Finally, the plane had halted to a stop. Brandi grabbed her two suitcases and walked out of the aircraft. Sunlight scorched her eyes as she strolled out. A female toad wearing a black uniform stood at the end of the ramp, repeating the same thing over and over again. "Thank you for choosing Mushroom Flights." Brandi nodded toward the toad. A tan Pianta with a black moustache waved at them. Next to him was a large boat. With Mariah at her heels, she boarded the boat to Isle Delfino.
Tall palm trees, gulls flying in lazy circles, the sound of ocean waves spraying the sand, sunshine…Delfino Plaza.
Beneath the group's feet was a hard stone ground. Palm trees surrounded the town square, which had a giant marble structure in the middle. Seagulls screamed above them, flapping their wings to the beat of the wind. Buildings lined up at the edge of the town square. At the base of the biggest building, which was a large orange building with a dome-shaped head, was a fountain. Two dolphins curved their bodies along the edge of the fountain and formed a heart with their figures. Water sprayed out of their snouts and into a small pool at their tailfins. It was purely made of marble, with pale blue etchings twirling making eye-catching designs. It glinted furiously in the sunshine. A few locals, who were mostly Piantas, walked around, living their life of whatever. A couple glanced at Mario briefly and waved. Massive clouds floated lazily high in the atmosphere along with a glowing ball of light that lit up the whole island. What seemed not too long ago, the sky was dark, even with the bright sun. The Shine Sprites had fled the isle, and Mario had got them back. It was never easy, as he was faced with different obstacles. In the end, he managed to collect all the Shine Sprites back. Ever since then, he had been a welcome guest to the island.
Mario pointed on top of the orange building. "Look-a there! It's the pipe!" A red pipe was planted on the top of the roof. The group walked over to the side of the building. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Birdo easily jumped to the top since they were excellent jumpers, but for the girls, it was different. Mario grabbed Peach's hand and pulled her to the top, while Luigi did the same the same to Daisy. Birdo grabbed Mariah's hand and hoisted her up. Finally, it was Brandi's turn. Yoshi stuck out his hand. Brandi grabbed it and was thrown onto the top with the others. Brandi groaned, and looked on the back of her arm. A small red scratch was on her wrist. Yoshi looked guilty. "Sorry." He mumbled. Brandi shrugged. "S'okay. It's very small, and it doesn't hurt at all." Yoshi's shoulders slumped more in a relaxed position. "C'mon..." Daisy said. "Let's jump in!" Brandi looked in. A colorful void swirled around inside. Brandi held her breath and jumped in.
A tall hotel towered over a small beach. A few palm trees dotted the beach. It was sunset, and everything was plunged in an orange glow. Shadows slowly swayed against the tall cliff walls that surrounded the small seashore. Different people walked on the beach and waded in the shallow water. On the plaza, elegant fountains sprayed water into small pools. Benches were placed near the fountains. Stairs led up to the entrance to the hotel, with small huts selling different drinks at the side of the flight of steps. The group jumped out of the pipe and landed on the sand. "Well, there's the hotel. I booked us, so we should have 3 rooms for us." Mario explained, pointing at the hotel. The group walked on the court and walked up the stairway. The owner of the hotel was at the front of the door. Mario walked up to him. "Ah, Mario!' The owner exclaimed. "So good to see you!" Mario grinned and the two were engaged in a conversation. Brandi leaned back to gaze upon the hotel. It was tall with many windows fixed onto the large sides. Letters formed the words Delfino Hotel above the window. "Hey, do you think this place is fixed? Y'know, it had more than one problem." Brandi whispered quietly to Mariah, not wanting the owner to hear. Mariah shrugged. "Mario took care of it all." Brandi chewed her lip and stared at the hotel. Something didn't seem right. Brandi shook her shoulders and told herself it was nothing.
"Ah, yes, I have your rooms booked for you. 186, 187, and 188. 2nd floor. Please come on in, it is so nice to have your company." The owner opened the door and let the group inside the lobby. The foyer was impressive. Torches lined up against a path. Small square pools were placed at the sides. In the middle of the room, a giant tall pillar towered up two floors. Vines and moss clung to the side and towered along with it. The hotel had been rebuilt different in some ways. Instead of having the restaurant in the lobby, in was now a floor below. It was larger, and a big improvement. The door to the Casino stayed the same though. A desk was at the other side of the door to the café. A small line of people were at the desk signing into their room. The hotel was busy ever since Mario saved the hotel from numerous disasters. "Well, let's-a sign into our rooms." Mario said. They got into the line and after a while, they all signed into their rooms. "Here's your room key." The Pianta gave her a small golden key. Brandi nodded and started up the stairs behind everyone else.
Brandi pushed open the door to her and Mariah's room. It was a nice-sized room with two beds on the opposite sides of the room. One was blue and the other was red. It had a bathroom with a bathtub and a nicely decorated sink and a toilet. A small drawer was placed next to each bed. The wall paper was decorated with blue, red, and gold. A window was placed on the wall between the two beds. Brandi threw her suitcases on the bed. She started opening them and placing her things on the bed. "So? Isn't it just awesome?" She heard Mariah behind her say. Brandi turned around. "Yeeaaaah…Well, it is getting a bit late. I'm tired after all the commotion. I'm turning in late." After putting her belongings where they belonged, she changed into her PJs and sat on the bed. "Man, Mario said we're going to Pinna Park tomorrow!" Mariah said a grin on her face. She frowned after she saw Brandi's face, which seemed distracted and even a little scared. "Hey, you okay?" She asked. Brandi's eyes turned toward her, and then she smiled. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Just thought I saw something out the window, that's all." Mariah leaned forward. "Really? What was it?" Brandi shrugged. "It was probably just a bird or something. But it looked like…a pair of yellow eyes to me." Mariah sighed. "Yeah, a bird. Definitely. How could there be a pair of eyes out there? Mario fixed this place up months ago, Brandi. You can calm down." Brandi nervously laughed. "Yeah, well good night." Mariah yawned and got up to turn off the lights. "Good night." Mariah couldn't help but take a quick glance at the window. She too, thought she saw a pair of eyes staring at her. She shivered and quickly turned off the lights.