off to see if I can find a working radio." He strode out of the room. Kate, Tanya, and Alistair went with him.
Everyone turned to stare, but Edward simply shook it off and turned to me.
"Sorry about your breakfast, Princess. Want me to fix something for you in the kitchen?" he asked me with a smile.
I smiled right back at him, attempting to look as unaffected as he did. "Sure thing."
Edward walked to the kitchen in a comfortable stroll.
"That ... could have gone better," Benjamin mumbled.
I nodded. "Yeah ... maybe I shouldn't have stepped in after all."
A leaden silence hung over the room as everyone else finished their breakfast, and when Edward came back with a plate of cold cuts and a new bagel for me, the tense, awkwardness intensified.
I ate a few bites, but I quickly lost my appetite, and after thanking Edward, Iheaded out to the pool to get some fresh air.
Shortly after, Emmett came bounding my way.
"Bella! Can we talk?" I stopped walking and nodded. "I'm not gonna mince words. I'm worried about our group. If we keep up this whole feud, we're never gonna get off this island. We need a way to come together. I think I might know how to do it ... but I'm gonna need your help."
"I'm listening."
"This is gonna sound kind of crazy ... but we need to throw a feast."
I frowned in confusion. "A ... feast? How is that supposed to help?"
Emmett grinned. "Look, my grandmother had a saying. Words make war ... but pies make peace."
I thought about his words for a minute and realized he was right. Nothing made people come together like a good party.
"That is actually genius, Emmett!"
"You think so? Most people just stare at me confused when I say it."
I laughed. "How many times have you been in this situation?"
He shrugged. "Oh, you know. That one time at Chi Sigma Alpha and in my acapella group and junior prom, whoo, that was a doozy..." He met my eyes with a smile that showed every bit how good of a person he actually was. "Look, the point is, I've actually got a lot of experience bringing folks together and there's nothing that does the job like good food, strong drinks, and a lot of laughs."
"I'm sold. So what's the plan?"
Emmett made a small fist bump in the air. "I'll handle the cooking. I was poking around the kitchen earlier, and there is a lot of good stuff in there."
"So what do you need me for?
He rolled his eyes playfully. "Come on, Bella! What's the most important thing for a feast?"
I shrugged. "I don't know ... a community coming together in unity and support?"
Emmett snorted. "No! Booze! Really, really good booze! I need you to hit up all the bars in this resort and make sure the party tonight is stocked."
"Don't we have a bunch of stuff down here already?" I asked, confused.
"Well, we've managed to put a surprisingly big dent in the beer supply but more importantly, we can't just serve your average pool bar swill at this feast," Emmett said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We need the good stuff! The gold label! The crème de la crème," he said dramatically. "Literally. I'd like a bottle of Crème de la Crème."
"So you're sending me on a scavenger hunt of all the bars in the resort to get some special booze for you?"
Emmett patted my shoulder. "I knew I could count on you! Now listen up. I've got a few drinks in mind that I wanna make, but I'm going to need some specific ingredients. I'm gonna need that Crème de la Crème, a bottle of McLellyn's Whiskey, and a bottle of Armand de Fleur champagne. You got that?"
I nodded. "I got it."
Emmett placed his other hand on my other shoulder and looked into my eyes with a mock serious look. "Good luck, Bella! The fate of the party is on your shoulders."
I laughed at his dramatics and headed back to the hotel and the elevator when someone else popped up alongside me.
"Hey there, buddy. Heard you were going on a bar crawl," Rosalie said.
I frowned as I didn't understand why she was so nice to me all of a sudden. "Were ... were you eavesdropping on me and Emmett?"
She shrugged unremorsefully. "You say 'eavesdropping,' I say 'conveniently overhearing while hiding behind a corner.' I'm in."
I was truly shocked that she actually offered to help me. "You are?"
She sighed. "Look. Let's just say I'm a pretty experienced drinker, okay? I've got one hell of a discerning palate. You want this to just be some run-of-the-mill frat party beer run? Be my guest. But if you wanna come back with the best of the best, I'm your gal." She pointed at herself and winked.
Just then, Peter rounded the corner in front of us. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's this I hear about a beer run?"
"Does anyone on this island not eavesdrop on people?"
Peter laughed loudly. "Come on, Bella. You're gonna need someone to carry all those bottles ... someone big and strong ..."
Rosalie instantly protested. "Hey! I called going with Bella first!"
"Yeah, well, I called it second." Peter insisted. "And everyone knows first is the worst, second's the best!"
Rosalie glared. "Who? Who knows that?"
I stopped them both. "I'm sorry, could we back up a minute? Are you guys just trying to get drunk?"
"Yeahhhhh dog, you get it!" Peter held his fist out for a bump, but Rosalie slapped his hand.
"You really need to learn to read tone, Peter. And yes. We're just trying to get drunk. It's hot. We're stuck on this island. And we're all probably going to get eaten by a sabertooth tiger. Can you blame us?"
"Well, when you put it like that..." I hit the button for the elevator. "All right. Fine. You guys can both tag along."
Rosalie's face fell. "But—"
Peter gaped. "No, that's—"
The two looked at each other and sighed.
Rosalie was the first to concede. "Fine. But I still get first sip."
"And I get to drink the most!"
I grinned at them. "See? You're getting along already. Now come on. We need to stay focused and make sure to get Emmett the drinks he needs."
We walked through the hotel with Furball trailing happily after us and reached the ballroom's big double doors. I threw them open, but instead of seeing the ballroom, I found myself standing on a rickety catwalk over a pool of bubbling magma.
I jerked back in shock.
Through the smoke and wavering heat in front of me, I could almost make out the shape of a man on the far end of the catwalk; a man wearing a lion mask.
"Wh ... wha ..."
He turned to look at me, head cocked to the side and suddenly, with a flash of light, I was back in the hotel, in the ballroom, with Peter and Rosalie.
"Wha ... what was that...?" I asked breathlessly.
"What was what?" Rosalie asked.
Peter appraised me carefully. "You just ... totally spaced out there for a second ..."
I stammered badly as I tried to tell them. "I ... I saw ... I mean, I was in a ..." Rosalie and Peter stared at me like I was crazy. I shook my head and turned back to the room."Never mind. Just got lost in my thoughts, I guess. Let's go find that alcohol!"
"Uh, this doesn't look like a bar..." Peter pointed out and looked around the ballroom.
I chuckled. "Guessing you haven't been to many fancy weddings, Peter. Rich couples go all out on nice wine and champagne."
Rosalie nodded in agreement. "Bella knows what's up. I checked this place out on the first day, and hoo boy, do they have the good stuff."
"Yeah, well, where I'm from, the only thing they serve at weddings is cheap beer and moonshine," Peter replied.
Rosalie smirked. "I've always wondered. Do you actually drink it out of a jug labeled XXX, or is that just a stereotype?"
"Stay on target, you two. Emmett wanted champagne called Armand de Fleur," I told them and headed toward the bar.
"Oooo, I've heard of that," Rosalie said excitedly. "I'll give Emmett credit, boy knows his alcohol."
"I think I see a couple bottles of it down in the bar fridge." Peter cracked the fridge open and grabbed a pair of bottles, tucking them in his backpack.
I took up my little cheat note that I'd written to remind me of the name of the next brand of liquor that we needed. "All right, next let's check the re—"
Rosalie immediately stopped me. "Hold your horses, Bella. It's not a bar crawl unless you're actually drinking."
"You know, I don't recall saying this was a bar crawl..." Before I could finish, Rosalie popped open a bottle of the champagne from a table and took a sip.
"Mmm ... tastes like horrific wealth disparity."
Peter grabbed a bottle as well and took a long swig. "Tastes like champagne. What's the big deal?"
Rosalie gave him a deadly glare. "The big deal is that it's one of the finest, most flavorful champagnes in the world. You are such a philistine."
Peter gasped. "Racist much? My family's from Taiwan."
She rolled her eyes at him. "How about you, Bella? Gonna drink?"
I hesitated at first, but then I knew that I wanted to as much as those two. "All right, let's do this."
"That's what I'm talking about y'all!"
I opened my own bottle and the three of us raised our drinks in a toast.
"Cheers!"
I took a good, long swig. It was sweet and bubbly, with just a hint of pear and a lingering taste of honey. "Ohhhh, wow," I said in awe of the drink.
"Another! Another!"
A few drinks later, I was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol, but I couldn't let it deter me from the mission Emmett had sent me on. Rosalie, Peter, and I walked through the hotel until we came to a thick double door. A sign hung on the wall nearby.
"'Club Skullkid'" I read on the sign.
Peter frowned. "The hell is this?" Hethrew open the doors and revealed a dazzling high-end nightclub. "Oh, whaaaaaat? No one told me there was a nightclub! Why are we not tearing this place down every night?"
"Because I can't think of no worse way to spend my time than listening to crappy EDM while watching your sweaty ass fumble around?" Rosalie retorted.
"Pfffft. You're just jealous cuz you don't have my moves." Peter did a little dance and it was not impressive.
Rosalie just shook her head and went to check out the DJ booth. "What is this, like retro night? All this equipment is from the mid-90s ... not to mention all the music."
"Come on, you two. Let's go check the bar. This place should have a ton of cocktail supplies." I tried to steer them back into the right direction and Rosalie instantly abandoned the DJ booth and slid over the bar to rifle through the bottles.
"Let's see ... we've got blackberry liqueur ... absinthe ... hot chili vodka ..."
"We're looking for Crème de la Crème," I told her.
"Yup! Got two bottles of that right here!"
Peter took the bottle and read the label. "'A premiere flavored liqueur, with hints of chocolate, vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon.'" He popped the bottle open and took a big chug but shuddered when the taste hit his tongue."Ugh ... so sweet ... and ... creamy ..."
Rosalie huffed in annoyance. "You're meant to mix a tiny bit of it into a cocktail, you ape, not chug it like cheap beer!"
"Well, where's the warning label, huh?"
"Just give it to me. I'll show you how it's done ..." Rosalie deftly swung around the bar, mixing together a bunch of different drinks and with a flourish, slid a tall glass of multi-colored alcohol into Peter's big hand.
He took a sip. "Oooooooooh yeah. That's good."
"It better be. There's, like, six shots in there."
I laughed at the two of them. "There's no way I'm keeping you two sober, is there?"
Rosalie smirked. "Not a chance in hell. Want one?"
"What the hell. You only live once, right?"
Peter raised his glass. "YOLO, baby! I've got that tattooed on my butt!"
"We all remember, Peter." Rosalie rolled her eyes and whipped up a cocktail for me and slid it my way.
The drink was sweet and sour and the crème in it rounded it off perfectly. The alcohol in it was very noticeable, and even with only one sip, it went straight to my head. "Oh man ... that is delicious. And also incredibly strong."
Rosalie nodded toward me in something akin to approval. "Heh ... I gotta say, Bella ... you're all right."
"Thanks?" I wasn't sure if it was a compliment, so my thanks sounded more like a question as a result. "Now come on. We've got more booze to get."
"Sure thing. After I finish this cocktail. And the one after that." Peter winked and clinked his glass with mine.
An hour later, the three of us huddled in the hotel hallway. We had gathered a few bags full of alcohol for the feast, but we had not found everything yet. We were all quite hammered by that point, though, and Peter was walking almost double folded. "Hey. Guys? Is one of the island's mysteries that everything is spinning? Or is that just me?"
Rosalie could not stop laughing. "Ha ha, Peter's drunk. He's as drunk as a guy who's always drunk and is like 'Hey! Look at me! I'm drunk!'" she stopped in her tracks and looked deep in thought. "I'm pretty drunk too, aren't I?"
If someone had asked me at that point if I was drunk, I probably would have said no in blunt drunken denial, and I was positive I looked at least every bit as ridiculous as Peter. "You guys ... you guys are ... this was ... heh ... yeaaaah ..."
"Yo, Rosie. I think Bella's feeling it."
I hiccupped and looked at my cheat note closely. "Well, I think we hit every bar in this resort ... and we did get a lot of alcohol ... But we never did find that McLellyn's Whiskey..." I was thoroughly impressed with myself that I got the name out without twisting my tongue completely. That was a hard name to say when intoxicated.
"Well ... there's one more bar," Rosalie said conspiratorially.
"There is?" I asked, shocked.
She nodded. "I saw it when I was going over the hotel blueprints. Something called the V.I.P. Lounge."
Peter gasped. "V.I.P. Lounge? I didn't see anything about that in the brochure..."
"That's cuz you're not a V.I.P., dummy. Unless it stands for Vomiting ... Idiot ... Poo-head."
Peter gave Rosalie an unimpressed sideways glance. "Sick burn, Rosalie. Really got me with that one."
She shoved him quite hard in response, but because of their size difference, it didn't do much. "Just shut up and follow me." Rosalie led us through the halls until we came to a big locked door. She examined the keypad and flicked out her knife."Pffft, simple one-source keypad authentication? It's like they want me to break in ..."
"Are you sure it's the best idea?" I was feeling unsure about actually breaking into places we weren't allowed into even though it was obvious no one would come back to the resort for the duration of our stay, or at all for that matter. This was still someone else's property after all.
Peter scoffed at my insecurity. "Sauce. It's the V.I.P. Lounge. You know they've got the best shizz in there."
Rosalie let out a small laugh. "The drunker you get, the more you sound like your old self, Petester. Remember that time freshman year when you ... when we..." Rosalie caught herself, and the smile faded from her face. "Never mind."
The exchange confused me, and I wondered if there was more history between the two than what was let on. Maybe, if we went into the Lounge, they would reveal a thing or two. "Alright, I'm in. Let's check it out."
Rosalie grinned. "Hell yeah."
Peter pumped his fist. "Let's. Break. Down. This. Door!" Herammed the door with his shoulder, but it didn't budge.
Rosalie sighed and pried open the keypad panel, examining the wires. "Do me a favor, Bella. Keep Peter occupied for a few minutes, would you? I gotta work my skills on these wires."
"Are you sure you ought to be doing that drunk?"
"What's the worst thing that could happen? I trip the wrong wire and 10,000 volts of electricity surge through my body, leaving you idiots screaming at the charred husk that is my corpse?"
I gaped at her. "Peter ... is she kidding? I can't tell if she's kidding."
"I can never tell with her."
Rosalie squinted, intensely focusing on the wires. A single drop of sweat streaked down her forehead. "Okay ... red to green ... need to watch the breaker ... and ..." She clipped two wires together with a spark. The doors instantly slid open. "Slap my ass and call me Snape, because I just worked some magic!" Peter and I stared at her, and she narrowed her eyes. "Tell anyone I said that, and I'll kill you both."
I zipped my mouth shut but the gesture only caused her to roll her eyes.
We strolled into the gorgeous V.I.P. Lounge. Dazzling lights sparkled in the ceiling, while a beautiful water feature bubbled in the center, and behind the bar, in a glass display case, sat an incredible selection of high-end alcohol.
"Okay, yeah, good call, Rosalie. This was totally worth it," I said, and I couldn't stop staring at everything. It was so beautiful.
"Uh, duh? It's called the V.I.P. Lounge. Of course it's worth it. Now let me see what I can make us..." Rosalie took two steps toward the bar, tripped over a chair, and flopped onto a couch. "On second thought, I'm just gonna lie here for a while. If someone could sorta just pour a drink into my mouth, that'd be great."
Peter perused the bottles. "Lessee what they've got here ... some nice-ass vodka ... like a crystal ball full of gin ... and down in the fridge ... a cheese tray! Oh hells yeah, they've got a cheese tray!"
I gestured to stop him. "Wait, Peter, you have no idea how old that is, maybe you should wait and ... oh, never mind, I guess you already ate half of it."
"Mmmmm, cheese..."
Rosalie laughed. "Don't bother, Bella. Peter's a human garbage disposal. One time freshman year, he ate a candy bar he'd dropped in a public hot tub."
"The water's hot! That means it's sterile!"
Rosalie stared at him from her position on the couch. "Who. Taught. You. Science?"
My interest was piqued and I treaded carefully. "So ... you guys knew each other freshman year?"
The mood in the room instantly changed. Rosalie and Peter glanced at each other, uneasily.
"We, uh ... well, you know..."
"I mean ... we ... there was ... see..."
"Were you guys a couple?" I asked.
Peter started to shake his head aggressively. "What? No! No, no, no! Definitely not! What a totally crazy, nuts, ridiculous thing to say!"
Rosalie scoffed. "Oh my god, Peter, don't have a hernia. Yeah, we hooked up a few times. What's the big deal?"
Peter looked uncomfortable and shuffled a bit on the spot. "I thought you didn't want to tell people about that ..."
She shrugged. "Yeah, well, maybe sometimes I just don't have the energy to lie about it."
"Huh. I gotta admit I have a hard time picturing you two together..." The two of them just did not match. Rosalie was too much punk and Peter was too much jock. It didn't add up in my head.
"Yeah, well, we were different people back then. Just two dorky freshmen with no idea what to do, stuck in the same dorm hall..." Rosalie confessed somberly.
Peter walked over and sat down next to Rosalie. He handed her a glass of scotch on the rocks and clinked his with hers. "You had that blonde hair, remember? You'd always wear it in a ponytail and that nerdy sweater..."
"Yeah, well, you were a total dork. You had glasses and a bowl cut and all you ever wanted to talk about was World of Warcraft..."
Peter smiled at the harmless teasing. "Please! Like you didn't totally make a character just so we could raid Scholomance together."
"Oh, I forgot about that ... We wasted so many hours together ... then your stupid football team started winning, and you and Garrett became kings of the school. And all you wanted to do was go to frat parties with perky little cheerleaders." There was a bitter edge to Rosalie's tone and I suspected that she had never really gotten over losing Peter as the friend he'd obviously been to her.
Peter eyed her sadly. "You coulda come with me, you know. But no. You just wanted to hang out with those creepy hackers in the CS department."
"At least they listened to me. They got what I had to say." She let out a long sigh. "You think our Warcraft characters still exist? Just waiting around on some dusty server, remembering the good times?"
"They're probably pretty lonely."
The two of them sat in a long, emotional silence. Finally, Rosalie got up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sun's setting. We should probably get back to Emmett."
Peter agreed quietly. "Yeah. Time to go."
"Hang on a sec." I stopped them. "Let's at least see if we can find that whiskey Emmett wanted." Iwalked over to the shelf and browsed it. "Here it is! McLellyn's!" I started to put it into my bag when I noticed something strange on the bar. "Huh ... that's weird."
Peter looked at me over his shoulder. "What's up?"
"Everything else in this room is all neatly put away but there's this one glass of half-drunk whiskey still on the bar. It's like someone was here after it closed just having a drink by themselves."
Furball growled at it with teeth bared.
"Spooky! Maybe it was a ghoooooooost..." Rosalie thought I was ridiculous, but I didn't let it go.
"There's a little piece of paper next to it ... 'Project Hermes activation codes. Utilizes satellite uplink at the E.J.O.' and then there's a bunch of random number and letters. Any idea what that means?"
She shook her head. "No idea. Now come on. Let's get out of here before it gets all sentimental in here again."
I took the bags of alcohol, split off from Rosalie and Peter and headed to the resort's industrial kitchen, where Emmett was bustling about.
"Kahlua pork on the grill ... fries in the fryer ... oysters ready to go ... and samosas stuffed and spiced. Hot damn, Emmett, you have outdone yourself this time!"
Furball scampered around, greedily licking scraps off the floor.
I giggled at his cuteness. "Slow down, Furball! You don't want to get sick before the feast!"
"Bella! You're back! Tell me you found the good stuff!" Iset the bags down, and Emmett went through them."Dude! You found all of them!"
"I take my job as booze brigadier very seriously."
"I knew I could count on you!" He sniffed and smelled my breath and grinned. "Heh ... sample the goods on your way back?"
I smiled, not at all embarrassed. "Mighta had a sip. Or two. Or three. Looks like you've got things pretty handled down here..."
"Oh ... it wasn't just me." Ilooked across the kitchen and spotted Victoria. "Vicky offered to help me out. She's an amazing cook."
"Naw," Victoria said. "I've just been following instructions. This feast is all Emmett."
"Anyway, I'm gonna check out how the setup's looking ... back in a bit..." Emmett started to go, and then stopped by the door. "Hey, Bella ... you're keeping track of all the crazy stuff on the island, aren't you?"
I shrugged. "Uh, kinda, I guess..."
"Maybe this isn't a big deal ... but I did find one weird thing in the kitchen. All the other frying pans are normal. But this one had a symbol on it." He showed me the pan, and the symbol looked a bit like a scribble of a centaur.
"I don't know why..." he continued. "But something about that symbol it really stands out to me. Feels important for some weird reason. Like it's calling out to me ... I sound crazy, don't I?"
I nodded. "Yeah. But everything about this island is crazy."
"Touché. You see anything else like that, you'll let me know?"
I nodded. "Sure thing."
Emmett left, and I turned to Victoria. "How's it going?"
"Great! We just have dessert left! Wanna stick around and help me cook? I could always use another pair of hands. Plus it might be an opportunity for us to get some alone time..." She looked at me with an expression that made me wonder if Victoria was interested in more than friendship with me, but maybe that was the alcohol pranking me.
Whatever the case, I was way too tipsy to have any sort of conversation about that, and so I took the coward's way out. "Sorry, I gotta go. I think I need to take a nap before the feast. I drank a bit too much while I got those bottles."
Victoria looked disappointed. "Oh ... okay."
"I'll see you at the feast though, okay?"
She nodded. "Sure. Yeah. Sounds good."
On the way to the elevator, I ran into Edward.
"Heey, Top Gun! What're you up to?"
He smirked, amused. "Princess, are you drunk?"
I held up my fingers with the tiniest bit of air in between them. "Just a tiny bit."
"I gotta say, you're the last person I thought I'd see intoxicated in the middle of the day. Maybe I am a bad influence on you," he said with a chuckle.
I stepped closer to him, bending my neck back so I could still look into his eyes. They were so beautiful, all green and glittery and I found myself hypnotized by them. "I happen to like your bad influence," I said and smiled.
We just looked at each other for a moment, and I waited and hoped that he would make a move and just kiss me, or I'd do it myself.
But just as I was about to, he stepped away. "I'll see you at the feast, Princess." He winked at me and disappeared down the hall.
I sighed disappointedly and continued toward the elevators.
A little while later, I strolled out to the pool area and found it all set up for the night. A festive playlist blasted out of the speakers; torches flickered with pretty ambient light, and on a long dining table sat an incredible feast.
"Oh ... Wow." The smells hit me at once, sizzling roast pork, savory sauces, juicy fruits, sweet desserts. "Can I eat it all now? Please?"
Emmett bounded over, a big grin on his face. "I can't throw a ball or fly a plane but you'd better believe I can cook a mean feast."
"Eat. Now. Please," I pleaded andheaded to the table. There were only three empty seats left and I decided to sit down next to Benjamin.
Soon enough, everyone was seated. The slackers sat on one side and the doers on the other. At one end of the table, the tensions seem to be thawing.
"Oh goodness ... these coconut shrimp are sublime ..." Tanya gushed.
Kate agreed. "I know, right? Emmett really outdid himself..."
But at the other, the mood was still hostile.
"Pass the fries, would ya?" Garrett asked sourly.
Edward's easygoing mood with me was completely gone as he grumbled. "You're the big jock, aren't you? Grab 'em yourself."
Just then, Emmett came up to the table with a big tray of drinks in a variety of glasses. He fluttered around, placing one in every person's hand.
"Dare I ask what's happening here?" Alistair looked at the drink in his hand as if it was a foreign object.
"I have brought every single person a signature drink! One that I think is right for just them! Bella found all the ingredients..."
Rosalie raised her glass. "With a little help from some friends."
"Can we drink now? I wanna drink!" Peter said impatiently.
Rosalie looked at him incredulously. "Dude, how? It's taking every ounce of willpower I have not to puke on the floor."
Emmett gestured for them to wait. "We can drink in a sec but first, let me make a toast. Right now, we're sitting at this table, and every single one of us is holding a completely different drink. That's not just because I like mixing up cocktails. It's also a pretty good metaphor. When you look at us from a distance, we all look pretty different. And on the surface, we are. Jocks and nerds, hackers and bullies, well, you'd think none of us have anything in common."
"Pssst ... who's the bully?" Peter asked, but nobody pointed out the obvious to him.
Emmett continued. "But that's just the surface, just the glass. Because deep inside, these drinks all have a lot in common. They're delicious. They're full of alcohol. And they were all made for one very important purpose: to bring us together again."
He apprised all of us. "We all want to get off this island. We all want to get back to our homes, our families, our lives. But we're never going to accomplish that unless we can overcome our superficial differences and work together as a group. The fact is, everyone here has a role to play. Some of us are natural leaders, confident and assertive. Others are rebels, who test the boundaries and find new solutions..."
Garrett and Edward both smiled at Emmett.
"Some of us are quiet, studying the way the world works, others are loud and strong, keeping us all safe and some of us, well, we're insanely cute blue foxes with crazy ice powers."
Everyone laughed heartily.
"If we keep fighting, if we keep focusing on our differences, we're going to tear each other apart. But if we focus on what we have in common, we can figure this mystery out. We can get off this island. And we can go home with a memory of the most amazing adventure of our lives. So what do you guys say? Can we come together for a toast?"
The table was quiet for a moment, and then Garrett raised his glass toward Edward. "To coming together."
Edward stared at him and then raised his own and clinked it. "To getting back home."
I raised my glass. "To Emmett!"
Emmett blushed slightly. "Awww ... thanks, Bella!"
We all raised our glasses together and drank.
"Thank for putting this together. We needed it," Garrett said gratefully.
Edward nodded. "Yeah. This ... this was nice."
Within minutes, the feast was roaring underway. Everyone was laughing, grinning, telling stories and jokes and soon enough, people started discussing their day.
Edward turned to Garrett. "So, Shooter ... any luck radioing for help?"
Garrett shook his head sadly. "Not so much. Every radio signal I try just brings back static. It's like we're trapped in some kind of communication bubble."
Tanya joined the conversation. "It's clear this island is cut off from traditional communication channels. We'd need something more sophisticated ..."
Alistair leaned over. "Tanya and I believe a satellite uplink could be a strong enough signal to get through the interference."
I stopped with my fork mid-air when I heard what he said. "Wait ... did you say something about a satellite uplink? I saw a note about that earlier today in the V.I.P. Lounge. It said there was a satellite uplink at some place called the E.J.O."
"E.J.O... El Jardín Observatory!" Alice exclaimed. "That does make sense; the Observatory is a state-of-the-art facility, with direct contact to Mr. Cullen's satellite relay. But we still don't know where the Observatory is."
Edward cleared his throat. "Would this be a good time to mention that the yesterday when Bella and I were jet-skiing, I saw a big domed building with a giant telescope? Maybe seven miles north of here, up high on the slopes of the volcano ..."
We all stared at each other in silence.
Benjamin was the one who broke it. "Guys ... I think we just figured out what we need to do."
I looked out at the volcano in the distance, tall and ominous. In my mind, I saw once again the boiling sea of magma from my vision and for just one second, I had the strangest, strongest feeling that something, no someone, was out there in the jungle, watching us.
A/N: Okay, so this chapter was a bit more about getting to know a few of the characters instead of the mystery, but there is still some in there.
I enjoy this chapter because you start to see the true dynamic in the relationships between the characters that already knew each other before.
Hope you enjoyed this one, and I'll see you again next week when they will decide whether they should go to the Observatory or not!
Until then,
Stay awesome!
