“Here you go!” I look up to see Jessica in front of me; she holds two tall glasses of iced frappe coffee with straws in her hands. Her left hand extends to offer one of them to me, which I accept in silence. She sits in the hammock chair opposite mine and sips her coffee ...

Once we arrive at the path leading up to Jessica’s house, I can see the clear blue ocean below the hill, with the olive trees dotting the beach. My mind tries to remember when I saw and smelled them. But the recent revelation overshadows any calm I felt before it. We enter Jessica’s glass house ...

As Nia walks down the hallway, she overhears Mr. Chav’s voice followed by two other unknown voices. Some of the words she hears are “dinner” and “kitchen.” Those must be the other guests Mr. Cash invited to the castle with Chav in the dining area. I think I can return the key and then come ...

I fail to notice that I have fallen bottom first on a rock with my legs stretching out; the shock is immense. I sit in a daze while Jessica Galton and Fizz look at me. After a minute of silence, Jessica Galton smiles at me and says, “I’m sorry for the unexpected surprise; this is ...

Once she locks the door, Nia puts her clothes back in her suitcase. Afterward, she blocks the closet door and sits on the edge of her bed. What the hell was that all about? A woman I never met before pops out of the closet! Thank God I didn’t undress when she came in. Does ...

Hikari falls through the closet door and lands on the open top of a large pink suitcase. When she looks up, a frightened young woman holding pepper spray meets her eye. “Wait! I’m not an intruder. Mr. Cash invited me. I won’t hurt you!” The woman hesitates, backs away from the closet, and allows Hikari ...

Thunder from the approaching storm grows louder while the ocean waves below the castle create a deep hum that echoes into the upstairs hallway. At the writing desk, Nia taps her pencil on the journal page while she thinks of words to improve her poem. So far, it goes like this,             Bubble poppers,             ...

The map’s directions point to the left side of the island, up a hill with a wooden walkway. Beside it stand rectangular rock pillars. My wristwatch says it’s 11:45, so I have over two and a half hours to spend here. With a deep breath, I clutch my tote bag and head toward the pathway. ...

Hikari stares at the castle and its decorations; it shows confidence, despite its messy appearance of mismatching décor and the approach of an angry thunderstorm. She smiles to herself. Mr. Cash always has confidence, even giving it to his home. I want to have that kind of feeling in myself. She heads towards the front ...

The boat slows down as it nears a remote island. I look over to the right and see the sandy shore with a small dock. A large metal fence circles the area with notices that have the words ‘PRIVATE: NO TRESPASSING’ written on them. Miss Jessica has the right idea. Louis stops his boat by ...