134. Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Three
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Three
Xane
The lake, with its crystal-clear water and small waterfall coming from some prettily arranged rocks looks weirdly familiar now that I’m giving it my full attention. The last time we were out here I was distracted by the scent of Scarlett’s freshly triggered perfume.
This time, I’m distracted by how familiar this water feature seems.
Everything feels staged. It’s almost exactly like a lake I’ve seen before.
Inside a fancy hotel. It was paradise themed, and they didn’t have a pool.
They had a tropical waterfall feature, that looked exactly like this one.
I tell Trick I need a minute because I’m convinced this thing was put here for a reason.
It’s not a real lake. And if it’s not a real lake, then Golden Palms probably put it here.
If they put it here, then they’ve got to be maintaining it somehow.
I walk around the flattened-out pathway behind the rocks that help keep the feature secluded.
Everything around me looks too perfect to be real.
The tree-trunks feel real when I reach out to touch them, but the grass has been kept short, and everything looks like it’s been groomed and grown specifically to look good.
When I reach a gap in the foliage that seems to lead out to another beach, I realize there’s a white painted wall a few feet ahead, and the sand covered ground is being used as a road.
Even crazier, there’s what looks like a golf-cart parked out there, with a bunch of I guess firewood? Piled up in the back where there’s space for maybe four or six people to sit.
I look around, wondering who might be driving the cart.
“Hello?” I call out. “Is someone out here?”
I wait for a few minutes after calling out, not certain if I heard something in response, or not.
“Hello?” I call again. “Can you hear me?”
“Hello? Who’s there?” a bright voice calls back.
I can hear rustling sounds a few feet down the road.
“It’s Xane Orion from Chaos Burning!” I call out. “I’ve been stuck out here for days!”
“Oh, Mr Orion! Stay there, sir. I’m coming out!”
A small statured man with a pile of branches in his arms comes out of the forest.
He’s in one of Golden Palms uniforms, and he looks concerned as he gets closer.
“Sir, there are reports that your plane went down. My boss was very worried about you.”
I smile at him. “Well, we landed out here, on the wrong side of the island.”
“What are the chances!” he says, shaking his head. “I will take you to the resort. If you will give me fifteen minutes, I will clear the cart of this firewood. I was only out here to remove the debris after the storm and make sure the road was clear. I can pile up the wood and come back for it.”
“You’re a life saver, Mr. ?”
“You can call me Mark.”
“Thank you, Mark. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes with my pack.”
“Of course, sir. No problem. Take your time. I’ll be right here waiting when you’re ready.”
I leave him to deal with the firewood, heading back to the edge of the lake at a sprint.
Everyone’s already in the water when I get back, and Scarlett beams from the middle of the lake when she sees me. She points and shouts something, but I can’t hear it.
My band mates are too busy splashing water at each other.
Trick wraps his arms around her from behind and steers her out of Kian’s way while Riley chases him around the lake.
This place has been a real adventure. I think I’m gonna miss it.
The thought of standing here at the edge and calling everyone over comes and goes.
We’ve got a ride to the resort, but we don’t need to rush.
I smile as I take off my clothes.
One last little adventure won’t hurt.