A Secret Friend
When she surfaces, her hair glitters with water.
This is a collaborative choose your own adventure story. Click here for the chapter guide. Go back to chapter 1 by Linden Schneider here. Return to the previous chapter here.
Maybe you need to be more careful, but you feel an overwhelming curiosity about her. Plus, she seems genuinely kind, by the sweet, soulful look in her eyes.
So, you silently follow her out of the buffet. You’re amazed by how crowded the lobby still is, and you can easily lose her in the sea of people. But she doesn’t rush you, and walks steadily towards her destination.
At length, she opens the door to what seems to be a private conference room. She must have already booked it or have special privileges to use the room without reservations. In any case, she locks it tight and gestures for you to sit down.
The conference room has glaring bright fluorescent lights, which hurt your eyes. What a startling contrast between that and the relative warmth of the woman’s presence.
She clears her throat. “I’m Silvia. Since you’re already here, I need to warn you to be very careful at Vacation Roulette.”
You frown. “I got a text some days ago that the vacation organizers will kill us. Do you happen to know anything about that?” You stare closely at her face, not wanting to miss any reactions she might hide.
Silvia sighs, and brushes a hand through her long hair. “Yes, there are hidden dangers at Vacation Roulette. You must have met the main organizer, Sandra. She is my cousin, and beneath her beauty and friendliness, she is ruthless. You should watch out for her especially and never let your guard down.”
You snort. “Not for a moment will I drop my guard around her.”
Silvia smiles faintly. “She can be very charming, though. If she wasn’t my cousin, I might have fallen for her deceptions, too.”
“So what sorts of dangers will they put us through? How will they harm us?” you ask.
Despite her enchanting appearance, her eyes look shady. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
You frown. “But if you don’t tell me, how will I know what to look for? It’s too late to get out of this vacation, right?”
Silvia grits her teeth. “You’re right that it’s too late to get out. Well, due to particular reasons, I don’t want to disclose what Sandra and her cohort want to do. But I will do my best to protect you, and please, be careful and try not to take any unnecessary risks.”
You hear a tap on the door and flinch. But Silvia is calm and opens it to a middle-aged man with dark hair. He looks grumpy but Silvia just gives him a sweet smile. “I’m sorry, sir, we went a little over time.”
The man huffs. “Booking time rules are there for a reason. You’re not the only one allowed to use this room.” He stops and sits in the chair that Silvia just vacated.
She eyes you, and without being told twice, you follow her out of the room.
You and Silvia feel almost like buddies at this point. Now she takes you to another room. It’s the hotel swimming pool!
With an embarrassed laugh, you say that you didn’t bring your swimsuit with you, since it’s still in your suitcase.
She laughs as well and her smile is a tinkling bell. Silvia shakes her head and with a sudden swoosh, she strips off her clothes, revealing a blue, one piece swimsuit. She looks like a queen.
Silvia dives like a dolphin into the deep pool. When she surfaces, her hair glitters with water. Her smile is more relaxed and she seems more in her element.
“Will you join me?” she asks in a velvety voice.
