Lights Out!

[J]

B.S.: short for bullsh**

The rules of the game B.S. are as follows:

1.Everyone in the room is fair game.

2. The person who brings up the game gets to ask the first question of anyone they choose.

3. The question can be anything.

4. It is then the answerer’s choice to then tell the truth or bluff carefully.

5. If the questioner suspects a lie they are allowed to call a B.S.

6. If the answerer was in fact lying they are then subjected to a dare.

7. The dare must be carried out.

8. If the answerer was in fact telling the truth then the questioner who called the B.S. is hen subjected to a dare by the truth teller.

9. This dare must be carried out.

10. After being asked a question this person is now allowed to ask someone else a question.

11. You are not allowed to ask the same person the same question twice.

12. You can however encourage others to ask it for you (after you have already asked)

13. If you are asked a question a second time you must tell the truth, no exceptions.

14. If you lie upon the second time of being asked and are called out with a second B.S. to this new answer you must then tell the truth, perform a dare decided on upon the group and take a shot.

15. The game ends when everyone has either revealed too many secrets/lies/or are fed up with the dares. Or in extreme cases have had too many shots...

[J]

The glass windows shivered against Westley’s forehead as thunder boomed. The rain was coming down so hard the beach was a blur of sand, water, and wind. He sat back a little and sighed, this was not the ideal last weekend of summer. This was supposed to be a weekend full of jet-skis, boat rides, surfing, squirt gun fights, building sandcastles, and endless amount of sunshine. Someone had apparently upset the weather gods; a tropical storm had settled over Desiree’s beach house. The news channels had warned vacationers to abstain form traveling to the areas affected by the storm. There was even a gentle rumor of evacuation for those living on the coast line.

However, nothing could stop Logan. Logan had insisted the weather would let up and they would have their last hurrah before college began. “A little rain isn’t going to ruin our weekend.” He had said waving away the newscasters concerns as if he knew more than they could possibly imagine. Seeing the weather up close and personal Westley had his doubts but they were here now...

He turned around to sit forward on the couch beside his best friend James and glanced around the room at his friends. It had been awhile since the six of them were all together without outside company. Even if they were cooped up inside the beach house at least they had each other. Logan and Brooklyn were sitting very close on the love seat. For some reason unknown to Westley, Logan had his arm draped over Brooklyn’s shoulders. He tried to ignore it, he knew better than most that Logan craved human interaction more than he liked to admit. Logan was extremely closed off to everyone but he was the type to sit close with those he cared for. Brooklyn was similar in the way she was open to everyone and loved hugs, cuddling and just being close to people.

Ryan has sitting with her knees up in an overstuffed recliner texting furiously. Her blue eyes looked nervous. Why is she texting right now? He wondered hoping Logan would call her out and make her put the phone away. This was supposed to be a weekend with only their group, no boyfriends/girlfriends cutting in on what Westley personally referred to as, “Family time.” In a strange way he and his friends were a family. It was a horrible fact that Westley was the only one with a full set of parents that were still together. Both Desiree and Logan had lost their mothers at young ages. Brooklyn’s father had left before she was born. Ryan’s mother had left her when she was only a few weeks old and James’ father had disappeared when he was only seven. ((I just guessed at the age.)) The six of them only had each other to hang onto. With so many broken families and detached parents they needed one another. Westley liked to think each of them played a significant role in the tight knit group even if they didn’t always get along.

Desiree sighed quietly beside him and he seconded her emotion with a loud sigh of his own. “Okay, Logan you brought us all out here. Now what are we gonna do?” Westley asked, only half teasing. It was true. Logan had demanded they have their weekend and now they were all just sitting around bored.

“Well...” Logan began sitting up a little straighter as if he had a brilliant idea he was about to reveal. He sighed and stared out the window. “I guess outside, isn’t really an option...”

Desiree smirked, Logan took a deep breath and glanced at Ryan. “Ryan, do you mind? I said he couldn’t come for a reason.” Logan’s tone was one of no nonsense. “Don’t make me through it outside.”

Ryan refused to her eyes away from the ancient cell phone screen, “In a minute, okay?” She sighed heavily and then gasped. “What?”

“Ryan!” Logan made a grab for her phone but ryan jumped up and raced to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Westley shook his head, “Well that was quick.” He was referring to how soon Ryan had separated herself from the group. All too often she spent her timing working on relationships with her boyfriends rather than having fun with her friends.

“That’s what she said...” Logan murmured quietly, he glanced playfully at Desiree and winked.
Westley tried not to smile, thunder boomed and he wondered if the ceiling would collapse. He frowned, “I hate to say this but maybe...”

“No, it’s fine. What’s the worst that could happen? So the world’s going to hell around us. If it gets really bad there’s a storm cellar. Besides, it might be fun if we have to repopulate the earth.” He smiled at Brooklyn slyly and leaned close to her. “We’d make really cute babies.” He whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. He and Brooklyn shared a smile, Westley’s heart beat a little faster. What was going on over there?

“Alright, I say we bring out the booze and have a little party.” Logan stood up and headed for the liquor cabinet. Lightning lit up the room and thunder clapped making Brooklyn jump a little. The lights flickered a few times but remained on. Logan started pulling bottles off of the shelves and grabbed shot glasses. “Wes, you have got to try this marshmallow vodka.” Westley rolled his eyes, “Yeah I’ll get right on that.” He was the only one out of his friends that refused to drink. His family had experienced a lot of pain as a result of alcohol and alcoholism ran in his blood from both sides. He wanted to stay as far away from the stuff as possible. Besides, he didn’t like the thought of not being in control of his decisions and words. He was a down-to-earth, peace loving guy but he definitely wanted to maintain his own free will without the influence of alcohol or anything else.

“Oh c’mon-” Thunder bellowed over Logan’s voice and the lights flickered again. Westley froze, what was it about the lights flickering that made you slightly nervous? It was still somewhat daytime even though the sun was hidden behind walls of storm clouds. The gray light from the storm cast a dim haze over the room. The few lamps that were lit in the living room flickered once more than went off. A sharp cry from the bathroom made Westley stand up suddenly. He knew Ryan was probably fine but he couldn’t help but worry about her.

Ryan opened the bathroom door and rushed back into the room. “My phone’s dead!”

Logan chuckled, “Well it’s like three years old--”

“No, I mean I don’t have service!” She snapped, frantically pressing buttons only to receive a few beeps in reply.

Westley slid open his phone but it only gave out a small glow. The room felt so dark without the lamps. “I don’t have it either.”

“What? That’s ridiculous. The electricity went out not...” Logan trailed off seeing the service was unavailable on his iphone.

Westley set his phone down on the coffee table and went into commander mode. “Alright, we need to light some candles. Desiree, do you know where we can find some flashlights and matches?” Logan was the undesignated leader of their group but his was pretty useless in situations like this. Logan bossed around servants and used money to get his way. He didn’t know how to delegate a disaster with a level head and Westley wasn’t afraid to step on his toes to do it.

[J]

The deal between the parents.
((I kept imagining what the scene would have been like and couldn't help getting it all down. I have more ideas for how he names her and stuff like that too. Sorry if I made Desiree's dad sound too cold but no man wants to look the "other guy" in the face at least without getting to punch him. LOL. ))

David could hear the knocking, the incessant knocking that tried to break through his writing streak and ruin everything. He continued typing furiously until a stern voice called out, “David Madrid!” He sighed loudly and got up from his desk. The voice was unfamiliar, it wasn’t his landlord. Hopefully it wasn’t an ex-boyfriend of Mona’s coming to mark what was once their territory. Oops, he had meant to call Mona back earlier, or was that yesterday? oh well, she’d get over it.

He kicked a pizza box out of the door way and peaked through the peephole. A tall man with dark hair and royal blue eyes dressed in a business suit stood impatiently. This should be interesting. David opened the door, he rarely locked it, if ever. Did it even lock? If it did he had no idea where the key had disappeared to. “Yeah?” David asked leaning against the door frame. He looked past the man to see a black ferrari still running. “Holy sh**!” David gaped and then cleared his throat. “I mean uh, can I Uh help you with something?”

The man frowned, “I believe this belongs to you.” He motioned to his feet and David’s eyes followed. A car seat overcrowded with a cashmere pink blanket held a tiny baby girl. She was sleeping soundly despite all the noise the man had made trying to get inside David’s house.

“What?” David glanced back up at the man, this had to be a joke. A strange one. He didn’t have a daughter, he had never been married, not even close.

“I’m Christopher Myst. If I may come inside, it’s far too cold for a new born.” ((named him the same as Desiree’s brother because you know rich people love to name kids after themselves. lol ))

“Oh, right. C’mon in.” David stepped aside as Christopher handed him the car seat by the handle. David hesitated before wrapping both arms around the base. The baby was so tiny, the seat seemed sturdy but was it safe to just hold it by the handle like that? He kicked the door shut behind him and followed Christopher into the living room. He was suddenly very aware of the piles of books, to-go boxes, beer bottles and cans of Dr. Pepper.

David looked around and finally set the car seat down on the coffee table shoving aside another pizza box and a few notebooks. He gazed down at the small child and shook his head. “So, I don’t get it. I don’t have a daughter. Or any kids. I--”

“This is the product of a huge mistake you made ten months ago at your book debut in
New York City.” Christopher was still standing, he looked uncomfortable and David wondered what this guy had to do with this.

“Mistake?” David asked glancing at the girl. She had opened her eyes and was gazing at him. His breath caught in his throat, those were his eyes. She had his eyes, the same denim blue eyes that looked back at him in the mirror every morning.

“Yes, my wife, Elizabeth and I were attending the party that night. She and I were having some trouble which resulted in a tryst with you.” ((Elizabeth sounds sophisticated enough to be Desiree’s mom to me.))

“Elizabeth?” David searched his memory, New York was so long ago to him. Nearly a year had passed but he vaguely remembered a beautiful women named Beth who had spent the evening with him. The party was too stiff for him, everyone in the room was “old money”. His background of being poor didn’t sit well with any of them. His new found success made him interesting for the moment, a few parties and they were done with him. “I remember a Beth...” He murmured, “Hold on.” He started to panic, “You’re wife?!”

Christopher’s frown deepened, “Yes, my wife. As you can see this has brought quite a lot of strife into our family. We are happy together, we’re a family. The last thing I need is someone like you breaking in and trashing our world. I took the liberty of taking a paternity test. She does not belong to me. You are the only other man my wife has been with. The child is yours. I have written up a contract stating you will not speak to my wife, our children, or the girl about this circumstance. You will be paid in full for keeping this a secret.” Christopher pulled a a folder from his briefcase along with two gold pens.

David turned away from him and back to the baby, she was watching him, her eyes wide and alert. A powerful wave of guilt washed over him, it was like she knew. “What’s her name?” He asked ignoring the contract. it was ridiculous. It must be wonderful to be rich enough that you could just sign people out of your life with a sheet of paper and a big check.

Christopher sighed he sounded exhausted and irritated, “Elizabeth wanted to name her but I though it best to allow you to have the honors. It’s much like taking in a stray really, once you name it you become attached.”

A rush of anger grew within David, “A stray? She’s a baby not an animal. What gives you the right to decide anything for her? Or Elizabeth, does she have a say in all of this? “

Christopher straightened the documents and nudged one of the pens toward David. “Of course, this is a mutual decision to keep our family happy and healthy. We have two children together. Elizabeth and I do not want to be reminded of a mistake that meant nothing to her. She will grieve the loss of the child but our family comes first.”

David shook his head, “You both disgust me.” He muttered and turned back to the baby. She was still watching, her face completely at peace. He took a deep breath and reach out to place his hand over her. She wasn’t much bigger than his hand and her tiny pink mouth broke into a smile. She gurgled and he laughed. He leaned forward and pulled her out of the carrier, she was wearing a white onesie with pink bows. “Ugh, you’re so cute!” He said gathering her in his arms pressing her face close to his. “Tell you what Doll, I have always been the guy who takes in “strays”, apparently it’s a weakness of mine. How ‘bout you and I stick together for the long hall?” He smiled down at her and she gurgled again.

He stayed focused on his daughter and spoke to Christopher, “I don’t care about the money but I’ll sign the contract. Not because you don’t want us to ruin your life, but because I won’t let you ruin ours.”

[Free]

[glow=E1ACFF]A sound woke her from a dream in which she’d been crowned the Home Coming Queen and were parading her around on a mattress decked out in Cinderella sheets. Her parent had been so proud, of course, but she had denied them entry to her court. At first, she couldn’t remember where she was. The bed was larger than her own and very soft. It was a four-poster with white linen draped around the four corners above her head. It looked soft too.

Reality struck her when she heard something else. Voices. Footsteps on the stairs. Her heart leapt into her throat, threaten to choke her, but she forced it back down. She could handle this. She jumped out of bed, and yanked the bedding straight as she could. Luckily, she hadn’t moved any of the pillows, so all she had to do was shift them a little so they were straighter. Someone was at the double set of doors now, just outside the master suite. She raced through one of the connecting doors and found herself in the closet.

She wished it was a regular closet with doors and rows of hanging clothing to hide behind, but it wasn’t. There was a cream-colored lounge chair with dark red wood framing it and holding it up. The floor was carpet, which helped. But there wasn’t anywhere to hide! Everything was damn neat! With the built-in dressers and shoe keepers, there was almost nothing actually on the floor. People were heading toward the bedroom. She could tell now, it was a guy and a girl.

Here goes nothing! She jumped up the platform with the large, engraved mirror next to it and ducked into the clothing mechanism, following a trail of shirts around the corner. She had to turn sideways to fit and even then, it was a bit tight. She stopped short at what lay in front of her. A near warehouse of clothing stood in front of her. Just rack upon rack upon rack of shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, skirts in every conceivable color and design, all organized by type, color and style. Not even one dust mote was visible. It could very well have been a clean room. She sat down, leaning against the sturdy wall that separated her from RichGirl’s (for it could only be a girl’s room) closet and took a deep breath. Her heart slowed its pace.

Now that she was hidden and alone, she glared at the racks of clothes surrounding her. Why are they even here? They were absolutely ruining her weekend! What about the storm! The news said it was a bad one, they were recommending, but not requiring an evacuation of surrounding areas. What the hell?! She stared at the rack in front of her. Now what? she silently demanded of it. After a while of straining to hear anything beyond her prison, she gave up and looked for a place to lie down. She wished she’d brought a blanket or something with her. The floor was cold and hard: bare and carpet-less. Clearly people weren’t supposed to come back here. She pulled a couple of the ugliest heavy sweaters off one of the racks and hoped that they weren’t favorites. She settled down in the remotest corner behind a rack of clothing. Had it been only that morning that she’d been blissfully entering the alarm code, anticipating a great couple of days while the storm raged outside?

~~~

She’d smiled to herself as she punched the alarm code in. She’d already managed to disable the external security cameras, and from what she could see, there were none inside. But she made a note to do some exploring later to make sure. This was not one of her usual haunts. Her fingers tingled as she touched the soft buttons and she giggled to herself.

She’d watched three people leave that morning, probably to escape the storm and she could tell by the way they’d packed up the house and a little eavesdropping that they weren’t planning on returning soon. It was one of the biggest houses on the beach and she’d been dying for the last month to get a look inside. And the storm had presented the perfect opportunity.

The house stood only inches from the sandy shore, but was built up on top of the cliff to avoid the danger of flooding. A large, pale, wooden door hide the entrance to and from the beach. A fine set of stone stairs cut into the side of the cliff and lead the way up to the gorgeously landscaped yard, lush with green grass, violets, roses, other brightly colored flowers and some smaller trees, that overlooked the ocean. A stone bench with a cushion (that had been removed recently) stood in the shade of a small gazebo over-looking the water below. Normally a luminous, deep blue, the water was an ominous gray now, reflecting the uninviting clouds above.

The front door faced away from the ocean and toward their drive way, which was in the shape of a semi-circle, joining twice with the main road for easy access, but was hidden behind some very tall, perfectly manicured tree shrubs and a 12’ tall, smooth stone wall, spaced well enough apart that it didn’t aid in climbing the fence.

Through the back door, you entered into soft-carpeted game room with a closet full of board games, a pool table. It was all dark wood, dark carpets and dark paint on the walls. Very modern and yet somehow comfortable and inviting at the same time. There was also a setup in one corner with the biggest sectional couch she’d ever seen facing an equally impressive TV. A shiny coffee table stood in front of the couch. Pictures covered the walls. Apparently this was a favorite hangout for some group of kids. Maybe they were her age! Ha. She could just picture that.

In you entered through the front door, you stood in the entryway, which consisted of basically a closet with coats hung neatly in a row and umbrella arranged somehow artfully in the umbrella stand like the decorator himself had placed them there. She looked in the mirror.

A girl standing at 5’7 looked back at her. She was only two inches shorter than her brother, but he made it seem like 10. Dark, straight brown hair fell to her shoulders and was cut straight across the bottom. She could never think of how to cut her hair. At least her bangs were cool, long and side-swept. Her dark hair really contrasted her pale skin. Her brother was more olive. Why did he get everything? She avoided looking at her violet eyes. People always commented on them, and frankly, she was sick of it. Then there was her thin frame, her short, layered black skirt, her purple tights, her tight black, shirt with a triangle of a patterned turquoise. Entwined bracelets with large bead hung from her left hand, which rested on her cocked hip.

To the left was a sitting area or living room, depending on who you asked. Fluffy, soft-looking pillows like the window seats. Formal, yet comfortable-looking chairs and couches were scattered about the room in some kind of pattern. Creamy carpet. Live, green plants. It was a haven. There was no back wall, it just lead into a hallway connecting to the kitchen. She loved how open the floor plan was. She laughed a little to herself. Not that you really needed to pretend these rooms were bigger than they were.

To the right was a closed set of double doors, behind which revealed a library/study with more books than she’d ever known existed. And they all looked like they were in really good condition too, like no one ever read them. And that was sad. Why sentence these books to lonely prison life? They were just meant to be read, to be enjoyed. There was also a desk, some comfortable reading chairs, each with its own lamp and foot rest. It looked like most of them reclined and some of them rocked. An impressive set of monitors and other gadgets sat on the desk, probably there was a built-in computer system.

Facing the front door was a hallway leading to the kitchen and also a set of stairs leading probably up to bedrooms. Maybe she’d check that out later. She discovered that there was also a dining room leading off from the kitchen and a breakfast nook, which made her wonder where they ate lunch. Maybe outside on the patio. There was a lovely table out there with lights all strung up in it. And there was at least two half baths downstairs as well.

Finally, upstairs. It was mostly bedrooms, each one decorated decidedly differently, but all were set up like a very nice hotel with their own bathrooms, walk-in closets and even shampoos and conditioners like maybe someone lived there all the time. So many bedrooms! How many people actually lived here? Or did they just have big, over-night parties all the time? There was another living/entertainment room up there, several closets containing who knows what.

And finally, the crowning jewel turned out to be at the very end of the hall, set apart quite a bit from the other rooms. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she first opened the beautifully carved, wooden double doors, but she caught her breathe as she toured what turned out to the master suite. It had it’s own sitting/living room. It had its own bathroom that was bigger than her bedroom. Warmed floors, a giant shower with water that cascaded down in a beautiful ark. It might have also been a steam room. A giant Jacuzzi tub, three sinks, the biggest mirror she’d ever seen. The bathroom connected with the closet, which also connected to the actual bedroom. Wow. As many houses as she’d seen, this one was it. She wanted, needed a house like this one day.

~~~

The next morning, she woke up early as usual. Her phone read 7:03 AM. She put the jackets back on their hooks, hoping she’d remembered the right hangers. It probably mattered with that computer system that commanded them all. She crept quietly to the edge of the clothing room and listened. All she could hear was the rain pounding on the closet’s large skylight. She dropped down on her hands and knees and slowly peered around the edge and into the closet. No one. She stalked silently across the room, and put her finger against the door to slowly push it open. At least rich people kept their doors greased. She listened intently and then peeked around it. She couldn’t see anyone, so she kept moving. Her breath caught in her throat when she suddenly noticed the two people in the bed! She backpedaled quickly and raced back inside the safety of the clothing machine. It was hidden that she realized the people had still been sleeping. But they could wake up! Now what? She was trapped in this big house until when?!

She paced around the racks, trying to be as silent as possible. It was easy to do if you knew how. She glided noiselessly around. Now what? Now what? Now what?! She slowed her heart rate. That wasn’t helping, was it? She went back to her corner and pulled out her phone.

Trapped. Please help.

That’s what the text said. It so stupid, so pathetic she couldn’t send it. She tried again, Hey. Whatcha up to? She waited. No reply. She sighed. He was probably sleeping anyway. How could people just sleep the day away like that? She played Tetris. She browsed ringtones. She played Angry Birds. She tried to look up her lines for the upcoming play, Into the Woods, but she couldn’t find them. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore, and crept out to check on her hosts. Still asleep. She crept back into her hiding place. She glowered at the racks now. What the hell? Who sleeps in this late? Idiots! Wasting the day! Inconsiderate, snobby little… she paused.

Something along the back wall of her prison caught her eye. She walked over to it. Yes! It was a door! Maybe that’s how they’d gotten all the clothes in here… She walked over to it, barely able to contain herself. FINALLY! I am OUTTA HERE! She reached for the handle and pulled. Nothing happened. Was it locked? No. The handled turned. Maybe it was just stuck from disuse. She yanked very hard on it once, twice, a third time. It finally gave way with a creak when she braced herself on the wall. It swung more easily now. But this door creaked. Apparently they are not as thorough as they think.

She entered a narrow hallway. It was totally black. She felt a few spider webs brush across her face, her arms, her tights. She coughed again. She ran her hand along the wall. Ah ha! There was a light switch. She left the door to the clothing room open and walked to down a hallway that was now light up by yes, actual fixtures in the ceiling. The walls were painted plainly and floor was uncarpeted. Even so, it was very modern-looking. Not how you’d expect to find an old passage like this. The hallway branched, and she opted for the stairs. Down was good, right? Outside was down.

She descended the stairs. Walked through another hallway. It branched a few times, and she wasn’t sure which way to go, but she just picked the way she thought might take her closer to the front door. She eventually ran into a wall. Except it wasn’t a wall. It was a door. A discrete door. She tried to listen to see if something was on the other side, but she couldn’t hear anything. She opened the door a crack. She’d misjudged somehow. This must been the game closet. No one was in there, of course. She opened the door the rest of the way, and left it open a crack in case she needed to make a quick getaway since she didn’t see any way of opening it from this side. In fact, it was impossible to tell it was even there.

At first, she’d thought that they were just back passages for servants, but this door… Imagine. A real live set of secret passages! This is so cool! She stepped boldly out into the game room. She wondered if she should go out the front door or the back. The idea of heading down the stairs to the ocean raging in the storm did not appeal to her, even though it was the way she’d originally come up when she’d let herself into the private strip of beach. For all she knew, there wasn’t a beach anyone as the rain and the storm brought the tide up, maybe even to the stairs.

Rain came down in heavy sheets outside. It was still dark, despite the hour. Dark gray clouds were threatening overhead. In the distance, out across the ocean, lightning struck down. She was a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to find the road if she didn’t go out the backdoor. Their yard was huge and full of trees and trees made her nervous in a lightning storm. The road would be less cluttered with tall things, and devoid of cars. All she needed to do was follow it until she found some somewhere safer to stay. Here was not it. There was no way she could hide out for day and pretend not to exist. It was easy at home, but that didn’t count. Home. She was starting to wish that maybe she’d just stayed there. This idea had sounded so much better in her head than it was working out.

She listened intently as she crept down the hallway toward the front door. All she could hear was the rain. The stupid rain, slamming itself into the house. And the wind. The wind sounded bad too. Why, why, why would you come to your beach house during a bad, weather-warning storm?! She glared as she crept down the hallway. She could hear voices as she neared the living room. There were people there. She stopped just out of sight behind the corner and listened. She didn’t know what anyone looked liked, but it sounded like there were at least two girls and a guy, but…no wait. There was at least two guys…and three girls? She sighed. Nevermind.

“Ryan!” one of the boys shouted. A commotion. Footsteps. Without a second thought, she took off down the hall with silent steps, ducking into the game room and making a beeline for the closet. She listened. No one was following her. They hadn’t seen her. She breathed a sigh of relief and she headed back into the passage, closing the invisible door behind her. She screamed silently to herself, mouth open, no sound coming out. Now WHAT?! She sunk to the floor, leaning against a wall and crossed her arms, glaring at the door.

Her stomach growled and she suddenly realized how long it’d been since she’d eaten.  Before these party-crashers got here!  It was one thing to sneak into an empty bathroom in the middle of the night; it was another thing entirely to sneak into the kitchen, especially before she’d found the passages.  Even without the master bathroom she’d been trapped in, there were tons of unused bedrooms and if you locked the door to a common bathroom like the one downstairs, everyone just assumed that someone else was using it.  The kitchen was way more open, way more likely to be occupied.  Especially with as many boys as seemed to be staying here, and especially in the middle of the day.
 
Where else would they have food in the house?  She ran through the floor plan.  Downstairs: Living room, stairs, library/office, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, breakfast nook, closets, pantry, game room…  She paused.  Game room?  Maybe…  It was conceivable that rich people would store sodas and snacks in the game room, right?  After all, there was a pool outside…  Yes, they needed a pool also when they had the beach so close by.  Maybe they were mysophobic.[/i]  She laughed silently to herself.  A particularly loud clap of thunder brought her back to reality. 
 
Game room.  There was the closet she was in, which was filled with every game she’d ever heard of and then some.  Everything from Apple to Apples to extra balls for the pool table, all perfectly organized by Mr. Monk himself.  She ignored the furniture like chairs and tables and concentrated on the perimeter.  There was the door to the rest of the house and the door to the garden.  The walls were absolutely covered with pictures.  There were wooden cubby holes on one wall.  Some of them were filled with odds and ends like picture frames, trophies, and art but some of them were just empty.  There was a built-in mini fridge and bar in the corner!  Bingo! 
 
She listened when she could hear again, pressing her ear against the false wall.  Then, she slowly pushed it open.  No one was in the closet.  Big surprise.  She pressed a piece from the scrabble box into the latch and then closed the door almost all the way, putting another scrabble tile on the floor so that the door was only open a hair.  Then, she arranged the games so you couldn’t tell there was a door there.  Not that you’d really ever see it anyway. 
 
She listened again, but all that came back to her way the rain heavily pelting the large windows on the garden side of the room, but muted from behind the door.  She pushed the door open slowly.  The room was very dark for morning.  She listened intently as she crossed the room and ducked behind the bar.  It was well-stocked with vodkas, rums, gins, tequilas, and others, all high-end, complete with all the mix-ins and so forth.  They even had beer on tap.  She grabbed and orange slice and ate it in one bite, then peel in the trash.  She grabbed another and then started looking through the cupboards and the fridge.  There wasn’t much there, but she grabbed and bag of chips and stuffed it in her pocket for consumption in a quieter place.
 
She stood up.  There was an odd-looking door to her left.  It looked sort of out of place.  She hadn’t really noticed it before, but now that she was looking at it, she realized that it had been there all along , she did remember it.  With a quick glance at the door to the main part of the house, and walked over to it and pulled.  It didn’t budge right away.  She pulled again, this time harder.  Finally, the door gave way with an odd suction sound.  Weird…  The door jamb also looked weird, as did the outside the door.  Is this a storm cellar?  She’d never seen one personally, but she knew that this must be it.  And the special door was made to seal and keep out water, gas and other harmful stuff.  Cool!
 
She closed the door behind her, forgetting until it was too late that below her was pitch black.  There must be a light switch in here somewhere…  She pawed along the wall for what seemed like ages, but she finally found one.  And lucky too because as she turned the light on, she saw that she stood ona  very small platform in a hallway and the next few steps would take her down a lot of stairs.  This hallway was lit by the same overhead ornamental lighting fixtures as the secret passageway had been.  She counted the steps on her way down.  There were exactly fifty.
 
At the bottom of the stairs was a grate, presumably for accidental runoff from a flood or something.  And beyond the grate, was another one of those sealed doors.  She opened the door and let herself inside, making sure she turned the light on inside before she turned the light off outside the new chamber.  She could barely believe what lay in front of her.  These people weren’t rich, they were Gods!  She walked slowly, taking everything in.  It was a freaking underground apartment!
 
The room she now stood in was large.  Only, it wasn’t rectangular, but had six ((or eight, we’ll see)) sides.  Each wall seemed to serve its own purpose.   In one corner, a large, curved couch made good use of the space in front of a large TV that hung against one of the walls.  A large ataman that doubled as a coffee table and foot rest sat in front, complete with cup holders.  And of course it wouldn’t be complete without surround sound.  Two doors stood on the far wall, to the side of the entertainment center.  Both doors were open, and they lead into two master suites.  The larger of the two resembled a smaller version of the master upstairs, scaled back in size, but every bit as elegant.  There were three thermostats – one for each room, and one for the main room.
 
Another complete bathroom came off the main room, with large jaccuzi tub, shower and everything, although smaller than either of the bathrooms connected to the bedroom.  The big room opened up on the left wall into a small kitchen with a dining room.  And although elegant with granite, marble and stainless steel, was about the size you’d expect for a large apartment kitchen with attached dining area.  The polished wood dining could seat at least six to eight.  These people didn’t do small, apparently.
 
The right wall was almost entirely cubbyholes filled with books, and in the middle, built into the wall like the shelves, was a desk, complete with overhead lighting, a computer, monitors and sound. In front of the cubbyhole area was overstuffed arm chairs and beanbag chairs set out in some kind of artistic pattern.
 
A day bed was setup over by another wall, very close to a coffee table for easy use as a table or nightstand. There was a bar setup in another area, with a wine rack set back into the stone to keep them dark and cool.  And of course, there was a large pantry filled with food off the kitchen, and a large closet off the main room filled with games and other sorts of entertainment.  You could probably live down here for a month!  She checked her cell.  Must be a booster down here, otherwise there’s just not way-.”  After a few seconds, the bars disappeared.  Darn it!  Towers must be down.  There was a wall phone by the door and in each room, but she didn’t really want to use them unless absolutely necessary.
 
The whole place was just incredible.  Her eyes kept darting around, trying to take it all in.  This is where I should have come.  She thought about the storm raging upstairs and what the weather people had been saying.  Was there a chance that the people upstairs could need this place during their stay?  She thought about all the storms she’d seen in her lifetime around here.  The cliff outside the house was so tall, it wasn’t really likely that anything could climb it, so at least it wouldn’t flood, right?  She tried to think of anything that could happen upstairs that would make them come down, but it was just a bad thunderstorm, right?
 
She looked around the room again and then took off for the kitchen.  Yeah, I could definitely get used to this![/color][/glow]

“Theey’re hee-eere!” Brooklyn called from somewhere down the hall from him.  James looked up from his laptop.  He was still settled back on his bed in what counted as PJ’s in his book, completely unpacked for their trip.  His laundry basket was actually overflowing onto the floor and he’d probably have to do a load before he could take off.  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  Sunshine streamed weakly through the window that overlooked his bed.  Why are we driving hours away from almost sunshine to spend the week in a guaranteed storm?  Sometimes, sometimes, he wondered if money made people crazy.  Logan and Desiree were weird enough to lend some claim to that.
 
“Let’s GO!” Logan called.
 
James ignored him and continued his Skype conversation with Abigail.  His nightstand clock registered 10:03 AM.  They were lucky he was even awake.  11 AM or noon was a friendlier hour.
 
Abigail: So…about last night…
James: What about it?
Abigail: You know…
 
James couldn’t help smiling a little, even though she couldn’t see him.  Maybe it was because she couldn’t see him.
 
The door suddenly burst open and Logan appeared in the doorway.  He immediately crossed his arms.  “OMG!  Cover up and get going!”
 
James glared back at him.  “No.  It’s your fault for barging in.”  James turned back to his laptop, not because he had anything super pressing to accomplish that morning, it was still summer break, after all, but because he knew it would piss Logan off that he wasn’t doing what Logan wanted.
 
Brooklyn appeared in James’s periphery.  “Hey guys!” she said brightly.  She looked around the room.  “Do you need help with your laundry?”
 
James held back a laugh, but didn’t look up from his computer.  He knew why she was here.
 
Abigail: You didn’t really answer my question.
James: So what are your plans for the day?
Abigail: Still not answering.  ;P Weeeell, I was thinking it might be fun to­-
 
The computer closed at that moment, and James looked up to see Logan standing over him.  He stood up.  It turned out he was wearing boxers after all.  Suddenly Brooklyn jumped in that very narrow space between him and Logan and gave James a hug.  “Good morning!” she said, smiling.
 
James let the moment pass.  “Get out.”
 
Brooklyn stayed where she was, but Logan, looking very cranky did leave.  James put an arm around Brooklyn and glanced around his room.  “Why are we even going today?” he asked her, even though it hadn’t been her idea.
 
~~~
 
Two hours later, his laundry was done.  His room was looking a lot cleaner without all the laundry on the floor.  He wasn’t dirty. There wasn’t a lot of garbage or anything lying around. It was just…“comfortably messy.”  Brooklyn still wasn’t packed though and Logan was dancing around her piles in the living room in hysterics.  Desiree sat on the arm of their couch, staring off into space with her arms crossed.  “Bored.”
 
“WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?!” Logan demanded.
 
“You know, instead of yelling, you could help,” James called from his room.  He didn’t really want Logan’s help, but it he didn’t understand how a guy could complain so much about how slow they were packing while pacing their tiny apartment for two hours, randomly commanding this or that.  Logan wasn’t always a jerk, but you didn’t want to go on a trip with him…at least not with him.  Meeting him there was fine.  As long as you turned your phone off until you got there.
 
James glanced out into the living room.  Desiree really did get up off the couch and walk over to where Brooklyn was folding clothes into her envoy of suitcases set out in a circle around her as though this had only just now occurred to her.  James shook his head and went back to stuffing his clothes into the duffle bag he was packing.
 
~~~
 
Another two hours later and they finally all made it downstairs.  Logan actually helped carry Brooklyn’s luggage down like a real “gentleman.”  It took all of them to get her stuff down and theirs in one trip.  What is she even bringing?!  But that was Brooklyn.  Logan had already “accidentally” forgotten her toiletry bag upstairs because she “didn’t need it.”  Brooklyn wasn’t going to be happy when she found out, but James wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.
 
When they got down to the car and Desiree opened the trunk, it was empty.  “Where’s all your stuff?” he asked, looking back at them, his arms still full.
 
“What stuff?” Logan asked absently as he started arranging Brooklyn’s luggage in the back.
 
“You know…your clothes, your suitcases?”
 
“Oh, we don’t anything,” he said as though that took care of it.
 
“Speaking as winner of the most suitcases, I can say that you’re the person least likely to survive stranded on an Island,” Brooklyn laughed.
 
“Everything we need is already there.”
 
“You packed ahead of time?” asked Westley, quizzically.
 
Logan laughed.  “Of course not!  We’ve got everything we need all setup at all of our houses just in case. I hate carryon.”
 
“We’re going in a car…” Brooklyn said with a wink.
 
Desiree was already buckled into the passenger seat and minutes later, they were all barreling down the freeway.  It was raining, but Logan didn’t seem to care.  He was just glaring at other cars and muttering something under his breath about how long it took people to pack.
 
~~~
They arrived at Desiree’s beach house late, very late in fact.  Tired and hungry, James trudged upstairs and claimed the first bedroom he came to as his.  There was nothing more exciting than driving for hours and hours.  He dropped his duffle on the ground and then headed down to the kitchen for a snack before bed.

Desiree sat in the driver’s seat of her sporty Lexus RX outside the Triplet’s apartment building.  It wasn’t her favorite car buy any stretch, but her favorite car would only have fit herself and Logan, never mind the crew and their luggage.  “What is taking so long?!” she asked no one in particular.  Logan sat beside her in the passenger’s seat, looking even more frustrated than she did.  She honked the horn loudly for the fifth time, and then finally pulled into a nearby parking space.  She and Logan got out and let themselves into the building.  Desiree preferred the stairs to the rickety elevator.  WHEN are they going to service that thing?
 
The third floor hallway was well-lit with skylights and freshly painted.  You could still smell the paint.  Desiree stopped at door 323 and knocked loudly.  Brooklyn answered wearing really short cutoffs and a sports bra.
 
“Good morning!” she called cheerily to her guests.  “Logan, you look simply thrilled to be here!”  She stepped out of the way and allowed the two to enter.
 
The room was absolute chaos, with clothing in various piles, without an discernible pattern or reason, and then there was a pile of bathroom stuff: hair dryer, shampoo, hair brush, towels.  Logan immediately walked over to that pile. 
 
“What are you doing?  You don’t need all this…stuff,” he said, gesturing to the pile.
 
Brooklyn looked at him like he way crazy.  “What are you talking about?”
 
Desiree sighed.  You’d think they’d be used to trips to her or Logan’s houses by now.  “Just pack your clothes and anything fun you want to do.  We have shampoo and towels and anything else you think you might need.  Think of it like a hotel.  Half the stuff you need is already there.”
 
~~~
It was very dark when they pulled into the circular driveway outside her beach house.  She smiled faintly, despite the rain.  It had sure been a while.  She waited in the passenger’s seat while everyone except for Logan got out of the car.  No one came to help them with their stuff.  Desiree finally opened her own door and raced through the rain to where Brooklyn was standing in the shelter of the front porch.
 
The door was locked, so Desiree pulled out her key.  It was a miracle in itself that she’d had it, given that she’d never needed it before.  She opened the door.  The inside was very dark.
 
“HELLO?” she yelled.  No answer.  She tried the intercom, but the place was deserted.  Lazy servants.  Then she noticed the alarm box.  It hadn’t gone off, had it?  She walked over and looked at it, but everything was fine.  Maybe they forgot to set it.
 
The furniture was covered up, so she went around uncovering things.  But she’d never done that before, so she didn’t really know what to do with the covers.  She carried them out to the garage while her friends settled into their rooms.  She walked back into the house from the covered pathway between the garage and the house and shivered.  She turned the thermostat to a comfortable temperature and then walked into the kitchen.
 
It was not a place that she frequented, but she could handle this.  She was a big girl and lots of people cooked for themselves.  She had trained with renowned chefs from all over the world.  She could handle this.  The first things she noticed were the dishes in the sink.  UGH!   She left them there. They could clean them when they got back from their unannounced vacations.  If they still had jobs. 
 
James stood in the doorway of her magnificent butler’s pantry, alternating between the computer panel, and actually looking around at the stuff by the door.
 
“The chef is gone so we’re kind of on our own.  Actually, everyone is gone.  I am not happy,” she said.  That was her way of apologizing for everything.
 
He forced a smile back at her and resumed his search for something edible.
 
Desiree stood next to him and looked also.  There was an assortment of pastas, all fresh and uncooked, every vegetable you can imagine along with every spice, every kind and cut of meat.  The computer stored information from both the butler’s pantry and the massive fridge and freezer contained within the back of the pantry.  It was hard to come up with something that she felt like eating that she’d actually consider cooking.
 
She eventually settled on an assortment of steamed vegetables with a little olive oil and a mild seasoning and a small amount of pasta with a glass of milk for protein.  Chicken or sausage or beef sounded like way too much work.  Is this what poor people eat every day?  She laughed to herself.  The boys ate chips and stuff.  Ew.
 
She offered James some, since he was standing there, but he didn’t want the vegetables for some reason.  Maybe there wasn’t enough artificial stuff in there for him.  She was used to everything fresh, everything colorful, well-balanced and everything delicious.  She wasn’t a health nut, exactly, but she had standards.  Unfortunately, she also carried various junk foods for her friends.
 
It felt weird: offering him her food.  She loved hosting parties, sure, but all the heavy-lifting was supposed to be done by someone else.  It was one thing to ask if someone wanted a drink, it was another to actually serve it them.
 
She took her food back to her room, leaving the mess in the kitchen without really thinking about it.  Logan was up there already waiting for her.  Something was off in her room, but she couldn’t really place her finger on it.  Nothing looked out of place exactly; something was just different.
 
“All my servants left,” she said as she wrinkled her nose.  “Want some?” she offered him her plate of food.  Nothing weird about that.

6 AM dawned gray as Brooklyn walked down the stairs in her pajamas: a gray cami and pajama bottoms with pink and yellow flowers, and fluffy, soft pink socks.  They were her favorite, and in her favorite colors.  She loved black with a bright, vivid green, it really popped, but she also loved colors that reminded her of a sunrise: pink, orange and yellow.  The stairs were soft and quiet beneath her feet and covered in a thick, creamy carpet.  She looked around the house and she walked.  She couldn’t remember the last time she was here.  Everything felt so new.  They usually went to Logan’s lake house. This place was like a myth, the stuff of stories, but you’ll never actually get to see it.  She laughed quietly at the thought.  For some reason, she always whispered before everyone else got up, like she didn’t want to be the one to disrupt the calm.
 
She made herself breakfast: egg whites, bran toast, fruit and who could forget the hash browns?  She didn’t know how to make anything really fancy, but growing up, she’d had to cook for herself or starve.  Her mother did what she could, but when you’re young, working two jobs to make things work and trying to be both parents, it’s hard.  Her mom was a hero.  Even if she hadn’t cooked much for Brooklyn growing up.
 
After breakfast, Brooklyn changed into some of her warmer running clothes and headed outside.  She walked through the house, searching for a way out.  She wanted to see the ocean, and there was probably a way out back, if she knew Desiree at all.  She finally found a door through the game room that lead out to a beautiful garden.  far off to her left and quite a ways from the house, there where steps leading down.  She headed over.
 
She could hear thunder in the distant, but that that to be miles off.  She went down, down the creamy, marble steps and onto the sand.  Oh, it was beautiful.  The waves crashed angrily onto the gorgeous, soft, white sand.  And it was so clean, like Desiree’s housekeepers vacuumed out here too.  She threw her arms out into the air and took a deep breath.  Ahhh….  She did her stretches, an important thing to do every morning before starting the day, and then took off down the beach.  A minute or two later, the rain came down heavily on her head and shoulder, instantly soaking her clothing through.
 
The air was cold, and she shivered at first, but she knew that as soon as she warmed up, she wouldn’t mind.  In fact, the cool air would feel great.  She ran about a half hour out, then turned around and ran back.  She ran up Desiree’s back steps around 8:42 AM.  She stood on the covered porch outside the game room for a moment, dripping wet.  Sand covered her shoes and went almost up to her knees.  She was pretty sure she’d kicked some of it up her back too. What to do?  She couldn’t just track dirty sand and water across Desiree’s imported tiles and cream-color carpet. 
 
She took off her shoes and socks and her running jack and then stood there wondering if she could make it through the entire house naked without anyone catching her.  Oh, it would be so thrilling!  She took off her pants and hung them over the railing next to her jacket, but then decided better of it.  They probably wouldn’t dry out in this damp air.  She folded everything up, including her shirt and snuck into the house, wearing only her sports bra and panties.  She was a little disappointed when she made it to her room without running into anyone.  Why are you still sleeping?!  She laughed to herself as she hung her we clothes up over the bath tub in bathroom in her room.
 
~~~
 
A loud clap of thunder startled Brooklyn and rattled through the house.  This was thunder you could feel.  Lightning lit up the room, making it seem like the lights had been off before.  Brooklyn laughed as Logan offered Westley a drink. 
 
“You’re never gonna get him!” she called out to Logan, her eyes dancing.  It was a constant battle, like a running joke where Logan would try to get Westley to drink.
 
“Oh, c’mon!” Logan tried again.  But Westley stubbornly refused.  Drinking was fun, but it was easy to see why, with all the things that had happened in his family, why Westley didn’t want to chance anything.  She couldn’t imagine scary it could be to know that it was just so easy to get caught on something.  It didn’t seem fair that genetics played a part.  That was something you couldn’t fight.
 
Brooklyn laughed again and bounced in her chair.
 
Logan turned to her.  “I bet you could convince him it’s a good idea,” he said, turning toward her with a mischievous grin.
 
Brooklyn didn’t say anything.  There was no way she was getting in the middle of this.  She loved Westley too much to force anything on him and that was something that Logan didn’t understand.  “Nope!” she yelled back.
 
Logan didn’t look pleased.
 
All of a sudden, the room plunged into blackness following a loud crash.  Brooklyn screamed for the fun of it.  In the dim light from outside, she could see Desiree giving her a look like really?
 
“Well, I guess we know who’s afraid of the­­–” Desiree started to comment when Ryan burst into the room.
 
“My phone’s dead!” she cried, holding the thing in one hand.
 
“Well, it’s like three years old…”
 
“No, I mean I don’t have service!” she said, urgency in her voice. 
 
She wasn’t standing very far away from Brooklyn, and from what Brooklyn could see, it might not be the cell tower’s fault. It looked like something was falling off of it.  She was about to ask what Ryan had done to her phone, when Westley and Logan confirmed that they didn’t either. 
 
Oh well, all the people I love are here anyway.  Well, except her mom, but her mom was safely hours away from their storm.  “So, um, Logan,” she said, walking up to him and running a finger over his collar bone.  “What exactly was the plan here?  I mean visiting the beach is great when it’s sunny, but it takes some real imagination to choose this location during the middle of one of the biggest storms of the decade.”  She smirked.  He stuck his tongue out at her.
 
Westley suddenly jumped up from his position in one of the window seats.  “Alright, we need to light some candles.  Desiree, do you know where we can find some flashlights and matches?”
 
Brooklyn laughed and jumped to her feet as well, putting a hand on her forehead in a traditional salute.  “Yes, sir!  How can I be of service sir?”  Her tone was very rhythmic, like you might expect from a soldier on TV.  But Westley ignored her and went with Ryan upstairs to find what they needed.  It didn’t look like Logan or Desiree was going to be of much help.
 
“I think we should tell ghost stories.  You know, really good ones.  OH!  Or play some kind of spooky game so no one can handle being alone tonight!”
 
Logan smirked and put an arm around her.  “You know, you don’t need to scare the pants off everyone first.  If you want some company, all you need to do is ask.”  He winked at her.
 
“Oh, well, I’ll have to keep that in mind.”  She winked back and then flopped onto the couch right next to Desiree.  For a moment, she thought that she saw a weird look cross Desiree’s features, but it disappeared so quickly, she figured that she must have imagined it.
 
~~~
 
When everyone had gathered again, they all sat in a circle around three large candles in the middle of the ottoman/coffee table in the middle of the room.  Light danced on the ceiling, making really pretty patterns of the flowers sitting near the candles.  Westley whined about their situation and Logan poured everyone a shot glass.
 
Brooklyn held hers up toward the candles.  “To weird vacations with friends!”
 
All but Westley raised their glasses.  His sat in front of him.  Not to be left out, he got himself a shot of water and winked at her once he sat back down.
 
“To weird vacations with friends!” came the reply.
 
Brooklyn smiled, threw her head back and downed the whole shot in one gulp.  She winced for a moment and then smiled again.  She could feel it warm her chest all the way down.  She got herself some water as a chaser.
 
Looking around the circle, she felt overcome by memories of how they’d all met.  How Westley and James had met in kindergarten are shared their little snacks together.  How Logan and Desiree had bonded over the fact that they’d both lost their mothers when Desiree moved when she was seven.  How she’d met Westley and James when she bumped into them in their apartment building in 8th grade, when she’d moved in.  And how they’d been friends immediately.  How they’d all met Logan and Desiree in high school because they’d gone to a middle school. How she’d flirted a little just for fun with Logan without really realize who he really was at the freshman orientation dance.  How he’d introduced her to Desiree and how she’d introduced both of them to Westley and James.  They were such unlikely friends.  And then the next year, Ryan came.  Brooklyn liked Ryan because she was one of the few people in the group who could view the world in a positive light all the time.  And she envied how close she was to her father.  Brooklyn had never met her father, not even beyond her ability to remember. But they had that in common because Ryan had never known her mother.  She was a ghost, like Brooklyn’s dad, where all you hear is whispers, but you never actually see anything.
 
“Let’s play some kind of game!” Brooklyn was determined that this vacation be a success, regardless of the weather or other inconveniences.  “Anyone got any good ideas?”
 
No one answered right away.  A loud noise out back caught Brooklyn’s attention before she could hear anyone’s answer.  Curious, she jumped up and wandered into the game room.  She could hear Westley call after her, but  she didn’t answer.
 
There wasn’t anything in the game room.  Brooklyn looked out one of the large windows facing the backyard.  Something was wrong out there, but she couldn’t quite figure it out.  All the flowers and grass look like it had been trampled.  Was it raining that hard out there?  The wind, maybe?  A few broken tree branches seemed to lend to that conclusion.  Then she saw it.
 
She screamed and ran back down the hallway toward everyone else.
 
“WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!” she yelled as she entered the room.
 
“Calm down.  It’s just a bad storm.  It’ll pass.”  Desiree didn’t look particularly concerned.
 
“No you don’t understand!”  Brooklyn’s heart pounded in her chest.  “The ocean…it’s... there’s like a tidal wave out there or something!”  It sounded so stupid, but what was she supposed to call that thing out there?  It looked like the tide was “coming in” right up to Desiree’s back porch.
 
People jumped up too.  She had their attention now.
 
“The roads aren’t safe.” Westley, always practical, said.
 
“So what should we do?” Brooklyn was looking at Westley.  He always knew what to do.  He shrugged.  Just when they needed him most.  Brooklyn turned to Logan and Desiree. “Is there anywhere nearby we can go?  Anywhere is better than here, right?  Is there anywhere?”
 
Desiree didn’t answer right away.  Presumably, she was mentally combing nearby places for a safe haven.  Logan didn’t say anything either.
 
“You know, it’s too bad we don’t live in one of those tornado counties.  They always have those storm cellars.  Not that it’d be a good idea to be underground during a flood, but–”  Ryan trailed off.
 
Desiree’s eyes lit up. “Storm cellar.”  She laughed.  “You know, I think we might just have one of those!”
 
Ryan glared at Desiree.  “You know, there’s no reason to be mean about it. I wasn’t–”
 
Desiree’s smile dropped.  “I wasn’t.  I really think we have a storm cellar.”
 
“Well lead us to it!” Westley looked a little more relieved now.
 
Desiree didn’t answer right away.
 
“Well?”  Brooklyn was less worried, but time was wasting.  Any moment, they could be under water.
 
“Shut up!” Desiree silenced the room.
 
Oh my God. What if she can’t remember where it is and we’re swallowed by a wall of water?  Well, at least I’m dying with friends.
 
Without a word, Desiree stood up and started wandering around the first floor of her house.  The group followed in silence, not wanting to piss her off, least she lock them out of this haven.  She went into the kitchen and checked the floor of the butler’s pantry.  She walked into one of the bathrooms.  Then she tried the game room.  She looked in the closet, but there wasn’t anything unusual in there. 
 
Brooklyn looked around. The storm continued to rage outside.  She could see water touching the porch.  Desiree no longer had a backyard.  She tried not to panic, but she found herself cuddling up next to James for support.  Then something caught her eye.  “Hey, I don’t think we’ve ever been in there.  What’s that door for?”
 
Desiree’s head jerked up and she looked in the direction that Brooklyn was pointing.  Of course!
She walked toward the door and tried to yank it open, but it pulled easily.  The group followed her down the stairs, carefully securing the door behind them.  Desiree made sure that it was secured as she’d been taught to do in emergency situations.  The procession was quiet.  For all Brooklyn knew, they were going to a dank and dirty cellar with rats.  But that was silly, of course, because this was Desiree’s house.
 
When they finally got to the bottom of the stairs and Desiree opened the door for them, the sight that lay before them took her breath away.

[Free]

Ray gripped the steering wheel. He was doing the right thing for his family. If they ever wanted to get past this, there was only one thing that would make that easier. He glanced at his wife, Anna, and felt that familiar pang cut through his heart. She was looking out the front window, silent tears streaming down her face. She hadn’t said anything during the entire car ride. This is the right thing. He ran a hand through his brown hair and tried not to look into the back seat. This is the right thing. He took a deep breath and then opened his car door. He got out and gently lifted the car seat out of the backseat. He could hear a screaming sob from the front seat as closed the door behind the two of them.

He looked down at the tiny baby sleeping in the car seat. Poor kid. It wasn’t really her fault, and he knew that. But looking at her reminded him of where she’d come from. And as hard as he’d tried to forgive his wife, he couldn’t do that with this reminder hanging over both of them like a lead weight. And she’d be happier not growing up as a shame to her family. She needed her real dad. This is the right thing. He looked straight ahead, a lump forming in his throat. He ignored it.

He finally arrived at the door to a very small house with car seat in one hand, briefcase in another. At least it looked that way to him. It couldn’t have more than two bedrooms, could it? He knocked on the door firmly. The noise was sharp. This is the right thing.

David answered the door and leaned against the frame casually. “Yeah?” he asked. He didn’t recognize the man standing before him apparently.

At the sight of David, something inside Ray hardened. His mouth formed a thin line and his grip on the car seat tightened until his knuckles turned white. This was the man responsible for ruining his family. He kept his hand firmly planted on the car seat handle, but it was difficult. He took a deep breath. It was like gasping for air in space. When he finally spoke, he surprised himself by the evenness of his tone.

“This…” he choked on the word ‘daughter.’ It reminded him too much of Desiree: so small, with the tiny round face, short hair, blue eyes, tiny toes and unusual way of moving her lips. “Is yours,” he finished abruptly.

“What?” David gasped. This was some kind of awful joke, right? One of those crazy reality television shows where they make a kind of humor at someone’s expense because even writers get laid right?

Ray firmly kept his glaze on David, although he was painfully aware of how close together the houses around here were. It was cold out. He glanced for only a moment at the sleeping baby. “Can we come inside? It’s pretty cold out here for a newborn.”

David pulled himself off the door frame and jumped to the side. “Oh, right. C’mon in.”

Ray’s grip tightened on the car seat as he walked into the house. His throat hurt. His vision swum. All around him was chaos: the stacks of books, newspaper articles clipped out, magazines. There was evidence of at least a week’s worth of take-out: various containers, tall paper cups, straws, paper bags in brown and white. And then there were the beer bottles, the pens, the crumpled up pieces of paper, the Dr. Pepper cans, half crushed on the floor.

For a moment, he lost his resolve. No child should have to grow in place like this. But then he looked at her again, noting the small resemblance she shared to the man standing before him and it was back. He set her car seat down on the floor. This is the right thing.

“So…I don’t get it. I don’t have a daughter…or any kids,” David stammered looking at unfriendly man standing before him.

Ray ignored David’s idiotic blathering. If he had the habit of hooking up with everyone he met, well, how could he possibly know? The girl was only one month old. An up and coming writer that he was, he probably had women falling all over him, hoping to get a piece of that next check.

“You slept with my wife, Anna.” It was like acid in his mouth. Suddenly, saying it here, in front of this virtual stranger who seemed completely clueless made it so much worse, so much more real.

“Your wife?” David looked surprised. He looked frightened. His gaze fell upon the tiny infant. He stared at her. No… Then he looked at the man standing before him, suddenly aware of how close they were. He stumbled back a few steps.

“You remember her, don’t you? From your book debut in New York? Anna?” He had better remember her. He had the sudden image of his wife in the car, crying, victim of a player’s evening entertainment. His mouth formed a thin line. His hand tightened again, but there was no car seat to keep it in check. He stood there stiffly. He had better remember her.

Anna. The name resonated. He thought back to the party. It hadn’t been very fun. It was so formal. Everyone there had been “old money.” They were used to such things. But him? He preferred a couple of beers and maybe some TV with one or two friends. The ice sculpture had been too much. And then there was Anna. Graceful, intelligent. She was funny and charming. Had a lot more life in her than most of the others, once you got past the cloud of gloom she’d walked in with. He was brought back to reality when Ray cleared his throat. Oh my God. He’s come back for revenge. “Look…I didn’t know…”

But Ray just stood there. It was taking everything he had to keep his arms stiffly by his side. He softened a little when he saw that Ray did remember her. Anna and he had been having such a hard time. Desiree was only two months old at the time, and Christopher was only one and a half. Anna hadn’t even wanted to go to the party. He’d made her go. He’d said some things he regretted now, even though they’d been true because he was angry with her and she was angry with him. They’d sorted through a lot of that now. Saw a counselor even. But there was still this little thing…he couldn’t look at her.

He picked his briefcase off the ground, set it on the coffee table and opened it. He pulled out the manila folder on top. “Here’s everything about her. I took a paternity test, but it turns out you’re the lucky one. Her birth certificate’s in there-“

“What’s her name?”

“She…she doesn’t have one. Her birth certificate says “baby girl.” You can name her whatever you’d like.” Anna had wanted to name her, but naming had seemed like the final nail on the coffin. Like they’d never quite get past it because they’d always be thinking about one more child missing from their lives. Maybe if she was just “baby girl,” they could both pretend they’d always been happy. And maybe this “baby girl” could be happy too because her family wasn’t a big mess. It was simple. She had a dad, not a family secret.

Ray’s face was hard. He handed David the manila folder and he took it without really seeing it.

Ray pulled out another folder. This was the part he was good at. This was business. This is the right thing to do. “Let’s keep things simple. This contract says that you will keep Anna to yourself. Do not tell this girl or anyone else. You will not contact anyone in our family for any reason. You will not ask us for anything.” He paused. “I know that raising a daughter by yourself is hard and your career is…just starting, so I’ve written you a check to cover the cost of raising her. If you invest it now, you’ll be able to buy her anything, send her to college and she can live off it when she graduates. But I want to be clear. This money is for her.” Ray opened the folder, picked up the check and handed David one of his pens from his breast pocket.

David didn’t say anything. He looked from the baby, to Ray, to the contract and back again. What if I don’t sign? But the thought was fleeting. He decided it would be better not to raise a fuss. Anna was his wife…. He signed the paperwork without reading it. He didn’t even think about it at first, but then his lawyer’s words echoed. It was something to get used to. Too late.

Ray pulled the contract away from David, and handed him his copy. Then he handed David a check for five million dollars. This is the right thing.

[J]

Everyone headed into the beach house breaking off to stake out territories in bedrooms. Desiree and Logan would share the master suite. The way the always did on vacations. James, Brooklyn and Westley headed off to find a room with a bed big enough to accommodate all three of them and Ryan was left to find a room by herself. It was funny, before Brooklyn she had been the only girl in James and Westley’s life. A lot had changed since Brooklyn had appeared in their group. Brooklyn had been the one to introduce them to Logan and in turn he introduced them to Desiree. Brooklyn was the glue that had brought the six of them together; for that Ryan both envied and adored her. Before Brooklyn came along she, Westley and James had been the terrific trio something she missed. It was hard to be dislike Brooklyn though, no matter how hard she had resisted the change at first Brooklyn was easy to love. Ryan had never had a female friend, she had stuck with Westley and James since the third grade. Having Brooklyn around meant she could gossip about boys, learn how to apply make-up and dress in something other than her go to sports jerseys and hoodies with sports team emblems. After Brooklyn became fast friends with Westley and James, Ryan had felt a little outside the circle but every time she began to drift Brooklyn grabbed her hand and pulled her back in. She was also glad Brooklyn had befriended Logan even if that meant Desiree came in the package as unwanted prize.

Ryan wandered around the house until she found a single bedroom with a full sized bed and a jacuzzi tub. A fancy vanity mirror and desk complete with a chair caught her attention. Little drawers folded out to reveal dozens of make-up products and tools. A tiny switch ignited ten light bulbs on either side of the mirror. All this for an empty house that only had visitors once a year if not less. She shook her head, shut the drawers and snapped off the light. It was impressive but she refused to acknowledge it. She turned back to her bed and unpacked her clothes. Logan had insisted everyone leave their toiletries behind and she was beginning to understand why. Everything was already here.

She gazed around the room scanning it for pictures. The walls contained only artwork and beach themed home decor. It was a huge risk to look for Anna with everyone in the house with her but she had to find something. There had to be something of hers here. A picture, a necklace, an old perfume bottle. If only she could get into the master suite without rising suspicion. It might be safe if Logan was alone but if Desiree was in there with him she would never get past the door frame.

She removed her soaked Nikes and placed them on the edge of the bathtub; her socks were a little damp but she didn’t mind that. Quietly she made her way down the hall toward the master suite. She was hoping for it to be empty; if Logan was present she would only be able to take a quick glance and leave. Logan was alone browsing the massive built-in book shelves on either side of a fireplace. Ryan carefully took a step into the room and gazed around. The bookshelves held hundreds of books, along with pictures and odd knick-knacks. She took another step and Logan turned around holding a thick hardback in one hand, reading the inside cover. He looked up, “Oh hey.” He greeted before going back to the book.

Ryan forced a smile, her heart thrashing around in her chest. Desiree could appear at any minute. “Hey.” She dared to ask, Logan might know something. “So was this house before or after y’know...” She trailed off knowing he would catch on to her question.

He lowered the book to his side and gave her a long look. “Before. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.” Ryan shrugged as if uninterested. She stole a glance behind him at the bookshelves there were pictures of Desiree and her family but from here she couldn’t make out faces or details.
Logan raised and eyebrow, “I don’t think Desiree would want you in here.” He said, his voice was no unkind but she understood what he wanted. Logan was protecting Desiree.

She took a breath to speak when Westley shouted her name from somewhere downstairs. “Ryan!” She could hear his loud feat thudding up the staircase and down the hall. She turned and walked down the hall to meet him. “Will you make cake?” Westley asked, he was standing at the top of the stairs looking helpless.

“Sure, why?” She did bake excellent cakes, it was one of the few things she enjoyed doing in the kitchen, but where were the servants?

“Nobody’s here so Desiree’s cooking.”

“What? Desiree is cooking?”

“Yes, and it’s all healthy which is why I need cake.” He said making a face at the word healthy. “And make it with marshmallows.”

“Marshmallows? In cake?”

“Yeah, I know it’s not normally in cake but you know me and marshmallows.” He said smiling brightly as they walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

~~~

Ryan held her breath as she hit send. Why was she always so terrified of the response she might get from the other side? A quick draw answer would be insecurity, but she preferred to look at it from the stand point of trying not to put her foot in her mouth. Again. She was extremely talented at saying exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. She couldn’t help it, she spoke her thoughts as they appeared in her mind. Even then her words surprised her sometimes. It was her dad’s fault really, she remembered it so clearly. The two of them were sitting on the couch watching TV and eating dinner; during commercials they were talking about her friends. Ryan had had a foul moment with Desiree earlier in the day and her dad, David, was listening silently. It never ceased to amaze her how close the two of them were. It was frightening really, she adored him and never made a move without talking to him about it first. He in turn did the same. Their relationship was like a warped version of Gilmore Girls, instead of wild Lorelei, Ryan had crazy David.

After a few minutes David turned to her, “Ryan, you have opinions right?”

She swallowed a bite of pad thai and then nodded.
David continued, “Those opinions matter. When you wanna say something say it. Desiree doesn’t hold back, why should you?”

It seemed like such a small conversation but for some reason it had stuck with her. It had never occurred to her that someone besides her dad would care about her thoughts. She had always had tons to say but withheld out of fear or being brushed aside or unheard completely. That next day she had begun her journey of speaking up and the response wasn’t always welcomed; especially when it came to Desiree and sensitive boyfriends.

“Ryan do you mind? I said he couldn’t come for a reason.” Logan’s voice broke through her train of thought but she refused to take her eyes away from the phone. Any second she would receive Conner’s response, the result could be fatal. “Don’t make me throw it outside.” Logan’s threat was not empty, he really would throw her phone into the storm if he felt the need. However, after nearly ten years of friendship she didn’t live in constant fear of his wrath the way his servants did.

“In a minute, okay?” She muttered as a text appeared on the screen. I can’t do this anymore Ryan. I don’t believe in ultimatums, especially ones I know I will lose. You have clearly chosen them over me. Ryan gasped, “What?” He couldn’t be serious! Did he really just end their relationship over a text message?

Logan reached towards her to snatch away her phone but she leapt out of her chair and raced to the bathroom. This was not how she wanted to begin her weekend. Even with the storm she still believed the six of them would have a great time. The final weekend of summer with her five best friends-- well, four best friends and Desiree-- before the school year began. She rushed into the bathroom and locked herself in. She sunk to the floor, refusing to use the comfy chair provided against the wall opposite of the toilet. Who wanted to hang out in the bathroom? The only thing worth spending more than twenty minutes in a bathroom was a bubble bath and even then she could only take so long. She hit call on her text screen and the incessant brrrr ringing began. Conner refused to pick up. Great. She tried three more times before he picked up.

“What?” His voice sharp and loud in her ear, she almost lost her nerve.

She swallowed an “Uh” and began to speak forcing her voice to be steady and calm. “You tried to break up with me over a text? Are we in 8th grade?”

“Oh I see, I should call so all of your friends can listen over the speaker phone.”

Anger bubbled within her, she was the one getting “dumped” and he had the audacity to be snarky? “Oh please, we have far more entertaining things to do this weekend. In fact,” She spoke without thinking, “We’re taking shots and having a huge dance party right now in the living room. If you’ll excuse me, I believe it’s my turn in our game of strip poker.” She snapped her phone shut and the room went dark. Out of surprise she shrieked and tossed her phone across the room. The phone clattered to the hard tile floor and slid. Good job Ryan, how are you going to find it in the dark?

She crawled forward feeling extremely vulnerable in the dark bathroom and found her phone. She squeezed a side button and the small outside square screen lit up. Beep. Beep. It chirped at her, the words “No Service” on the screen made her stomach twist. “Ohmygod.” She whispered. “No, no, no, no.”

Panicked she grappled for the door, using her phone as a torch. The hallway was dark as well, a hazy light led her back into the living room. “My phone’s dead!” She announced to the others, was it only hers? Was this punishment for lying to Conner?

Logan laughed and teased her about the senile age of her phone. Ryan rolled her eyes, rich people didn’t understand that those “less fortunate” didn’t care whether or not they had a special “spaceship phone.”

Westley and Logan both affirmed their signals were out as well. Within seconds Westley went into “survival mode” and began ordering everyone about. Ryan smiled, she liked it when Westley took charge. He usually hung back and let the pickier people, or Logan and Desiree, decide everything. However, he was quick to make decisions when others were more prone to panic and freeze up.

“Oh my god, keep your pants on, everything’s fine.” Desiree said, her voice slow and filled with boredom. She was still curled on the couch, as if the electricity and cell service were still in working order. Ryan glared at her and then turned back to Westley. “I brought a flashlight in my bag.”

Westley smiled, “Good me too. Go ahead and get it, it looks kind of like a tiny light-saber.”

Ryan held back a giggle, “Alright, I’m on it.” She saluted him and then began carefully walking towards the bedrooms, still using her phone as a light.

Logan spoke up, “The power will be back on in a minute.” He shined his cell phone in his face, he was using the app that turned his iphone into a flashlight. “Or will it?” He said in a low sinister voice, chuckling darkly. Ryan giggled and hurried to find the real flashlights; she didn’t like leaving the others and missing out on the fun.

Five minutes later everyone was once again settled around the living room. A few tall candle sticks were lit around the room casting golden shadows across their faces. Ryan checked her phone again, still no service. This was not looking good. How was she supposed to fix things with Conner if she couldn’t talk to him? Did she even want to “fix” things? They had only been going out since the first month of summer. What if he considered her just a summer girl? That sort of thing happened all the time. An unsaid agreement where one person was usually clueless and left heart broken when the first cold front came through. She powered down her phone and set it on the coffee table. Maybe the power and service being out would give her some time to think things over.

“Okay, now that we’re officially at the beach, with no outdoor activities, no power, internet, cable or even cell phone service...” Westley said trailing off and glancing at Logan playfully.

Logan glared at him and then turned to Desiree. Another loud crash of thunder made Ryan jump. Normally, she loved storms, she and David even went storm chasing sometimes. The unexpected and uncontrollable weather was thrilling, she loved that no one could do anything about it. Nature did what she wanted when she wanted. However, the lightning flashes and thunder claps were awful close together.
“Alright, for real guys I th--”

“Wes, relax, have a drink.” Logan poured clear liquid into six shot glasses and passed them around. Westley declined and sighed loudly.

“Seriously-” Westley began again.

Logan cut him off, “No, I’m serious, everybody take a shot and chill out. Wes it wouldn’t kill you to unclench a little.” Logan threw back the shot of vodka and slammed his glass onto the table. “Ahhh, see, I’m more relaxed already.”

Ryan closed her eyes and tossed back her glass, she really did need to clear her head. one shot would calm her nerves and help her to stop worrying about Conner and nasty Desiree.

A loud noise caused Brooklyn to get up and leave the room. Ryan stayed put, she didn’t want to find out if they were about to die. She grabbed Westley’s full shot glass and downed it too. Westley shook his head at her but he had a small smile on his face. He hated alcohol but he didn’t condemn others for enjoying it. Brooklyn’s scream made startled everyone and Ryan’s heart started pounding. Brooklyn was panicking about some sort of tidal wave, Desiree was trying to wave away her concern but she was adamant. Ryan knew Brooklyn well enough to know that if she was scared her fear was legitimate. The others cuaght on and Ryan looked to Westley. He had been all business earlier but this wasn’t just a power outage. What could they do about a wall of water?

“You know, it’s too bad we don’t live in one of those tornado counties.  They always have those storm cellars.  Not that it’d be a good idea to be underground during a flood, but–”  Ryan trailed off. What were the odds that a vacation home would have anything for emergency situations?

Desiree’s eyes lit up. “Storm cellar.”  She laughed.  “You know, I think we might just have one of those!” Ryan’s blood boiled, maybe it was just the alcohol entering her system but she had about had it with Desiree’s snide remarks.
 
Ryan glared at Desiree.  “You know, there’s no reason to be mean about it. I wasn’t–”
 
Desiree’s smile dropped.  “I wasn’t.  I really think we have a storm cellar.”

Ryan blinked in surprise, every once in a while Desiree was civil towards her. It didn’t happen often and when it did Ryan had no idea how to respond.

Logan sighed loudly, “Alright, party in the storm cellar.” He grabbed the vodka and a few more bottles. Ryan grabbed a candlestick in each hand and followed after him; she looped her arm through his feeling safer with him close. His arms were full of bottles but she held on tight. Ugh, dad why don’t you watch the news? Ryan cursed her father for refusing to watch any news channel on the principal that “It’s too depressing.” If he had known about this storm he never would have let her go on this trip.

Ryan and Logan followed closely behind Desiree. As a group they had never visited her lake house, what if she was wrong? What if they were about to have a massive wave trap them inside this mansion? An image of the movie Jumangi filled her mind, there was a scene where water quickly filled the house and the two kids ended up floating down the street on top of a huge door. She checked behind her to see the Triplets walking close together. Brooklyn was cuddled tight with James. She smiled, at least they were all together.

Ryan refused to be impressed by the storm cellar. It as probably the same size as her own house, only underground and far more luxurious. She had had months to come to terms that she and Desiree had grown up very differently and she preferred her own life above Desiree’s. Desiree had everything she could possibly want and more. Ryan had always had just enough, sometimes a little less but she liked it that way. She appreciated what her dad could and couldn’t give her. Desiree didn’t seem to appreciate anything but a good drink. Ryan set down her candlesticks on the coffee table and chose to take a seat on the day bed, the soft white comforter had pink stitched design and tons of fluffy pink and white pillows. The Triplets were busy exploring the cellar but Ryan acted as if she didn’t care. She walked up to a tall fridge and pulled out a coke. She opened it and then searched for a glass, this cellar apparently had everything anybody would need. Including a laundry room, which she heard Westley shout out. He as always was shocked by Desiree and Logan’s lifestyles. He could be a little embarrassing about it, he was frequently taking himself on tours and pushing unknown buttons. Ryan poured the coke into a glass and accepted rum to be added in by Logan. She really needed to calm down. They were safe now right?

Logan was settled in on the couch shuffling a brand new deck of cards, a Twizzler hanging out of the corner of his mouth. She watched his as he managed to take a sip of his scotch while still holding the Twizzler between his lips. “You have some serious talent.” She said giggling. She sat back down on the day bed and leaned forward. The bed was close enough to the coffee table that she would be abel to play cards comfortably. Someone had really thought all of this out. Logan looked up and winked at her, “That’s not all I can do.” She involuntarily blushed and hoped the odd candle light hid it from him. “Alright, now that we’re all nice and cozy. Let’s play, ah damn I forgot to grab the poker chips.”

“We could use cookies and chips.” Ryan suggested.

Desiree rolled her eyes, “This isn’t Full House Ryan. Here we use poker chips and real money.”

Ryan took a deep breath and turned to face Desiree, she was curled on couch beside Logan drinking rum and coke. ((no idea what Desiree would drink ha.)) “Well excuse me for being poor.” She had had it with Desiree’s attitude. It never ended. The snide remarks, eye rolls and loud sighs. If only she could find out what it was Desiree loathed about her. She might not be able to do anything about whatever it was but at least she would finally know. How is it possible? She had known about Desiree for nearly five months but it still didn’t seem real. She couldn’t find any real resemblances between the two of them. They both had blue eyes but very different shades, Desiree’s were royal blue and Ryan’s looked more like blue jean denim. They both had brown hair but Desiree was a darker richer brown while Ryan’s was more auburn. Again Ryan wondered what her mother looked like, she had never once seen a single picture and Desiree never spoke of her parents. It would be unthinkable to pry even a little. Desiree already hated her enough Ryan didn’t need to start giving her more reasons.

“Guys don’t fight.” Westley said sitting down on the floor leaning against the daybed. There was probably enough room for him between her and Brooklyn but Westley always chose strange places to sit. Brooklyn reached over and stroked his hair affectionately. “Logan why don’t you make up a game?” Westley suggested. A wise choice. Logan loved being in control, making up the rules was a great way to get him involved actively.

Logan smiled slyly, “Are you sure? Because I have a brilliant idea but... I don’t know if some of you can handle it.”

Ryan sat up straighter. Does he mean me? Ryan had an extremely competitive side to her that refused to lose. No matter the game, sport, or activity she felt compelled to participate and win at all costs. “I can handle it.” She insisted, even while saying this a tiny whisper of doubt murmured the danger in playing a game Logan had control over. She quickly shushed it and leaned forward again. “What’s the game?” She hugged a pillow to her chest squeezing the white lace in her hands. The adrenaline already pumping.

Logan smiled and sat back chewing the Twizzler quizzically. “Hmmm... I’ll only tell you if everyone agrees to play.”

Westley opened a coke can and sighed, “I’m in.” He glanced at James and then up at Brooklyn. “Come on guys, please, what else is there to do down here?”

[J]

Ryan quietly tiptoed into her father’s closet. He wasn’t home but she still felt the need to be silent and stealthy. He was at the grocery store, something they usually did together but Ryan had feigned cramps claiming she wanted to lay in bed watching TV. She pushed aside his shirts and and hoodies to find his array of shoe boxes. He only kept the boxes to store important documents. Not the best filing system but he insisted upon it. The boxes were unmarked and there was over a dozen making her search that much more difficult. She wasn’t even sure what it was she was looking for but she had a feeling she’d know when she found it. The first four boxes were filled with bank statements from the last few years, most of them still inside unopened envelopes. Her father wasn’t great at finances, with or without money.

She moved aside two more boxes of old credit card bills and found a small square safe. Her literally dropped open. He has a safe? Her dad was not the type of person to fear others coming after his money. He always said he would rather it be in plain sight that way the “robbers” would take it all and leave him and Ryan alone. Ridiculous. Ryan had always hoped he would keep a better eye on the money he did make from writing his books but she had never expected a safe hidden in his closet. She checked her watch, she still had at least half an hour before he came home. She gazed at the safe wondering how to open it, it had a simple number key pad. Would the code be four numbers or six like a debit card? She tried her birthday, her dad’s birthday and then tried using words with her phone keypad as a guide. She used her own name and then her dad’s first name, David. Then she tried their last name, Madrid. Nothing. She sighed and then had an idea. Her dad could be forgetful which meant he would give himself a way to remember the code. He could have scratched it into the pain somewhere in the closet for easy access. A robber wouldn’t think a safe owner would do such a thing but she knew her dad.

She ran to his bedroom and retrieved a flashlight from his nightstand then crawled under the rack that held his pants and began searching for scratch marks. Nervously she checked her watch again, the glowing number revealed she only had twenty minutes. She grabbed her phone and texted her dad that she desperately needed ice cream, her favorite flavor, Happy Tracks. Two seconds later he replied that would get it for her. Okay that may have bought me some more time. In five minutes she would call him with an urgent need for “girly supplies.” He would have to spend at least ten minutes in that aisle alone trying to decide what to buy for her. She sat up and began looking behind the shoes boxes, placing them back onto the shelf after she checked. She sighed and stared at the safe, where else would he put it? She grabbed hold of the safe and pulled it forward, it scraped loudly against the wood shelving. It was just heavy enough to make lots of noise but she could lift it. She tilted it upward and checked underneath. A date was written in silver sharpie on the bottom side of the safe. 06-14-89 What date was that? Her birthday was May 9, a little over a month beforehand. What happened on June 14th? She set the safe back down and pushed it back into it’s place. She grabbed her phone and speed texted her dad about needing girly products, instructing him on the brand. I still need more time! She though tapping in the date. The safe beeped and a green light appeared. Yes! I’m in! She pulled open the safe door and shined her flashlight inside. Four folders were inside along with a small gun case. What does he need a gun for? That was a little unnerving but she passed over it and pulled out the folder. A navy one with a bank symbol on the front caught her attention first but she decided it probably wasn’t the one she wanted. She opened a manilla folder and gasped. A birth certificate was inside; the name “Baby Girl” was in the name place. her dad’s name was signed over the father’s line and a woman named “Anna Myst” was signed over the mother’s line.

What? Anna? Who’s Anna? All she’d ever known about her mother was a crazy story her dad had told her. He had said her name was Wendy, or at least that’s what she claimed her name to be. She had been a bohemian hippie girl who smoke weed, loved alcohol and did a few other unmentionable drugs. Not exactly a perfect picture for a mother but David had fallen for her easy going personality and the unique way she embraced life. Wendy didn’t believe in birth control which resulted in Ryan’s conception. After Ryan was born Wendy decided she couldn’t handle being a mother and ditched them just over a month afterwards. Was this Anna Myst the Wendy her dad spoken of?

She sat back on her heels and examined it further, Myst... Desiree Myst... No. No way. That had to be a coincidence. She couldn’t be related to Desiree! There was just no way! But who else had the last name Myst? It wasn’t a common last name but there had to be more of them right? She sifted through the folder, find a paternity test with positive results that David was her father. That should have been comforting but the test only made her more upset. Why did they need to test whether or not she belonged to David? And who was Raymond Myst? Was her father a home wrecker?

She set the folder aside, not wanting to see anymore. She grabbed a black folder and flipped it open, maybe it would tell her that everything she had just read was all made up. A simple story David had played out in real life to see how it would do in book form. This new folder made her wish she had never suspected her father of odd behavior the day before. All she had wanted was to renew her passport, was it too much to ask? She had needed a few important documents to make it all happen and David had acted strangely when she asked for them. So strange that she had felt the need to go through his privacy and now she had found this: a contract. The contract stated that David was to keep his mouth shut regarding his tryst with Anna and the child produced by their encounter. The child was never to find out about the contract or her real birth mother. A check for five million dollars was to be paid in full to David for keeping the secret to himself. The money as to only be used for the child’s benefit and not for David’s personal use.

Ryan stomach turned against her, she dropped the folders and rushed to the toilet. Once her stomach was empty she collapsed back on her father’s closet floor and stared at the array of papers. This couldn’t be real.

The sound of the back door closing made Ryan jump, she was about to shove everything back into the safe when she decided against it. THis was her life, she had a right to know. No matter what some crazy contract stated, she had a right to know the truth about her parents.

She took a moment trying to breathe deep and evenly but she was suddenly over come with panic. What did all of this mean? If Anna was... If Ray was.... What if Desiree...

“Hey doll? I got the ice cream and I know I shouldn’t have but I got some Redbox. I know, I know, I’m amazing.” David was rambling on about the movies he had rented from the Redbox at the store and a few other goodies he had brought home for her. She stacked the paper back into their folder and stuffed them up the back of her hoodie sliding them a little way down her jeans to secure them. She shut the safe and shoved it back onto the shelf; she tried to keep calm as she put back his flashlight and gabbed his laundry from the hamper in his bathroom. Luckily it was more than half full, a perfect alibi for being in his room. He would notice she looked ill but she had already said she was having her time of the month. Although, he wouldn’t suspect a thing, they didn’t keep secrets from one another. At least that is what she had always believed.

[J]

Logan waited until Desiree went downstairs to peruse the bookshelves. He had only brought one book with him and he didn’t really need another but there were tons of them here. He was interested to see what Ray and Anna had enjoyed reading during their stays at the beach house. He avoided making eye contact with the picture frames, choosing to gently push them aside to see the book spines. He grabbed a thick book with a German title and opened the cover. The spine cracked softly after several lonely years on the shelf. Inside the hardback front cover a shirt note was written, “To my Anna, may all your nights be filled with peace and comfort. Ray.” The note was in curvy gold lettering, Ray’s name signed with a flourish.

He closed the book and put it back. There was something so private about having Ray’s signature inside the cover with a note to his deceased wife inside the book that made Logan feel invasive. He grabbed another book in English and turned around to find Ryan standing in the doorway. What is she doing in here? He wondered but greeted her anyway. He read the inside cover of his chosen book and decided he was no longer interested. The book he had brought with him would be enough for now. If he finished it he would have another delivered.

“So was this house before or after, y’know...” Ryan’s question made him look up. What business was that of hers? Why did she care at all? Yes, she was kinder to Desiree than Desiree ever would be back to her but still...

“Before. Why do you ask?” He watched her as she shifted from one foot to the other. She shrugged away his question and answered untruthfully before glancing at the bookshelves. A fellow book lover she was probably wondering if she could browse. He did not intend to allow her to do so. He had discovered Ray’s handwriting in the one German book where else were there private notes between them? “I don’t think Desiree would want you in here.” He dismissed her. Ryan nodded and looked as though she might say more if not for Westley shouting her name, glad for the excuse she left the room.

Logan put the book back on the shelf and dared to look at the picture beside it. Desiree had to have been only seven or eight when the picture was taken. it was of her and her older brother Ace laying on a huge inner-tube about to be pulled behind a boat. Their pink faces bright with huge smiles, blue eyes scrunched up against the sun. He smiled a little and turned away as Desiree entered the room holding a plate of food.

He rolled his eyes as she told him her servants had abandoned the house. “Pansies.” He muttered as they both down on the bed the huge pillows helping them sit up comfortably. “Want some?” She asked offering him the plate.

He gazed down at it and back at her, “Did you make this?” He picked up the fork and speared a few vegetables.

She smiled, “Well someone had to. The boys are eating junk and Ryan thinks she’s making a cake.”

He bit into a piece of broccoli. “It’s good.” He murmured digging into the pasta. He finished the plate and then kissed her cheek. “Look at you, taking care of me.” He winked at her and settled back into the pillows stomach full and satisfied. He set the plate aside on the nightstand to his right and pulled her closer. “Come here. You’re too far away.” She relented folding into his side her head resting on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her middle. “Much better. I’m glad we came.”

~~~

Logan carefully rolled over to check the time on his phone. Desiree was an extremely light sleeper any movement on his part could wake her. 7:09AM, far too early to get up. He laid there for a while longer studying Desiree’s features in her slumber. The problem was he actually woke up fairly early but everyone thought he wasn’t a morning person because he always waited until Desiree woke up to get out of bed. She was certainly not a morning person and because of this he felt compelled to stay in bed with her until she was ready to get up. She didn’t even know he did this for her. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to know. She might think it was a little creepy that he stayed in bed for hours just laying there while she slept on.

A few minutes later the urge to pee became too strong. With extreme care he slowly extracted himself from Desiree’s warm embrace and stepped into the bathroom. She stirred a little but her eyes remained shut. Once he relieved himself he stood beside the bed trying to come up with a way to get back into it without disturbing her. He mentally sighed and decided he had better just give up for now. He walked out of his bedroom and headed for the kitchen, there was something different about the house but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He couldn’t really know, he had never been here before but something felt off.

He entered the kitchen and it hit him. No servants. The coffee machine was silent and empty awaiting someone to fill it with water and coffee grounds. He sighed heavily and opened the top. Okay, now what? He stared at it for a minute and then began searching for the coffee grounds. There was a small pile of dishes in the sink, Brooklyn must already be awake. She was the real early riser of the group; every morning she went for a run. Gotcha. He thought grabbing a bag full of Starbucks coffee then did something he had never had to do: Read the directions and make the coffee himself. Ten minutes later he was happily drinking a large cup of coffee and feeling extremely proud of himself. Last night Desiree had made her own dinner and today he had made his own coffee. See I’m not helpless, I just allow others to do all the unnecessary work for me.

He finished his coffee and waited for Brooklyn to return, he had made the coffee but she could make more breakfast. She enjoyed cooking why take that simple joy away from her? It was already 8:45 too soon to wake Desiree but maybe he could climb back into bed. He did love cuddling with her when she had just awakened. She was a morning snuggler and he didn’t want to miss a minute of it. As he left the kitchen a small figure rushed past him and up the stairs. Wet dark hair and light skin, lots of skin. He froze as Brooklyn zipped up the stairs soaked clothes folded in her arms. She was only in a sports bra and a tiny pair of hot pink panties both damp from the rain. She didn’t see him in her rush and it took him a moment to realize what he had just witnessed. Brooklyn in her underwear. “Not bad.” He muttered under his breath, smiling widely, “Not bad at all.” He was suddenly overcome with a fit of giggles and covered his mouth with both hands. He wanted to run up the stairs and surprise her, she would think it was funny. She was a free spirit, she wouldn’t have run through the house like that if she didn’t want anyone to catch her. He pulled himself together but kept smiling as he headed back to Desiree’s room. He would have to tease Brooklyn about it later.

~

“Brooklyn, will you make me breakfast?” Logan asked wrapping his arms around Brooklyn form behind and hugging her sweetly. Everyone was finally awake and ready to eat, but there was no one around to cook. Logan kept forgetting that the servants seemed to have deserted them before they arrived. Where was everyone?

She giggled, “Okay, what would you like me to make?”

“Waffles, no wait, Eggs Benedict.” He said kissing her cheek and then sat down at the table to wait. Desiree sat down beside him and he smiled at her. He dared to use his foot to pull her chair closer to his. He draped his arm over the back of her chair, You were too far away.” He murmured beside her ear.

“I don’t know how to make eggs benedict...” Brooklyn said gazing into the fridge.

“Don’t you have to do something weird with the eggs and then put holiday sauce on them?” Westley asked he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

“It’s hollandaise and shouldn’t you be wearing board shorts?” Logan said pointedly, he was wearing them determined to behave as though the sun was shining.

Westley rolled his eyes, “We’re having waffles.” He decided pulling a waffle iron from a lower cabinet.

Logan sighed loudly, “Fine. This is supposed to be a vacation, we shouldn’t be working.”

“We?” Ryan appeared in the doorway to the kitchen wearing jeans with a bright green and gray Under Armour hoodie. Logan frowned at her, he found it odd that lately Ryan had started collecting designer brand clothing. Or at least what the average person considered to be “designer”. She claimed she bought everything from a store called Plato’s Closet had second hand clothing that rich people sold to the store. It was only slightly suspicious, if anything he was glad she was finally trying to pull together a real wardrobe. Brooklyn’s mother made less than Ryan’s dad and she always managed to have the newest fashion designers in her closet. It was about time Ryan stepped it up.

“Why is everyone wearing jeans? Ryan this is a beach weekend. Go put on your bikini or you don’t get any waffles.”

Ryan stared at him for half a second, probably trying to guess whether or not he would carry out his threat. “Seriously, a dress code for breakfast?”

“Well at least take the jacket off. It’s August, you look ridiculous.”

“I’m not wearing anything under it.”

“Then you really should take it off.” Westley interjected flipping a waffle. Logan beamed, he loved it when Westley jumped in these types of conversations.

Ryan grabbed the edges of her hoodie, pulled it over her head and tossed it to the floor, revealing an pink and blue Victoria’s Secret bra. She sat down at the table beside James in a huff, “There, everybody happy?”

“Hey look at that breakfast and a view.” Logan smiled at Ryan as Brooklyn brought a plate of waffles to the table.

“Ryan put your clothes on or you don’t get any juice.” Westley said in a fatherly tone.

“Good, I hate juice.” Ryan stomped her socked foot under the table. “And didn’t you team up with Logan just a second ago on this issue?”

Westley sighed, “What would Conner say?” Logan rolled his eyes, why did every conversation with Ryan always involve the guy she was dating?

“He doesn’t have to know. I don’t tell him everything.” Ryan said staring down at her coffee.

“I find that very hard to believe.” Ryan was always open about her life, she had a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself. A trait Logan often enjoyed even if it was one of the reasons Desiree couldn’t stand her. Logan took a huge bite of his waffle. Westley and Brooklyn had done an impressive job, he was almost glad the servants weren’t here. It bugged him when he found out they were left to fend for themselves this weekend but he was hoping it would just make it that much more interesting. He had known that Brooklyn knew how to cook but he had no idea that Westley could. He was also surprised that Desiree would take dinner into her own hands the way she had the night before.

Westley picked her hoodie up from the floor and tossed it to her. “Just put it back on.” Logan watched as Ryan complied with Westley’s request. Westley was a born protector, he was constantly looking after Ryan and Brooklyn, although Brooklyn rarely needed it.

~

Logan smiled at Ryan, he loved how easy it was to get under her skin. He couldn’t help himself really, her actions almost begged him to tease her. “What’s the game?” She insisted, her hands clutching the pillow in her lap. He smiled and winked at Desiree. He took another bit of his Twizzler and and settled back into the couch. The excitement from the storm had turned this supposed “failed attempt at a beach weekend” into something completely unexpected. Brooklyn had tried to get them to play a game earlier and now with everyone trapped here he had a naughty idea. “Hmmmm... I’ll only tell you if everyone agrees to play.” It wouldn’t work if even one of them decided not to play along. The game would fall apart after just a few rounds. Besides, this games was better with more players.

Westley stepped into the ring next and Logan held back a grin. If Westley played James and Brooklyn would too. Not out of obligation but of unity. LOgan turned to Desiree and raised his eyebrow. She gave him a tiny smile, “This better be good.”

He beamed, “Oh it is.” He sat up and cleared his throat. “The game is called Bullsh*t.” He paused for half a second and then continued, “It’s a simple question and answer game. When it is your turn you must ask someone an open-ended question, they in turn must answer it. Whether they answer truthfully or not is their choice. If anyone suspects they are lying you are allowed to call them on their Bullsh*t. If they are in fact lying they must perform a dare decided upon by the person who originally asked them a question. If they were telling the truth the person who called out Bullsh*t must perform a dare. After you’re asked a question you it is then your turn to ask, you can not ask the same person the same question twice. You are however, allowed to encourage others to ask it again for you. If that person lies for a second time and is called out on their Bullsh*t they must then tell the truth and perform a dare decided upon by the group and take a shot. The game ends when everyone has either revealed too many secrets/lies/or are fed up with the dares. Or in extreme cases have had too many shots...” Logan trailed off and smiled. “So I’ll go first-”

“Hold it.” Westley interjected, “Why do you get to go first?”

Logan chuckled, “Alright fine standard board game rules, whosever birthday is next gets to ask the first question.” He knew Westley’s birthday was in a few months, James and Brooklyn’s birthday had already passed during the summer. It was better this way, now Westley was more a part of the game. It would pull in the others easily than if he had asked the first question himself.

“Okay...” Westley ran has hand through his hair and took a sip of his coke. He glanced around at his friends and then smiled at Logan. “So, Logan...” He trailed off again and Logan laughed. He had almost expected Westley to make him the first victim. “Oh wait, I’ve got it. I’ve always wanted to know: Who was your first time with?”

Logan was a little taken aback by Westley’s question. He had expected the game would get dirty but he had forgotten they would ask him these types of questions. There was no way he would reveal who had has lost his virginity too. The question was a little unfair, someone else was involved in the answer. The secret was only half his. His first time had been everything had had hoped it would be and more but that didn’t mean he was willing to share whom he had experienced it with. The truth was Desiree had been his first and he was hers. It was simple really. They both agreed they wanted to do it for the first time with someone they trusted and that it should be special. The only way to ensure both was to sleep with each other. They had talked it over and over discussing every angle and possible outcome of their decision. Then one night they did it. They hadn’t really spoken about it since then. There wasn’t much to say. He really didn’t want to admit that he measured every girl he slept with against that night or that he wished they could be together that way again. He was terrified of her response and he had a feeling it would create an awkwardness between them.

He sighed quietly and shook his head, “Alright Wes, you got me.” He took a sip of his drink and made a show of gathering his strength to answer. “Her name was Roxanne.” He said simply. it was the code name, he and Desiree had come up with for her. His was Paul. Both names were completely different from their own and hopefully no one would ever discover the truth. He was careful not to look at Desiree. Any sign of weakness and his partial lie could be called out.

“Roxanne?” Westley asked raising his eyebrows skeptically and glancing at Desiree as if her reaction might reveal the truth. “We don’t even know a Roxanne.”

Logan laughed, “I didn’t know you yet.”

“Wait a minute. When did you lose it?”

Logan held up a finger, “Now now, you only get one question. So anyone wanna call me out or is it my turn?” He gazed around the room. He had a million questions he could ask any of them. He wanted this game to be revealing and yet be filled with laughter. He was dying to know the secret of the Triplets relationship. Were they really together? Were James and Westley bisexual? When did they decide to be a threesome. Had the three of them all slept together at once? Was this something that happened all the time? How did outside relationships play into this? Did Brooklyn prefer James over Westley or vice versa? He had more than enough questions but he wondered if he would get the chance to have any of them answered. Even if there were answers they could lie over and over again, escaping through loopholes and dares.

“B.S.!” Ryan shouted excitedly.

Logan looked up and smiled, “Was it?”

Ryan hesitated a little and then fixed her gaze, “You really expect us to believe that you would just go ahead and tell the truth? On your first question? Especially with something as personal as your first time. I don’t buy it. “

Logan stared down Ryan for a moment waiting for her to cave. She reluctantly looked away, feigning interest in her drink. She took a huge gulp before clunking the glass back onto the coffee table. “I call your B.S.” She turned to Westley. “Dare him to tell answer the question truthfully.”

Westley squirmed, “Is that allowed?”

Logan smirked, “Really, you’re going to dare me to tell the truth. Lame.” He lifted his glass to his lips and then lowered it back to the table without taking a sip. He waited keeping silent, saying more would only make him sound weak and desperate.

Westley considered this for a moment, “I think I can come up with a better dare than that.”

Westley looked to Brooklyn and James for help. Brooklyn leaned down and whispered in his ear and he raised his eyebrows and considered her suggestion before shaking his head. “No way, he’ll make us do something way worse.” Logan smiled, Westley was right about that.

“I would love to hear Brooklyn’s suggestion.” Logan said grinning at her.

Westley shook his head, “You can hear it when she has to give you a dare. I’m not steppin’ in that.” Logan watched as Westley tried to think of something else to dare him to do. He doubted it would be too embarrassing or gross, at least to him. Whatever Westley came up with wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the things Logan could dream up for his friends to do. Unless of course they were good at lying. He knew from experience Westley was a terrible liar, if he wanted to keep any secrets he had better learn quickly.

“You have to put on Desiree’s bra and wear it for the next three rounds.” He said laughing, “Somebody please tell me we brought a camera down here!”

Logan smiled, now that was a fun dare. First, Desiree was removing a piece of clothing who cared where it ended up after that Furthermore, it was her bra, which made it all the more exciting. He was actually proud of Westley for coming up with this on his own. He was a little surprised he had included another player in the dare, he had thought Westley would deem that as unfair.

Desiree snickered and then began removing her bra from underneath her tank top. Logan watched entranced as she performed the trick he could never quite figure out. She tossed it to him and he set down his glass to examine her undergarment. It was deep navy blue, nothing fancy, he had expected as such. Not that he thought about her in her underwear often... “Nice push-up.” He said trying not to notice the cups were warm in his hands.

“Hurry up and put it on.” Westley insisted. Brooklyn and Ryan were laughing and James was covering his face.

“I’m assuming I’m putting this on over my shirt?”

“Hmmmm... Yeah that’ll work.” Westley said chuckling as he held up his cell phone to take a picture.

Logan slid his arms through the straps, and then tried to clasp to it behind his back. “Okay, this is not as easy as you girls make it look.” He gave it three more tries before Desiree helped him. “He rolled his shoulders and adjusted the cups so they were a little higher. He turned to Brooklyn, “My mom says I’ll definitely grow into them by next year!” He held up crossed fingers on both hands.

Everyone laughed and the Triplets took more pictures with their phones. “Okay, okay. Now it’s my turn.” He studied his friends wondering who to pick on before deciding on Ryan. She had called him out and tried to make him reveal a secret that he never intended share with anyone. “Ryan, who in this room have you had “special” dreams about?”

Even in the candlelight he could see Ryan’s cheeks turning pink. He had a few other choice questions he wanted to ask but the game was still young and he wanted to keep things light for now. Ryan’s cheeks gave her away she had clearly had a dream about at least one of them. She shifted around, moving her legs so she was sitting indian style. “Um...” She pulled a pillow into her lap and stared down at it. “Pretty much everybody except for Desiree...”

“What?!” Westley shouted, “Everybody except Desiree? So that means...” He turned to Brooklyn trying to hold back a laugh. “Ohmygod!”

Logan smiled, “Oh really? Care to share any details?”

“Nope, you only get one question!” Ryan said shaking her head and pressing her face into the pillow.

Logan looked at Desiree, “Feeling left out?” He teased, he draped his arm over the back of the couch and slid his hand behind her shoulders. He knew she could care less if she was in one of Ryan's dreams.


Ryan reluctantly pulled the pillow away from her face and tried to regain some composure. This game was dangerous. Everybody had those kinds of dreams but it was still hard to admit it out loud. Especially since Brooklyn had been in one of hers. So embarrassing. She took a deep breath and caught Westley smirking at her. “Shut up!” She turned away and avoided eye contact with the others as well. It was her turn to ask someone a question but she was frazzled and her mind was hazy. She glanced at her rum and coke and decided she needed to switch to straight drinks for the rest of the game.

She watched as Desiree and Logan shared a small private moment. The two of them were so odd. As far as she knew they had never dated but they were always very intimate. She wondered if she should ask a question about one of them. It would certainly take some of the attention off of her but then again did she want to step into what could be a trap? She watched as Desiree smiled at Logan and leaned a little closer to him. I am definitely going to bring up their intimacy later. It’s too good to pass up. Maybe she could finally ask Desiree why she hated her so much. If there was ever an opportunity the time was now. However, did she truly want to know? A small part of her was terrified of finding out the real reason. What if she knows? Was there a possibility that Desiree somehow knew? It would make sense... No there’s no way. She would have said something a long time ago. We definitely wouldn’t be sitting in the same room if she had known before we became a part of the same group of friends.

“Hello? Ryan? I’s your turn honey. Oh wait, are you having dirty thoughts about one of us? Am I interrupting?” Westley snickered and nudged James.

Ryan rolled her eyes, “You wish I was having dirty thoughts about you.” She took a deep breath and turned her gaze away from Logan and Desiree. Any question for them could elicit gunfire. A better bet was to play with the Triplets. She smiled at Brooklyn. “Brooklyn, if you had to marry someone in this room who would it be and why?” This was much better than asking Desiree about herself. Brooklyn’s answer would be entertaining and would get someone else in the room involved as well.

[J]

Questions:
-Ask a girl if she were a guy which girl in the room she would date. (do the same to a guy)
-Have you ever cheated?
-Would you marry your bf/gf?
-Ryan to Desiree: Why do you hate me?
-For Logan: Why do you hate your dad?
For Ryan: Tell us about your mother.
-For Brooklyn and/or James: Tell us about your dad.
-If you could have anyone here in the room to be your slave, who would it be and what would you make them do?
-On a scale of 1-10 rate each person in the room.
-When was the last time you wet your bed if ever.
-What quality about the person sitting to your right do you dislike the most?
-Who have you ever fantasized about in this room?
-Tell an entertaining story about one of your exes.
-Have you ever shop lifted and what was it?
-If you could be a person that you know [of the opposite sex] for one day, who would you be and what would you do as them?
-What is your least favorite thing about the person on your left?
-What is your most favorite thing about the person on your left?
-How many people have you made out with and who was your favorite and why?
-Out of all of your relationships who was your favorite lover?
-Have you ever been the “other” woman/man?
-If you had to marry someone tomorrow who would you pick and why?
-What is abnormal about you?
-What would you say is each player's best emotional trait?
-Have you ever been arrested?
-What do you usually sleep in?
-Have you ever fooled around with anyone in the room? Who?
-What is the secret of the Triplets?
-What is your biggest pet peeve?
-Tell a story about a time you wore a costume for a lover.
-For guys: have you ever worn lingerie?
-For Desiree/Logan: How do you feel about Logan/Desiree?
-For Logan/Desiree: Are you in love with Desiree/Logan?
-Are you in love with someone in this room?
-If you had to spend the rest of your life with someone in the room who would it be and why?
-Tell about a time when you kissed a member of your same gender.
-For Westley: Why aren't you close to your twin?


Dares:
-smear peanut butter all over someones toes and lick it off.
-remove any 4 articles of clothing (shoes/glasses don’t count)
-close your eyes and spin around three times you must make out with the 1st person you see
-(for girls) allow a guy in the room to apply your make-up using your make-up bag, you are not allowed to tell him anything, take a pic of results
-Desiree and Logan make-out for 5min. (doesn’t matter which one is dared for this to happen)
-Have a guy or girl kiss every member of the opposite gender and list them in order of who was the best.
-Blow a raspberry on someone’s belly.
-Show how you flirt w/ someone.
-For guys: do your best impression of a “hot girl” dance.
-Flash/moon someone
-Tell a bedtime story to someone and tuck them into bed.
-Give an intimate back rub/massage to another player.

[J]

”Mrrr... mrrr.... mrrr...” The annoying vibration of his iPhone made Aiden groan. He reached out and fumbled with it until the text message screen opened. Hey. Whatcha up to? He shoved his phone back underneath his pillow and grumbled. “Really?” Was she serious? It was barely past 7AM. He didn’t have to wake up for work for another twenty minutes. Twenty five if he skipped a shower which was not the best idea but was starting to sound better and better. He exhaled heavily and in what felt like seconds his alarm was blaring from underneath his cheek. He groaned and turned it off just as a picture of his mother’s face filled the screen. “Don’t you people sleep anymore?” He sighed and hit ignore. Whatever his mother wanted could wait until after coffee. He turned on the coffee machine and jumped into the shower. He always kept his phone on the counter next to his towel while he showered. It buzzed the entire time he bathed. Annoyed he snaked his dripping arm out of the shower curtain and hit answer. “What Ma?”

“Don’t take that tone with me.”

“Ma, I’m in the shower.”

“What? Why aren’t you evacuating?” She demanded, her voice was sharp and breathy. He could hear his father’s dog barking in the background. “Hush Dollar!” She snapped.

“Is this a trick question?” Aiden asked, he was having to yell over the water.

“Aiden the storm has gotten worse, they’re having everyone evacuate. The roads are all jammed up. Haven’t you watched the news?”

Aiden rolled his eyes and shut off the water. “Ma, cable costs money. I have an Xbox and a Netflix subscription. I don’t watch the news.”

“We’re headed to Rickmon High School. They’re using it as a temporary shelter for everyone who didn’t evacuate.” Aiden tried to dry off using one hand before resorting to putting her on speaker phone. He assumed be “We’re” she meant her, his father and his two brothers. Luke and Jesse still lived at home. They were perfectly content living under their parents household, following their rules, respecting curfews and going to church every Sunday under obligation. Aiden refused to do the same. He and his brothers were different in every way possible. It was amusing really, the three of them were triplets. Born on the same day, within the same hour, to the same set of parents but most of the time he felt like a third wheel. Luke and Jesse were identical and Aiden was fraternal. It wasn’t uncommon with triplets for two to be identical and then one that was different. He had grown up with everyone believing Luke and Jesse were twins and he was there brother. Aiden was always the one to correct people. “No, we’re triplets.” Luke and Jesse were born with light brown hair and brown eyes. Aiden had darker brown hair and golden brown eyes. He also loved to brag that he was two inches taller even though he was technically the youngest of the three; Luke being the oldest followed by Jesse.

“Sounds like mass hysteria. I slept through it, it can’t be that bad.” There had been a storm yesterday, he had been at work all day at the music store. Business had been terrible as a result of all the rain but he hadn’t thought the weather was all that bad.

“Aiden, I’m not talking about this anymore. Get your butt down to that High School. Bring anything you’re going to need for the next few days.”

“Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hit end before she could lecture him further. He had to go, if he didn’t she wouldn’t stop nagging him until she saw him in person at the school, “safe and sound.” The kitchen light flickered around the corner and he paused waiting for the lights to shut off. He hated too many lights on early in the morning. He always turned on the coffee and switched on the kitchen light before ducking into the bathroom. It was bright enough for him to see in the shower without cutting himself while shaving.

He started to dial his work to find out if his mother’s anxiety was legitimate but his phone signal went out as the call began to connect. “What the...” The lights flickered again and he grabbed a flashlight he had stowed in the drawer of his nightstand. The battery was low but it would be enough to light to help him pack if he needed it. The lights flickered a few more times as he grabbed a few necessities: t-shirts, jeans, his favorite hoodie, ipod and phone charger. He stuffed everything into his school backpack dumping leftover supplies and notebooks from the previous year. He grabbed a cup of coffee just as the electricity went out and stayed out. “Crap.” He muttered and raced to grab his keys and pull on his shoes.

He stepped outside and ran to his car, the torrential downpour soaking him before he reached parking lot. He threw his bag into the car and slammed the door. “Wooo.” Lighting streaked across the sky and thunder blasted above him shaking his windows a little. “Okay, maybe it’s a little worse than I thought.” He turned on the radio only to hear mostly static and intermittent snippets of the “Emergency Broadcast Report.” He shut if off and made his way to the school. His mother had been right, the roads were full of cars and panicked people. Storms and anxious drivers didn’t mix well. It took him more than an hour to reach the school and that was only after he abandoned his car somewhat far away. “I’m so sorry baby.” He said hoping the storm wouldn’t destroy her before he returned. In an effort to keep his bag dry he hugged it to his chest and bolted for the school’s entrance crashing into a group of people on the way.

The school was full of mass hysteria, children running around, babies crying, mothers hyperventilating, and fathers sighing. The American Red Cross were doing their best to keep the crowd calm by handing out blankets and hot chocolate. He hefted his bag onto his shoulder and started looking for people he knew. He would have to find his family first if only to chill his mother out. Once he found them he would escape to ride out the storm with more interesting people. “Evans!” He shouted at a tall lanky guy wearing a navy plastic poncho. Evans turned and smiled lazily. “Dude, you are soaked.”

“Right?” He glanced around wondering if she was here or if she had decided to evacuate, the latter didn’t seem likely. “You seen my other half?” He asked smiling up at Evans. His best friend was almost always with him, however he hadn’t seen her in almost two days. Except for the random text this morning he hadn’t heard much from her either. He wasn’t too worried, school was about to start and that could be a stressful time for some. Especially since she was trying to figure out a way to move out of her parents house and get her own place. The dorms would already be full by now but there was a chance she could get an apartment if she found a few roommates. He had wanted to offer up his place but it was a studio apartment, one giant room with a bathroom and a kitchen. His couch doubled as his bed. He loved it but where would she sleep? More importantly where would she put all of her clothes? He had seen her overflowing closet, her shoes alone needed their own closet.

“Aiden!” Aiden turned and frowned, oh great, her brother.

“‘Sup?”

“Have you seen her? Is she here?”

Aiden shrugged, “I haven’t seen her today...” He said dismissively. What did he expect, it was barely 9AM. “The low-jack I attached to her ankle broke a few weeks back. I tried to get another one, but they’re backordered for months!” He held back a smile at his own joke. He really needed to lighten up and let her go a little. She needed room to spread her wings and her family was completely against the idea. At least, their actions had spoken as such.

Her brother sighed exasperated, “Why do I even bother?”

Aiden grinned, “So glad I could help out.” He turned back to Evans, “Hey man, I gotta go find my mom before she has a cow.”

“Cool, I’m gonna set up camp here.”

Aiden wandered through classrooms and a huge cafeteria before he found his family huddled in the gym. He still hadn’t seen her anywhere, but he still wasn’t worried. This place was huge and there was people everywhere. If he knew her she was probably exploring or befriending a random family. “Aiden!” Jesse sat up and smiled.

Aiden forced himself to smile back, “Hey guys, how goes it?” He hitched his bag further up his shoulder and curled his toes in his soaked shoes. His parents had sent up four cots in a square with a towel for Dollar in the center. 4 cots, 4 sleeping bags and tons of luggage. They had neglected to bring him anything, he wasn’t surprised. “I’m gonna be a ways down the hall. Just wanted to say hi.” He was about to leave when Luke grabbed his ankle. He was lying on his cot, completely dry with Dollar lounging on top of him. “You’re not gonna stay with us?”

Aiden hesitated, Luke and Jesse just didn’t get it and he couldn’t explain it to them. “Nah, I already set up a spot down there.” He hooked his thumb behind in a general direction hoping they wouldn’t follow.

“C’mon Aiden, just hang out with us for a while.” Jesse pleaded.

Aiden sighed, “Fine, for a while.”

The one thing that was great about Jesse was that he was pretty unselfish, this was probably attributed to the fact that Luke was selfish enough for everyone. Jesse lent Aiden his dry cot and helped his try to air out of his soaked clothes. It seemed like a losing battle, there wasn’t enough space to lay out his clothes. However, his mother had brought her hair dryer, only God knows why and Jesse helped him try to blow dry his sopping sneakers and socks. While his shoes aired out Aiden stretched out on Jesse’s cot and covered himself with his sleeping bag. He pulled it over his face in an effort to drown out the noise of the echoey gym. He couldn’t sleep but it was nice to be left alone for a few minutes. That is until he heard a familiar voice. “Where’s your brother?”

“You’re looking at him.” Luke said followed by a snicker from Jesse. Aiden stayed still, it was her brother again. “Not him, the other one.”

“Ohhhh.” Luke said stupidly as if it hadn’t occurred to him that he could be referring to anyone else. “Right, Aiden there’s someone here to see you.” He whipped the sleeping bag from Aiden’s face but Aiden kept his eyes calmly shut.

“Where is she?” Her brother demanded.

Aiden slowly opened his eyes and stretched, “Who?” He asked folding his arms underneath his head and gazing innocently up at him. It was best to remain calm even if he was mildly begin to worry. Her brother and parents were working themselves up into what looked like a pretty good anxiety attack.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I haven’t seen her anywhere. There’s no cell service and according to all of her friends you are the last one she spoke to.”

“Is this an interrogation?” He turned to Jesse, “I believe I’m entitled to a lawyer.”

“Cut the crap.”

Aiden sighed and wiggled his toes, his socks were only slightly damp, much better than before. He sighed and relented a little, “I haven’t seen her in two days. She texted me this morning so I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably off having an adventure. No idea why I wasn’t invited but I wouldn’t worry. She’s a big girl she can take care of herself. “ He watched as her brother fumed for a minute looking around the gym as if she might magically appear. Aiden resisted the urge to do the same. He wasn’t the type to wring his hands over nothing. She was fine. She had to be. Although, her text had been before the power went out. What if something had happened to her after that?

“You’re useless.” Her brother muttered before stomping away.

Aiden sat up, “I’ll be right back.” He slipped on his shoes, they were still wet and very cold. He rifled through his bag and discreetly slid the pack of cigarettes he had brought with him into his pocket. He made his way through the maze of sleeping bags and pup tents, hoping to find an exit. He needed a smoke. After that he could think clearly. He found a door labeled “Exit” but was stopped before he touched the handle bar. “Excuse me sir, but you need to stay inside.” A woman dressed in white scrubs insisted.

“Oh, I’ll be fine, I just need to-”

“It’s not safe.”

He sighed, “Fine, where can I slip in a quick smoke?”

She frowned, “There is no smoking allowed in this building.”

He held back a slew of curse words. “Fine. I guess I’ll just do some yoga instead.” He snapped. The nicotine withdrawal had kicked in about twenty minutes ago and he was itching to find a corner to light up. If only this place wasn’t swarming with people.

[Free]

[glow=E1ACFF]Metal on metal clicked. She looked up from the couch she’d been lying on reading a Pride and Prejudice. It was something that she’d always imagined reading, but hadn’t found the time until now. She was just thinking how much nicer this place was going to be than that closet upstairs when she heard it. Damn. She didn’t panic this time at first. She was more annoyed. It didn’t seem fair that they had first trapped her in the stupid closet and now they were invading the good hiding place. They shouldn’t even have gone to beach on a storm weekend! Why are they even here?! she asked herself for the hundredth time. They were ruining her vacation.

She mentally ran through all of the rooms, all of the cubbies and all of the dark corners in what could be considered the large apartment (beneath the giant mansion). There was no amazing closet this time. The laundry room was so small that even if they never did their laundry, they’d still probably find her. Despite her best efforts, she could feel her adrenaline level rising. How long had she been sitting here? In desperation, she threw herself under the day bed. There was a skirt that went all the way around it and these didn’t seem like the kind of people that thought to clean dust bunnies themselves. It wasn’t even a little dusty. For a place that looked forgotten, it was remarkably well taken care of and well-stocked with every imaginable need and whim. And it was all fresh.

She heard footsteps on the wood floor by the door and then on the carpet leading around the room. Voices. They were the same people from upstairs. A closet suddenly occurred to her. Of all the bedrooms, the smallest, least elegant should have been her haven. Maybe they wouldn’t even use it? Either way, there was a row of coats in the very back, below which stood an impressive shoe (for lack of a better word) closet. She should have ducked behind it. Then she wouldn’t have to breathe through her mouth and lie perfectly still. Maybe she could even continue to read her book by the light of her phone. But no. I am trapped under here until these people probably until they decide it’s bedtime.

[J]

“Lame!” Westley called out chuckling.

Ryan flicked his ear and he pulled away. “Fine, Wes, I’ll just ask you a scary question then.” She sighed and thought for a few minutes. It needed to be good and personal. The problem was she knew Westley too well. He wasn’t an open book but he wasn’t the type to have dark secrets and skeletons in his closet. She stared at him, he was smiling pleasantly up at her from the floor. She thought it was a little silly to be sitting on the floor when there was plenty of seating around the room. He probably didn’t want to sit between Logan and Desiree but why didn’t he sit in the other recliner? She blinked away the distraction of his odd seating and searched her mind for an intimate question. “Okay, In the last year what have you done that you are ashamed of?”

Westley’s sat back against the side of the daybed and stared up at the ceiling. The whole point of the game was to get away with lying. He had plenty to be ashamed of, but why spill his guts when he could come up with a far more interesting and misleading lie? He glanced at James quizzically before turning to Brooklyn. He needed them both to go with him on the lie otherwise the others wouldn’t believe it. He ran a hand through his hair acting as though the secret was weighing heavily upon him. “Should I tell them?” He asked Brooklyn in a low voice raising his eyebrows with mock insecurity.

Brooklyn looked nervous, “Are you sure about this?” He shrugged uncertainly, She continued, “ They probably won’t understand... I mean especially Ryan.” Westley shook his head and glanced at Ryan; she was riveted. “I don’t think I have a choice they won’t let me get away with something small.” Brooklyn deserved an Academy award, hopefully his own performance was holding up.

He sighed loudly, and shifted his leg position a little as though he were squirming. “Alright um, I uh,” He concentrated on a spot on the rug, this needed to come out just right. “A few months ago I um,” He coughed choking on his words. “It was James’s birthday party and everybody was drinking - except me of course - and I started talking to one of the Strumpets.” He paused and made a face keeping his focus on the carpet. He could feel Ryan leaning forward to his left and he hoped Logan and Desiree were transfixed as well.

“The Strumpets” were a small group of girls that were promiscuous. There were four of them: Kylie, Jewel, Teah, and Kae. Kylie was considered the “leader” of the group, she used manipulation and sickly sweet threats to keep the other girls under her thumb. She had red hair with striking turquoise eyes and wore jeans that looked as though someone had painted them on. Jewel was the black sheep of the group with inky black hair and steely blue eyes. At one point he had had a crush on her but the group as a whole terrified him. There were so many rumors that circled the girls that he feared just hugging them could result in some sort of social damage. Teah was the shortest and richest. She had chestnut brown hair and golden brown eyes; her father had bought her a house so all four of them could live together. Kae was the tallest and thinnest. She had long strawberry blonde hair with yellow-green eyes. She wasn’t quite as promiscuous as the others. It was rumored that she had a phobia of germs. She never used a public restroom, carried hand sanitizer with her everywhere and never touched doorknobs.

Logan had nicknamed the group, “The Strumpets” after a Shakespearean word for “sl*t”. No one was surpirsed when the girls reveled in their name. It seemed to spur them forward as if to make it clear they were without a doubt, Strumpets.

“Anyways one thing led to another and... I may have slept with one or more of them that night.” He began talking faster allowing his words to stumble over one another. “It was just after my break up with Ashley and I was in a really bad place. They’re really nice y’know and they are always ready to have fun. I mean the four of them live in the big house Teah’s dad bought them. Everything in it is pink, black, and animal prints everywhere. Even their toilets are pink! It’s kinda freaky but anyways, over the summer I’ve spent a lot of my spare time over there. With them.” His heart was thudding against his chest. He was overwhelmed with wanting them to believe him and yet he really hoped they didn’t. The story was completely against his character. He was a serial monogamist, he spent most of Freshman and Sophomore year infatuated with the same girl. Which was why he needed Brooklyn and James to be in on his lie. They hadn’t known what he was going to cook up but they would still bakc him up as if they had known about this all along. The three of them didn’t have secrets.

“What?!” Ryan exclaimed, “No way!”

“Dude...” Logan said, his face a mixture of admiration and disgust. “You’re joking right? You wouldn’t... I mean they, you- I mean come on!” He looked to Brooklyn and James to gauge their reactions. Apparently he found truth in their faces because he gazed back down at Westley in horror. “Please tell me you got yourself tested...”

Westley swallowed back a laugh hoping it looked like he was afraid to approach such a touchy subject. “Of course I did! Do you think I’m an idiot? I’m clean I swear!” He forced himself to scowl back a smile. “God!” He turned away as if angry at being accused of having STD’s. The room quieted and Ryan suddenly gasped.

“Oh my god! You slept with the same girl as your brother?!” She exclaimed and Westley winced. He had forgotten the small detail of the on again off again relationship of his brother Ty and Kylie. “Thats so gross!” Westley avoided looking at Ryan. Crap I should have said just two of them or all of them but Kylie or something! This is why he hated lying. He was horrible at digging bigger and bigger holes that he frequently struggled to climb out of.

“Uh well...”

“Oh that’s... Oh.” LOgan sat back against the couch and put his drink down. “This is bringing out a side of you I really did not want to see.”

Westley neck burned, this was supposed to be funny now he felt like a complete jerk. “Look Ty and I don’t exactly get along so really it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Oh it’s that bad. I feel like I need a shower. Or rather, you need a shower.” Ryan said gulping down her drink and shuddering.

Westley stared at the floor and prayed someone would call on his B.S. This had taken a terrible turn for the worse. “Can we please move on? I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Yes! Please! It’s your turn, ask someone a question!” Logan commanded.

Westley sighed, his mind was clouded with shame and anger. His friends had no right to judge him. What about all the boyfriends Ryan let walk all over her? What about everything Desiree and Logan did without ever being in a real relationship? He knew Brooklyn and James would never believe he would do such a thing and now he wished it was the three of them alone down here. He glanced at Ryan, she was still making a face. He was almost pissed enough to attack her but she had been the one to question him which meant he probably needed to pick someone else. He glanced at Logan and Desiree. Desiree hadn’t said much but he could see her mulling over his confession. He couldn’t tell if she was disgusted by it though. He locked his gaze on Logan and decided to pull out the big guns. Logan had no room for judgement about girls. He had this one coming.

“Logan.” He let a small second pass as Logan looked up. It was going to be hazardous but hopefully the question would catch Logan off guard. Additionally, Brooklyn was excellent at seeing through Logan’s lies. Desiree was the best of course but she would never give him away. “Who in this room have you fooled around with?” He was almost certain it Brooklyn had never done anything with Logan. Ryan didn’t keep secrets very well so he knew it was highly unlikely that she had been with Logan. Especially with Desiree hating her. He had no idea what Logan’s and Desiree’s friendship looked like without anyone else around. It was possible something could have happened between the two of them at one point.

Logan stared at Westley for an agonizingly long moment before speaking. “Someone wants to play with the big boys huh?” He reclined in his seat and smiled slyly. “Alright, but you should know there’s no turning back.” He sighed loudly. “Unfortunately, I make it a rule not to dip my pen in the company ink.”

Westley glared at him, did that even qualify as a real answer? “Fine. I call your B.S.” He didn’t really care if he was wrong, he just needed to know if Logan was lying. “No one believed you about Roxanne. I’ll willing to take the chance that you’re going to lie throughout the entire game.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Logan demanded, “Are you seriously mad because of what Ryan asked you?”

“Hey! Don’t pin this on me! I was just trying to make the game interesting!” Ryan shouted, she had too much to drink in Westley’s opinion. Any other day he would have cut her off but she was on her own for a while.

“Just admit it.” Westley challenged. “Are you lying or not?”

Logan glowered at him, “Fine. It was bullsh*t.” Wetley swallowed and glanced at James. Who had Logan fooled around with? Three options and he sincerely hoped it wasn’t Brooklyn. It would be unfortunate if it was Ryan. That was a low move even for a playboy like Logan. Could it be Desiree? “Well, you gonna give me a dare or what?” Logan’s voice filled the room making Ryan shrink back a little.

Westley’s anger was fading a little. He had a long fuse for a temper and it always disintegrated quickly. He wasn’t the type to stay mad, it was a strength and a weakness. He forgave too easily. He needed to keep his momentum going before he decided to let Logan off the hook. “I dare you to make out with Desiree for 5 minutes.” It was the dare Brooklyn had tried to suggest earlier. He hadn’t though it was fair to include someone else so intimately in a dare meant to humiliate Logan. Now he wanted to see where this would lead. He wasn’t upset with Desiree but she hadn’t stood up for him either.

“Why do you keep bringing me into this? Logan’s a big boy. He can do his own dares.” Desiree cut in, her voice annoyed. She gazed pointedly at her bra that logan was still wearing. “Be more creative Westley.”

Westley flinched, he had no idea what to say. It was difficult coming up with a dare on the spot, especially with the way Logan and Desiree were both glaring at him. He needed help but he didn’t want to admit it. “Alright. Stand up, close your eyes and spin around three times. You must make out with the first person you see. How’s that for creative?” He grinned smugly at Desiree.

“What if-” Logan cringed and stood up. “If this is your way of trying to get me to fall in love with you.” He shook his head at Westley. “I prefer presents or grand gestures.” He sighed loudly, closed his eyes and started spinning.

“You have to spin fast otherwise it doesn’t count!” Ryan called out. Westley glanced at her, did she look eager? Logan spun faster and finally came to a stop. Just before he opened his eyes Westley motioned to James and they both dropped soundlessly to the floor.

Logan slowly opened his eyes, the room tipped and rolled in front of him. He was facing the daybed Brooklyn was directly in his line of sight. Beside her Ryan was leaning to her right, she seemed to be hoping his gaze had landed on her. He filed that detail away for later. He knew Ryan had a pretty serious crush on him. He loved teasing her with it too. However, he tried to pull back every once in a while. He didn’t want her growing attached or to think the two of them could have a real relationship. He wouldn’t do that to Desiree.

“That worked out nicely.” He smiled and plopped down on the day bed. He turned to Ryan, “You might want to find a new seat.” The boys had hit the floor. He was relieved for that. He did not want to find out what rum tasted like in James’ mouth. Ryan deflated and scuttled to the empty recliner beside the couch. Logan kept his gaze away from Desiree. He didn’t want to know what she was thinking right now. He almost felt guilty. He shouldn’t but he did. He leaned into Brooklyn and kissed her.

[J]

There's a new and improved Ryan in town!

For those of you who don't know her which is everyone but me, Ryan is not who she seems.

I could never figure out why I couldn't portray Ryan as who she really is in all of our stories here but I revamped her character sketch and I'm going to do my best to treat her right!

For this story her relations to the others is going to change from this point on. It will be to jarring for the story to edit what has gone on in the game so here's whats changed:

Ryan has gone to a different college than the others. She only returned the past spring semester ad has been making her way into the group. She is close with Westley and James. Brooklyn likes her. Logan is intrigued by her but is somewhat turned off by her tomboyish style. Desiree does not like an interloper who in her opinion is in some dire need of class.

Ryan's secret that involves Desiree remains the same. She also has another secret none of the others know about.

Ryan switched schools and moved back in with her dad upon a messy break up with her boyfriend Adam. The others know she dated him but not why they broke up. They also are unsure of why she moved back.

Also she was not dating a guy named Conner when she arrived at the beach nor does she have a crush on Logan.

Below you will find the redone character sketch for Ryan. I hope everyone likes the real her!


Name: Ryan Ursula Madrid
Age: Usually 20/21
Birthday: May 9

Occupation: Student and waitress at the Magic Bean, a popular café in the center of town.

Ethnicity: Her father is Spaniard and White. Her mother’s ethnicity is unknown.

Is s/he an early riser or night owl?: She is an all day, all night person. She stays up late working, reading or writing and gets up early to do everything else necessary in life to get things done.

What are his/her two worst vices? (Bad Habits): Addicted to caffeine. She drinks at least 3 cups of coffee in the morning and two in the afternoon.

What were the best trips s/he ever went on? Why?: Her favorite trips all involve the year she dated Adam Young. She met him while working at the Magic Bean and was drawn to his zest for life. He was the first guy she truly fell in love with. The two of them took many spontaneous trips together.

When was the last time s/he said, “I love you?” To whom? : To her dad. They are very close. “In love” was with Adam Young. She loved him very much but knew he was not her “one and only”. Leaving him was the hardest decision she has ever had to make.

What’s his/her worst fear?: That she’ll never find her true love.

What’s his/her fondest memory? Her fondest memory was the day she bought her motorcycle. She wanted to save up for a car but ultimately decided a motorcycle was more fun. She saved for years to be buy it with cash in full.

What was his/her first job? Car hopper at Sonic (with roller skates!).

What does s/he want from life more than anything else? Ryan loves the simple things in life. The only thing she wants in life is to find her one and only and live the rest of her life with him by her side. She imagines the two of them living in a small older house with rooms full of books and a dog.

Family Situation: She and her dad live alone in a small house. Her mother was a drug addict who left only a few weeks after she was born. The Moretti family lives directly behind her and she is very close with them. She and Alex grew up together. She has always had crushes on him but he always refers to her as his “little sister” so she knows nothing will ever happen between them.

Physical Appearance: Auburn shoulder length hair, fair skin, denim blue eyes, a few light freckles on her cheeks. She doesn’t tan only burns and gets more freckles. 5’6”, slim with bigger breasts than she would like.

Other Comments:

Love language: Touch and Acts of Service. She loves to be physically close to those she cares about.

She still misses Adam. They tried to remain friends but it was too difficult for both of them. He travels a lot but does visit her at work when he comes to town to see his family.

Ryan has a long fuse when it comes to anger however when the fuse is lit she lashes out. She has trouble keeping her words in check. However, her anger doesn’t usually last very long.

She has only ever “been with” Adam. Before Adam she didn't feel very in touch with her feminine side. She had never realy dated before Adam. ( or after for that matter).

Ryan is extremely competitive. She loves any type of competition, whether its sports, a board game, or the simple race to be the first to call out “shotgun!” for a car ride. She hates to lose and tries to be a good sport. She holds in her disappointment and does her best to be happy for the winner(s). She is a big “smack talker” even when she has nothing to back it up.

She played sports all throughout middle school and high school; basketball, softball, and cross country. She prefers team sports. She always watches the World Series. “Baseball is not a sport, it’s a religion.”

She believes in God but considers herself more spiritual than religious.

Season: She’s a spring/fall girl. Winter is too cold and summer is too hot.

She loves to sing and is great at it but has never felt comfortable doing so in front of anyone but Adam.

[J]

The morning after Ryan discovers the secret about her mother.

Ryan awoke early the next morning. David was a night owl and usually slept until noon or later but she wasn’t taking any chances. She opened the blackout curtains in her room and used the rising sun as her source of light. She pulled the stolen folders from their hiding spot in her bookcase and fanned them out on her bed. It was risky to read them here but she couldn’t take the suspense any longer. The small glimpse inside them from the day before had started an unbelievable hunger and ache within her. She had to know more. She had laid awake in bed all night avoiding the folders and now she was going to read them. She took a deep breath, this was it. This was the moment her life would begin to change. She was about to discover a strange part of her past, her own twisted beginning into this world. A part of her wished she hadn’t found the folders. If only she didn’t know David well enough to search through his private things successfully. If only-- There too many “if only”s, it was time to bite the bullet.

She opened the manilla folder containing her birth certificate first. “Baby Girl” was printed over the baby name line with black ink. When did I become Ryan? She knew that she had been named after a main character in David’s favorite book, one he had written himself. The only drawback to having such a cool namesake was that the character in the book was male. She ran her finger tips over the embossed state seal, it was a real birth certificate. She stared at the name Anna Myst over the “Mother” line until her eyes blurred. She set down the certificate quickly and took a moment to gather herself. Behind the birth certificate was hospital records of her birth. The only interesting thing she gathered from it was that she was born late at night, 10:51PM. David had always said it was dark out when she was born, but there was too much excitement to worry about what time it was. It had never occurred to her until this moment to wonder if he had been there at all. He talked about the first time he held her, the first time there blue eyes met, the overwhelming joy and fear of knowing he was a father.

She turned to the black folder, the contract. What kind of person created a contract about a person? A small baby incapable of speaking up about what she wanted. The thought of her birth mother signing her out of her life made her stomach churn. Did she not want me? It was a terrible fear she had always avoided thinking about. She had tried to file away her mother’s abandonment as selfish but what if it was more than that? This Anna woman had everything she could possibly want until one night she had a fling with some guy named David and everything turned upside down.

In the contract were several lawyer terms used over and over that meant nothing to her but from what she gathered she was Anna and David’s baby and Ray was not happy about it. She stopped when she read the amount given to David for keeping the secret and her, 10 Million dollars. There was even an addendum stating Ray had set up a CD for David to help manage the money and make it grow as she did. It was then that she looked down at the navy folder with the bank symbol. A CD... She didn’t know much about banks or money, except that she always saved every scent she earned. David was generous with what he referred to as “allowance” when he made money on his work. However this “allowance” amount changed often which made her wary of it ceasing to exist one day. He had always refused to allow her to work during school, only in the summer time and even then he didn’t seem to like it. He claimed she was young and young people should be embracing life not worrying about their finances. However she knew money could be scary or rewarding. She had gotten a glimpse into adulthood not too long ago and she has seen the consequences of reckless money.

If David had been given 10 million dollars where was it? The contract was explicit that the money was only to be used to raise her but it was hard to believe where and when he had used it. Sure, he had given her a car on her 16th birthday and a laptop on her 18th. She wasn’t spoiled but he certainly didn’t deprive her of things she wanted. Not that she had ever asked for anything. She worried about money. He didn’t. Maybe this was why.

She flipped open the bank folder and scanned the dozens of numbers. The stack of papers inside was thick and weighty filled with the records of an account with her name on it. A recent total for the account showed a little over 45 million dollars. I have over 45 million dollars! She got up from her bed and paced her bedroom. This couldn’t be real. 45.. 45 million.... 45 million dollars! Her heart raced and her mouth went dry, this was all too much. How was she supposed to stomach finding out about all of this in one big swoop? Even worse she had to tell her dad that she knew now. She felt a little guilty for going behind his back but in the big picture he had kept and entire part of her life from her. She dropped to the floor of her and leaned against her bed for support; she couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be real. All she had wanted was to discover why her dad had acted so strangely about her seeing her birth certificate and now...

She couldn’t do this alone. She wanted to approach her dad but she didn’t know where to begin. She needed to digest this and decide what this meant for her before she went storming into the living room to confront him. She reach above her and grabbed her phone from her pillow. It wasn’t fair to call him like this but she had no doubts that he would come. The phone rang four times before his familiar voice filled her ear. “Hello?” A lump formed in her throat and she tried to swallow it before speaking.

“... Hey.” She croaked out quickly swallowing and trying to keep herself together.

“Freckles?” That did it. The sobs she had kept at bay since yesterday afternoon burst forth and filled the room. Thank God David was asleep on the other side of the house. She felt incredibly loud. “Where are you?”

“My dads.” She managed to get out, relief and guilt washing over her.

“Pedal to the metal babe.” She choked on a laugh in spite of her tears. How did he do that? After everything the two of them had gone through. He was still willing to jump in his car and run to her aid. He stayed on the line with her as she continued to cry. With anyone else she would have felt weak and vulnerable for weeping like a child but not with him. He always encouraged her to just “let it out.”

“I’m sorry.” She blubbered grabbing the blanket from her bed and pressing it to her face. “It’s not fair me calling you and just-”

“Hey, don’t worry about that. Okay?” His voice was kind and patient. She was surprised he was even awake at this hour. She hoped it wasn’t because he had yet to go to sleep. Then again that wasn’t unusual for him. His hours didn’t match up with the rest of the world. It was one of the things she loved about him. It was also one of the things that drove her crazy. He was a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of guy and she loved planning things out. He hated making plans. “I can be there in four hours can you hold on ‘til then?”

She nodded then remembered her couldn’t see her. “Yeah. It’s my fault for being so far away.” Why had she moved away from all of her friends? She was with her dad again and she loved it but who was she supposed to turn to now? She had had to call up the one person she had hurt the most. And he was coming. “Adam I-” She paused not knowing what she wanted to say. She had apologized so many time but it would never feel like enough. How do you apologize for shredding someone’s heart?

“I know.” She could hear him smiling. “I’ll be there soon. Try to look like a girl when I get there?”

She laughed again. “I’m not making any promises.”

~

David was still sound asleep when Adam’s car pulled into Ryan’s driveway. She couldn’t resist running out to meet him. She reached the car before it stopped and he threw the driver door open to embrace her. She held tight to him as another round of sobs wracked her body. He still smelled the same. IcyHot and pine. “It’s alright. I’m here now.” He murmured into her hair. Simple words and even though he still had no idea why she had called him she believed them.

She led him into the house and back to her bedroom. She had taken a shower and made her bed. He wouldn’t have minded the mess but in her emotional state she needed the small things in life to be in order. She had held onto his hand the whole way and she was grateful that he hadn’t made her let go. The two of them sat down on her bed, she had moved the folders to her desk so she could present them when she was ready. He leaned back against her pillows and squeezed her hand, still not letting go. He pulled her closer and ran a hand over her hair. “Tell me what happened Freckles.”

She smiled at his nickname for her and sighed. “So, um, I needed some important documents for the um...” She trailed off and looked away. God, this was terrible.

“Got it.” She saw him nod once out of the corner of her eye. His hair was lighter, had he gone to the beach recently? Naturally his hair was brown but when he spent time in the sun it brightened to golden honey.

“Right, so I asked my dad for them and he acted really funny about it. I mean I know the situation is... different but I dunno... He wouldn’t even let me see my birth certificate. It was just weird so yesterday I went snooping. You remember what I told you about my mom?

He nodded, “Yeah that she was a drug addict that left when you were really small.”

“Right well,” She held her breath and let go of him. Adam waited as she grabbed the folders from her desk and handed them to him. He glanced at her and opened the one on top. She had stacked them in the best order to describe the story; the birth certificate, the contract and the bank information. He read over her birth certificate quizically. “Baby Girl?” He asked, and she nodded. “Keep reading.” He opened the contract and furrowed his brow. “Wha...” He flipped through the pages and opened the bank folder. “Holy Sh*t!” She waited, giving him time to process. “So... So... Your dad... Sh*t.” He muttered and tossed the folder onto the bed.

“He doesn’t know that I know.” She said in a small voice.

“Hah.” He laughed without humor and exhaled loudly. “So you... I can’t wrap my mind around this.” He stood up and then sat back down a moment later.

“She didn’t want me Adam. She... she paid off my dad to keep me out of her life.” Saying the words out loud finally brought to life the anger and resentment she felt toward this Anna woman. “Why would someone do that?”

Adam shook his head. “This is insane. We should go to the bank pull out the money in cash find her and dump it on her doorstep in a basket wrapped up like a baby.” He stood up again. “This pisses me off. Who does she think she is? And David! I can’t believe he kept this from you all this time!” He was yelling now, if David woke up how would she explain herself. It was one thing for Adam to be here.

“Adam!” She grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bed, “He’s sleeping!”

“Wake him up then! You didn’t sleep, why should he?”

“I’m angry too but he’s all I have.” She had thought about it a lot and every time she grew angry with David for keeping this a secret she wondered what it must be like for him to keep it. They were so close he must have feared if she knew that things would change between them. “He wanted me but she didn’t. I don’t care about her.”

Adam sighed and stacked the folders. “You need to talk to him. It’s too important.” He handed hr the stack and cupped her face in his hand. “Keeping it a secret is the same as lying.”

Ryan nodded and held his hand to her cheek, she had really missed him. “Yeah I know.” She stared down at the folders and then looked up at him. “Will you go with me?”

Adam smiled, “Of course, Freckles.”

[J]

Ryan confront her dad.


“Should I go crawl into bed with him?” Adam joked in a loud whisper.

Ryan stifled a giggle. “Shhh!” She poured herself another cup of coffee and handed him a full mug. Adam had only been here for an hour and already she could feel herself falling back into a familiar rhythm. It was easy to pretend they were still together and just visiting her dad for the weekend. She stood inside the fridge and pulled out the eggs and milk. She couldn’t eat but Adam was starving after the long drive. He reached around her to grab juice, so close she could feel the warmth of his chest against her back. A sharp pain of longing in her chest made her want to turn around and embrace him.

The sound of her dad’s bedroom door opening made them both jump. Ryan hurriedly set the eggs and milk onto the counter and pushed Adam away from her dad’s line of sight. She needed to ease David into this.

“Hey Doll.” David said smiling sleepily at her and making a beeline for the coffee. He stopped at the sight of Adam leaning against the stove. “Adam?”

“Hey Dave.” Adam grinned as he broke eggs into a pan.

David turned to Ryan witha concerned look. “Ryan?”

“Adam’s just here to help me with something.” Ryan said feeling her cheeks and ear grow warm. She hoped he didn’t think she had snuck Adam into the house during the night. She wasn’t the type but him being here did look strange.

David drew his eyebrows together confused, “Um okay...”

“Toast?” Adam asked throwing slices of bread into the toaster.

“Sure...” David kept looking back and forth between them trying to decipher what was happening. “Is there something I should know?”

Adam kept his eyes trained on frying the eggs and Ryan’s eyes widened. “No, it’s not what you think.” Why can’t I think of a reason why he’s here? She hadn’t seen or spoken to Adam in nearly a month. They had broken up for almost two months. Not to mention the annulment of their marriage had become official two weeks ago.

“Look, I know it’s none of my business but you can’t do this to each other. If you want to be together fine but-”

“No dad, it’s not like that.” Ryan said quickly. She didn’t want her dad to start lecturing her about marriage or relationships right now. She was trying not to be pissed at him and that certainly wouldn’t help matters. She glanced at Adam for help and he switched off the stove and turned around.

“Why don’t we all sit down.” Adam gestured toward the kitchen table. It was covered in books and balled up papers but the chairs were empty enough. David grabbed his coffee and with a swoop of his arm made enough table space for their cups.

Ryan sat down beside Adam, the stack of folder was tucked into the back of her jeans again with her Warriors jersey covering them. The corners kept sticking her in the back and she hoped she wasn’t getting them damp from all the nervous sweating. David sat and waited watching her carefully. He knew her too well.

She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“Oh god.” David murmuered pressing a hand to his eyes. “You’re pregnant.”

Ryan gasped, “What? No! God no.”

“Thanks for that.” Adam muttered and Ryan swallowed a ball of guilt.

“Phew.” David laughed alittle too hard and gulped down coffee. “You had me goin’there for a second. Whew.”

Adam sighed loudly and squirmed in his chair. Ryan couldn’t bear to look in his direction. She had luckily never had a pregnancy scare but she and Adam had discussed having children at one point. That would never happen now. Ryan tried to speak again but she had lost her momentum. Her dad thinking she was pregnant had thrown her.

Adam lifted the back of her jersey and pulled the folders from her jeans. “This is why she needs to talk to you.” He said slapping them onto the table.

David froze his blue eyes wide. Ryan covered her face not wanting to see more of his reaction. She felt Adam looking at her waiting for her to speak but she couldn’t do it.

“Ryan found this yesterday and she called me this morning. I know it’s not right for me to know but she does deserve to know about all of this.”

David cleared his throat and touched the folders with one finger and then pulled back like he had been burned. “Adam I need to speak to Ryan alone please.”

Ryan gripped Adam’s arm. “No, stay.” Her fingernails cutting into his skin.

“Adam, go please.”

Adam pried Ryan’s fingers from her arm and squeezed her shoulder. “You gotta do this on your own Ace.” He stood up, “I’ll be in your room.”

Ryan waited until she heard her bedroom door shut before she looked up at her dad. David sighed heavily and sifted through the folders. “So you read them all?” Ryan nodded and blinked back tears. She was do angry. Angry at her dad for lying. Angry at her mother for paying off her dad to keep her. Angry at Adam for leaving her alone to deal with this. Most of all she was angry at herself because she deserved the last one. “Ryan, I’m sorry.” I wanted to tell you but the contract-”

“Just start at the beginning.”

David nodded, “Alright. I was at a book signing on tour. I was still new to the whole rich people thing and I spent most of the evening drinking and trying to impress people with big words. One woman, Anna, was really sweet and patient with me. She didn’t talk down to me or insult my clothing choice. We talked and had too many drinks. One thing led to another and-” He paused and cleared his throat. “I thought nothing of it to be honest. I really liked her but I knew our worlds were too different. I never saw her again and I didn’t expect too.”

Ryan squirmed, she didn’t like thinking of her dad this way. He wasn’t a long term relationship kind of guy but she always avoided thinking of him as a playboy. The type of guy she personally despised.

“It was about ten months later this rich man appears at my door. He was in fancy suit, fancy car and holding a baby in a car seat. You. I let him in and he told me that the woman I had...been with was his wife, Anna. They had a whole family and as much as she wanted to keep you it was too hard for them what with you not being his and all.”

Ryan sighed barely keeping herself together. She wanted to know what had happened but hearing it was horrible.

“So, Ray, her husband had written up a contract to keep the situation under wraps. I could keep you but I wasn’t allowed to contact Anna or tell you about her. I suppose you saw the bank statements?” Ryan nodded, she couldn’t look at him, she kept her eyes locked on her coffee cup.

“That money is yours Ryan. Anna gave you that money to make sure I could take care of you. I only used it a few times and only for you. I bought the car, your college tuition, your allowance, and your laptop. I promise that the rest of it is all there and growing thanks to Ray.” David paused, “I don’t think they were bad people Ryan but people with money are different.”

Ryan coughed, “I guess I’m one of those people now.”

David shook his head, “You’re whomever you want to be. Save it. Spend it. Give it. Whatever you want.”

“So did you want me?” Ryan asked in a small voice. She was terrified to ask this question she had never doubted until yesterday afternoon that her dad had wanted her.

David reached across the table for her but she couldn’t let him touch her until he answered. “I have always wanted you. The second our eyes met I knew you were mine. I didn’t need a paternity test to tell me that. You are mine and that’s all that matters. I love you.”

Ryan swallowed hard and finally took his hand. “Do I, do I look like her?”

David lowered his eyes, “I’m not sure doll.”

Ryan nodded and sighed heavily, she was out of tears but her body felt like dead weight. “Why the money? I get that she wanted me to be taken care of but... Hush money. It makes me sick.” She choked out the last part and balled up the hem of her jersey to her eyes.

David got up and moved to sit beside her. He didn’t say anything just held her until she stopped crying. “So, let’s do something fun. You wanna buy an island?”

Ryan laughed and wiped her nose on his shirt. “Yeah maybe.” She had been so shocked by this whole situation she had forgotten that the money was truly hers to use. What would she do with 45 million dollars? “So do you think it’s bad that Adam and I both know about this?”

David shrugged, “Honestly how will they know? I’m not even sure if they live around here.”

“Really, so you don’t even know where she is?” Ryan gasped, “Oh my god. I have like, siblings... You said she had a family?”

David sat back, “Hold on doll, we don’t know anything and we can’t know anything. That’s part of the deal.”

“Well I didn’t sign anything. Who’s to say I can’t go searching myself?” She stood up and headed to her room.

“Ryan, wait.” David pulled her back. “Are you sure you want to go looking for her? Now?”

Ryan hesitated, did she want to know this woman. Anna was her mother at least she had given birth to her but she hadn’t raised her she hadn’t even given her a real name. Did she want to know someone who gave her away? “I’m not sure.” She sighed, she was drained. All she wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep for days. Sleep and do lots of thinking. “I guess I’ll think about it.” She said quietly. David looked like he wanted to object further but said nothing. She headed back to her room to find Adam lying on her bed eyes closed. She crawled over him to lie on his other side and laid her head on his shoulder. She had missed being close to him like this.

“So?” He asked.

She sighed, “I dunno, I think I’m gonna buy a small country.”

Adam snickered, “No, I know what you want.” He sat up and grabbed his shoes. “C’mon, we’re going to the bookstore.”