Olivia studied herself in the floor length mirror again, turning one way and then the other. The black sundress she had packed for the trip was bolder in its cut than she usually wore, the neckline diving a bit lower than she normally allowed. And she hadn’t noticed how high the slits on the side went until she put it on. She was about to pull it off and change into something more her style when she looked at the necklace she had bought in the artists’ market and told herself to live a little. The necklace looked great against the simple black dress, the found objects standing out in contrast against the background like a real conversation piece. She’d let her hair air dry and the ocean salt had created loose waves in her normally stringy red hair. Looking in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. Good. She was on vacation in a place where only a handful of people knew her. She could be whoever she wanted to be.
Grabbing a small black clutch she had picked up at the hotel store for more money than she had stashed inside, she gave her reflection one more glance before pushing through the door and into the humid hallway. And then nearly collided with someone.
“Sorry! I didn’t—Micah? Are you staying on this floor too?”
“Just across the hall, yeah.” He grinned. “Wow, you look awesome.”
She couldn’t stop the blush that instantly blossomed on her cheeks, but was too relieved to care. Micah always knew how to build her confidence. “Really? You don’t know how many times I almost changed outfits.”
He seemed startled by that. “Why?”
“Well, it’s a little adventurous for me, don’t you think?” She bared one of her knees through the slit in the dress and then quickly hid it again.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you in almost a year. How am I to know that you don’t dress like this all the time now?”
“That’s true.” She laughed. “Don’t tell the others.”
“Never. Of course, now I feel underdressed.” He looked down at his linen button-down and khaki cargo shorts. “I hope this place isn’t too fancy.”
“We’re walking to it barefoot on the beach, so I think you’ll be fine.”
The tropical night was filled with the sound of insects and crash of the waves. Lit by electric lanterns, the stone path was bright enough that it was difficult to see the ocean or anything further than a few feet away in the darkness, but once they reached the beach their eyes adjusted to the darkness and everything was lit by a soft blue glow. Olivia felt like she was floating when she pulled off her sandals and stepped onto the cool sand, the sensation soothing against her bare feet.
Sloane and Zoe were waiting for them on the beach. Zoe was dressed in a white gauzy dress with an empire waist that barely covered the tops of her thighs. Suddenly Olivia’s ankle-length dress seemed prudish in comparison. Sloane was wearing a dress shirt and slacks, but he had always preferred to dress up. He was the type to wear an oxford shirt while mowing the lawn.
“Pretty dress!” Zoe gushed at Olivia, and while the compliment seemed authentic, she always felt like Zoe was condescending in her praise. “And what an interesting necklace.”
“Yeah,” Sloane agreed. “What kind of stones are those?”
Olivia stiffened, trying to decide how best to describe the jewelry. Neither Sloane or Olivia had much interest in art, so she doubted they would find the history of the found objects to be as meaningful. “I bought it from a local artist,” she said cautiously, trying to find her way to a compelling explanation of the necklace’s origin, but before she could get there, Sloane nodded dismissively.
“Ah, the locals are always selling stuff like that. Sea glass and whatnot. Didn’t you get some coral necklaces for you nieces last time you were here, Chlo?”
Zoe nodded exuberantly. “Yeah, they loved them. Most tourist stuff is so tacky, but these looked really nice.”
“The thought of wearing something that’s been transformed by its time in the sea is kind of beautiful,” Olivia said, trying to express what the necklace meant to her since they seemed to think she’d bought it simply as a souvenir. “Like being a part of something bigger than yourself, being connected to the rawness of nature.”
Smile still affixed to her perfectly made up face, Zoe nodded sagely. “You’ve always been such a sensitive soul, Olivia. You and Jade both. Artists, right?” Laughing, she threw her hands in the air and glanced at the other two. Sloane nodded stoically while Micah cleared his throat uncomfortably, a fist pressed against his lips to cover his expression. “Speaking of which, where is Jade anyway? Trust her to be fashionably late to everything. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving.”
“How’s the business going, Sloane?” Micah asked, sensing the conversation stalling. He was good at knowing when to change topic and how to lighten the mood. He seemed to have a sixth sense for judging other people’s moods, and while he was often quiet during conversation, he was always the first one to save it when it started to falter.
“Business is booming,” Sloane replied in relief. “We just signed a contract with a major manufacturer to increase production again. The Motiv8 is going to be one of the hottest gifts of the holiday season.” He tapped the device on his wrist, a flat black box that blinked occasionally with a pale blue light around the edge. “You bought one yet?” He squinted at the watch on Micah’s wrist.
“Not yet,” Micah said uncomfortable, fiddling with the band on his wrist. “This is just a dumb watch. No step tracking or notifications, I’m afraid.”
“How do you get by with that working in the tech industry, my friend?”
“You know me. I always like to be a bit of a rebel. Everyone at the company has at least two or three pieces of gear tracking their every movement. Apple and Google know what they had for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they can ask for a refresher if they forget what they ate. But I’m fine not remembering—and not having anyone else remember either.”
“But the Motiv8 is about more than fitness tracking,” Sloane protested, and his demeanor shifted. He went into another mode, like an actor playing a part. “It’s a three hundred and sixty degree motivational device. You want to break a bad habit—or start a good one? The Motiv8 will track your behavior and give you nudges in the right direction every time you get off track.”
Ethan’s laughter announced his presence as he and Jade joined them on the beach. “I hear you quoting your own ad copy, Key. If you start trying to wedge the tagline into general conversation I may have to quit as your chief marketing officer.”
“No way, man. I can’t lose you. I couldn’t even afford you if you weren’t my friend.” He slapped Ethan on the shoulder in a decisively male bonding way.
“That’s true enough.”
Olivia bit her lip and tried not to laugh. Ethan’s arrogance should have been offensive, but he somehow managed to never be more full of himself than he could defend. He was extremely talented and he he did have incredible marketing and design instincts. He wasn’t boasting about things he couldn’t prove. He simply knew how good he was and stated it like an unassailable fact.
“So I hear the restaurant isn’t far away?” Jade asked, shifting uncomfortably in her slinky copper dress. The outfit wasn’t a perfect fit, but she had to go with what was available in the tiny hotel shop. “I’m going to need some wine on hand if we’re going to start talking about marketing plans.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I agree,” Zoe said brightly. “This way, everyone.”
///
Micah didn’t bother taking off his sandals for the short walk to the restaurant. He figured he’d end up with sand in his shoes either way, but he really didn’t want to step on any sand critters in the dark. The restaurant was right next to the beach and brightly lit by lanterns hung between the palm trees. Voices and music floated out over the beach as they approached, followed closely by the enticing smells of rich food. He was worried that this dinner was going to be expensive, but he tried not to think about the price. He was on vacation, and traveling with friends who liked to spend money meant he couldn’t worry too much without ruining the mood for everyone else.
They took a seat out on the patio with a view of the ocean and very quickly they were all drinking and eating and enjoying the fresh air so much that the veneer of politeness began to wash away like the waves on the shore. Micah was an introvert, so party conversation had never been his strength. He preferred being the one making witty commentary about other people’s statements rather than offering original thoughts of his own. But he was also the type who liked to keep things light and avoid danger zones. Unfortunately, as the wine flowed and the superficial topic wore thin, the conversation began aiming straight for the dangerous.
“It tracks all of your vitals, of course,” Sloane explained holding up his watch as if showing off a fine piece of jewelry, “but that’s just the metrics it uses to do its real work. You see, the Motiv8 isn’t just about collecting data. It’s about moving your life forward and meeting your goals. The data is used to help you plan and improve. None of the other fitness bands out there can do that.” He slapped his hand on the table with finality and then sat back in his chair as if resting his case, taking a long drink from his wine glass.
“That’s why it costs twice as much as all the other fitness devices too,” Jade said with a coy expression. “It’s a good thing you had a wealthy investor to provide all the capital you needed to get started.”
Jade and Sloane had always had a bit of rivalry in their sibling relationship, so it was no surprise that she was jealous of her brother’s success.
“Sloane worked hard to raise that money,” Zoe said with a tight expression.
“Oh, I’m sure he had to work very hard for it,” Jade agreed with a cackling laugh, adding under her breath, “between the sheets.”
“What did you say?” Sloane demanded.
“Jade,” Olivia warned.
“Sloane and I started dating long before he started his business,” Zoe said sharply. “And I would have talked my father into investing in it even if we hadn’t been dating at the time. Because it’s a good business opportunity, and my father knew it. He wouldn’t have agreed otherwise.”
“So, any nightmare client stories from Paper and Pixel, Ethan?” Micah asked, forcibly changing the topic before things got any uglier.
“Or maybe Sloane’s your nightmare client?” Jade asked with an arched brow.
“Seriously, Jade, what is wrong with you?” Ethan muttered under his breath.
“Time for another bottle of wine, I think.” Micah waved at the waitress.
“I know I could use some more,” Zoe agreed, forcing a smile.
But Jade had finally gotten a reaction from her brother. “How did that last exhibition of yours go, Jade? I think I saw an article about it. How did they describe your installation? Spiky and Green? What social issues were you trying to create awareness about with that?”
“Deforestation, actually,” Jade replied, pursing her lips.
Micah gestured to the waiter to hurry up at opening the bottle of wine.
“Raise a lot of money for the cause?” Sloane asked.
“The goal wasn’t to raise money. It’s to change people’s minds. To make them think.”
Plucking Jade’s glass out of her hand, Micah gave it to the waiter to fill as soon as the bottle was finally open. “She’s our expert taster,” he said quietly, pushing it back into Jade’s hand so quickly that it nearly sloshed over the side.
“My products make people think too, Jade. They inspire them to improve themselves.”
“Right,” she scoffed. “Like we need more navel-gazing self-involved rich people on a path to enlightenment.”
“Jade,” Micah said sharply. “He’s waiting for you to taste the wine so he can serve the rest of us. Take a big drink.” She threw it back in one gulp and handed it back to the waiter. “There you go. Fill her up.”
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Olivia asked, feeling obliged to help Micah defuse the tension.
“Plans? We’re on vacation. Isn’t the point to make it up as you go along?” Jade asked in a lofty tone.
“Would you stop ruining the evening?” Ethan asked her under his breath.
Zoe focused on Olivia, clearly trying to tune Jade out. “Nothing much planned, but I did book a sunset sail for us tomorrow night.”
“Is that the one with the free-flowing rum punch?” Micah asked, keeping an eye on Jade as he spoke.
“Yes. I could hardly walk down the pier after we got back the last time,” Zoe said, actually cracking a smile.
“Are you planning on going scuba diving, Sloane?” Micah asked.
“Yeah, probably not tomorrow, but I want to go out a few times. This time of year there are a lot of sharks around.”
“Sharks!” Olivia exclaimed.
“Yeah, I even saw them snorkling once,” Zoe agreed.
“No thanks. I think I’ll stay in the pool,” Olivia said, hugging her arms to herself.
“You are all so boring!” Jade exclaimed suddenly, polishing off another glass of wine. “Don’t any of you have a sense of adventure?”
“We were just talking about scuba diving...” Zoe protested.
“That’s so pedestrian. Everybody comes to the Caribbean to snorkel and shit.” As much as Micah found Jade’s mannerisms to be annoying most of the time, he was always impressed by how her vocabulary actually improved when she got drunk.
“Scuba diving with sharks!”
“Right. So scary. There are sharks everywhere here. No big deal.”
Ethan plucked her glass off the table and put it out of reach before she could try to refill it. “I’m cutting you off.”
Glaring at him, Jade continued, “What we really need to do is something bizarre and memorable. Something that no one else would think to do.”
“Do we really need to do that?” Olivia asked. “As if we’re going to come up with something that no one else has done before…”
“I could come up with something,” Jade insisted, trying to point at Olivia but her finger kept drifting off to the side.
The waitress chose that moment to check in on them. “Everyone still doing okay here? Can I get you anything?”
“The check would be fine,” Zoe replied sweetly.
“A recommendation!” Jade said like a revelation. “We want to do something fun on the island—the kind of thing other tourists would be scared to try like eating live jellyfish or something.”
The waitress smiled faintly in amusement at Jade’s state.
“Don’t mind her,” Zoe said quickly, but before she could finish, the waitress spoke up.
“There is something you might try. It’s not an island tradition or anything, but I’ve heard it is a lot of fun.” The waitress tapped a finger against her lips. “Have you ever been to an escape room?”
Micah laughed. “An escape room? You’re kidding.”
“Lame!” Jade agreed, slamming a fist on the table and making all the silverware bounce.
“Actually, I quite like escape rooms,” Micah argued.
“But it isn’t your normal escape room,” the woman continued. “They have this ‘full immersion’ package I think it’s called. I don’t know if it’s strictly legal, but I guess the experience is really intense. My cousin tried it with a group of friends and she said that it changed their lives.”
“That’s high praise.”
“I’m not going to an escape room,” Zoe said firmly.
“Fine. Then you’re going to miss out on the most amazing experience of the trip.”
“What does full immersion mean?” Micah asked, honestly intrigued.
“I don’t know exactly, but it’s like they give you something that temporarily blocks some of your memories, I guess. So while you’re in the room, you can’t remember how you got there.”
