Chapter Text
“Resonat Mare” Keenan read the ticket out loud once more as he was wandering around the La airport looking for his terminal. Sam was by his side helping him pull along his suitcase as they ducked and weaved between men in suits and families with kids coming and going. Keenan sighed, taking a brief pause to do a full circle. “I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Sam just watched him with amusement flickering in his gaze. He rested his weight forward on the suitcases handle and followed Keenan with his eyes as he moved over to inquire at a nearby help desk for directions.
“Go down that hall, take a left at the blue sign then go down a few more feet.” The attendant indicated with wide sweeping gestures towards the direction that he had come from. Keenan let out a long exhale to calm himself and he pinched his brow.
“Ok, and then I’m there?”
The woman let out a cheery smile and the shake of her head had Keenan’s heart plummeting to his stomach. “No. Then you go straight till you see a Starbucks and take another right that will lead you past terminal B’s baggage check. Go past that, take another right and then the next hallway take a left. If you see an emergency exit then you’ve gone too far.”
Keenan almost strangled her right then and there, his brow twitching more and more as she kept going on and on.
“Or you could just go down this hall and take the escalator up. The yellow sign will point you to your terminal.”
He didn’t need to be told anything else and he was already running back to Sam. His friend rose a brow at him but said nothing about his hasty departure from the attendant that was giving him a blank smile. The two of them decided to take the second set of directions and they proved to be easier to follow. Honestly, if they had wasted anymore time, Keenan would have just called the whole vacation quits. He had no patience even if the trip was free.
The month long vacation that he was going on had been offered to him by his good friend Sam who couldn't spend that length of time being away from his wife and child. The tickets for the hotel and everything were meant for one person but they were pretty sure they didn't have any sort of name on it so a switch was easy for the two of them to pull off. Sam had argued that Keenan had needed the time off after how ragged he had been running himself at work. Everyone at their job knew that Keenan was almost addicted to staying up late working and pushing himself for days at a time. He'd crash for a few hours and then be back up in the morning to start the cycle all over again.
It took several days of prodding and arguing to finally get Keenan to agree and even then when he left Sam’s home with a definitive ‘no’ and got in his car, the tickets were sitting bundled up in a nice pile on his seat. No amount of pleading would get his friend to take them back. So after hours of deliberating (and several glasses of wine) he finally bit the bullet and called the number on the ticket to check in and get more details. Sam had been kind enough to drive him to the airport and planned on picking him up again once the month was over.
The two of them stayed together as Keenan finally found his terminal and checked his luggage in. Now with that done, they had a few moments to spend together. It was just starting to hit home how long he would be away from his best friend and they sat at the front gate, knees bumping as they spoke.
“A whole month.” Keenan mumbled again, staring down at the floor in trepidation. It was almost time for him to board and Keenan was feeling nervous again. He hadn't been so far from home in a long time and he was going to be gone for thirty days.
His flight was called on the p.a system as if it was timed for just that moment and he stood up, shifting his weight from one foot to the other to ease the blood back into his limbs. Keenan was flighty and was prepared to call it quits but Sam caught onto that and pulled him into a hug before he could back out.
“I don't.. I don't know if I can do this.” Keenan looked up at Sam as they hugged. His breathing had gotten more haggard the more he let his mind wander. “This vacation was for you anyways. What if they catch on that I’m not you?”
“Well hopefully they don’t. But if they do let’s hope it’s when your already there and they can’t just send you back. Besides you need this break.” Sam parted them from the hug but maintained a firm grip on Keenan’s shoulders. He gave him a reassuring smile and nodded, keeping him within arms reach in case he intended on bolting again. “You haven’t taken a day off for almost a year. It’s not healthy to bury yourself in your work like that.”
Keenan practically whined, his eyes downcast as he realized his friend wasn't about to let him back out. “That’s another point though. What about work? I know I have vacation days but taking a whole month… That’s absurd.”
“Keenan, work will be here when you get back. Seriously stop worrying.” Seeing the nervousness on Keenan's face, he took a deep breath and tried for another tactic. “Think of it this way. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You get to go out and immerse yourself in some foreign culture and be away from work and stress. These are the type of things people would kill to do in their lifetime. The type of trips that make memories. Take some pictures, meet some friends…”
Sam saw that his friend was starting to soften up to the idea and pulled him back towards him, winding one arm around his shoulder. He grinned and gave him a little playful nudge. “Who knows… Maybe you'll finally meet that special someone. Even if it’s just a casual hook up.. I mean, you could even find someone you’d want to spend the rest of your life with.”
“Yeah sure.... because long term relationships always work with me.” Keenan trailed off, recalling his previous relationship with a bitter taste in his mouth. He tried not to let that affect him too much, knowing that Sam was only trying his best to cheer him up for a month at a fancy carribean island. His friend was right, he should be excited. He let out a shaky smile and tightened his grip on his carry on bag, trying to calm his nerves. “But I think I can see your point. I’ll try to enjoy myself.”
“Who knows you might even completely forget about Twitter for once.” Sam gave him one last hug and demanded a finally picture of the two of two of them to signify the beginning of his vacation.
“Now let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.” Keenan laughed as he threw up the peace sign while Sam stuck his tongue out at the camera. He looked down at the picture and smiled despite noticing the rabbit ears that his friend had snuck behind his head. They were several minutes into posing and adding weird filters to the pictures when the intercom crackled back to life again, reminding people that they were doing the last boarding checks.
Sam saw his friend freeze at the announcement and he pushed him forward towards his gate. “Go go go! You’ll miss your flight!” He threw his arms over his head and waved as Keenan ran, only turning at the last second to give a final brave smile.
“Call you when I get there!” Keenan called back before he took off full tilt and hurtled himself like a gazelle to his gate. He startled several people passing by and brandished his ticket with gasping breaths much to the amusement of the woman standing there. She took his ticket from him and after confirming his seat number, she allowed him to pass into the airplane.
“You're lucky. We were just finishing up with our check. Please, right this way sir.”
***
Keenan wasn't known to be a nervous flier. Far from it actually. He had been on several trips with his family that required them to travel by plane so he was used to the preflight checks that would take place before they'd even end up in the air. What he wasn't used to however was how spacious and empty the plane on the inside was. There were several empty seats around him despite looking like the plane could house hundreds of people. He glanced around after stashing his carry on bag in the overhead compartment and counted only a half dozen others seated in different aisles. Curiosity quickly took hold of Keenan and he flagged down a passing attendant as she passed by his seat.
The woman stopped in her tracks and crouched down next to his seat so she could be at eye level with him as they spoke. “Is there something wrong?” She inquired with a polite incline of her head. Her hair was neatly tucked up into a bun and her lips were a bright scarlet that showed the curl of her lips as she spoke.
“Uh no, I was just wondering if I got on the wrong flight? There doesn't seem to be many people on the plane and..” Keenan indicated to the empty aisles of seats around him.
She pressed a fingernail to her lips as if in deep thought and hummed as he spoke. Taking his ticket, she flipped it open before her smile returned. “Oh no sir. You are on the right flight. You are flying directly to Resonat Mare. Because of that, the passenger list is smaller.”
“Directly to the hotel?” Keenan took his ticket back and looked down at it with a confused quirk to his brow. He ran his thumb over the paper, eyeing the hotel pamphlet with a nervous lilt to his tone. “The plane just.... lands in the hotel?”
The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tilted her head to the side, looking worried. Her bright red lips were curled down in a frown. “Is something wrong?”
“No, this is just my first time ever taking a flight to-” Keenan looked back down at his ticket, knowing that he wouldn't be able to pronounce the island properly even if he tried. He decided to trail off his sentence instead of even attempting it. “-this island. Do many people vacation there? Or is each flight as small as this one?”
She smiled at Keenan as if recalling a found memory and shook her head. “No sir. The population on the island is small and they like to keep it that way so very few people travel there a year. I believe it's a way to ensure that the land remains as eco friendly and natural as possible.” The woman looked like she was about to say more but one glance down the aisle had her standing again. She brushed off her skirt and gave a little respectful bow his way.
“Please excuse me. We still have preflight checks to go through.” Without waiting for a response, she was already walking to the back of the plane. Keenan watched her for a few seconds before looking back down at the folded paper that he had been given before stepping aboard. It was a flier for the hotel he would be staying at and had gorgeous hand drawn illustrations of tropical fish and bubbles around the name ‘Resonat Mare’.
There were pictures of leisurely looking dining halls and bedrooms that appeared lit up by the ethereal glow of the blue ocean. Underneath each photo was a short description printed in gold. All in all, it looked quite splendid. It was hard to believe that he was allowed to stay an entire month on the hotels dime just for some online contest that Sam had won. Keenan found himself getting more and more into the idea of spending his time drinking fancy drinks and taking pictures of all the sights. And of course, stay as far away from the ocean as he possibly could.
After a few minutes of reading, Keenan was informed that they would be taking off and he needed to wear his seatbelt until they reached a comfortable altitude. He did and once they were up in the air and flying from Los Angeles, Keenan retrieved his tablet to do a bit of reading on the way there. He only got a few pages in however and found himself drifting off to sleep. He slept for most of the flight there, only being woken up once for drinks. It was strange. Usually he was too wired to relax on planes, too hopped up to just enjoy himself and wait to land. Maybe it was the lack of people and noise that made it so easy for him to fall asleep.
***
He was woken up by a hand on his shoulder and Keenan startled momentarily, not knowing where he was before his memory caught up with him. Glancing up, he saw a different flight attendant standing before him. She had retracted her hand and gave him a little wave. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you but we just landed a few minutes ago.”
That had Keenan sitting up from his slouched position. He looked out his window to see an expanse of pavement with another parked plane, but this one was smaller and looked more personal. Beyond the runway there was sand that was so pale it looked white in the sun and beyond that, the ocean gleamed like a sparkling gem. “Oh thank you for-” He glanced back to the woman to see her already several seats away, talking to another passenger.
Keenan lifted his armrest and climbed out of his seat, stretching his arms above his head. He could almost touch the ceiling with his fingertips as he did so. After hearing a satisfying click, he lowered his arms again and rolled his shoulders. Falling asleep in a crouched position over his tablet hadn't done any favours for his back. Keenan retrieved his carry on bag and tossed the device and his headphones back inside before making his way to the exit.
“We hope you have a lovely vacation.” Another attendant stood near the door and had her hands crossed in front of her lap politely. She smiled and gave a little bow as he passed by. “See you at the end of the month.”
Keenan walked out of the gate and into the hotel terminal before he paused. Something that the woman had said felt off and he turned to inquire but found that the spot where the woman had been was now empty. He scratched the back of his neck in confusion. That was strange. He decided to shrug off that weird feeling and instead focused on where to pick up his luggage and check in.
***
He made the short journey from the small plane terminal and passed by a few other visitors who were already fawning over the view out the window. They were excitedly taking pictures of the ocean from where they were and while Keenan was in agreement that the view was nice, he was more focused on finding his room. This entire trip here could end up being temporary if they figured out that he wasn’t Sam and had instead taken his place. Keenan walked down a luxurious hallway that functioned as a sitting area with several benches and tables all over the place. The heat was starting to seep through his jacket and he paused against one of the walls to pull it off.
He hung the jacket off one arm, swinging his bag over his shoulder again and glancing around at the hotel. From the looks of things he was currently in the seating area that separated the airport from the hotel. The ceiling was almost entirely glass and the walls were covered in plants of all sorts. The kind of plant life that he had only ever seen on the Discovery channel. He caught a flicker of movement and looked up to see a flock of brightly coloured birds fly from one end of the hall to the other, unbothered by the confines of the structure.
Keenan continued to walk and passed by several signs that helpfully guided him to the lobby where he was meant to retrieve his luggage and check in. He was occasionally glancing down at his flier and almost bumped into an elderly woman who was walking his way. With a jerk, he managed to lift up his arm and stumble just out of the ladies way before she walked into him.
“S-sorry..” He murmured as she looked up at him with an affixed expression of irritation. She let some sort of shrill noise out akin to that of a frustrated bird and continued to waddle off, the sound of her cane loud on the marble floors. Keenan watched her walk away for a few seconds and saw her make the same irate noises at the other tourists that had been trailing behind him further back.
Keenan turned to the lobby and passed by several large monuments carved from stone that almost seemed out of place in the expansive room. He appraised the attention to detail and made a note to take some pictures of them once he finished checking in.
In the middle of the lobby there was a long desk made of a gorgeous looking redwood. The front had some sort of native scene carved into it. There were the telltale curves of crashing waves that were stippled into the surface of the wood and were portrayed licking against an island covered in trees that extended up to the surface of the desk.
Seeing no one standing around, Keenan kneeled down to get a better view at the details that could only have been carved by hand. Every leaf had their veins and the fruits were heart shaped and glossy from wood polish. Standing on the edge of the beach under the waves incoming were strange bipedal beasts with paws and tails, scales and horns of all shapes and sizes. Their limbs were positioned in over the top dramatic poses as they looked to be dancing with people covered from head to toe in tattoos.
He looked at one of the figures dancing and the light of the room flickered over the shape of the body. The eyes were sunken and sad despite the large curled smile on their face and Keenan was in the midst of reaching forward to run a thumb over the wooden carving when he heard the sound of a throat clearing. Jolting from his crouched position, Keenan almost cracked his head on the edge of the desk and he apologized profusely as he got back up.
Where no one had been seconds ago, there was now a man in dark green slacks and matching vest standing there with an amused look in his eyes. The man adjusted the cuffs on his pressed shirt and tilted his head like an owl. He was very finely dressed and his dreads were so blonde, it was almost white in the light of the lobby. His hair stood out bright and bold against his dark skin and eyes.
The man crossed one hand crossed over the other and moved to lean in a half bow over the desk, watching Keenan with a curious quirk of his brow. “Good afternoon sir. I apologize to have interrupted your examination but we would appreciate if you did not touch the displays you see unless there are signs stating otherwise.” His voice was a deep baritone that sounded like the brewing of a storm and Keenan turned red like a child caught with his hand stuck in the cookie jar.
“Yes of course. I’m sorry. I’ll keep that in mind from now on.” Keenan glances around, his eyes darting about nervously as the man before him did not respond after that. There was a long moment of silence that trailed on before he cleared his throat and continued with his inquiry. “Right, well. I’m here to check in.”
“Of course. I will need to see your ticket beforehand.” The receptionist took the paperwork once it was handed to him and eyed it as he tapped a few things into the computer hidden behind the desk. A few minutes passed in silence and Keenan started to grow restless. He wiped his sweating palms on his jeans and rocked back and forth on the heels of his shoes. The man seemed to pick up on his nervous behavior because he paused in his typing to look at him. “Sir is everything alright?”
“Yes yes. I just... have… to… go to the washroom.” Keenan cleared his throat and looked at the man who glanced back with an expression he couldn't decipher. He smiled to try to back up his words but his heart plummeted as the man asked the question he had feared the entire time.
“Sir, may I please see a piece of i.d?” The receptionist extended a hand out with the palm upwards as he waited for it to placed in his hand. His nails were painted a metallic silver and shone in the candlelight.
“About that..”
The receptionist did not falter or move. He stayed there with his hand out, not moving an inch. He continued to blink slowly at Keenan as if waiting for a further explanation.
“I lost it.. I…” Keenan swallowed heavily at the man’s unwavering stare and hung his head dejectedly. There was no point in lying anymore. If they searched him, they would find his passport anyways. He had been caught. He ought to own up to it while he could still walk away and not in handcuffs. “Ok, I have my passport. Give me a second.”
He reached into his bag with trepidation and after a long sigh he placed it into the man’s hands, watching him set it on the desk. He could see curiosity in the receptionist eyes as he read the name printed on top and then reread it as the one on the passport and the ticket were not the same.
“Sir, am I correct in assuming that you are not Sam Thorne?”
“I.. Yes.” Keenan took a breath and leaned forward to try and make his case as the man reached for the phone. “L-Look.. My friend won this contest and he couldn’t show up. We didn’t want it to go to waste and he thought I deserved the vacation.. Does it really matter that it has to be him? I’m sure if you call him he can vouch for me.”
“That’s not how these type of things work. The gift is given to a very specific individuals. If people just decided to give it to anyone then there would be no purpose to us doing things this way.” The man at the front desk reached for the phone and dialed a number, eyes never leaving the passport before him. “I’m sorry. But rules are in place for a reason. Please remain here while I contact my supervisor.”
Keenan deflated and backed off from the counter, shoulders drooping as he realized his vacation was ending before it even started. He lowered his gaze to the ground and awaited for security to drag him off.
“Yes, sir. I apologize for the interruption. An incident has arisen in regards to one of our visitors. Mr. Thorne has not arrived at the front desk. A friend has arrived in his stead.” The receptionist spoke into the phone quietly, head tilted down to keep his voice from carrying across the room. “Yes sir. That is correct.”
The man tucked the phone between the crook of his shoulder to grab a pen and twirled in between his fingers as he retrieved a pad of paper. “Well yes. I have him right here at the front desk as a matter of fact. He arrived with all of Mr.Thorne’s paperwork aside from his passport which belongs to him.” He scribbled something on the paper and made a few non-committal noises as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“A Keenan Mosimann.” The receptionist spelled his name out and continued to tap on the pad of paper with the tip of his pen.
There was another lengthy pause that had Keenan sweating nervously before the man looked up at Keenan. He was a shaky mess under the dark gaze of the receptionist. He was worried about security being called at any given moment. Or even worse, the police. What was the policy on arrested criminals on this island? Would they simply throw him into a cell and leave him to rot until Sam got worried enough to come looking for him?
“Alright thank you. I will let him know.” Once the phone was hung up, the man made a few more notes on the paper and began typing something out on the computer. He held up the passport and glanced back between that and the screen as he worked.
The only sound was the tapping of keys and Keenan wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans again before giving the receptionist a curious look. His mouth was open but no sound came out. The only thing he could manage was a fingernail on the top of the desk to try and get the man’s attention. Once he looked up, Keenan made a weak noise in the back of his throat before he continued in a weak tone. “Am I under arrest?”
“Under arrest?” At the nod he received, the receptionist shook his head and held up a single finger to bring his panicking to rest. He typed one handedly and the printer next to him began to hum as it powered on. He tore the piece of paper he had been writing on from the pad and slid it into the passport before he closed it and placed it back on the table. “No sir, you are not under arrest.”
“Then what’s happening? Wait, your giving me my passport back?” Keenan didn’t wait even a second before taking it back. He held it close to his chest and looked down to ensure it was really there before looking back up with confusion in his gaze.
The receptionist grabbed the two pages once they finished printing and flapped them back and forth in his hand twice to cool them off. He placed them on the desk and with a tented hand, rotated it to face Keenan. The paperwork was an exact replica of the ones that Sam had to print out at his place when he had won the content. It had all the information in regards to what the month long vacation entailed. The only difference was the name at the top. Keenan’s full name was in place of Sam’s.
“There will be an assistant by shortly to take you to your room. This ticket here is for your luggage. Be sure to give that to them when they show up and they will bring up your bags to your room.” The reception continued to speak even as Keenan made a few weak noises as he tried to interrupt. “I’ve included the schedule for the monthly events that will be taking place and a map of all the attractions across the island. Please memorize your room number and-”
Keenan slapped his hand a little harder on the desk and the man stopped talking, his mouth closing and he gave him a long look with a quirked brow. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt but.. I don’t understand. Moments ago you were about to throw me off the island. You’re saying that I can stay now? What’s changed?”
The receptionist glanced to his left as a woman in a long green dress walked in and he made a gesture with his head for her to come closer. While she was in the middle of walking over, he directed his attention back to his guest. “Yes. I assure you that everything has been taken care of. It’s a lot more paperwork for me-” He trailed off, his lips falling into a stern line before he continued. “-but everything is in order. Enjoy your vacation Mr. Mosimann.”
Keenan still looked like he wanted to argue further but the woman suddenly appearing beside him drew his attention away. He was startled by how close she was to him and had to resist the desire to take a full step back to open up the distance between them. Uh.. Hi?”
“Hello I’m Nori. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She only stood up to his chest but didn’t seem bothered by his height. Her hair was half buzzed while the other half covered in wavy curls of green hair that framed her cheeks and chin. She grinned bright and invitingly, a hand reaching forward to take his even before he had a chance to offer his. After a short shake, she retracted her hand and knitted her fingers together in front of her chest. “I’m your assistant for today. I’ll take you up to your room and give you a little tour on the way. How does that sound?” She looked over at the receptionist and gave him a cheeky grin, getting an eye roll and frown in response. “I’ll take things from here Nii~”
“Uh, yeah.. That sound great.” Keenan didn’t know how he felt about the short woman who seemed all too excited over the prospect of leading him around the hotel. He recalled something and turned back to take the paperwork left on the table. After a bit of sorting, he found the paper for his luggage and offered it to Nori. “This is supposed to be for my bags.”
She took it but didn’t even give it a glance, instead smiling up at him with a knowing look on her face. She made a gesture with one hand towards the hallway leading further into the hall and began walking away. “Oh I already took your bags up to your room Keenan.”
Keenan sputtered and caught up with her, hiking his backpack further up his shoulder. He didn’t have to take many steps to catch up to her due to his height but she was still fast for being tiny and had already pressed the button to the elevator once he was at her side. He pointed at her with the bundle of papers in his hand and gave her a narrow look. “Wait- What? How did you- I have so many questions.”
“Did you know Keenan means ‘ancient’? Like an old soul or ancient being, long lived and reborn again.” She asked, not looking over. Nori seemed to be more focused on the chip in her seaweed green nailpolish. The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a mirrored backing and glass walls. “So that’s interesting. We don’t see many Keenans anymore. I wonder why that is..”
Nori stepped into elevator unbothered by how disturbed her charge looked and pressed a button. The door began to slide closed but she stopped it with her hand once she noticed Keenan hadn’t moved from the lobby since she had spoken. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Keenan shook himself free from whatever feeling had been building up in his chest and he walked into the elevator, eyeing the two rows of buttons before him. One of them was lit up indicating where they were going. Once the doors closed again, he was surprised when instead of going up the elevator began to move downwards. He could feel the pit in his stomach growing as he looked out the window and saw the lit up walls transition to stone, getting further and further away the more they went down.
His fears suddenly caught up to him as he recognized the floral that was starting to crop up in the view and he caught movement in the dark blue around him. There were fish everywhere. Keenan almost sank to his knees right then and there at the sight of the ocean all around him. They were going under the water.
“Here we are. This is your floor so make sure to remember that when you-” Nori stepped out of the elevator but stopped walking when she saw that he hadn’t joined her yet. She turned to see Keenan standing there looking white like a sheet and eyeing an eel that had decided the make the coral near the glass wall his home. “Keenan?”
At the sound of his name, he looked up and practically took off in a sprint to get out of the elevator. He pressed his back to the wall and let out the breath he had been holding. Sweat was at his brow and his eyes were unfocused and darting back and forth as he tried to calm himself down. Keenan felt a hand brush against his shoulder and looked down to see his guide giving him a strange look. Her lip was pursed in contemplative expression.
“Are you alright? You’re not claustrophobic, are you?” Nori inquired with a tilt of her head. Her eyes were wide in worry and she was glancing around as if looking for someone to help her. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
Keenan shook his head at that. “No, it’s not the space. I just don’t really like.. fishy things.” He finished lamely, not really knowing how to explain his fear of the ocean and fish without sounding silly. “I don’t know. Just something about wide open bodies of water give me the creeps.”
“And you thought coming to an island surrounded completely by water was a good idea?” The worry Nori once showed was immediately replaced by amusement at his admission. She knitted her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands, grinning at him with a cheshire smile. “That’s one hell of a way to conquer your fears, Keenan.”
“Yeah?! Well I wasn’t exactly expecting my hotel room to be underwater!” Keenan snapped before immediately feeling guilty. He scratched at the back of his neck and looked away. Nori didn’t seem bothered and shrugged at him but he still felt bad for how he had treated her. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have yelled.”
“It’s fine. I’m just worried about how you’ll be reacting once we get you settled in.” She walked a few doors down and indicated with a hand towards room 3-16. Once Keenan was next to her, she pointed at the bundles of papers he was carrying.
“What do you mean?” He asked, dropping his backpack so he could go through all the fliers and papers till he found the key card stored inside his passport. The card was a metallic silver and didn’t have any words or designs on either side. Aside from being thin, light and bendable like a keycard, there were no other indications that was what it was. He held the card to the reader next to the door and the light flashed green, a little happy beep signalling that the handle was now unlocked.
Nori shrugged again and took hold of the handle before he did. She smiled and pressed a nail to her cheek as she spoke. “Oh nothing. It’s just.. Well, If you didn’t like the elevator. You're definitely not going to like your room.” With that, she opened the door and stood to the side so he could enter first.
Keenan stepped into the blue room. He was a little uneasy by the wallpaper, it looked far too much like water for his liking. The wavy feeling of the lights was nice and calming though, like rolling of waves overhead. He was trying to keep an open mind to the concept of being underwater when he saw a flicker of yellow go across the far back wall. Once standing fully in the room he realized several facts and had he been holding his bag still, he would have dropped it in an instance.
His room wasn’t painted to look blue like the ocean. It was the ocean. More specifically, the walls were glass allowing him to see the endless deep before him. There was some buildup of floral life on the rocky edge that his room was angled off of but other than that and the few fish drifting around, there was nothing but expanses of blue. There were no artificial lights on in his room. The light that he had been seeing was a refraction from the water's surface.
The room had been marketed in the flier as a ‘splendid getaway’ from all forms of outside human contact. Keenan almost laughed as he realized that it hadn’t been fanciful words on a page. It really was an escape from any sort of civilization above several feet of water.
“This is one of our exclusive rooms. It’s one of the more popular options among visitors.” Nori recited off the top of her head, walking in to stand next to Keenan. There were no walls separating the rooms, just a single step in the floor the lead up to an observatory type dining area. But there was one section that was like a black box. Nori pointed out that single separated room that was made of walls that weren’t glass. Looked like it was the only private place that wasn’t visible from the water. “That’s the bathroom, obviously. There’s a storage in there for all your toiletries. Towels get replaced every two days so anything you throw in the basket will be cleaned and returned by the end of the day.”
Nori walked past the queen sized bed and pointed at it and the small side tables positioned around it. The bed had a grandiose sheer curtains that started at the four corners and tied up at a single point in the glass ceiling. There were strings of elegant beads that wound and hung off the curtains. Each of them shone silver against the blue of the ocean around them. “Sleeping quarters. Duh. That phone there has a direct line to housekeeping and front desk.” She passed by the bed and swiped one of the candies that had been left by room service and gave Keenan a little wink, popping the mint chocolate in her mouth. She was unabashing in her actions, almost like a younger sibling and only grinned as he rolled his eyes at her.
“And finally the sitting area. Your bags are all right here. I have no idea what you packed but they’re heavy.” The front of the room was made entirely of smooth glass that curved slightly to give the window the appearance of a bubble. The main portion of the floor went up one step as it led to the dining area that was furnished with two loveseats and a table in the middle. There was a tablecloth that had a nautical map design stitched across the dark blue material in gold threading. Keenan couldn’t refrain from running a thumb over the beautiful fabric. If it wasn’t for the fact that the room was completely and terrifyingly submerged under water, this would have been a dream vacation for him.
Just like Nori had stated before, his two suitcases were sitting innocently next to one of the loveseats like they had always been there. “And with that, I’ll let you get settled into your room. I can only assume how tired you are. I’ll be back in the morning to give you a tour. How does that sound?”
Keenan looked over at her and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Despite his disgruntled words, he wore a little smile at the thought of getting to see more of the island around him. “More underwater segments I presume? What’s next? Atlantis?”
She shrugged again with that little smirk on her face. “Don’t ask, don’t tell~” She backed out the room and closed the door in front of her after giving a final playful wave of her hand.
**
Keenan sat on the edge of his bed and let loose a sigh, fingers pinching at his brow in exasperation. Just what did he get himself into. Here he was in a glass room underwater at an island in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but waves and seafoam. If Sam was here, he would be laughing his ass off at the position he was now in. His friend was one of the only people he knew that was aware of his thalassophobia so knowing that he had willingly allowed himself to be flown to the middle of nowhere where he was surrounded by deep water would have garnered an embarrassing reaction from his friend.
He looked around his room to see a little gift basket sitting on his side table innocently. Keenan shuffled down the length of his bed so he was sitting next to it and he lifted the small paper out of the woven basket. The paper was dark blue with the hotel name embossed on the top. He rose a brow and flipped it in his hands to see a more personal message written in what he assumed was silver metallic marker. Keenan traced the edges of the paper as he read the swirling cursive out loud.
“Keenan, we hope you enjoy your stay. With kind regards from hotel management.”
Strange, even the basket had his actual name on it. He put the card next to the table and lifted the basket, plopping it down on his lap. There was a lot of seafoam coloured wrapping paper and sparkles that were nuzzled around a few bottles of various scented shampoos and conditioners. He popped the cap open on one and sniffed, taking in the rich scent of peppermint. The liquid inside was sparkly and he rotated the bottle in his hands before setting it down next to his hip.
The basket still felt heavy on his lap so Keenan dug in under all the wrapping paper. He had to forage down past the brightly coloured paper but underneath he finally found his prize. Keenan retrieved some mint chocolate bars in a pretty box, a beaded bracelet made of glass and crackers in a box.
Keenan opened the box of crackers and pulled one out. He laughed to himself at the shape of them. They were flat but baked in the shape of a fish with the details of the scales and fins pressed into it. It was kind of cute looking. Keenan laid back on his bed, holding up the fish cracker to the glass window in front of him. He took a picture of his hand holding it up like it was swimming in the ocean and was about to send it when he realized one thing. He didn’t have any signal from how deep under the water he was. How was he supposed to get onto Twitter without service? Keenan groaned and flopped backwards and rested a forearm over his eye.
“Dammit.. This vacation just keeps getting worse and worse.” He grumbled, shoving fish shaped crackers into his mouth until he got tired of playing offline games on his phone and he curled up onto his side to fall asleep on his bed. For being under the water, there were hardly any sounds coming from outside. It was quite content. If he just pushed the fear of the unknown depths to the back of his mind, it was peaceful. Keenan fell asleep above his blanket, his hand still holding his phone and cracker crumbs all around him.
***
Keenan remembered the first time he had ever seen the ocean. Not by his own two eyes but from the tv he had been seated in front of when he was a child. He was ten years old, sitting cross legged in the living room while his babysitter was making him something to eat in the kitchen. She had left the Animal channel on and he watched with unbridled fascination at the large roaming beasts that made large migrating journeys across huge bodies of water. It was a world breaking concept for him, a ten year old child, witnessing such a large creature able to throw themselves so high up into the air.
The men on the boats would be standing back from the edges so they didn’t get sprayed as the whale would come so close to the boat. Like a gentle giant, they’d waggle their little fins in the general direction of the camera and Keenan would find himself waving back.
“What are you waving at?” His babysitter asked, bringing his sandwich into the room. She placed it down on the table and sat on the couch to see what he had been watching on the tv.
“I’m watching a show about the whales.” Keenan climbed onto the chair and grabbed the sandwich with both hands. He took a bite of his sandwich and placed it back down on the plate. “Did you know that whales singing is a mystery that even scientists don’t understand? They don’t know how they are capable of singing. Their vocal cords are so much different than people.”
“That’s nice.” His babysitter responded distractedly, already on her phone. Her bubblegum cracked as she lounged across the couch texting, barely listening as he talked.
“Yeah it’s really cool!” Keenan didn’t seem to care that she was just humouring him and kept talking about the big whales in the oceans, naming them off as the different types were shown on the screen. He continued to munch happily on his food when suddenly a sound caught his attention and he paused to listen to it. It was a deep harmonious noise that drifted heavily in the air from the tv. Keenan turned so he was seated on his knees and he rested his arms on the back of the chair. He watched the footage of two whales swimming underwater, singing loud and proud to each other.
The sight was beautiful. One day he’d love to see it for himself. Maybe if he did good in class, he could ask his mom and dad to take him to the beach. Maybe he’d see them out in the distance swimming and jumping out of the water without a care in the world, untied to land around them. He smiled at that thought. Maybe one day he’d be able to hear the whale songs for himself.
When he was younger, the ocean wasn’t so scary. It was so big and expansive. People were making advances on land everyday. They were cataloguing animals and making strides to better the medical and technical industries. But the ocean? So much of it was untapped and unexplored. Everyday more and more people were turning their gaze to the ocean and every day, the questions were the same. What is really hidden down there? Keenan was one of them wondering that.
The ocean used to be so big and bright and amazing. But to see it up close. To experience it. To fall into its depths and feel the cold seeping into every pore and choking out the air in your lungs. The light that was once so beautiful was growing more distance the further you fell. Bubbles floating from blueing lips and hands outstretched, trying to reach the surface with trembling fingers. But gravity refuses to let go and you keep falling down… down… down……...down.
***
Keenan shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat and cheeks wet with tears. He reached up and furiously began scrubbing away the streaks with a sleeve. It had been years since he had woken up crying in the middle of the night. The alarm on his phone was still going off and he clicked it off. He had forgotten to shut off his 6am alarm for work when coming here and he was regretting that. Keenan almost decked it across the room in tired irritation before coming to the conclusion that maybe people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Instead he sat up and walked over to his suitcase to retrieve his charger. After walking around his room for a few minutes, he finally located the hidden outlet underneath his bedside table. The phone dinged once he plugged it in and he sat back down on the bed, wiping crumbs off as best as he could. Housekeeping was definitely going to have a few words with him after this, he dreaded that thought.
Keenan leaned forward to turn on the bedside lamp but didn’t see any switches or buttons on it. He tapped the metal with a finger and it lit up. “Awesome.” He tapped it again and it went up in brightness a tad. Once more and the light it produced was bright enough to fill the whole room. The edges of the glass walls reflected perfectly from the light and gave the whole place an ethereal sort of feel from under the canopy curtains of his bed. Things were a lot less scary when you could see everything around you.
He pressed the lamp once more time and at that, the lamp went out. Everything was suddenly dark and ominous and the smile that he had been wearing was replaced by a grimace. The surface was producing a bit of light as the sun was coming up but not enough to push the fear and tripedition hiding in the corners of his room along with the shadows. He didn’t know if it was his mind playing tricks on him but he was so sure that there was someone there.
Their shape was illuminated barely by the endless blue of the ocean behind them. They didn’t move or approach him but the waves seemed to lick at the figure form, causing them to shift every so gently with the current. Keenan felt his breath stutter as he traced the edge of the glass wall with his eyes. The bottom of the glass ended a few feet in front of the dark silhouette of the person standing there. They were not in his room but maybe that was even worse as their palm lifted up in a leisurely slow motion to touch the surface from the outside. They were outside his room. They were reaching for him. They were-
With a scared peep, Keenan threw himself backwards and rolled onto his belly so he could reach his only source of light. He practically slammed his hand on the lamp, hitting it three times to get it to light back up again. Once things were bright again, he turned to face where to figure had once been to see that it was gone. His breathing was heavy and his head was reeling. Keenan’s limbs felt sluggish as he crawled back out of the bed and slowly he walked across the room towards the wall that he had seen the figure at.
He rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek again in a nervous gesture and he finally got close enough to touch the glass. His eyes darted back and forth but he didn’t see anything or anyone out there. Even the fish he had seen when he first arrived were not there anymore. Relieved and yet a bit disappointed, Keenan turned to go back to bed. He needed a few more hours of sleep before his insane guide decided to drag him around the island in the morning.
Keenan crawled into bed, this time kicking off his shoes and crawling under the covers. He left the light on at the dimmest setting and curled up into a protective ball, making himself as small as he could under the blankets. He fell asleep, the back of his mind keenly aware of the handprint that was still on the glass window.
***
“Knock knock!”
Keenan heard the sound of someone at his door and lifted his head up to look where his alarm clock would be before he remembered where he was. Right, he wasn’t at home. He was at the bottom of the ocean.. He groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, no longer caring what time it was anymore. No time was the right time to deal with the goddamn ocean. “Go away..”
“Knock knock~” The voice was female and was definitely the same woman from yesterday. Her knocking went from polite taps to loud rapping that picked up as she got her other hand involved and from the sounds of things, was kicking the door as well. “Mr. Keenan! Time to wake up..”
He grumbled and rolled over so he was facing away from the door. His grip on the pillow tightened the louder the knocking got. “Why do I always have to get the crazies.. I just want to sleep forever.” He bemoaned loudly, knowing that Nori could hear him.
“Nonsense. You can’t say that. You haven’t even see the rest of the island yet.” She had given up on knocking and instead was drumming her nails over the surface with both hands. As she spoke, her voice was muffled as if she had pressed her face close to the door. “C’mon, the buffet is going to be opening soon and I want kolaches!”
Keenan lifted the pillow from his head and let out a long defeated noise. His phone said that it was only eight in the morning, still far to early for his liking but he doubted the lady at the door was going to let him go back to sleep anytime soon. Besides, maybe she is right. He might actually enjoy himself more if he finds something to do on the island to pass the time. “Is there coffee?”
“Is there coffee…” Nori repeated, sounding incredulous at the idea that they would not have those highly addictive caffeinated drinks. “Is the sky not blue, my good sir?”
“Give me five minutes. I need to get dressed.” He sat up and rolled his shoulders, wincing as the bright light from his phone screen momentarily blinded him. He still didn’t have surface down here. Maybe he’d be able to call Sam once he got upstairs, if not on his phone then maybe at the reception desk.
There was the sound of heels clicking just outside his door as Nori paced back and forth. “Ok, but I’m timing you.”
“Jesus, what is this? A vacation or boot camp? I said I’ll be out.” Keenan dragged his suitcase across the room and set it on his bed. He unzipped it and dug around inside till he found a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that looked like they’d be good in the warm weather. He stepped into the dark washroom and flicked on the light, almost startling at the sight of the bathrobe hanging on the hook behind the door. Keenan gave the offending article of clothing a glare and pulled it off the hook, tossing it out into the hallway with an angry huff. He was already jumpy enough as it is, he didn’t need this crap from housekeeping as well.
He tore open the complimentary toothbrush from its wrapped and brushed his teeth, trying to collect his thoughts as the water from the tap filled the room with some sort of noise. Keenan ran a thumb along his chin at the beard that was starting to grow out of its groomed state. He should have brought his clippers but he doubted the airport security would have allowed him to get on board with them in his bag. Turning off the hot water, he stayed for a long moment with both hands resting on the sink. The steam had filled the bathroom and fogged up the mirror the longer he had been in there but he hardly minded at all.
Keenan wiped the mirror clean and returned his toothbrush back to its holder. He gave himself a little smile, running a hand through his hair to try and get his bedhead to look some semblance of neat. A few seconds of trying later, he gave up on the whole endeavor and stepped back out of the bathroom, almost tripping on the bathrobe that he had thrown out their earlier. He was contemplating grabbing a pair of flip flops instead of wearing his sneakers when the knocking at the door picked back up again. “Ok, ok.. I’m coming.”
He wiped the steam off his glasses and rested them back on the bridge of his nose before wandering around his room to gather his belongings. Once he grabbed his phone and wallet, remembering to slide the keycard inside as he did so, he opened the front door to address the woman looking at him with a cheery grin.
“This better be some damn good coffee, that’s all I’m saying.” Keenan grumbled and passed by Nori, closing the door behind him before she got nosey and stuck her head in. He slid his wallet into his back pocket and adjusted his watch while walking, taking the lead the way back to the elevator.
Nori pressed the button once they got there and turned to face him, her two index fingers pressed against each other as she pouted. At Keenan’s raised brow, she let out a little huff and tapped a heeled toe on the granite floor. “And after all the trouble I went to, I don’t even get one compliment on how I look?” She did a slow spin to show off her uniform.
Keenan tilted his head at that. He really hadn’t noticed the change, too busy rushing to get out the door but now he could see that she was in a dress shirt and tie with a vest and slacks the colour of seaweed. On anyone else, the colours might have been too excessive but Nori seemed to pull off the eccentric look with the matching hair and nails. “Oh. Yeah, you look nice. Murky green.. Seriously, is green like a thing here or something?”
“We live in the tropics. Of course our uniforms reflect that.” Nori responded to his playful jab with an eye roll but appeared pleased as punch at the compliment. She adjusted the collar of her vest and puffed her chest out in pride. She looked about to say more on the subject but the elevator doors slide open and she instead made a gesture for Keenan to go first. “Shall we?”
The travel upwards wasn’t as bad as the first time he took the elevator down. It got easier especially when he saw natural light overhead once they were in the lobby. Keenan let out the breath he didn’t know that he had been holding and walked around as Nori went up ahead to grab something from the front desk. He gave her a quizzical look but she just rose a finger at him and walked backwards, almost bumping into another guest as she did so.
“Stay here. I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
Keenan rolled his eyes at her eccentric behavior before shaking his head. Maybe he could take this time to take a picture of the carvings that he had seen when he had first arrived. He approached the stone figure that started from the ground and rose up to the ceiling, sprouting up and open like vines reaching up the heavens. There were thousands of perfect blossoms stretching along the branches, the skylight allowing the sun to dip into each bump and groove of the sculpture as if that alone could cause the flowers to actually bloom. As he got close enough, he noticed something strange about the base of the figure. There was a full inch diameter around the bottom that was the exact same stone as the sculpture before it expanded out naturally into the marble flooring that the rest of the lobby was made of.
It didn’t look like the carving had been brought inside the lobby. It looked more like the room had been built around it. Keenan was impressed by that feat. Someone must have gone to great lengths to preserve this piece of history. He did a full rotation around the sculpture trying to find some sort of plaque to explain the meaning behind such an old looking statue but found nothing helpful. He was just raising up his phone to take a picture when a shrill voice startled him from behind.
“Bougainvilleas.” It was the same elderly woman that he had almost bumped into when he first showed up. He had assumed that from the direction she was going that she was heading off the island but now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe she was a local?
Keenan lowered his phone and turned to face her completely. He shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other, hoping that he wasn’t in trouble for trying to take a picture. There wasn’t exactly a sign saying that he couldn’t. But then again, there hadn’t been a sign at the front desk telling him not to touch the carving there either and he was told off for attempting to do so. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“It symbolizes devotion and family. Because of that it grows in bunches.” She tapped her wooden cane once and her sun baked cheeks stretched into what he assumed was a smile. It looked more like a painful grimace but the whooping laugh that spilled from her lips threw that assumption out the window. “Bougainvilleas. Bunches of little ones here and there. All over the island. Most leave but some stay.”
“Leave? Where do they go?” Keenan was curious despite his flight or flight instincts tickling the back of his head. He gave her a polite smile as she tucked her cane under one arm and reached her hands up towards him in the telltale ‘gimme’ gesture. She curled her fingers as if waiting for him to place something in hers. “I don’t understand. What do you want? I don’t have any money..”
She teddered once and looked irritated at his words but defiantly kept herself upright as she looked up at him through a squinting gaze. “Your hands. Give me your hands.” She punctuated each word like she was speaking to a child and finished it off with a long whistling huff.
“Oh.” Keenan tucked his phone in his pocket and placed his palm in hers. It must have been a humorous scene to see from an outsider's perspective. A gangly man standing over six feet tall, bending awkwardly down to offer his hands to a granny that hardly hit five feet. The reality of the situation started to hit him the minute the woman intertwined their fingers in a tight grip and the only thing that could come to mind was ‘what have I gotten myself into?’.
She looked at their hands and hummed again before giving his hands a hard tug. Keenan was put off balance, not expecting the strength to come from such an old woman. He stumbled forward and fell to one knee before her, now at perfect eye level. She tilted her head and her cracked lips curled into a wide smile revealing yellowed teeth.
Keenan’s eyes went wide as she cackled in amusement and released his hands to take hold of his glasses. He reached forward with one hand to stop her but he paused at the delicate way she folded them up and tucked them into his shirt collar. The situation was a confusing one and he was in the midst of stuttering out an awkward excuse to leave when warm palms encapsulated his face. He shivered despite the warmth and the hands curled along his cheeks as if following invisible guidelines.
“You’re an old soul. Touched by the depth.” She murmured, voice coming out in a strange harmonious whine. Keenan lifted his hands up and tried to pull her hands away but she was spry for an old woman and wouldn’t let go. He let out a weak noise and turned his head trying to seek out Nori but all the shapes around the room were blurry. The elderly woman in front of him was in sharp focus. She hummed again and for the first time ever, Keenan caught sight of eyes under the folds of her brows. They were the brightest blue he had ever seen, like perfectly round gems glimmering in the light of the lobby. His plea for help died on his tongue at the sight and his mouth fell agap. They were so deep. Like the depths of the ocean, he felt like he was falling deeper and deeper…
“What are you doing!?” A voice called out in the distance and Keenan swallowed heavily as the hands suddenly let go of his face. He felt weak and collapsed completely onto both knees. His skin felt scolding hot like it was on fire and he desperately sought out his glasses, pulling them on with shaking hands. He looked up to see the elderly woman with her back to him, now facing Nori who had an angry expression on her usually cheerful face. “We’ve been through this before! Stop pestering the visitors.”
She began making a shooing motion towards the older woman who was in the midst of trying to explain her reasoning. Nori wasn’t hearing any of it and clicked her tongue, pointing down a hallway that Keenan hadn’t been down yet. “Go back to your room Baba.”
“But he was willing. I know he is seeking.. I simply wanted to guide-” The elderly woman tapped her cane on the ground in a final act of defiance but she was interrupted yet again by Nori who tapped her heel back as if in response.
“I am his guide. Not you.” She walked over to Keenan and gave him a forced smile. Despite being as small as she was, she managed to help him back to his feet and supported most of his weight as she lead him away from the crazed woman still murmuring in the lobby. “Go home.”
Nori’s tone dipped dangerously low and Keenan winced at the feel of her nails digging into the sleeve of his shirt. What was it with the people here? They were all so deceptively strong despite being small and elderly.
Just as they were walking away, Keenan heard it. He took a deep breath and felt his vision swam at the familiar noise. It was a groan that carried in the air like the slow crashing of waves against molasses. He almost stumbled in Nori’s grip as she led him further away from the tune slowly enrapturing him. The whale song was like a ghost that followed him long after they were out of the hotel and on the boardwalk that followed along the edge of the beach.
***
“Keenan?” He glanced up from his dizzy spell and glanced around in confusion. He was sitting on a wooden bench with his bare feet against the warm sand and there was something cold in his hands that made a jingling sound. Looking down, he saw a glass of water clenched in shaking hands. The noise was the ice cubes hitting the sides. “Hey, Keenan?”
Following the sound of his name, he looked up to see a worried Nori kneeled before him. Her hand was rested on his knee, her other hand held a cellphone. His cellphone to be exact. “I.. W-what happened?” Keenan made an attempt to get up but his legs didn’t listen to him and he only managed to get halfway before he landed back on the bench again. He looked down at himself with disdain. He felt so exhausted all of a sudden. “Why do I feel so tired?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve seen early cases of heatstroke before. I should have been able to catch it before it got so bad but-” Nori glanced away and held up one delicate hand to her mouth as if trying to hold back tears. “-I took my eyes off of you for a second. I’m sorry.”
“Heat stroke..” Keenan did feel a tad bit hot but how could that be so? He hadn’t even gone outside yet. Was that even possible? He ran a hand across his brow and squinted down at the beads of sweat gathered there. “But the woman.. What about her.”
“Never mind that old coot. She’s still clinging to old ways that we’ve left behind years ago.” Nori’s expression suddenly shifted from mourning to agitated. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at him with an upset tick of her brow. Her entire stance had shifted into a defensive one. “She thinks her age means she can do whatever she wants. It’s pathetic really..”
The change in behaviour was so dramatic that Keenan leaned back and inhaled deeply. That feeling of fight or flight was kicking in again and he wanted nothing more than to be away from the insanity that was slowly encroaching on him. This place was supposed to be paradise, a getaway from all the stress. But right now, it was doing just the exact opposite. Keenan grabbed his head with both hands and let out a long exhale.
“Can I please go back to my room? I’m really not… feeling up to walking around the island.”
Nori looked at him confused, hands brushing imaginary dust of her vest before her fingers interlocking in front of her. “Are you sure? I did promise you breakfast and coffee. I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better once you get some foo-”
“No please. I want to go back.” Keenan shook his head and the migraine did not like that, the pain throbbing at the movement. “Just deliver my food to my room. I can’t do this right now.”
“But there’s an art installation nearby and there’s the Mirage lookout point just up there. I was going to bring you to the bird conservatory and..” She trailed off, giving a pained smile as she realized that he could not be persuaded to change his mind. There was a moment of silence that was only full of crashing waves and seagulls cawing in the distance. After a long pause, Nori sighed and her mood immediately deflated. “Fine.. Do you have any food allergies I should be aware of?”
Keenan shook his head again slower this time. He managed to get up the second time he tried and his legs trembled but they held him up. His toes curled in the sand and he glanced around in confusion for his shoes. They were sitting on the bench next to him, his socks tucked into them. He grabbed them with one hand while the other finished his drink and offered the glass back to Nori.
She took it and returned his phone to him in response. “Your phone rang while you were sleeping. I thought it was an alarm and was going to turn it off but it was a phone call so I let it go to voicemail.”
Keenan took it without another and glanced down at the screen to see that he had several missed calls from his friend Sam. He clicked redial and balanced the phone in the crook of his shoulder as he walked a few feet behind Nori towards the hotel. There were a few long rings before there was a click as it was picked up.
“Hello?”
Keenan let out a long sigh of relief and felt an overwhelming feeling build up in his chest at the sound of his friend on the other line. “Sam, it’s me.”
“Keenan? Hey! You must be having one hell of a good time over there. I called you quite a few times and you didn’t pick up.”
Keenan looked over to make sure Nori was far enough in front of him before he leaned his head down to speak more privately into his phone. “That’s just the thing. Look, things are really going-” He noticed two men passing by in hotel uniforms and faked a large grin, looking back and forth between the two of him as he spoke. “-great. It’s been so fun and great and I’m having a good time.”
There was a voice in the background as Sam talked and he laughed. “It sure sounds like it. Oh hold on, someone wants to say hi.” After a few seconds of shuffling, there was another voice on the line. They made an incoherent string of babbling word before Keenan caught on to who sam had passed the phone onto.
“Hey Clarke.. Hey, yes I miss you so much. What’s the word you dad says again? Dinosaur?” Keenan almost bumped into Nori as she stopped and turned to face him. She had a confused expression on her face and pointed at the phone like she was curious about him covering the mouthpiece as he spoke with flustered cheeks. “Uh yes.. raaawr, of course. Hey can you put your daddy back on?”
Nori held both hands to her mouth to cover her giggles at the sight of him roaring into the phone like a dinosaur.
“You won’t believe how big she’s getting. Seriously, when you get back at the end of the month you won’t even recognize her.” Sam had returned to the phone and he made more baby cooing noises before continuing. “So what’s up? You meet anyone special over there yet?”
Keenan pushed the green haired woman away who was trying to nosey in on the conversation. He gave her a frustrated glare and kept her back with one hand and let out a hiss. “Oh yeah, so much fun. It was especially great when I learned my room is under the water!”
“That’s fucking hilarious dude.” Sam laughed at that but didn’t get one in return. After a long silent pause, he seemed to sober up at Keenan’s words and sounded confused. “Wait, you’re not joking?”
“No. My room is a fucking glass box under the water. It’s a goddamn death trap.” He gave Nori one last agitated shove before she finally got the point and left him alone to his conversation. “Apparently according to my bat shit crazy guide all the luxury rooms are down there. I almost had a heart attack once the elevator went below sea level.”
Sam was quiet for a brief moment. “Jesus.. I’m sorry man. I didn’t know that the room would be like that. I know how you are when it comes to water.”
“It’s not the water. It’s-” Keenan walked over to a nearby seat and began putting his socks and shoes back on. He glanced across the room to see Nori standing by the elevator and pouting back at him with arms crossed. “You know what it is. I don’t have to go over this again.”
“I understand. Glad you didn’t get thrown back though. I was half expecting you to call me at the airport asking for a lift back because they caught on that you’re not me.”
Keenan tied up one of his laces and began working on the other shoe. “That’s the thing. I did get caught. Right at reception too.”
“Ouch. What did they say?” Sam sounded distracted as Clarke babbled in the background and there was the sound of shuffling and cereal being poured into a bowl. “Don’t tell me. Your in ocean prison right now and you used your only call on me.”
“No, they just let me stay.” Keenan rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, glancing around the lobby as he spoke. He saw two other people being shown around by other guides but the number of tourists around the lobby had heavily diminished since his arrival here last night. “It’s weird. They were just going to throw me off the island one moment and then next thing I know, everything is alright for me to stay.”
“How is that weird? Sounds like someone pulled some strings to allow you to stay. You ought to tip them for that.”
Keenan pinched his brow and shook his head. “It’s not just that though. My guide is super fucking weird and they keep talking about the meaning behind my name and this weird old lady touched me and-”
“Pfffft..” Sam started to snigger before he even finished his sentence.
“Don’t laugh! It’s not as funny as you think it is. She scared the shit out of me. Grabbed me and forced me onto my knees and-”
Sam whistled low and continued to laugh despite his friend whining at him to stop. “Hey, whatever weird stuff you choose to do on your vacation and with who is your business. I don’t need to hear about you hooking up with the elderly… Even if that’s your thing.”
“It’s not my.. Ugh, you are the worst.” Keenan glared at the sky light and threw his hand up above his head in indignation. “Look. I’m going to go back to my death trap of a room. If you don’t hear from me at the end of the month, know that I drowned.”
“Sure thing buddy. Want me to have you bloated corpse cremated when they send you back over or..?”
Keenan hung up on him and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Despite not getting any sort of helpful reception from his best friend, he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. Hearing from Sam and Clarke had brightened his day up and almost made it worth getting mauled by an elderly woman... almost.
He got up and joined Nori at the elevator, surprised that she didn’t ask any questions when he stood next to her. She was fiddling with her hands and glanced over once or twice but said nothing until they got inside and the door closed behind them. Keenan let out a breath and tilted his head to give her a curious look. ‘Ok, what is it?”
“What?” She asked, not looking at him. Her cheeks were puffed out in agitation.
“What did I do?”
Nori looked over at him with big pouting lips and her index fingers pressing against each other. She huffed and turned to face away from him, staring at the water as they went down several floors. “It’s not what you did.. It’s what you said.”
“What did I say?”
Nori gave him a glacial look before it quickly melted into one of helplessness. “Do you really think I’m ‘bat shit crazy’ as you so nicely put it?”
Keenan sucked air between his teeth and made a weak hissing noise. “Oh, you… heard that.”
“Yeah…” She trailed off. The rest of the elevator ride was in uncomfortable silence as they refused to look at each other. Her toe tapped on the floor of the elevator.
The door made a ding and slid open. Nori took the lead this time and stopped in front of Keenan’s room, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for him to catch up and open his door.
Once the reader was tapped, the door opened and they both stepped in. Nori made a beeline for the phone and found a blank pad of paper and pen in the drawer. “Alright, you don’t have any food allergies. Any dietary restraints? Vegan? Halal?” She was scribbling in circles as she waited for a response.
“Uh, no. Can I make a request though?” Nori rose a brow at him but didn’t say no so he continued. “What kind of sushi do you guys have here?”
“We have maki, sashimi, nigiri, temaki..” She paused but made a motion with her hand like she could go on and on but chose not to. The pen twirled in her hand a few times before she scribbled something in the corner of the notepad and began clicking the back of the pen in quick succession.
Keenan tossed his wallet and phone onto the bed and turned to face Nori. “Nigiri is… fish on top and rice along the bottom right?” He made a gesture with his hand, holding them parallel above each other like two things piled on top of each other.
“That is correct. Well well, a sushi connoisseur?” She couldn’t help the little tug of a smile that fought to show itself. She took note of that and wrote his preference down. “Tuna, salmon, shrimp, halibut, squid?”
“I’m not really. I usually only have shrimp or tuna. Never had squid before actually. So I guess, surprise me.” He responded simply with a shrug. “I really have no specific types that I solely eat.”
“Right..” Nori made note of that and tore the page free from the pad before folding it up and placing into her vest pocket. Once the pad of paper and pen were replaced, she turned to walk out the door but was stopped at the sound of a clearing throat. She glanced over to see Keenan giving her a guilty look.
“I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t mean it.”
Nori immediately brightened up at that and she smiled happily at him. She poked a cheek and tilted her head to the side in a cute gesture. “It’s fine. Water off my tail is what I always say. I’ll call down to confirm that your food is on its way.” Without another word, she practically skipped out of the room and took hold of the handle to slowly close the door behind her.
Keenan shook his head at her antics and flopped back on his bed with a smile. He looked up through the glass ceiling as what she said to him slowly filled his head. “Off my tail? I always thought it was water off my back..” He shrugged at that and crossed his legs at the ankle, getting comfortable as he waited for his food to arrive. He had only been above ground for an hour or so but he was still so exhausted from heatstroke. Maybe it had something to do with being jet lagged too. Maybe after some food and a good, long rest he’ll feel better. He did want to see the bird conservation that Nori had mentioned earlier.
***