Brandon Enns - Islanders

“Stefan,” Trevor said with authority. “Erin’s freaked right out and I want some answers. Just give me something so I can assure her she’s safe and that it’s all going as planned.”

“You’re aware of the rules.”

“Who put the note under our door?”

“I can say with absolute honesty that I do not know who.”

“Quit screwing around!”

After an awkward pause, Stefan asked, “Do you want to use your final question?”

“How about I knock you out and throw you in the ocean?”

“Easy, cousin. Just relax. You tell Erin that she’s safe and not to worry. Just enjoy the ride.”

“Well, you screwed up because there was no note left with that stupid trident.”

“Stupid trident? Do you know how old it is?”

“I’m sure it cost your dad a pretty penny, Stefan. We’re all wildly impressed.”

He smirked in that arrogantly proud way that Trevor disdained. “Maybe I didn’t pay anything for it.”

“Whatever. No stupid clue, no search. We’re not leaving the beach today. You go tend to your little treasure hunt. Get it all organized. You’re right, waves are nice. Where are the boards?”

Stefan’s eyes were showing a glimmer of what he had seen in the interrogation room. A casual smile formed. “I’ll bring you some boards.” He turned to leave.

“Hold up.” He stopped. “You have workers on this island? Who’s Cassidy?”

Stefan tucked his hands in his pockets. “Is that your last question?”

“Stefan,” Trevor said with reason in his voice.

“Yeah, we have some workers. Gotta stay on top of everything out here.”

“What exactly do they do?”

“It varies. Landscaping, fishing, maintenance. Whatever needs working on.”

“They stay with you? In the basement there?”

“They boat in from the mainland.”

“I see.”

“I’m sorry Erin’s upset. Just tell her everything will get better. But are you okay?”

“Peachy. Just need to get in the water.”

“You know… One romantic gesture in this place goes a long way. Let me know if I can help you with that.”

“Okay. Hey, I haven’t noticed your boat around. How have they been going back and forth?” Stefan asked.

“Jeez. Should I have my lawyer present for this? Or is that you? My guy is lousy. I’d go back to you, you know.”

“It’s just been a strange trip.”

“That’ll happen when you’re the only sober one on an island in the middle of nowhere.” Stefan sighed. “They boat in from the other side of the island. Arnie runs transit. You need to relax. If you can’t relax on vacation, how can you relax at work?”

“I don’t have the luxury of relaxing at work.”

“You should consider it. A free mind can improve efficiencies.”

“I’ll try.”

“Just… Promise me you’ll bring down the concern a couple notches and up the level of enjoyment. Let it go. You’re only in control of what you’re in control of. It’ll all fall into place.”

“No promises. I’ll try though.”

“I’m not one for the word try. You’re in the townhouse tonight. Ashton and Skye got the love shack. I’m gonna go improve my treasure hunt.” He turned and walked toward the center of the island, leaving them on the beach.

When Trevor walked back, Erin was already back on her feet, rushing up to him. “What did he say?”

He wanted to talk about his strange experience on the dock that night, his uneasiness about his dad back home, the old man digging and following Cassidy, but he refrained.

Stefan had expressed from the start that this was a game. It was all connected. One big show. If Erin got any more upset, they’d just leave. “He said that you have absolutely nothing to worry about and he apologizes for scaring you.”

“And you believe that?”

“I think so. If anything happens, we’ll leave. But I don’t even know if he’s continuing with this shit. I think I got my point across. On the bright side, we are clue-less and have the beach and the water to ourselves. I need a beer. You need a beer?”

“Okay.” She still looked uneasy.

“I’ll bring a cooler over; Stefan’s bringing some body boards.” He gave her a peck on the lips.

Skye was dancing to a song on the portable speaker, moving her hips in circles seductively while Ashton enjoyed the show from his towel. She shouted out to Trevor, “We good?”

He gave her the thumbs up and headed back to stock up on crackers and Coronas. He’d slice up some lime too.

All of the questions racking his brain were beginning to subside as he approached their side of the duplex.

He cracked open the fridge and filled up his cooler with a couple of Gatorades and the rest with Coronas. In the middle of slicing a lime, his eyes wandered around the inside of the unit, stopping on the table. His pulse quickened, and a wisp of air escaped his mouth as he was startled by not a person, but a sheet of paper sitting on the kitchen table.

It was another ancient scroll-like material of paper with handwritten italics. The corner of the page curled around his finger. Building a future from scratch was no simple feat. What was used as a tool to build, protect, and sustain, became a weapon of heinous barbarity. In the place that doesn’t exist, where water runs deep, retrieve the final armament.

I thought this was supposed to be like a whodunit game of detection, not fetch old relics? Clearly Stefan had sneaked inside to place it there.

He tucked the limes in the ziplock bag and tossed them in the cooler along with the beer and crackers.

After a day of snorkeling, drinking games, and suntanning, everyone huddled around the fire on the beach. The fire wasn’t really necessary, but it made for an improved setting.

Stefan hadn’t joined them all day. He stuck with the twelve to twelve template of his inane game and was probably boarded up inside his luxurious house scheming something that he would deem clever. It was obvious what he was trying to do. Be special, different, and original; separate himself from his father’s money while still using it to craft his plans. A lot of twenty-somethings were trying to go against the grain, viewing traditional careers as the enemy, as imprisonment, unhappiness, all that. It was really all an excuse to be lazy.

Stefan was not as Trevor remembered when they were kids. Sneaking beer onto their fathers’ gold member’s golf course, going to high school parties when they were fourteen, the older women that soon followed… Trevor was still hoping for Stefan to drop the act and join them like the good old days, but he was also hoping for the whole thing to fall apart. Perhaps after Stefan’s pompous project failed, they could do some carefree deep sea fishing. Trevor hadn’t seen the big boat since it dropped them off and was worried he wouldn’t see it again until they had completed their so-called “tasks” or “mission” or “game,” whatever the hell it was.

Trevor rose, leaving Erin’s warm grasp. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“Take a leak.”

Trevor inhaled the scent of palm trees as he made his way toward the center. As he took a piss, he could see the bunker up ahead.

He approached Stefan’s place to invite him to the fire. Plus, they could use another bottle of his good scotch. All of the lights were out. Standing at the door, he heard footsteps inside. Then there was movement outside, leaves scuttling, heavy footsteps breaking through the soft sand. He noticed someone walking up ahead toward the west tree line, past the bunker.

A feeling of enticement lured him in. Was it the same feeling he had on the dock the other night? He couldn’t ignore it, so he pursued. He wasn’t certain it was Stefan, but it definitely wasn’t the old guy based on the lumbering hitch he had in his walk. It was either Stefan or another one of his workers that he hadn’t met yet.