The docks were bustling with activity and excited energy. The rain had cleared and the sun was shining high in the sky as a cool sea breeze blew in creating a perfect, comfortable day. Stands selling treats and carnival games lined the beach and docks. Children ran in and out of crowds, cheering and chasing each other with water guns and ice cream cones in their hands. Scents of popcorn, sugary candy, grilling fish and the salty ocean filled the air. A fishing contest was underway beside the lighthouse that Toby was winning hands down while Renee looked on with a dazed look in her eyes. Addison couldn't help but chuckle and admire the girl's persistence even though she was pretty sure Toby was oblivious to her interest.
"I cannot believe there is this much excitement over a ferry boat," Addison commented between licks of her strawberry ice cream.
"A lot of people's livelihoods here are greatly impacted by that ferry. It has been rough without it so it really is cause for celebration," Gill responded.
It hadn't been an easy task convincing Gill to go to the celebration with her. The last time he had attempted to go out with her he had seen a side of Addison he wasn't thrilled with. Addison really had felt bad for ruining the night even if she wasn't sure she wanted to date at all, she had little time to make friends in her life and wasn't about to alienate the few she had. Gill really had become the closest thing to a best friend she had in her life and she wasn't completely opposed to the idea of seeing where it went. Initially Gill hadn't even wanted to speak to her but Addison had been spending her morning before working the bar volunteering at the Town Hall helping process paperwork so Gill had been forced to speak to her and hear out her apology. Standing beside him now Addison still felt somewhat out of place, she was quickly learning that Gill didn't dress casual for anything, even festivals celebrating the virgin voyage of the new ferry. She had dressed in white leggings and a forest green sweater dress, accessorized by a brown scarf and leather brown boots that stopped below her knees. Yet Gill was dressed in his usual blue slacks and white blazer, Addison secretly wondered if he had a closet full of ten sets of the same outfit.
"Hey Addison, I'm glad you came!" Maya called out, approaching the two. Addison had started to become friends with Maya since working with her husband Chase at the bar. Even with Maya's pink cardigan covering her black shirt Addison could see the start of a bump swelling beneath it. Addison had been grateful for Maya's frequent visits to the bar especially with the quiet tension between her and Kathy since finding out through Owen what Kathy really thought of her.
"I was just telling Gill I can't believe how much this town likes their festivals, this really is great though. Are you here alone?"
Maya nodded, "Chase is working one of the food booths for awhile so I was wandering around. It is a lot of fun but I'm feeling really tired already. Word is the ferry should be pulling in really soon and then this place is going to get even more hectic so I'll probably split once that happens."
Most the people on the maiden run of the ferry were investors and those who had been on the ferry during the accident. Addison had been invited but politely declined, even though she knew the probability of another crash was slim to none she wasn't thrilled about the idea of getting back on the ferry just yet. Gill had considered going but decided against going alone. Ribbons with names of those lost in the accident had been tied to the docks in remembrance and Perry had led a prayer that morning at the beginning of the festival. Addison wasn't normally the praying type but she had felt an obligation to honor those she was so close to joining that day.
Maya joined Gill and Addison for a while, sampling fresh fruit and fish dishes from the food booths and trying their hands at some of the festival games. Maya won a goldfish from the Ping-Pong ball toss game and Addison won a stuffed bear from the dart toss game, which she insisted Maya take for the baby. While the three were watching the children perform a play about the Harvest God & Goddess the mayor approached them. The mayor was a short, polite man with thinning white hair and the same formal attire his son was wearing.
"Good afternoon Ms. Jensen, Mrs. Marshall. I hope you're enjoying the festival." Hamilton greeted them politely, "I hope you don't mind I need to borrow my son for a little bit for his speech."
"I didn't know you were giving a speech today," Addison responded with surprise.
Gill nodded, "It is importance to keep up public appearances if I hope to follow my father's footsteps one day and become mayor." With that Gill departed from the group, wrapping one arm around Addison's waist and kissing her on the cheek. Maya squealed with excitement once he was out of earshot, wanting all the details of their relationship. Addison found herself wondering as well.
A cheer went up from the crowd suddenly. Addison and Maya turned around to see the first glance of the ferry coming up over the horizon. Mira pushed her way through the crowd to find a place next to Addison as they watched the ferry glide through the ocean and pull into port, blaring its horns to announce its presence. People crowded on the deck of the ferry, shouting and waving excitedly at the crowd on the ground. True to Maya's word the crowd swelled dramatically as the ferry's passengers disembarked and she left, leaving Addison with Mira.
"So what happens now?" Addison asked a bit later as the festival started winded down with many of the investors drifting to the bar or shops in town.
"The festival will end with the candidates for the island government board giving their campaign speeches."
"So this wasn't just about a ferry boat after all was it?"
"Yes and no, the ferry is important to this island. But it is a bit of a publicity stunt too," Mira explained.
"The major said Gill is giving a speech, does that mean he is running?" Addison suddenly found herself annoyed that Gill hadn't mentioned any of this before.
Sure enough the mayor made his way onto a stage set up on the edge of the docks and called for the crowd's attention. Behind him sat seven candidates, the only two Addison recognized were Gill and Shelley from the clothing shop in town. Hamilton introduced each of the candidates and explained that the seven of them were competing for the four seats on the governing board that worked with him to decide legal matters on the island. Two of the candidates, Shelley and a solemn looking man named Craig, had been on the board for years before and seemed to be at an advantage. One by one they gave their speeches, highlighting issues they thought were critical to Castanet. Addison quickly realized a common theme – that the island was in trouble and needed saving. Issues such as a poor soil quality and shrinking farm space due to rising populations were popular topics with each candidate having different possible solutions.
"Why aren't you up there?" It took Addison a moment to realize the question was directed towards her.
"Excuse me? Why would I be?" she asked, confused.
The question came from Luna who was giving Addison an amused smirk. Her longer, crimson dress gave her the same formal look Gill had displayed and her long pink hair that was usually up in pig tails hung down her shoulders in elegant curls.
"Luna that isn't really polite," Candice attempted to chastise her sister but her voice was too meek to carry much authority. Like her sister Candice looked beautiful dressed in a tight fitting black dress that seemed uncharacteristically flashy for her, it was without a doubt for the benefit of her grandmother. Her unique blue hair was tied up in a tight bun with a couple stray hairs hanging down beside her blue eyes. Addison couldn't help but be envious of her look and found herself wondering if the real reason Gill had been reluctant to bring her to the festival was not her behavior that night but her lack of formality.
"Well she is a Jensen, so she should be up there." Luna replied snidely.
"Was my father on the board?" Addison asked.
Candice nodded, "Yes he was. It is true that representatives from the Jensen family have been on the board for many, many years. Our family, the Rhodes, also have a long history of representation and influence. Our Grandmother has been on the board for as long as we've been alive."
"I had no idea," Addison replied, glancing back up towards the candidates. Gill flashed her a smile which she returned uneasily.
"Well I suppose you don't belong up there anyway, you know nothing about the island regardless of being a Jensen," Luna remarked and Addison got the feeling Luna didn't like her much at all.
Unimpressed by Luna's rudeness Addison attempted to shift the conversation, "Mira do you think Gill has a chance?"
"That really depends. Some people like the fact that he is the mayor's son and has an impressive resume for his age. Others think him being the mayor's son gives him an unfair influence and worry the balance of power won't be fair. Shelley Rhodes is almost a guaranteed win so there really are three seats up for grabs and Craig Thompson is generally well-liked so possibly only two. Craig won the seat that was held by your father before he passed so he has held the seat for quite awhile."
"Was my father well liked too?" Addison asked. The more time she spent here the more she realized she knew next to nothing about her father and the majority of the island.
"For the most part. Your father's ranch was the most successful on the island for quite a long time so of course there were those who weren't huge fans. But overall people saw your father as a leadership figure in this community."
Addison turned her attention back to the stage and listened to the rest of the speeches. A woman named Irene was talking about the importance of dedicating more resources to the medical clinic and discussing how expansion of the clinic was necessary with the island's growing population. After the candidates gave their speeches the mayor gave a quick closing thanks to everyone for attending and the crowd began to disperse. The candidates made their way down from the stage to meet up with their families and Gill made his way back to Addison.
"Why did you not tell me this was a political outing?" Addison asked as soon Gill made his way back to her side.
"Would you have come if I did? Besides, I really did want to go to the festival with you and I did. This was only the last little bit of the festival."
"Well I suppose that is true," Addison admitted, "and this actually was quite interesting, I learned a lot."
Gill smiled, "See? Now come on, I have to go meet Simon to have my picture taken for the paper tomorrow." Gill took Addison's hand and guided her through the crowd until they found Simon. Shelley Rhodes was posing with her two grandchildren as Simon snapped their photo.
"Come on," Gill tried to lead Addison forward as Simon finished Shelley's photos but Addison froze up.
"What? No!" she resisted, "Why do I need to be in the picture? I'm not even dressed, compared to everyone else here I look like a slob," she said in a hurried whisper, not wanting to make a scene.
"You look lovely Addison. It is just a picture," Gill urged Addison. Addison bit her lip anxiously. Across the crowd she noticed Owen standing alone looking at her with curiosity. Suddenly agitated, Addison raised her head high, laced her arm with Gill's and walked with him to Simon to have their picture taken. She was not oblivious to the number of people watching them and the myriad of hurried, excited whispers crowding the air. As soon as Simon moved on to taking Craig's picture with his wife Rush Addison glanced back to where Owen was standing to find him missing. She grinned triumphantly as Gill escorted her away from the crowd.
That night most of the people who had come to the island on the ferry had migrated to the bar keeping Addison very busy. The bar was packed and noisier than ever, the sounds of laughter and silverware clanging on plates echoing in Addison's ears. On the stage a tan read head girl wearing a silk green, extremely revealing two-piece outfit was dancing. Addison had been bothered by the fact that she looked so young and was dancing so suggestively but didn't feel it was her place to say anything about it. None of the customers seemed to share Addison's discomfort, on the contrary many were gathered around cheering her on. She had little time to watch though, Owen had come in and Kathy was hovering around him talking instead of helping Addison much. Although it was a bit annoying Addison was relieved to not have to talk to him and made a point to avoid that corner of the bar as much as possible.
"What's with the dancer tonight?" Addison asked Hayden as she was filling up some customer's drinks.
"She's good isn't she? That is Selena, her family lives on Toucan Island. She was in town for the festival and asked if she could dance for the night. I was skeptical at first but the customers love her."
Addison frowned and returned to her work, waiting tables until the early hours of the morning. Once it died down she took off her apron and stepped out into the night. The cool, quiet of night was welcoming after the constant barrage of noise and little time to stop moving. As she listened to the waves roll in she took a moment to contemplate the vast amount of new information she had learned today. The race of the board positions didn't make a lot of sense to her. Those local government positions weren't taken very seriously back home, most people didn't even know who the candidates were when they went to go fill out their ballots if they even voted. Yet it was made obvious today that on Castanet those positions did matter a lot. Mira had explained to her that the only way for one to become mayor was to serve on the board first but she had a hard time believing all those people wanted to be mayors. Candice and Luna's words from earlier made her think perhaps people sought out these board positions to fulfill familial obligations and stay true to tradition. If that was the case she wondered if she should feel more inclined to be involved in the island. But even if her father was a respected member of the board she knew nothing about the island and what it needed.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of shuffling and muffled voices. One of the voices sounded distressed so Addison cautiously walked to the edge of the building and peered around the corner. Selena was backed up against the wall and one of the men who had very enthusiastically enjoying her dance was pressed against her, his arms locking her against the wall. She was pushing against him and telling her to get off of her with no avail.
"What the hell is going on here?" Addison called out as she stepped around the corner towards them. The man turned towards them and dropped his arms from Selena.
"None of your business, can't you see this is private business? We're fine here you can leave," he responded. Addison could tell by his slurred speech and less than graceful movement that he was intoxicated. Selena's eyes were wide with fear and her top was ripped on one side.
"She doesn't look fine to me," Addison attempted to make herself sound braver than she really was. She moved forward slowly, heart pounding in her chest with every step she took. This could just be an unruly drunk but she had no idea if he had any weapons and even without weapons he was larger than her.
"I said leave," his voice was more forceful this time. He turned back to Selena and laid his hand on her hip causing her to shriek and push against him again. Adrenaline filling her veins Addison charged at him and grabbed he had on Selena in an attempt to move him off of her. But intoxicated or not he was larger than her and shoved her down onto the pavement, easily freeing his own arm. She landed hard on the ground, scraping up her arms and ripping the knees of her pants. Selena, perhaps inspired by Addison's attempt or perhaps acting out of sheer fear and desperation, moved off the wall and tried her hand at shoving the man. Selena got lucky, this time he lost his balance due to intoxication and stumbled, cursing. Addison pushed herself to her feet, wincing through the red-hot pain that shot through the scrapes as she moved her arms.
"Hey! What is going on out here?" Owen called out as she ran around the corner after hearing the commotion. He saw Selena hunched behind Addison whose arm was now dripping blood onto the ground. Selena's pursuer had regained his balance and was now quite angry, cursing at both girls. Owen needed little explanation, he marched right up to the man and punched him right in the jaw. He screaming, covering his face with his hand and cursing as blood flowed between his fingers. Selena now clung to Addison shaking with both fear and cold from the chilly night air.
"Come on," Owen commanded them as he grabbed Addison's less bleeding arm and led the two away. The man continued cursing as Owen led them away and back into the bar. The few customers that were left stopped talking and gawked at the two as they entered, Selena flushed with embarrassment and looked toward the ground. Addison was still filled with adrenaline and annoyance, both towards the man and the fact that Owen of all people had found them. Kathy looked both perplexed and annoyed when she noticed Owen's hand on Addison's arm.
"Kathy, quit staring and get the first aid kit," Owen called out to her. He sat the girls at the bar and offered his jacket to Selena to cover herself which she gratefully accepted. Addison avoided eye contact and insisted she could take care of it herself but Owen would not hear of it. Hayden emerged from the back demanding to know what had happened and after receiving an explanation hurried outside in a huff.
"I really don't want to be that guy when Hayden finds him," Owen said with a chuckle. Kathy returned with the first aid kit begrudgingly, shooting daggers at Addison as she dropped it off and went back to check on her tables. Owen used a couple wet paper towels to clean the majority of blood off of Addison's arm and then disinfected the wound. It stung badly but Addison bit her tongue and didn't make a sound as not to look weak. She insisted a normal bandage would be enough but in the end Owen won again and wrapped her arm with gauze.
"You know next time you should come for help and not try to play hero," Owen lectured Addison as he finished wrapping her arm.
Addison opened her mouth to argue but nothing came out. Instead she jumped off the bar stool and grabbed the first aid kit to put away. She was livid with anger as she headed towards the back. First he had the nerve to call her stuck up and then he lectured her when she was just trying to be a good person. Sure calling for help would have been better but she had no idea if that man was dangerous and leaving Selena alone just didn't seem the right thing to do. By the time she collected herself and returned to give her reluctant thanks Owen was gone and Selena sat alone at the bar.
"Where did he go?" Addison asked upon her return.
Selena gestured towards the door, "He went to go help out Hayden with finding the guy."
"So how did you end up out there with that creep?" Addison inquired as she sat back down beside Selena.
Selena looked down at the bar in shame, "I noticed him watching me dancing all night. He was cute so I thought I would talk with him. We got to talking and he seemed really into me, asked me if I wanted to take a walk. At first we were just making out and having a good time until his hands started wandering in ways I didn't want. I said no and he was insisted, that's when you came along. I'm really glad you did too."
Addison was aghast as she listened to Selena recount the night's events, "He is easily twice your age if not more, why would you do that!"
Selena shrugged, "You mean to tell me you've never liked an older guy and wanted to have some fun?"
"No, never," Addison answered. It was true for the most part. She had normal crushes here and there growing up but never the time nor the emotional energy to do anything about it.
"Why not? You're pretty so it isn't your looks. What's the problem?" Selena pried.
Addison was both flattered by the compliment to her looks and insulted by the insinuation that there was somehow a problem with her answer. Instead of replying she stood up, "Never mind that I still need to finish my work for the night. Do you have somewhere to stay?"
Selena shook her head and Addison sighed exasperatedly, "Well what were you planning on doing then, going home with some guy you made out with? Oh never mind, take this."
Addison shuffled behind the counter and pulled a key out of her purse, "You can stay in my room, there is enough space for the both of us. But just tonight, tomorrow you need to figure out something on your own.
Selena caught the key that Addison threw at her, "Thank you very much, uhm…" Selena hesitated for a moment, "I'm sorry I don't know your name."
"Addison. And Selena if you really want to thank me don't make me, or anyone for that matter, go saving you again because you were being reckless."
Selena nodded and thanked Addison again before disappearing down the hallway toward Addison's room.
"You're not much better, giving random people you just met the keys to your room," Owen said to Addison as he and Hayden reentered the bar. Addison couldn't help but notice the smug, satisfied look on Hayden's face as he began to clean up.
Addison was finally fed up, "Is there is a reason you care so much about what I do and who I talk to?"
She received no answer, just a smug smile and a quick wave over his shoulder as he turned away back to where Kathy was wiping down some tables. Addison was left only with a growing annoyance and plenty to ponder.