Eloise

Rated K-T
For explicit scenes and language

Author's note: Wrote this quite a while ago, but never did complete it. I'm trying something new with this, I took the old story and totally changed the whole plot so it's very different from the previous for those (very few) who read it. And yes, I'm trying chapters for the first time.

Prologue

An old lady, a fortune teller, once told me that retribution, karma, whatever you want to call it, exists. Whenever you do something wrong, you would have to atone for it. Either it hits you, or it hits your loved ones. I had laughed it off, slapping her cloudy crystal ball in the process that was perching precariously on the table edge, and it was almost a hair width's away from shattering into a million pieces. I told her that no such thing existed, for we live in a world ruled by Science and Logic, and not some "spirit" or what not that you feel, or see, coming, just by looking at some fancy tarot cards and into a glass ball. She shook her fragile head slowly, knitting her brows together and forming about ten more wrinkles every second. She rearranged some tarot cards in front of me, then rubbed her crystal ball again. She kept going "mm" and "ahh" and "ohh", but never once looked up at me. Oh, God, what was she doing? I kneaded my temples and took in a deep breath. I can't lose it. I will not lose it.

"Look. You may have all day rubbing your pretty ball and arranging and rearranging your cute little cards but I don't. So will you just tell me whatever you see in my future so I can go?", crap, I lost it.

I cursed Heather for winning that bet. If I did not lose I would never have had to come to this stupid "fortune" shop at the corner of the street we live on. I could have won, really, only if I were not so careless...

"Retribution will come knocking on your door, Miss,", the old lady finally opened her golden mouth.
"I told you! Retribution does not exist! God, woman, have you ever stepped out of your cloudy shop?", I whipped my arms around for emphasis, and that incense she was burning went into my nose, "You know, you should really get some sun on your skin. You look as white as the whitening cream my mum uses,", that incense really hurt.

What was she burning? Lavender? Eucalyptus?

"Something horrible will befall someone close to your heart, and it'll be too late to save her. You wanted to but against your better judgement, you let it slip. You let someone you care for get hurt and torn apart, for someone or something for which only you will gain and benefit from. I am sensing her name...", she rubbed her temples and lifted her chin, "It's H-"

I did not let her finish and stormed out of the store. I do not care if losing that ridiculous bet meant that I would have to go listen to that mad woman predict my future for a full half-hour session, I had had it. It had only been ten minutes but my blood vessels were threatening to blow up my brain any second now. Yeah, right, retribution. What a load of bullshit.


#1.

High pitched shrills broke the relaxing atmosphere that enveloped my bedroom, stopping every five seconds for two seconds and then ringing again. I flung my left hand towards my dressing table and knocked down that irritant. Little error in projection though, the alarm clock flew across the room and stopped, only because it had slammed into my newly painted wall.

"Damn it!" I mumbled, still groggy.

Why does this always have to be the case on days when I am most lazy to gain full consciousness? I banged my head down on my pillow and let out a moan, saying a silent goodbye in the process, then slowly pushed my legs over the edge of my comfortable bed. That plaguy alarm clock did not help either. It just sat there and continued to yell at the top of it's battery operated, mechanical lungs. A miracle must have happened just then because I was out of bed. Yes, two feet and even the rest of my body off of it. I randomly pushed my arms through the air, trying to find the light switch. Oh why did I insist of putting it next to my door and not my bed, thinking at that time that switches at your bed were 'uncool' and 'childish'. But who can blame a ten year old for that, anyway? A plastic rectangle found the inside of my palm and I pushed it down. White light flicked on, making me squint and slam my arms into my eyes.

"Ouch! Shit!"

I was really starting to hate that day. Maybe I should just go back to sleep and call in sick for the day. Daddy could write a note. No, I can't. Today was the first day back at school, and Heather would be waiting for my explaination for not going through with my punishment the other day. So I rubbed my eyes and stumbled towards that annoying alarm clock. I picked it up and hit the 'off' button jubilantly. The ringing stopped and I waited a few more seconds for the ringing in my ears to go away, too.

I then slogged carelessly into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. I jumped slightly at the shock to my face and was suddenly awake for that split second, but slipped back into semi-unconsciousness again soon after.

"Come on, Eloise, it's just school. You have to wake up. Heather's waiting. Come on!" I poked at my cheeks as I tried desperately to give a prep talk to myself.

I heaved a sigh and opened the cabinet that was located behind my mirror. Cobwebs had appeared at the edges and tiny creatures had started to call this their home. I picked them away and retrieved a small box from inside while mentally reminding myself to clean the cabinet soon. It was dog-eared and coffee stained, with a few scratches here and there, but it could survive a few more years.
What was important was inside. I gently started to lift the lid, careful not to let anything, including myself, harm the most precious content. The lid was off and I placed it on the basin. What was staring back at me was the most magnificent, most mesmering thing ever.

It was a necklace. The chain is made of leather, the colour of rich chocolate and the sides may have started to tear away but it was still strong and sturdy nonetheless. The best of it all was the pendant. It is a huge sapphire in a hexagon like shape, just not so defined, a little softer round the pointed parts a hexagon was supposed to have. The blue was so deep that whenever I feasted my eyes on it, I would be terrified of getting drowned in it's endless pool. Light hit it at all the right angles, making the gem shimmer and sparkle, destined to bring all other semi-precious stones to their knees. It is bordered by smaller, circular rubies, so light a red that it was almost baby pink. Such a stark contrast but yet it seemed to bring out the esquisite design even more. And no, the rubies were not second-rate or anything, they were just extremely special. Found only in the deep lands located on an uncharted island for which only I and my family know of, these rubies are different from the rest. They are not the au typical deep lustrous red, but are of a soft, very light red, and are very rare. From the bottom of the sapphire protrudes two mahogany strings, with small diamonds dangling playfully at the end of them. They sparkled just as brightly and brilliantly as the sapphire and rubies, albiet being the smallest of them all. I personally liked this play of length and contrast and loved the diamonds the most.

With shaking hands I slowly lifted the necklace out of it's box and wore it. I felt a sudden burst of energy as I always had whenever I wore it, and slipped out of semi-unconsciousness. A wide smile made it's way across my face before I could tell my brain to, and I got ready for school.


#2.

It was raining. Dark gloomy clouds loomed over my head, threatening to release more of it's burden on the Earth any second now. Occassionally lightning would steal the spotlight and then thunder would complain, painting the sky with a symphony of light and dark. I grumbled a little to myself, I really dreaded rainy days - they seemed to envelope the world in such dull colours, as if it was killing the Earth. I stepped out of my house unwillingly but trotted toward the bus stop under the warm shelter of my family's covered walkway. 'Why take the public bus when you could get your driver to drive you to school?' Many people have questioned me as if I had a screw loose in my head, but I just wanted to blend in. You see, my parents are filthy rich. Mother is a world reknowned lawyer, who has never lost a case, whilst Daddy is a cardiologist. He never had a failed operation before. People were already afraid to get close to me because of my mother, thus I did not need to arrive at school in a limosuine to make myself even more unapproachable.

The bus was not here yet. I fumbled with my bag till I opened the zipper and took out my iPod. In two swift motions I plugged in the earphones and switched on the music. A different noise other than the continuous insistent pitter-patter of the rain and my music was heard and I lifted my head. My bus was approaching. I quickly halted the bus and boarded it. The driver gave me a toothy grin and I smiled back. Slowly, I made my way to my usual place at the back and sat down. Before I knew it, I had arrived in front of my school.

I study at Ashtenworth University, which I would have to spend another four long years completing my Law degree. As I strolled towards Ashtenworth, under another covered walkway - this one owned by the school, Heather suddenly materialised beside me and yelled over the rain, "D'you know what day it is today, Eloise?"

"Yes, Heather, it's the first day back," I gave her a weak smile and shivered.
"No! Today is the day we skip the second half of school to go to the beach!"
"Huh?"
"Come on, Eloise! I read the weather forecast, all this gloom and loom will go away."
"Ok, ok, meet you outside your class after fifth period."
"It's going to be so fun, Lo!"

I kind of doubted what Heather said because it was getting colder by the minute and I cursed under my breath for not bringing my sky blue cashmere cardigen. Heather is my best friend, and we have stuck by each other ever since pre-school. We do anything and everything together - we were practically joint at the hip.

"Well, time to get to class. See you later Hea."
"See you, Lo!"

We strolled off to our respective classes, and I waited impatiently for five boring periods to pass. Turns out Heather was right, and by the fourth period, the storm clouds had cleared, unravelling the bright, majestic Sun hiding behind. When the bell rang, signalling the end of fifth period, I made my way swiftly to the next block, where Heather was just coming out of class.

"Hey, Eloise."
"Hey, Heather."

We gave each other a quick hug before holding hands and pacing quietly towards the entrance.

"Where to, Hea?"
"Erm, back to your place first Eloise. We're not going to the beach like this!"

She then waved her hands up and down, emphasizing her slender body, clad in according-to-school-rules clothes. I giggled at her actions, and we made our way stealthily to the bus stop.


#3.

We got home and changed, and made our way to the beach. It was June and the sun must have been fuming because this was the hottest day of the year so far. Heather and I were clad in our most skimpy of bikinis, in a desperate attempt to attract the hunky lifeguards at the beach.

"Oh Eloise, why isn't he looking at me?"
"Maybe it's because you've got nothing to show."
"I'll show you!"

With that said, Heather stood up and strutted up and down the shore, repeatedly past the lifeguard stands. But all her efforts went down the drain, because not one of the lifeguards gave even the slightest hint of interest.

"It's no use, Hea, they and their very well toned muscles will never notice you. Let's give it up and head over to that bookstore there," I pointed to a neighbourhood bookstore with a sign that read 'Barba a Boo stor'.

Heather gave me a reluctant nod and followed me as we made our way to the bookstore, or boostor. As we pushed opened the dusty glass doors, a musky scent greeted us. Heather and I choked whilst trying to accustome our eyes to the dim lighting there.

"I totally understand why they have so many customers, Eloise!", Heather says sarcastically, gesturing to the empty space around us, besides the books and dust.

I laughed out loud and so did Heather, and we did not stop until an old lady cleared her throat and stared at us. Where did she come from? I did not see her when I entered the shop.

"You young girls better keep it down," she waggled her wrinkly finger at us, "or else leave. Don't affect my business!"

Heather and I both gave her a quick nod and then turned around and laugh silently to ourselves.

"Hey, Lo, look what I found!"

Heather grabbed my elbow and showed me a book. It looked.. old. No, ancient would be the right word. Dust had collected on every surface available and there were water marks and coffee stains everywhere. The once grand maroon had now turned into an ugly shade of light brown. The corners of the book were encrusted with gold, but it had been scarred with rust. On the cover it read "Magic", printed in fancy 19th century calligraphy.

"Let's take a look, shall we, Lo?"

Heather asked, but before hearing my reply she went ahead and opened the book. Dust particles swirled around us, dancing to the little light filtering through the windows. I brushed my fingers across the first page, trying to uncover the mystery hidden underneath. Heather and I coughed and sneezed a little, very irritated by the amount of dust that was entering our system, but stop breathing when the words became visible. The old typewriter font was a classic, but the faded black ink at some points had become so light that the word was illegible. Heather and I turned it into a game, to try and fill in the blanks where the ink failed to survive the years and left blotches of emptiness in the whole picture.

After about five minutes of trying to be editors, the ancient lady that told us off before, went off at us yet again.

“Young girls! This is not a library! If you want to read the book, buy it!”

Heather and I closed the book swiftly and nearly banged into each other trying to get to the counter as fast as possible, lest the old lady, whom I assumed was Barbara, would eat us up in her fury.

“That’ll be five,” Barbara snapped at us vehemently.

I took out a five dollar bill and placed it on the counter. Barbara placed the delicate book into a bag and gave it to us rather unhappily. Heather and I thanked her politely and escaped the shop giggling. When we went out, the sun shot our eyes and we both flinched. We paused for a moment to let our eyes get used to the amount of light.

“I think that hag was so mean!"
"Yes, she was kind of mean, huh?"
"Anyway, do you want to go to my house to finish reading that book? We’re barely done with the first page, Lo.”
"Sure, as long as you feed me!"
"I definately will my dear, when have I never?"
"Haha, ok let's go!"

Heather then hooked her arm around mine and we made our way down the street, to her house.


#4.

I tossed myself onto Heather’s soft, king-sized bed and heaved a sigh as I let my body sink into it. I gazed at the hundreds of luminous stars Heather had begged her mother and father to help paste onto her elegant, black ceiling that she had painted personally to make it more realistic as a night sky. I told Heather not to switch on the lights for awhile, and she plonked next to me on the bed, admiring the fake stars shining, albeit greenly, back at us.

“Okay, enough fake star-gazing, let’s decipher this book!”

Heather bounced out of bed and flicked on the switch. Warm amber light hugged us as I realised Heather had switched on the evening lights.

“For more effect and to add to the mysterious atmosphere this book carries”

Heather must’ve noticed the look on my face as she scoffed.

"Whatever, let's read."

She gently took out Magic out of its plastic bag, and placed it on the bed, next to me. We both stopped breathing again, for a few seconds, and then flipped open the book. But before we could start reading it, Heather's mother called us down for lunch. We sighed and frowned at each other but raced down the wooden stairwell to have our fried noodles. Heather and I gobbled down our food like we had not eaten in ten years, anxious to return to start deciphering the book. Heather’s mother kept trying to ask us to slow down, panic and worry clearly written all over her face. We chewed for one second longer every time she asked us to slow down, but then went back to sonic mode not long after. We flew up the stairs immediately after we had cleared everything off our plate and started.

The first page had read, 'Thee shalt worship thy almighty Gin, Goddess for all of us, lowly ones. Gin is the almighty One, and She shalt not be trifled with. We, lowly ones, must give Her thanks, and must always praise Her. To do this there is only one way: through Magic'. Heather and I were stunned and confused reading this. Because I for one, as mentioned before, did not believe in all these unscientific stuff, and wanted to stop reading, but Heather insisted on continuing. 'For Magic to work, one must first own the Necklace'. As we flipped to the next page, both Heather and I screamed in shock as our eyes met with the image of the 'Necklace' - a perfect potrayal of the necklace I was wearing now.

"Oh my Eloise, take it off, let's compare."

I took my necklace off in a daze and sat beside Heather as she looked to the necklace and back to the book repeatedly, as if she were some jewelry expert.

"Ok, I officially conclude that your necklace, Lo, is exactly the same as the one printed in the book."
"You've got to be kidding me. This necklace is one of a kind, there are no copies, Heather."
"But it's the same as the one in the book!"
"Well..."
"Your mum gave it to you right?"
"Well yeah."
"What did she say about it?"
"That it was a family heirloom and that it has a history of almost four centuries. Oh my-"
"Then it's the same necklace, Lo! Remember how you always tell me that you feel 'a burst of energy' whenever you wear it?"
"Oh my God, I think you're right Heather."
"How can I not be?!"

Heather got so excited then, that she stood up and danced around the room enthusiastically, smiling and laughing. I sat down, still in a bit of shock. Just then, Heather tripped, sending her, along with the necklace in hand, hurtling towards the bedroom floor.


#5.

The sound of something shattering sent me out of my shocked state, and I quickly looked up only to send myself back into that same state. Heather was face down on the floor, just next to her bed, and lying beside her, my broken necklace. The main jewel and everything else was still intact, but the rubies did not share the same lucky fate. They had been ripped from the main piece, and having been flung across the room, the result was a few chips here and there on some pieces, and some just completely lost. I blinked hard a few times, and forced myself out of shock. My body then sprung itself into action. I ran towards Heather, shaking her lightly to help her regain her consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered and a grunt escaped her partially opened mouth. I drew back, giving her some space to prop herself up with her elbows.

"Oh.. my God.. Eloise I'm.. so so sorry.."
"Hush, my dear. Come, let me help you to your bed first, you need some rest."

Heather was too weak to protest, and I helped her to her bed, laying her down nicely. I went to get a glass of warm water, and made Heather drink it down.

"Lo, the necklace, I'm so damn sorry."
"It's just a necklace, Heather, please, just relax."
"My head's ok! I'm feeling better already, really."
"Are you sure.."
"Yes Lo, stop being such a grandmother. Pass me the necklace will you?"
"Sure."

I left Heather's side and made my way carefully to the other side of the room. My hands quivered as I picked up the flawed necklace. It had truly seen better days, and my heart secretly ached looking at the state it was in now. It had seem to lost it's aura of grandness, as if it's shimmery top coat had been violently ripped off. A sense of lost draped over me, as if a part of me was missing. Or maybe I was just thinking to much, afterall, it was just a necklace. Just. A. Necklace.

"Shit, Lo, I'm damn sorry!"
"Please, Heather, it's just a necklace."
"But it's no ordinary necklace! We got to get this fixed."
"No really, it still looks ok without the rubies, see?"
"No, Lo, we need to get the rubies. Didn't you say they're only found in only one place in the whole world?"
"Yeah, that island only my family knows about."
"We need to go there."
"Hea, don't be stupid."
"No, Lo, we're going."

With that said, Heather almost bounced off her bed with so much enthusiam that no one would have guessed that she almost had a concussion, and made her way to her computer. I told her where the island was and she booked plane tickets for us to go there over the weekend.


#6.

The days passed fairly quickly, with none of us mentioning the upcoming trip. Though I knew that Heather still felt pretty bad about the whole I'm-sorry-I-trashed-your-necklace thing, the way she was going the extra mile to please me. She would help me get my bag, or treat me to lunch, and it was really getting on my nerves. Just because some ancient book stated that it was a 'magic' necklace, and it could connect to some God, does not mean that it is real, right? I mean, it could be just fiction, and that picture could be a figment of someone's imagination. But no one has ever seen my necklace, only Heather and my family. I had always tucked it safely beneath my clothes, mainly for safety reasons, because exposing it would only be inviting thieves to rob me. On the other hand, I have always felt compelled to keep it hidden, though I have no logical reasoning for that impulse. Even when I needed to store it, I had to hide it securely behind my mirror, in a box, so that it stayed away from prying eyes. Maybe it was a special necklace afterall. Ok, I had to snap myself out of it, these kinds of stuff does not exist.

Friday came at last, and immediately after school Heather came over to my house to fetch me. Her car's honks polluted the air and I raced down, luggage in tow.

"Ready, Lo?"
"As ever."

I rode shotgun as we sped towards the airport, our long locks whipping our face mercilessly. I sort of went into a trance from there onwards, hardly believing that I was going agaisnt all of my principles and beliefs about life, in both general and specifics. Heather did pretty much of everything, helping us check our flight shedule and what-not, and even buying me a coffee. As the clock moved rythematically towards two o' clock, Heather hooked her arm around me and brought us to gate 12.

"Hey Lo you ok? Why d'you look so in-a-trance?"
"... Huh? Oh, sorry, Heather. I'm just, I can't believe we're actually doing this."
"Why not? I broke your necklace so I'm gonna fix it, then we can do whatever the book says!"
"I told you already, Hea, it's totally ok!"
"Oh shut up and get on the plane already."

With that said I snapped my mouth shut and we made our way wearily towards the airplane. Heather had booked us first class seats, like how I always do whenever I travel. I placed my small luggage into the overhead compartment, and then proceeded to sit down in the comfy seat to relax. A small sigh escaped my mouth as my body fitted itself into the curves of the blue cushions that made the seat. 'What the hell am I doing?' I thought to myself repeatedly as the air craft got ready for take off. 'It's just a damned necklace, one of a kind or not. I could easily get another that is ten times more expensive.' My head started throbbing from those thoughts, so I decided to push it to the far corners of my mind where it could collect dust. I did not want to fuck up my principles in life just because of some book that said this and that. I just wanted to live by my principles. With that etched in my mind, I let my heavy eyelids fall, and fell asleep for the rest of the journey.

When the plane landed, I jolted awake from all the jerking the plane was going through. Heather was awake, too, and we waited for the plane to come to a complete halt before alighting. As usual, Heather did all the checking out and once we were done, she dragged me outside.

"Ok, so now where do we go?"
"We need to catch a boat to the island."
"Ok!"

Heather raised her arm perpendicularly to her body and quickly flagged down a taxi. We boarded without exchanging any words and sent the driver off to the harbour. The journey was a silent one, with Heather and I both glancing out of the windows closest to us, gazing at the glum scenery. It was pitiful. Trees were bent over, as if age had forced them to be hunch-backed. Houses were ram-shackled, with their zinc roofs about to cave in on the weak mud walls. And the people, they looked so hallow. Skin hung on their bones tightly, and the clothes that protected them from the cold could hardly serve their purpose. I closed my eyes for a bit, trying to wash away the guilt of living in a developed country.

"Misses? We're here."

Heather and I both got out of our anti-social state and I fished out my purse to pay the driver. Shooting a quick glance at each other, we took our luggage from the taxi's boot and lugged them along to the harbour. The wooden planks squeaked under our weight, and I was afriad that it could collaspe at any moment. We held hands, determined that if one would fall, we would go down together. Fortunately, we made it in one piece to the ticketing booth, and bought our tickets for the next trip to the island. And yes, only I or anyone else in the family could buy tickets to this specific place, because no one else was suppose to know about it.


#7.

The booming wail of the boat's horn set Heather and I into motion, as we swiftly but carefully made our way towards it. The driver very kindly helped us carry our luggage and stored it safely at the back of the boat. Both of us stepped into the vehicle, and we took a seat next to each other on the old, wooden benches. We were the only ones on the boat, thus the safety checks were done fairly quickly and the driver put his foot to the peddle. Water splashed in small waves on either side of us as the boat jetted along the sea, distorting the otherwise flat surface. Heather and I hugged each other tightly as little crystals of salty water rained on us, almost certain that the boat might capsize at the speed it was going. No sooner were we determined that it could be the last ride of our lives, that the driver slowed down the boat and informed us that we had arrived. I could feel Heather physically relax in my arms, and I did so, too. We stayed there for a bit till we were determined that the boat had truly come to a halt. The driver, being such a gentleman, helped us with our luggage again and assissted us in alighting. We thanked him quickly before going off on a cleared path, into the island.

On either sides of us, tall trees dominated the landscape, with their long branches encapsulating us inside, and their big leaves filtering the glaring sun into small beams of pleasant rays. We trotted on the coarse gravel, listening to the crunch it made whenever we left our footprints in it. Our eyes occassionally lifted up to gaze at a bird that was passing over, admiring it's wingspan and the beautiful feathers that adorned it. After a short while, the trees disappeared into the background as cleared land greeted us, along with a small lodging house. Surprise was cleary written all over Heather's face as her eyes took in what was in front of her.

"We do need a place to stay whenever we decide to pop by you know."
"Oh right sorry, it just seems so out of place, y'know, Lo."
"Yeah, I know. But you don't want to live in a tent do you?"
"No, I guess."
"Ok good let's go in and settle down first then."

Hastily, we got to the lodge and heaved a good, long sigh as the cooling air-conditioned air hit us full force.

"Hi, ladies, may I help you?"

My eyes flicked up to the assisstant standing behind the counter, looking quizzically at us.

"Hmm, you're new?"
"Yes Miss Eloise, I've just started about a week ago."
"Oh I see, thought I'd never seen you before."
"May I help you and Miss Heather with your bags?"
"Yes please and thank you.. sorry I didn't catch your name."
"It's Ethan, miss."
"Ah, hi Ethan."

Ethan proceeded to help us move our luggage to our rooms, and as he bent down to pick up my luggage, our hands brushed. I felt heat rising to my cheeks at that touch, because, boy, was he hot. His skin was the colour of chocolate, and his pale blue eyes seemed to glimmer when he smiled. Under his shirt I could see his toned muscles ripple as he picked up our luggage with what seemed like no effort at all. I melted inside when he glanced back to flash me a reassuring smile, and his teeth, too, seemed to glimmer and sparkle in all their pearly white glory.

"Wow, Lo, I didn't know people WORKED here."

Heather's comment brought me out of my visual grope and I got startled for a bit.

"Er, yeah. Parents wanted service no matter where they were so they hired people to operate the lodge."
"Oh wow. That's just amazing."
"I know. When I saw someone other than the miners I was kind of surprised, too."
"Well, I'm not complaining about the service!"

With that said we both exchanged giggles and followed Ethan to our rooms. He had carefully placed our luggage beside the cupboard and excused himself from the room. Heather and I decided to take a break for today, a little tired from all the travelling. She had decided that we could go ask the workers for new rubies tomorrow, because she was just too lethargic from all the activity today. I agreed without hesitation, because I, too, felt the same way. We then briskly unpacked and took a hot shower before we plopped unto our beds and promptly fell asleep.


#8.

The morning sun blazed past the windows and filled the room, forcing Heather and I out of our dreamlands.

"Morning, Lo."
"Morning, Hea."

We did our normal morning routine - shower, brushed our teeth, and changed. Once we were done, we went out of our room only to be greeted by the mouth-watering scent of freshly baked muffins, and was that the salty smell of bacon? Our noses led the way as the turned right towards to dining area. There on the table was a magnificent spread - eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, muffins, cakes, and an assortment of juices.

"Oh wow, Lo, you got food service 'round here, too?"
"Er yes but never like this before."

"Good morning, Miss Eloise and Miss Heather."

Ethan popped out of the kitchen to greet us, apron wrapped around his masculine body, and chef hat perched carefully on his head.

"Please, just Eloise."
"And just Heather."

Ethan flashed us another of his killer smiles, and I felt my legs go all wobbly and jelly-like.

"Ok then, Eloise and Heather. Breakfast is served, I hope it takes your fancy."
"Thank you Ethan, it certainly does look very delicious, thank you for your effort."
"Yes Ethan, thank you very much. I think Lo and I would probably put on 5kg before we leave this place."

With a silent chuckle, Ethan quietly thanked us and asked us to enjoy our meal before leaving the room. Heather and I keenly took our seats and attacked the buffet, unaware of our hunger until now. I piled a number of eggs and bacon on my plate, savouring each bite in all it's oily goodness. Heather, too, was piling on the muffins and cakes, nibbling each with satisfaction. Hunger must have knawed quite hard on our stomachs, having not eaten on the plane or boat the previous day, as we had cleared almost everything off the table. When we were done, we both looked at each other, the same thing going through our minds - that were we gluttons.

"That was really good, huh, Lo?"
"Yeah, Hea, that was probably the most I'd ever eat for breakfast in my entire life!"

Again, Heather laughed at my comment and we made our way out of the lodge. I led the way through the forest on another paved route, towards the work site. Heather followed closely beside me, as we made our way deeper into the thicker, denser forest. But after awhile, the trees parted, unravelling yet another cleared piece of land, but this one quite different from the previous. Large, jutting rocks littered the landscape, and dirty, dirt-rimmed trolleys were spotted at regular intervals. Along the jagged land, a few round holes punctured the floor, making it look somewhat like flat cheese. A few workers were seen moving slowly, clad in long sleeves and long pants, protecting them from the heat, and no one could miss the luminous yellow helmets they wore on their heads. As soon as they all spotted me, time seemed to have freezed, as all of them halted in their tracks, and discontinued whatever they were doing to greet Heather and I in unison. I nodded my head slightly in acknowledgement, and the leader, Jay, asked what it was that I needed. Carefully, I explained what had happened to my necklace and told him that I needed replacements. Jay, immediately after examining my necklace, ordered the workers to start looking for the specific size of rubies that I needed, before excusing himself to help out his team.

"That's it?"
"Huh, what's it, Hea?"
"That's it? As in we just tell them what to look for and then nothing?"
"Well yeah, that's what they're paid for Hea."
"But shouldn't we like help out or something?"
"What for, Hea."
"I don't know, they look so tired I guess, just thought I could help."
"Don't be silly, let's go back and relax. Jay will get back to me once he finds all of the rubies that we need."
"Oh.. ok."

Heather followed me rather reluctantly back to the lodge, glancing back at times with a worried look painted on her face. I ignored her, thinking that she was just being foolish. Once we got back, Heather excused herself by saying that she needed to rest, and so I took the opportunity to get to know Ethan better.


#9.

I made my way nervously to the front desk, fiddling my the hem of my shirt and messing my hair this way and that. Deep breath in, and I stepped in front of the desk, surprising Ethan and causing him to jump.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you, Ethan."
"No problem Eloise, it's just after working here you don't really expect anyone to appear before you, haha."
"Haha, yeah, it gets quite lonely after awhile doesn't it?"
"I guess, but work is work."
"Well, I'm hungry."
"Would you like me to prepare lunch now?"
"Yes, please, that would be great."

Ethan made his way swiftly into the kitchen to prepare lunch, whilst I managed a quick shower. Heather was soundly asleep, and I kept my noise to a minimum lest I woke her up. Ethan was a marvelous cook, and a quick one at that, because when I got out of the shower, everything was already laid nicely on the dining table. Golden chicken, sauteéd vegetables, steamed fish fillets, rice, noodles and an assortment of fruit dotted the table.

"Oh, wow, Ethan it looks great."
"Thank you, enjoy your meal, Eloise."
"Hey, join me, will you?"
"I would not like to impose any inconvenience on you."
"None at all. Anyway Heather is asleep so I'd appreciate the company."
"If you put it that way.."

Ethan took a seat next to me as we tucked in to the food. We clicked well, sharing stories with each other about our childhood, our friends, and basically our whole lives. I loved the way he talked, pronouncing each word correctly but yet not sounding stuck up or posh. His voice was like silk, so easy and pleasant to listen to. I also enjoyed looking at him whenever he ruffled his golden, layered hair whenever he was confused or did not know how to phrase his thoughts. He must have been delighted with my presence, too, as he had appreared to have loosened up, and started talking to me like I was his friend, and not his superior. We continued chatting for hours, laughing and joking with each other, and basically basking in the joy that each other's company had brought along. We probably would have continued staying like that forever, if not for Heather who stumbled groggily into the dining area, asking if dinner was ready yet. Ethan blushed for a second as he glanced to his watch, only to realise that it was going to be eight in five minutes. He apologized sincerely and rushed to prepare dinner for Heather and I.

"Slept well, Hea?"
"Yeah, sorry Lo, kinda tired."
"No problem, you look tired, you should rest more."
"I'm ok now, sorry to have left you alone, but I see you've found yourself company."

I glanced away at that moment, knowing that when I looked back at her, my cheeks would have been tinted with a slight pink.

"Well yeah, I kind of like Ethan."
"Go for it girl, I mean, he's all fine."
"I guess, I mean, we did click just now."
"So what you waiting for?"
"Haha, I don't know, a few rubies maybe."

We both chortled at the bad joke and sat patiently, waiting for dinner to be served.

After we had gobbled down our food (as usual - Ethan really was a great cook), we made our way back to our rooms to crash. Heather and I took a quick shower each, and tucked ourselves in, preparing for the night to wrap us in it's dark, soothing blanket.


#10.

Birds chirped gaily as they realised it was dawn, waking Heather and I up. It was Sunday today, which meant that it was our last day here, and I was determined to make the most out of it, for example, spending time with Ethan. We came out of our rooms tiredly, but perked up when we were greeted by yet another grand breakfast spread. Ethan, as usual, had an apron draped on him and a chef's hat hiding his soft hair. We exchanged 'good mornings' and as usual, Ethan excused himself from the room. Heather and I parked ourselves on our seats and tucked in to the piping hot food.

"So, Lo, we going to check on them today?"
"Yeah they should be done by now."
"Ok."

We had the remainder of the meal in silence, each concentrating on the food on our plates, and ignoring the awkwardness that hung between us. When both of us was done, we went out of the cabin, and we trekked on the same path back to the workplace. Jay was there along with his team, and they greeted us the same robotic way as yesterday.

"So, Jay, how's progress?"
"Well, Miss Eloise, you requested for a lot of rubies and it was a bit hard to get all in one night and I truly apologize. We have only managed to find five so far."
"But I need ten, Jay."
"Yes, I know, Miss Eloise, our team here is trying their very best already."
"Well I'm leaving tonight and I need them by then, ok?"
"Yes, Miss Eloise."

I swiped my hand across my forehead, damping my arm with sweat.

"Shouldn't we help them, Lo?"
"That's what we pay them for, Hea."

Heather gave me one of those what-the-fuck looks, but I chose to ignore her. My parents had told me to leave all the work to Jay and his team, because it was their jobs, and not ours.

"Well, I'm going to stay and help."
"Whatever, Hea. You got your cell, right? Call me if you get lost or something I'll come back to get you."
"It's ok, Lo, I know how to go back."
"Alright, take care."
"See you."

With that, I left Heather at the work site, secretly grinning to myself, knowing that I had the entire lodge, and Ethan, to myself. I made my way back hurridly, with a bounce in my step. When the lodge came into sight, I used all my strength to will my legs into not sprinting fourth. Calmly, I paced towards the lodge, opened the door, and was faced with a downcast Ethan.

"Hey, Ethan, what's wrong?"
"Oh, hey Eloise. Erm, it's nothing."

I knew he was lying as he swerved his head to the right to swipe away a lone tear that escaped down his cheek, thinking that I was unable to see.

"Tell me, what's wrong."
"Well, ok.."

I made my way behind the counter to sit next to Ethan, listening intently and sincerely to what he had to share, and at times, offering advice or a pat on the back. Suddenly, my phone vibrated, causing me to jump. Ethan was still talking, so I casted a quick glance to my phone's screen. It was Heather. Alarm bells rung in my head as I thought of all the possibilities that could have befallen her, but, against my better judgement, quickly dismissed each grotesque image with what she had assured me with. Afterall, Ethan needed consolling and I could not just leave him hanging there, after we've discussed so much. That would be inhuman of me. So, I ignored the call, and continued to listen to Ethan, sometimes sharing a hug or two, when things got a little too painful to handle alone. We carried on like this for a bit, until Ethan felt better.

"Thanks Eloise, for listening and everything. I feel so much better."
"No problem, Ethan, I'm glad I was of help."

With that, I flashed a smile at him, only to recieve one in return. Our smiles froze there for a bit, before Ethan lowered his head towards mine, until his soft, plump lips found mine, and never left.


#11.

Disclaimer: This is the part of the story that is rated T, for the explicit scene.

Hot passion drenched us as our lips brushed agaisnt each other more violently, and our tongues dugged deeper. His hands wondered from my messed-up hair, to my quivering face, and then it made it's way down my shoulders, onto my breasts. I brushed the nape of his neck lightly, sending small chills down his back, but he chuckled slightly, to let me know that he enjoyed it. Without breaking the flow that throbbed so enthusiastically and feistily between us, Ethan lifted me off my feet in one fell swoop, and carried me to my room. He placed me gently on the bed, before coming on top of me to continue tasting me. His lips soon left mine, and planted themselves on my flushed cheeks, and then my neck. I threw my head back, enjoying the fiery sensation it sent my body into. Ethan then quickly grabbed my shirt and pulled it off, before continueing his journey of kisses down my chest, down my stomach. He stopped just as he reached my shorts, and came back up to me to wrap me in his arms. We kissed somemore, ecstasy pulsing through our systems, as he unhooked my bra and I took off his shirt. At that exact moment, my phone rung again, but I was too lost in the ongoing situation to even bother to check who was calling, although deep down, some part of me knew it was Heather. I quickly dismissed it again and continued to concentrate on what was right in front of me. Ethan unbottoned my shorts and pulled it down, just as I had with his, and we paused for awhile to give each other a reassuring smile. A paroxysm of delight came over me as his touch found the wetness of me, and I guess it must have washed over him too. Ethan positioned himself on top of me, and I let a sensual moan escape my mouth as he penetrated me. Pulsing with zest and ardor he moved so aggresively, but yet not to a point that it hurt. As he threw his head back, he let out a sigh of pleasure and withdrew himself out of me.

My sweaty hair stuck to my face, and so did Ethan's. He plopped himself down beside me, and our chests heaved up and down in unison. We stayed like that, in each other's arms, for what seemed like forever, until Ethan broke the silence.

"I think you missed a call or two."
"Oh right, yeah, it must be Heather."

I unwillingly left the comfort of Ethan's arm to pick up my phone to call Heather. Having memorized her number, I punched in the numbers fairly quickly and pressed the 'call' button. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. That was weird, Heather always answered my calls. Worry wrapped it's scrawny hand around my heart and squeezed it tightly, and my gut feeling told me that something was wrong, very wrong. Ethan must have noticed the look on my face change because he had asked if I was ok.

"No, I think something happened to Heather, Ethan."
"Then let's go down to the work site to check it out."
"Ok."

Ethan helped me get dressed promptly, and he took my hand into his as we made our way out. He kept squeezing my hand, assuring me that everything would be alright, but somehow I was not convinced. My heart was beating so hard I swore it was going to burst through my clothes, and I bet my eyes were looking frantic. I quickened my pace, almost to the point of running, but did not only because Ethan had told me to relax and slow down. As we approached the clearing, my palms got sweaty, and a bitter taste filled my mouth. Ethan kept trying to tell me to calm down, and that everything would be ok, but his words just did not seem to register in my brain. When we got the work site, Jay was there, pacing up and down, with a serious look on his face. As I approached, Jay heard my footsteps and quickly glanced up. He stopped pacing, and everyone else stopped what they were doing, too, to greet Ethan and I, as was their usual practise. Jay then made his way nervously towards me, with anguish clearly etched in his expression.

"Miss Eloise, I am very sorry but I will have to share this unfortunate news with you."

My knees wanted to buckle under me, but Ethan steadied me with his strong hands.

"You see, when you were gone, Miss Heather decided to help us with the mining of the rubies."

The sour taste in my mouth began to build up.

"She was very helpful, going into the holes, where it was the hardest and most uncomfortable to work in, to help us as much as she could."

My vision started to blur, but I forced myself to listen to what Jay was saying.

"Very unfortunately, I must say, the roof started to collaspe when she was inside, and we could not get to her because it had sealed her off. We did try our very best, we tried to clear the rock and debris that had sealed her off, but we could not clear it all away. Because if we did, the whole roof would have collasped instantly. Thus all we could do was use her cellphone to call you, Miss Eloise, because we knew you had that equipment in the lodge for such emergencies, but we could not get to you. Maybe it was bad reception, I apologize. But we tried calling so many times, and there was no answer, so we could only sit and wait for the inevitable - for the roof to collaspe, and for Miss Heather to suffocate from the lack of oxygen. I am truly sorry, Miss Eloise, we really did try but there really was nothing much we could do. If it could make you feel better, Miss Heather was quite lucky and found four out of the remaining five rubies that you needed..."

The only thing going through my mind the whole time Jay was talking was 'fuck, that damned fortune teller was right'. Everything about the karma and retribution - all right! And the part about 'whenever you do something wrong, you would have to atone for it. Either it hits you, or it hits your loved ones' was damn right true as well. Her prediction, 'something horrible will befall someone close to your heart, and it'll be too late to save her. You wanted to but against your better judgement, you let it slip. You let someone you care for get hurt and torn apart, for someone or something for which only you will gain and benefit from,' actually came true, too.

And that was when reality woke me up with one tight slap. I had just killed Heather, because I wanted to have fun, I wanted to play around. My head throbbed heavily with guilt and my eyesight blurred to the point where everything around me was just distorted balls of colour. I lost all control over my limbs, and I hardly heard Ethan's worried questions as I sagged into his arms. My heartbeat quickened ten fold from it's already sonic speed that it was beating previously, and suddenly, sharp pulses of pain shot up my left arm, all the way to my left chest, to my heart. I started having difficulty breathing then, as the pain accelerated in my left arm. My chest heaved painfully with all the effort it took to get oxygen to my lungs, but it was no use. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of torture, the agony that seized my left arm and chest concentrated all their efforts on my heart. It sucked the pulsing power out of it, rendering it useless and not able to beat anymore. One by one, my organs shut down from the lack of oxygenated blood, stopping my breathing, my movement - ceasing my life. And then the hurt went away, forever.


The End
xoxo 5:09 PM