Chapter 16:

Thoughts. Wild.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. As planned their lunch was at noon, city tour at 2 and then dolphin swimming at 6. The only thing that wasn't planned out was dinner. But by the time they finally returned to the hotel, Callie was too exhausted to even argue with everyone else about where they would go. Unfortunately, every else seemed fully fueled up for the task

Jesus: Tacos!

Jude: Tacos?! That is such a Californian thing to say! No, I want authentic Mexican cuisine.

Sophia: My friend Margo said that they have a Burger King. With Spanish whoppers and everything! I want to try it!

Mariana: Um…Yuck! I didn't come to Mexico to eat disgusting burgers. Not to mention, Hello? Resident vegan, here. No, we have to go somewhere we all agree on or we're not going anywhere.

Brandon: Can you guys just pick a place already? Enough with the bickering! Callie? Will you do something about this?

Callie just blinked at Brandon and shrugged. "Can't we just order room service?"

"Room service?!" All the other kids seemed to scream simultaneously.

"Do you have any idea how much that costs?" Brandon said, as he pulled open the door for the girls to enter their room.

"Dad gave me a credit card with a $1000 spending limit." Brandon stared at Callie wide-eyed and she smiled a little embarrassed "To build credit and for shopping." She said with another shrug and nodded at Sophia trying to redirect the 4 pairs of eyes glaring at her "She has one too." Sophia nodded with an oblivious smile as usual.

"But you don't even shop." Brandon said exasperated.

"Newsflash, Brandon: all girls shop." Mariana said.

"Yikes!" Jude said with a laugh "Sexist stereotype alert!" Mariana shoved him playfully, telling him to shut up but Callie nodded at Brandon's statement. "Exactly. So, what I am saying is that whatever it costs, I'll pay for it. Or I guess Dad is paying for it: I don't care." With that, Callie flopped face first into her bed and muffled out "I'm too tired to go back out again, anyway."

"But, Callie," Sophia whined, as Callie raised her head only long enough to get her card out of her purse "We were supposed to have a beautiful bonding dinner."

"Please, Sophia…not tonight." Callie said with a fake sob, "I just want to sleeeeeeeeep!"

"But, what about that beach party?" Mariana said, sitting heavily onto the bed beside Callie. "You said we could check it out later."

"No," Callie said as she rolled over and stared up into the overhead painting as her head began to throb. "What I said was that we might check it out. But honestly it looked a bit on the wild side."

"Isn't that what we came here for?" Jesus asked, flopping on the opposite side of Callie and nearly sending her flying up into the air "A walk on the wild side?" As her only response to his joke, Callie gave Jesus an annoyed look.

Callie then glanced up and over at Brandon who was shaking his head by the door. "Here," she said holding out her card. "Can you please take them to dinner downstairs? There's a restaurant near the entrance I think."

"Do they have vegan options?" Mariana asked standing up and adjusting her purse.

"I guess you'll just have to find out." Jesus said, grabbing her arm as she tried to head to the bathroom.

"Hey! I was trying to touch up my makeup." Mariana said, trying to pull away from him.

"You look fine, Mariana." Jesus said.

"Like you'd know!" Mariana said yanking her arm away from him.

Jude piped in, "You do look nice actually. Just as good as you did this morning." Mariana smiled genuinely and said

"Thank you, Judicorn. Okay. We can go." Mariana said leading the other kids out of the door with Jesus complaining that she valued Jude's opinion over hers.

Brandon lingered by Callie as he took the card from her hand and looked down at her. Callie blinked up at him while trying to find a comfortable spot in the bed. "What?" Callie said, suddenly feeling very watched as she struggled to get the covers from beneath her without lifting up. Her head was throbbing harder now. Those dolphin squeals were still ringing in her ears.

"Are you going to be okay in here? Are you feeling alright?" Brandon asked, a look of concern crossing his face.

"Not really." Callie said, still struggling with the covers. "I have a crazy migraine and these-covers-" she said as she struggled to slide them from under her "They aren't exactly making getting comfortable easy."

Brandon gave a short laugh and then in a quick swipe of his right arm, he'd lifted Callie's legs so that she wasn't on the cover. With his other hand he forcibly pulled the covers from where she had just been laying. Then, setting her legs down gently, Brandon pulled the cover over her tucking it around her gently.

"There." Brandon said with a smile and Callie tried to hide the gasp that was sticking in her throat. His hands, on her legs. His face, so near hers. His eyes, so intense.

Why in the HELL did he have to come here…?

Seeming to sense the change in the atmosphere, Brandon rubbed his chin lightly and backed away from the bed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and saying "Okay. So, I'll take them to eat. And um, do you want anything?"

Callie shook her head, the dizziness of the moment that they'd just shared warring with her headache and said "N-No. I just want sleep…And aspirin."

Callie felt the sleep overtaking her even as she wasn't sure if Brandon was gone or not. She blinked her eyes open and saw that he was gone, but the door was still wide open. She groaned inwardly, wondering why Brandon would ever leave a door open this way.

Just as Callie was willing herself to stumble out of bed, she saw Brandon walking back through the adjourning doors from the boys' room with a bottle of water and a small pill box.

"Here." Brandon said, handing her the water and twisting the Aspirin cap.

Callie sat up a little and smiled "They have Aspirin in the mini-bar?"

"No. This is mine." Brandon said shaking two pills into her hand. Callie gave Brandon a look and he smiled sheepishly "I get a lot of headaches. Especially when travelling with those guys." He said motioning towards the door. Callie gave a short laugh as she placed the water bottle to her lips.

As if on cue, Mariana, Sophia, Jude and Jesus stacked their heads in that order into the door and sang out in a clearly rehearsed chorus "Brannnnnndon come on! We're hhhhhuuuuunnnngggggrrrrrryyyyyyy."

Brandon rolled his eyes and then gave Callie a desperate look "Please don't make me go with them."

"Hey, if I know Stef, she left you in charge." Callie said, setting down the water and settling back beneath the covers. "So go handle your responsibilities, Mister." She added with a soft, teasing smile.

Brandon nodded gently and smiled over at Callie with some hidden amusement crossing his eyes, as he looked down at her breathing. "Okay." He said a bit too dreamingly. Callie tried to ignore the meaningful stare as she glanced over at the other children who had begun to chant "FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!"

Brandon hesitantly walked over to the other children and then glanced back at Callie saying "We'll be back in a bit. Get some rest, Missy."

Hours Later

Callie's eyes opened and she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. She did feel fairly rested but then thought about the fact that she'd gone to sleep pretty early. She glanced at the clock beside her bed and read the time. 1:15 am.

Callie was suddenly aware that she was hot and completely uncomfortable. She wrestled herself out of the covers and headed for the bathroom, feeling her way in the dark so as not to disturb Sophia or Mariana.

As she washed her hands, Callie noted Mariana's makeup all over the counter. "God, that girl," She said shaking her head. When had she even had time to make this mess? Callie wondered, vividly recalling that Jesus and Jude had convinced her that she didn't need a touchup of makeup.

Still, Callie smiled at the thought of her sister's extreme dedication to remaining fashionably presentable no matter the cost.

Callie opened the door and stepping out she reached back to turn out the bathroom light, but something caught her eye. For a moment, she just stood in the doorway after she turned the light back on and gazed ahead of her. Then, Callie rushed over to Sophia and Mariana's beds and nearly fainted.

Callie pounded on the joint door so hard she was sure she would wake up all 3 boys. Oddly, Brandon was the only one who answered shushing her as he did. "Callie, please! They've only been down for a few hours. Can you please stop banging like a crazy person before you wake them back-"

"Sophia and Mariana are gone!" Callie nearly screamed and Brandon stared at her wide-eyed

"What do you mean Sophia and Mariana are gone?!"

"I mean," Callie said grabbing his hand and dragging him fully into the girls room "That Sophia-" she said as she yanked the covers back "and Mariana" she snatched away Mariana's covers even more forcefully "Are gone!" Callie said standing in-between their beds and then motioning down at both beds desperately.

Brandon rustled both hands through his hair as he said "Okay, Okay. Just, calm down. They can't be far."

"Can't be far, Brandon?!" Callie said, her voice nearly an unending screech now, "Who cares how far they are, the point is they are not here! We are in Mexico and my sister, aka the only reason I am here in the first place, is missing! And Stef will kill you if anything happens to Mariana!"

"Yea, I know." Brandon said, turning and heading back towards his room. "But the thing is that they never have to know."

"Never have to know?!" Callie said giving Brandon an incredulous look, "We have to tell them! Call the police, report them missing!"

"No we don't." Brandon said as he disappeared into the adjourning doors.

Callie thought she must be possibly losing her mind because it was like the two of them had switched personalities as she slept. Brandon seemed way too calm about all of this. Meanwhile all Callie felt was panic creeping up her neck and gripping her around the throat. What is this Freaky Friday: Weird Mexico Edition? She thought.

Callie made her way towards the adjourning doors to see Brandon walking back through. His pajama pants were now replaced with jeans and he had pulled on a grey cotton jacket over the U shirt he often slept in.

"Brandon? What are you doing?" Callie asked in disbelief.

"What does it look like, Callie? We have to go find them."

Callie blinked up at Brandon wondering if he even realized how crazy he sounded. Callie decided to try and reason as she started calmly, "Brandon…how are we going to find them? We don't know Mexico."

"No…" Brandon answered quietly as he brought Callie's brown leather jacket from the lounge and pulled it around her shoulders. "But, we do know, Mariana." He finished and then paused staring at Callie expectantly. Callie calmed down enough to realize that she must be missing something that Brandon seemed to think obvious.

And all at once, Callie remembered her conversation with Mariana earlier.

"But, what about that beach party? You said we could check it out later."

"No, what I said was that we might check it out. But honestly it looked a bit on the wild side."

Callie shook her head with a feeling of dread and relief sweeping over her as it all came together: Mariana's makeup all over the counter, the empty beds and Brandon's calm demeanor. He'd realized it much sooner than Callie had. Callie looked up at Brandon and they said together, Callie's intense worry now morphing into anger and annoyance, "The beach party."