Eden Hotel

Makatea

Larry Grey was buttering his second slice of bread at breakfast. It wasn't because his fiancé had gone back to London that he had to give into sadness. It wasn't often he had the opportunity to take a vacation so he had to make the best of it. He was biting healthily in the slice when a woman's voice called after him.

"Excuse-me, Mister Grey, I have a phone call for Miss Crawley," said the young woman, giving him the phone.

"Oh all right," answered Larry, swallowing the bread in his mouth. "I'll take it. Allo? This is Larry Grey speaking, who are…Oh, hello Mr. Carson."

"Could I speak to Sybil, please?" asked Carson in a cold tone.

"Sybil? But…she left yesterday," answered Larry with worry.

"Yesterday? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"She didn't take her flight from Papeete. And her cell phone isn't answering."

"I'm sure she left yesterday. It's Branson that…"

Larry's blood went cold. There were only two possible solutions at Sybil's disappearance and none of them were suiting him: Tom and Sybil had finally made up and they ran away together…or else, something had happened to them. And he really didn't know which he liked better.

"Mr. Grey?" asked Carson.

"Ew…Excuse me, I'll call you back."

Without any hesitation, he hung up and ran to the hotel reception.

After asking for the director and having to explain to him the situation, the man took over and called Papeete airport.

"John? It's Philippe at Makatea. Branson brought back a woman to Papeete yesterday night. Can you go and see if the De Havilland is there?"

"Can I call you back?"

"No. I'll wait.

As they were waiting, Edna joined them.

"I just saw Tony and he said that Tom hasn't landed in Tahiti."

"Don't worry, we don't know anything at this time," said Philippe trying to comfort her.

"Allô?"

"Yes, John, I'm here. Ah…all right. Call for aid and call me back."

"Oh My God," moaned Larry, understanding what was happening.

"Oh no," moaned Edna, reaching for his hand.

On a desert island

At the same time…

"Come on," said Tom, heading toward the beach with a canteen in his hand. "You want water, we need to find it. Come on!"

Sybil followed him without a word, holding a canteen too. She wasn't very proud of her irrational behavior and she thought it was better for her to stay silent. Tom had finally freed her a few minutes before and, when he had suggested this trip to find some drinkable water, she hadn't muttered a word. She had only taken the time to change her clothes, exchanging her light white dress for a better suited outfit: shorts and a tank top.

She passed by him and began to walk on the white sand. Tom was walking behind her and couldn't resist letting his eyes slide on the long and perfect legs of his ex-girlfriend. After a few minutes of silence, Sybil could feel she was being watched. She stopped and turned around suddenly, crossing her arms on her chest.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," answered Tom, his hand caught in the candy jar.

"You're lying!" she exclaimed, turning again to resume her walk.

"Nothing!"

"Oh! You've got some nerve! You were eyeing me up!"

"Eyeing you up?"

"Yeah!"

"Sybil, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?" she said, stopping again to turn to him.

"When you're entering a shop to buy such clothes," he said pointing to her tiny shorts. What do you say to the shop assistant? I'm taking this one so nobody will look at me?"

"No, I like it when people look at me," she shot back even if she felt flattered by his attention. "Except when it's you," she added before she could stop herself.

She looked at him, believing she had shut him up and gestured to him to take the lead in their walk. Tom stared at her with a stunned face before walking ahead, shaking his head.

"If it will comfort you, you're not my type at all. Anymore, at least."

"Oh, as if I didn't know that…"

"Not anymore!" he confirmed.

"Good!"

Although, she knew that he was sort of lying to her. She couldn't forget that, two years earlier at Downton, they had a real love story and he had told her things that no other man had ever told her. But for both their misery, she hadn't made the right choice and she had spoiled things. And now, they were in this situation where they were almost two strangers to each other. Nevertheless, if he wanted to play this game with her, she was ready. And she wanted to know how he was going to get away with it.

"And why am I not your type anymore?" she asked suddenly.

"Why?!"

"Yes, why. You know…just to talk a little bit. Why?"

Tom stopped in front of her and put his fists on his hips, breathing deeply.

"First, you're talking way too much," he said with an exasperated tone, counting on his hand at the same time. "Secondly, you're intransigent. Thirdly, you're obstinate. Fourthly, you're sarcastic. And fifthly, you're pretentious. And, your ass is way too flat and your breasts are way too small," he finished pointing at her before resuming his walk.

Sybil was stunned, her mouth opened but she couldn't stop herself. She looked down to her breasts. Too small? Was he kidding her? She started to run after him.

"Hey, you want to know why you're not my type anymore?"

"No!" was the straight answer from Tom.

Since seeing her again, he was already having a hard enough time convincing himself that he didn't have any feelings left for her so he certainly didn't need to know what she was thinking of him.

Sybil threw her arms to the sky, resigned and followed him. The game was already over.

Makatéa Aerodrome

The jeep transporting Larry and Edna stopped with a cloud of dust and its passengers got out quickly. A young woman approached them.

"Good morning, we're ready to leave."

Larry nodded to her but all his attention was focused on a man who was heading their way.

"I'm your pilot."

"Perfect. Hello," said Larry, shaking hands with him. "I'm Larry Grey."

"Hello, John Marra."

"Good, how are we going to find them?" asked Larry after looking to Edna.

"We're going to fly over the ocean and look through the window."

Larry and Edna looked at each other in disbelief before Larry caught the pilot's arm.

"And, hey…that's it? And modern technology? You haven't satellite? Some thermo guided things?"

"Get in and get ready," simply answered the pilot, putting his sunglass back on.

"Whatever the cost, I want to find her."

"Get ready!"

Larry did as he said and sat next to Edna.

"Breathe deeply," she said to him. "You'll see. It helps a lot."

And she did it under the puzzled look of Larry who, nevertheless, looked at her generous chest that was moving in rhythm.

"If they fell in the water," the co-pilot said suddenly, "since it's only been twelve hours, there's a big chance that we'll find them."

"All right," nodded Larry.

The pilot glanced at his companion, shaking his head and pulled on the joystick and the helicopter lifted into the sky.

At the same time, on the island…

After several more minutes, Tom and Sybil were now progressing in the forest that was becoming more and more dense. After their argument that had taken place earlier in the morning, they were now both silent. Sybil wasn't saying a thing even if she knew that Tom, just ahead of her, was letting the branches go on her on purpose as he passed them.

When an umpteenth branch came to hit her, Sybil sighed. She was about to explode.

"Hey, don't you want to let me go ahead?"

Tom stopped, turned around and stepped aside with a little smile.

"All right."

Sybil passed by him with her chin high and kept walking.

At last, after a few more minutes, they reached a sort of clearing where the murmur of a waterfall could be heard. A few more steps and they discovered the source.

"Ahhh," exclaimed Sybil while trotting the last meters. "You see, I found it!"

Tom stared at her, shaking his head and she hit him on the head with her canteen.

"Come on, Tommy boy!" she laughed, waving him to follow her toward the water.

Tom followed her as she was running to the waterfall that was ending its course in some sort of a natural swimming pool.

"Oh…it's beautiful," breathed Sybil at seeing the view.

The clear water was pouring into rocks to form a little green emerald lake, the color accented by the luxurious vegetation around. She was about to turn to Tom to urge him to join her when a growl from her left startled her.

"Ahhh!" she yelled, seeing an animal, something between a pig and a wild boar.

She started to stamp her feet and the beast, worked up by her cries, headed to her.

"Oh nooo, go away," said Sybil while trying to scare it with big gestures and walking back in the water.

Tom was watching the whole scene from afar and he shook his head. He walked to them with calm and resigned steps but he had to concede that the situation and Sybil's reaction were pretty funny. When he reached the animal, Sybil was already in the water to her waist.

" What are you doing?" asked Tom.

"What is that?" she said, nodding to the savage beast.

"It's a pig! No need to freak out! It's more afraid by us than us by it! Look!"

He turned with a smile to the animal that was growling.

"Come on, pshhh, go away…" he said, shaking his hand.

"Bouh, come on, go away," repeated Sybil in the water. "Ahhhhhh!" she moaned, letting go her canteen and suddenly getting still.

"Go away!" Tom continued yelling at the pig that was beginning to move a bit.

"Hey, Tom!" called Sybil.

"What?" he asked without looking at her but still waving at the animal.

"Sorry to bother you but…I have the feeling that I have a little problem here…"

Tom motioned to the pig to move and walked a few steps to Sybil.

"What kind of problem?" he asked as the pig was walking away.

"A kind of creepy-crawler just edged through my shorts," said Sybil with gritted teeth.

Tom watched her dubiously before joining her in the water.

"I think it's a snake," added Sybil.

Tom stopped short in his tracks.

"Ah? That's annoying," he said, his fists on his hips.

"So, what should I do?" asked Sybil, looking down to her shorts that were hidden under the water. "Should I try to…catch it?"

"No," said Tom, walking slowly to her. "No, it's a bit risky. It may be poisonous."

"Yes, of course. But, on the other hand, if it is poisonous and if it bites me, is it reasonable to let it slither in my shorts?!" she finished, yelling.

"That's a good question."

"So, give me advice and hurry up, all right!"

She was getting impatient seeing Tom relatively calm.

"Just some advice, anything, an idea…I'm listening! I can be very opened in this sort of moment you know."

Sybil was starting to panic and her breathing was erratic.

"Stay calm," was Tom's only answer, walking nearer.

"Calm."

"Calm."

"Yes," breathed Sybil.

Tom came a little bit closer again and looked at her shorts. As he did, he couldn't help but to gaze on Sybil's top that, wet, was clinging to her breasts that he was finding very much to his taste despite what he said to her before. He reached his hand down to the base of her top and Sybil startled slightly. Tom withdrew his hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked both her hands in the air.

"Calm down."

"Ok."

Tom started again and lifted her top before pulling at the elastic of her shorts with his other hand. He looked inside. Sybil closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sky, not wanting to see whatever he was planning to do next.

"Oh, God…" she groaned.

"Oh," said Tom.

"What?" she asked, looking down to look at the same thing.

He was so close that their foreheads were touching.

"It doesn't look good," he simply answered.

"What?!" screamed Sybil. "What's going on?"

Tom plunged his eyes into hers.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh. You're preventing me from concentrating."

"All right, all right," she murmured.

With one hand on the elastic of her shorts to keep it wide open, Tom dove the other one in the cloth. Sybil's eyes went wide and she suppressed a hiccup of surprise when Tom's hand touched her most intimate part, suddenly bringing back a lot of wonderful memories. Tom couldn't suppress a smile but he kept it hidden from her. He looked up at her as he was searching through her shorts and they stared at each other. Sybil then glared at him.

"And I better not to see you smile," she breathed between her teeth.

Tom looked down immediately and, after one last move of his wrist, pulled with all his strength.

"Ohhhh," yelped Sybil, feeling something cold and sticky sliding against her.

Tom pulled out his hand from her shorts and threw away the bug that really was a snake. They looked a moment in the direction to see where it landed then Tom sniffed. Sybil turned to him and stared at him.

"Thank you," she finally said.

"See," he said nonchalantly, "I can be good with my hands."

Sybil nodded without a word and went by him to get out of the water, trying to gather the little bit of dignity left in her. Tom followed her, a delighted smile on his face.

To be continued