DFP CHAPTER 1

Chapter One
Arrival


All summer I had been looking forward to this day. My friend Loni invited me and 6 other people to join her at her family’s summer home, a spacious log cabin on the amazing Sancta Maria Island. The island was picture perfect; ancient rocks lined the coast curving to the right, tropical trees and bright flowers were straight ahead, plenty of sunshine shown from wispy clouds, and the temperature was warm.

“This is beautiful,” I whispered breathlessly.

Everyone was as excited as they had ever been. Moral skyrockets as we all scream to celebrate this unforgettable adventure. We couldn’t believe what we were experiencing and for one week it would be our paradise. As we stood on the shore, we gazed at the island in awe. Our journey was just beginning and already we were being captivated by the scenic beauty. I took my flip-flops off and stepped onto the sand. It was very hot but was still bearable to walk on.

“You guys! Feel the sand!” I exclaimed.

“Oh!” responded everyone when they took off there sandals and squished there feet in the sand.

“I love beaches!” one of the girls exclaimed.

And I nodded my head. There are innumerable reasons why beaches are great.

“This is going to so fun! I can’t wait to just relax out here on the sand,” said I to Genna.

Genna and I made up over a few months ago. I got sick of her bull and stopped talking to her. The same happened with some of my friends, Britta, Debbie, Loni, Stephanie, and many others. Britta and Debbie are just coming to forgive her for what she did. I’ll explain later. As for Loni and Stephanie, they are perfect enemies. In fact, I can’t believe that she is even on this trip for the fact that she is Loni’s only rival. Maybe her parents made her invite Genna.

Looking passed Genna, I watched everyone talking. Loni stood with a huge sparkly smile and squinty eyes as her best friend Whitney went on about how great this was going to be. I also went up to her and raved about the island.

The island had a natural curve like a backwards L with the jut out part being on the right. The right was a wall of rocks that shimmered sparkles of hidden colors but was mostly a glossy tan. I bet that when the tide came it would splash as high as 6 ft up the wall. Besides the tropical forest everything was sand at the front and left. The balance of plants at the entrance to the forest was perfect.

This is paradise.

“Why don’t we head out to the cabin? It’s not too far and you’ll get to see the some of the prettiest flowers,” beamed Loni.

“Yes, of course!” we shouted.

At that we all grabbed our luggage and walked towards the jungle. An amazing arrangement of flowers lined the path through the bundle of trees. I’d never seen flowers like these. My eyes jumped to the many colors around me. Sound seemed to disappear as I walked on the natural path to the cabin.

“Are we almost there?” asked Whitney a few minutes later.

Typical Whitney. She was obviously wishing that the path were shorter. She is a thin blond wearing flip flops that couldn’t take all the walking. At the moment she had eye liner, eye shadow, and a clear lip gloss on. She seems like a really nice person but I don’t know her that well.

“Gosh Whitney! You’re so impatient,” joked Kasey.

Kasey had been chattering since we got on the boat all the way until now. There’s nothing wrong with that but sometimes I wonder if she is actually remembering to breath. Kasey is like me in some ways. She is silly and spunky but we look very different. I have a unique hair color, but according to a box of Garnier Frutis I am a golden honey blond. It’s like a golden brown. Kasey has brown hair which is always worn up. She is also athletic and her figure shows it. Although she doesn’t wear make-up, her face is pretty and also innocent and young. Her attitude is very happy-go-lucky and she almost always is smiling. That’s what makes her one of my good friends. We’ve been friends for nearly 4 years, since sixth grade.

“We’re almost there,” said Loni in her sing-songy voice.

Loni is a gorgeous blond just as athletic as Kasey. She’s also a perfectionist. But how can you not be with great parents like hers. But an attitude like hers gets annoying.

Then everyone simultaneously went silent. We reached the cabin.

“Oh my gosh!” everyone exclaimed at the sight of the cabin.

Amazing!

It was what I pictured and more. Her family obviously paid a gigantic amount of money on it. Each and every log was made of the finest wood which really added to the attractiveness overall. The house was almost 3 stories in the front but Loni explained that it was only 2 stories and that there were steps inside that led to the actually living area. There were wood columns under a small green hangover. The roof was also green and shimmered in the sun. We walked up the steps, made of some kind of stone, and Loni opened the door. I couldn’t wait to see the inside. Already it sounded interesting in the way it was built.

We walked through the door and walked towards the living room with our luggage dragging on the polished floors. I was the last one in. The living room was up a flight of about six stairs. When we finally were there I was so surprised! The room was very big and open and the furniture gave it a very cozy feeling. This was better than a 5 star lodge. Tired from the walk, we all set down our stuff and sat on one of the two couches and Loni and Whitney sat on the loveseat facing a old wood fireplace. Ha, there both on a loveseat and yet… there both girls. Anyways, there was a coffee table underneath which was a big green and white rug patterned with bears.

On my couch was Stephanie and Britta which left Debbie, Genna, and Kasey on the couch opposite us.

“This is so cool!” Stephanie said to me.

“I know and it’s so beautiful!” I added.

“This is like a dream,” said Britta.

All three of us were really good friends. They were the ones I spent the most time with. All of us love movies and just talking in general. Stephanie is a rather shy thin girl with straight brown hair and glasses. Britta is almost the opposite. She is a loud girl with broad shoulders and short brown hair. I also speak my mind but am more of a joker than the two of them. Even though we are so different, we all share the same interests. That’s probably why we’re such great friends.

Another one of my good friends, Debbie, was sitting across from us. She liked to joke a lot too. The four of us laughed and joked for awhile until Loni go our attention.

“Okay, would you like a tour first or should we get your rooms?” asked Loni.

We all shouted out which we wanted but eventually we came to the decision that a tour would be first.

We went to the kitchen first. Our footsteps echoed as we walked since there was wood floor. The kitchen was fairly large but it definitely wasn’t big enough for all of us. There were green marble counters, a refrigerator, an island, a stove, and a microwave on one side and in the right corner was a breakfast nook with room for 4.

“We could either eat in shifts or some of us could go into the living room,” said Loni.

“Isn’t there a dining room?” asked Britta.

“No,” answered Loni.

In I house so big there was no dining room? That’s strange. Hopefully it meant a bigger party room… I mean game room, yeah… that’s what I meant.

“Oh well, I’d still give anything to live here,” I joked.

Next we went into the recreation room. It was decorated a lot like the living room. This room is a little smaller and the furnishings are different. The layout was also just as good as the other rooms. There were two comfy chairs on the right with a thin plastic table nearby. Paintings hung in a row on that side. At the center of the room was a ping pong table. I love table tennis and was excited to start playing.

“I know where I’m spending my afternoon,” I said.

Genna walked over to my saying, “I’ll play you first.”

Yeah right, I thought but my mouth said, “Of course.”

There was also a dart board on the side opposite of the chairs. On that same side was a boom box on top of an end table. Already I could see myself and my friends partying here at night.

“Besides the wood walls this reminds me of your basement, Christina” said Britta.

“Yeah it is kind of similar,” I noted, “but mine is definitely not as glamorous.”

“Well that’s it for this room,” said Loni. She had been rambling on the whole time but I pretty much ignored her until now.

“Aw,” said Stephanie with a grin on her face, “I was just going to start playing darts.”

We all laughed and with one last look around the room we filed out of the rec. room. We walked through the short hall that led to the living room and stopped at a door on the far left of the room.

“And last but not least,” started Loni, “is the bathroom.”

She swung open the door to a very average wallpapered bathroom. Everyone joked of its magnificence.

“That’s where Debbie’s going to spend all her time,” I laughed.

“Kris!” Debbie yelled, “You’re so mean!”

This tour was turning out to be great and I was having so much fun too.
“Okay everyone, if you’re finished looking at the bathroom we can all grab our stuff and head up to the bedrooms,” announced Loni.

“Yay!” I heard Kasey squeal.

I was having so much fun I had forgotten about the bedrooms. I tried to imagine what they would look like as I went and grabbed my two pieces of luggage. Then I rolled them over to stairs in the back of the living room. We waited until everyone was there and then we went up the stairs. My legs were a little sore and I had a hard time dragging up my stuff but when I did get up there I was really excited. Loni had made a chart on her clipboard telling who was rooming with who and in which rooms they were in.

“Okay. Is everyone ready?” asked Loni.

“Yeah!”

“Okay. Whitney and I are in this 1st room,” Loni said pointing to the door of there room.

Then she pointed to the door across from hers, “In this room is Stephanie and Genna.”

She walked over to the door next to that one, “Christina and Britta.”

“And finally, in this room is Kasey and Debbie!” she said.

Everyone looked around for their room partner. Aside from Genna and Stephanie, everyone was happy. Then within seconds the hall was empty and everyone was inside there room examining all the details. All the rooms were filled with the noise of excitement, well, except for Genna and Stephanie’s.

“Britta!” I screamed as I set down my belongings.

“Christina!” replied Britta as she hugged me.

“This is so great,” Britta said.

“I wanted you to be in my room!” I exclaimed simultaneously.

We were both sharing the same feelings.

“I feel sorry for Stephanie though,” I whispered.

“Me too,” said Britta.

“Oh well!” I said.

We both laughed and started analyzing our room. I then added how it was better than a hotel and went on about how awesome everything was. There was one twin sized, double mattress bed at the middle of the room.

On the left side of the bed was the nightstand and lamp. Above the bed was some sort of abstract painting. It was like a cloud in that you could guess what it is but there is no right answer. The curtains were one the wall to the right of the bed. Britta opened them for us and we looked at the view of the trees for awhile.

After that we started organizing where our stuff would go. I began to shove my clothes into the closet when I decided to check on the others. I asked Britta if she wanted to go cheer up Stephanie and she agreed that she’d meet me there. I walked out into the hall, noting to myself that there was a door at the end of the hall which was probably a bathroom. I knocked on the door and opened it up.

“Stephanie!” I screamed, “Isn’t this awesome!”

Stephanie agreed. Then the door opened and Britta walked in. We talked awhile, purposely excluding Genna, and later Stephanie showed us the clothes she brought. Loni entered sometime in between to check and see if we liked everything. It reminded me of room service and Genna joked that she should be wearing the outfit.

About 15 minutes later, Britta and I said goodbye and returned to our room. I looked outside and saw that it was getting lighter out.

“I can’t wait to see the sunset. Will we be able to see it out our window?” I asked.

“I think so,” Britta answered while taking the rest of her clothes out of her suitcase.

Then I decided to go get something to eat before putting the rest of my stuff away. Britta thought that was a good idea and we told the others and they said they’d meet us down there.

Soon everyone was in the kitchen. It was really crowded and a lot of us were asking for the microwave. I was thankful to have gotten there first since I was very hungry. Tonight I would be having a Boca Chick’n sandwich and Loni said she had taken care of dessert.

After we all had our food ready, we sat down at either the kitchen table or the island in the middle of the room. Then Loni surprised us with a chocolate cake. On the cake was a message in pink frosting, “Best Vacation Ever.” She cut the cake and we each snatched a piece. The inside was actually vanilla but it had chocolate frosting. It was a very delicious surprise.

While people ate their cake I took silly pictures of people. I was planning on making a slideshow/movie with the pictures and movie clips I get here. That reminded me that I would have to remember to get some footage of the front of the island. I had already got a wide picture of the island from the boat but that definitely wasn’t enough. I film everything and I’m not one to believe that memories are the best cameras. Throughout the week I expected to have about 35 minutes of video clips and a lot of pictures. In case of emergency, there was an extra memory card with me.

When I finished my food I went into the living room with Britta and Stephanie. Britta lit a fire in the fireplace and we relaxed on the couches. Eventually I remembered to check outside for the sunset. I got up and pulled back the curtains but I was too late; I missed the sunset.

“I missed the sunset!” I cried.

“Awe! You poor baby!” Debbie said.

Debbie had just entered the room when she heard my remark. Debbie is the stereotypical blond, klutzy and not too bright. She is shy and tall but a comedian like me. Most of the year she wears sweatshirts and jeans, even in this 80°-90° weather. We have huge insider jokes that not even Britta or Stephanie understand.

One-by-one my friends gathered in the living room. Someone started sharing stories and it became our topic for the night. We all had something funny to share. I shared stories of my crazy family, they were Debbie’s favorites and everyone else thought they were good too because I exaggerate as I go. Stealing the spotlight, Loni stood up and told us a story about her friend Tom. She’s also good at telling stories. That lasted for over an hour or two. But that stopped and people changed to having private conversations. Overall I had a great time.

Soon we all got bored and tired of talking. Others were getting sleepy and as a group we went up to bed. I didn’t finish putting away my stuff from before dinner but when I did I changed, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and jumped in bed. Britta assured that she wasn’t tired but she “would go to bed anyways since she didn’t want to bother” me. Liar, I thought.

“I’m so excited for tomorrow,” I said.

“Me too,” replied Britta.

Britta climbed into bed and turned out the light.

“Good night,” I said sleepily.

“Good night,” she replied back.

In one of the rooms it sounded like there was a party going on. I couldn’t make out which one but I was almost sure that it wasn’t the one next door, Stephanie and Genna’s. I looked over at the clock. It read 11:13. I usually don’t go to bed this early but today was an exception. The day had been long and ultimately it exhausted me. For quite sometime, I laid in my bed and then I drifted into a dream state.


During the night I was awaken by Britta’s tossing and turning but it wasn’t until around 8:00 that I actually got up. Next to me, Britta was still sleeping. Jeez, she falls asleep before me and wakes up later. Either way, I didn’t want to bother her so I got out of bed quietly. I searched in the closet for my clothes and swim suit. My swim suit wouldn’t be used for swimming; it was here for the mere fact that the island is hot and I would want to wear as little clothes as possible.

Once I had my clothes, I headed into the bathroom to take a shower. This bathroom was older than anything in the house but still had a nice faucet and sink which is all I cared about. First I lined up all my stuff; my shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Inside the water was steamy and warm like I wanted it. The shower head was an old with rust but it was better than the new jet spray ones that spray so fast it almost feels hard on your skin. Then I finished my morning routine by brushing my teeth, washing my hair, and finally coming my hair. When I got out, Whitney was patiently waiting to get in. We said inaudible hi’s and went on with our business.

Heading back to my room I could hear that Loni was also up and was probably already for the day. Back in my room, Britta was still sleeping. But it’s only 8:30 so I’m not going to bother her. Instead I went over to the window and looked around. It is already pretty bright out. The leaves of the trees aren’t like any I’ve seen before since I live in Wisconsin. There the leaves are small and seasonal but here there long and everlasting. As I gazed out I thought of how lucky I was to be on an island with such good weather. Hopefully today and everyday would be as good as and even better as yesterday.

Within 15 minutes I got bored and started planning out my day. Loni would also have an agenda but I had my own personal schedule that I wanted to finish by the end of my visit. Not long after did Britta wake up. Ignoring her I went next door to see if Stephanie was up. She had been up for quite sometime and her roommate was also half asleep. I laughed when I saw Genna’s groggy face.

“So Stephanie,” I said excluding Genna, “Want to go get breakfast?”

Stephanie nodded her head.

“Loni’s already up so I wouldn’t doubt if she’s down there,” I said galloping down the stairs.

“You were right,” Stephanie smiled.

Loni, Whitney, and Kasey were downstairs eating. I was ticked off that they hadn’t invited us to have breakfast with them and we were in fact Loni’s guests.

“Good morning!” Loni, Whitney, and Kasey cheered one after another.

“Morning,” said Stephanie.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” I asked.

“Whatever you want. Help yourself,” said Loni.

There were endless breakfast cereals in the cupboard and I chose LIFE cereal. I brought my cereal and took the spot next to Kasey on the bench. It was quiet as everyone concentrated on the meal. I had never saw Kasey or Loni without there mouth yapping but the silence was kind of eerie so I tried starting up a conversation with small-talk.

“It’s so sunny and bright in here! These curtains really let the light shine through,” I said.

“Oh this house is like that! You should see the living room at noon time!” Loni said and she soon dragged into conversation about the house.

In my mind I was hoping Loni wouldn’t start her bragging, it bugs me. At the same time Stephanie motioned for us to scout down so she could fit on the bench. We all had to squeeze really close together but it worked.

The discussion stayed pretty dull the whole time. Though we did get into what we were going to do today. Most of us agreed that we would be exploring the island but Loni and Whitney said they definitely wanted to get in some swimming. Swimming was a huge part of both of their lives. They were both on the swim team and practiced a lot. Since I wouldn’t be doing much swimming, I packed lots of suntan lotion so I could relax on the beach. Some of my friends were going to do the same thing including Stephanie, Britta, and Genna. And it’s not like I won’t go in the water with them, I just didn’t want to spend my vacation doing laps with Loni and Whitney.

Getting anxious, I got up and looked out the window. I wanted to go outside but I didn’t want to go alone.

“Does anyone else want to go to the beach with me or are we just going to stay cooped up in the house all day?” I asked the group.

Eventually everyone answered yes but Stephanie, Whitney, Debbie, and Genna still had to get changed into their bathing suits. I also had forgotten to get my beach bag.

“I’m going to go get my bag. I’ll wait for you guys by the door,” I said following them up to the bedrooms. Finally I would get to go on the beach!

It wasn’t too difficult to find my bag, it was near the top of one of my numerous piles of crap. Just then I heard some arguing and then a loud outburst from Genna in the room next to mine.

“What was that about?” I muttered under my breath.

Without thinking I ran out of my room to see Genna screaming and complaining about something. People filed out of their rooms looking worried and disoriented. The look on Genna’s face serious and angry and her tone of voice matched it. In her hand was a piece of paper that she shook up and down. I couldn’t exactly see what was on it but it appeared to be newspaper writing.

“Who did this?!” asked Genna.

Clearly she was getting upset.

“Wait a second,” I said after seeing it again, “can I see that?” I had a hunch as to what she was so mad about.

“Sure, it’s a death threat,” Genna said dramatically handing me the note.

Glancing over the note I could see that she was telling the truth. I myself thought that it would be a something like that because the only time I’ve ever heard of people using cutout newspaper letters to arrange some sort of message was as a threat.

“Someone here is trying to kill me,” Genna said simply.