Name: Johanna Nolan
Age: 24
Romantic Interest: Thiago
Round status: R1 complete, R2 complete, R3 complete
Johanna will be joining the infiltration mission

After the bonfire, I went back to enjoying the beach. It is just so beautiful here, however, I am feeling a bit lonely now since it’s been so long since I’ve seen someone from home. Every time I see Ty he looks as if he wants to tell me something but then just walks away which I find weird. Three days after the bonfire I heard a knock on my door. It was Ty. This is the first time he came to find me himself. When I opened the door he took a few seconds to get a word out. “Will you join me for dinner tonight?” He asked me. I guess he likes my company as much I like his. I smiled and accepted so we agreed to meet at a restaurant on the beachside.

Restaurant
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When I had almost arrived at the restaurant I was pretty nervous. I felt like I couldn’t breathe properly, my heart was beating too fast, and I suddenly didn’t like my outfit. ‘You’re over thinking this’ I told myself. ‘It’s obviously not a date.’ I took a deep breath and went into the restaurant. Ty was already sitting at a table, fidgeting with his hands. I smiled at him and apologised for being late. I kept telling myself to relax as I sat down. I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked tonight. During dinner, we talked about how our vacation is going so far, I asked him a lot about his background just ‘cause he seems a bit mysterious and I’m curious about him. Since he’s not good at asking questions, I talked about myself for a bit because I want him to know me too. I was panicking for nothing. This actually turned out to be fun. Even though he doesn’t talk as much as I would like him too, something about him just keeps dragging me in. “Do you want to go for a walk?” I asked him and he accepted. We walked along the beach. I really wanted to hold his hand but I held back. We stopped walking as the sun was going down. I felt his eyes on me but I didn’t look at him because I was afraid that my heart would jump out of my chest. “This is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.” I told him. “Yeah, it would make for a good painting.” He said and I let out a little laugh at that. I was glad that I came here with him. “There you guys are!” A guy suddenly came running to us. I believe his name is Peter. “What’s wrong?” “Some people went missing and we’re trying to find them. Something’s not right here. We are meeting at Charity’s room later tonight. She’s on floor one. Be sure to be there if you want to find out what’s going on.” He warned us and ran away. We met up as planned, later that night.

Meeting
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During the meeting, some guy explained what they thought was going on and what they’re going to do about it. It all came shocking to me. I mean, a free vacation? Of course there was something behind it. And we were all stupid not to notice. All I want to do now is go home but I don’t want to leave before we find the missing people and now that things are getting good between me and Ty, I don’t want to just leave and forget about him. I have to help out. “I will join the infiltration mission.” I spoke up. “Me too” said Ty. We can do this.

Mission
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The next day we disguised ourselves as researchers and got ready to enter the building. After looking for an entrance into the building, we managed to enter the testing room. We were careful not to drag attention to ourselves. There we saw files with loads of information.  From our own personal information to scientific tests. These people are crazy. If I manage to make it out of here alive and well, this is going to make for a good story. Xander took pictures of the files. Everything went smoothly since we also found the missing people. We didn’t manage to set them free however since we heard footsteps and had to leave. This was the craziest day of my life so far, and I had tons of crazy ones.

Done 

Last edited by BearHugs6 (17/09/2017 at 14:00)

Name: Raven Morris

Age: 23

Round Status: R1 complete, R2 complete, R3 complete

Romantic interests: Andrea and Xander

Group: Distraction

Skinny Dipping with Andrea

As I headed back to my room the night of the bonfire I heard a woman calling my name as I walked alone on the beach. Curious I turned around and saw Andrea walking towards me. I couldn't help but grin at the sight of her and wondered why she had seemingly followed me out.

"Headed to bed so soon?" She asked.

"Not if you have a better idea." I responded.

"I think I might." She grinned as she began to kick off her shoes. "Let's go skinny dipping."

Truthfully, it's not how I pictured seeing her naked for the first time...but it also wouldn't be the first time I'd gone for a swim without a suit. I didn't hesitate to strip off my clothes and following my lead Andrea continued to strip as well. Despite the fact that we were in what as technically a public place neither of us rushed toward the surf.

Once in the water I asked Andrea if she wanted to play a game, the look on her face was skeptical but I assured her it'd be fun and she reluctantly agreed. I thought back to the first day of my most recent sociology seminar (and the reason I was here) and explained the rules of the game two truths and a lie.

THE RULES OF THE GAME

Search Results
Instruct each player to think of three statements about themselves. Two must be true statements, and one must be false. For each person, he or she shares the three statements (in any order) to the group. The goal of the icebreaker game is to determine which statement is false.

Andrea smirked when I was finished and I asked her if that meant she wanted to go first.

"Sure," she said continuing to smirk, "One: I didn't actually think you'd do this, go skinny dipping I mean. Two: I'm glad we're doing this. And three, I think I want to kiss you right now."

"Too easy," I laughed. "If it helps though I know I want to kiss you right now.

It was no surprise when a few seconds later her lips met mine...

***

About twenty minutes and many more kisses later we swam back to the beach to find our clothes neatly folded and separated with clean towels next to them.

"I guess this place really is full service." I joked, but I couldn't shake the feeling that rather than being some sort of courtesy that the towels on the beach signaled a violation of privacy. I mean while I had chosen to skinny dip in public I'd also only chosen to share it with one person. I couldn't shake that thought as I wrapped myself in the towel and while Andrea tried to make conversation on the way back to our rooms I was too lost in my own thoughts..



Dinner with Xander

Just as I was about to step in the shower the next morning there was a knock on my door. I threw on a robe and went to open it, hoping it wasn't an invitation to another mandatory event. I was pleasantly surprised when instead of one of the members of the resort staff, I saw Xander standing there.

"Did I wake you?" He asked.

"No, I was just about to get in the shower...too bad you've already taken one or I'd invite you to join me."

"That's actually what I'm here about."

"Really?" I asked shocked but not in the least bit off put. "You came so I'd ask you to join me in the shower?"

"Actually, I came to see about your invitation from last night. Dinner." He said, a small smile on his lips.

"It's a little early for dinner." I joked, "At least in this time zone."

"Dinner, tonight." He clarified, the smile still on his lips.

"Okay, meet me here around 8. I promise to be dressed by then and I think you'll like whatever I plan."

It may have been just me, but he seemed to grimace at the word plan.

***

At exactly 8pm there was another knock at my door, when I opened it, there was Xander, camera slung over his shoulder like an extra arm. He seemed confused as I beckoned him into my room instead of meeting him in the hallway, and that look of confusion only increased when he saw the picnic spread laid out on my bed.

"I know it's not traditional but..." I started.

"It's...it's different." He started. "Do you mind?" He asked as he reached for his camera.

"Not at all." I said, amazed at how much more at ease he was behind the lens as I watched him take a few shots.

As we sat eating I noticed the way he directed the conversation back towards me, asking typical things like where I was from (a postage stamp size town with 4 stoplights and triple the number of bars), if I had any siblings (an older sister I never saw after she dropped out of high school when I was in the 5th grade), and my favorite color (yellow), as well as some more probing questions like why I planned an indoor picnic (it was something my mom used to do, she said it was whimsical and by extension made conversation easier). I asked him again where he learned to shoot, and this time got a more straightforward answer, it was something he was forced into in high school (photography club was the only after school activity that wasn't full his freshman year by the time he got around to signing up for extracurriculars) and by the end of the year he realized he actually liked it. I could tell that even that story was difficult for him to share, but I still wanted to get to know him.

"May I?" I asked reaching for his camera.

"Please be careful." he said as he handed it to me.

Carefully I took the camera and looked it over. It was more high end than the version my ex had, but I knew the basics. I reached over onto the night stand and made a note of his settings, before I changed them to the ones I wanted and I watched him visibly cringe as a I did so.

"Relax." I said with a smile. "This isn't my first time and I promise to put the settings back, I just want to try something. Keep talking, you can ask me anything."

He asked a few more questions and as I answered I could sense him relax. It was then that I began taking photographs, images with longer exposures that would overlap each other making him seem as if he were in motion, along with a few zoomed images: his eyes, his hands, his lips. Once I was finished I carefully reset his camera to its settings and handed it back to him. He went to scroll through the images but I asked him to wait until he got back to his own room.

"Is the date over?" He asked.

"I never said you had to leave now." I smiled, before leaning over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

It was morning before Xander actually left. Nothing happened beyond a little kissing and a lot of innuendo (99.9% of it was stuff that I said), along with me saying more than I planned to about my past. There were several times throughout the evening that I was sure he was going to leave because how much could one person actually want to listen to about someone else. I even managed to get him to tell me a few more things about himself, nothing deeply personal e.g. in the first grade he sat next to a kid who'd save his boogers to eat later (in response to me telling him about a girl I as friends with in kindergarten who ate her chapstick), but I considered it progress.

"Let me know what you think of the pics when you see them." I told him as he was leaving.

Xander was halfway down the hall and I was just about to shut my door before I noticed Andrea walking toward me. She stopped and whispered something to Xander first before calling out my name and getting my attention.

"You have a sec?" She asked.

"Sure come in."

I'd barely closed the door before she started to tell me about the people who'd gone missing and the meeting that evening.

"Do you have to go now?" I asked as she got up to leave. "I mean you basically just told me that we're in some horror movie, maybe."

"I can stay."

***

Neither of us said it, but neither of us had to, we both planned to stay in my room until the meeting...



The Meeting

Truth: My first thought as I sat in the meeting was whether or not something like this needed to go into my sociology paper. On the one hand it could prove to clearly present things like group think or conflict theory. On the other hand though there were people missing and all signs pointed to it being a part of some major conspiracy...I couldn't even enjoy the fact that I ended up between Xander and Andrea, a place I'd thought about plenty in my morning showers...and my evening ones.

Wasn't this the plot to Cabin in the Woods? I wondered, Get a bunch of attractive people together, throw in some sexual tension and then BOOM! Spooky evil?

I listened as everyone talked around me, most of the voices more panicked than their faces let on and it was clear at least a couple had hit the bar my mind drifting back to the first day when I was convinced we were all on a prank show. I found myself longing for that fictional sound stage in Cleveland where the scariest thing may have been a few interns who were too perky. I also thought about the fact that the tournament had been mandatory, like what kind of vacation forces stuff like that, and most recently to the towels waiting for Andrea and I back on the beach...My thoughts were interrupted by Andrea.

"Raven, you up to being a distraction?" She asked. It's a question that normally would have been punctuated by her half smile, but obviously it was different.

I didn't hesitate before I agreed, even offering my room as a place for anyone who needed to get ready and was uncomfortable being alone. I had a feeling none of us were going to be alone if we had a choice...



The Distraction

"What are you doing?" One of the other girls asked as I took a bottle from the mini bar in my room where we'd gathered and poured a small amount of whiskey on my finger before smearing it on my lips.

"We have to seem drunk, not actually be drunk." I said before I took a healthy chug of the small bottle and swished the alcohol around in my mouth before spitting it out in the bathroom sink.

I ignored her weird look and grabbed a pair of heels without putting them on.

"We don't have all night." Another girl complained when it became obvious I was still barefoot.

"I'm not holding anything up."

"You don't have shoes on." She seethed.

"Neither do most drunk college girls after a few too many, it's hard enough to walk in these sober."

Satisfied with that answer we finished getting ready and left the room. To anyone watching we'd seem like a group of girls who'd been pre-gaming before a party.

***

It was far too easy to convince the guards that we wanted to party (and super disgusting that they saw nothing wrong with the fact that we all seemed drunk). Luckily, the only person I ended up kissing that night was Andrea, something which seemed to appease the guard who chose to watch...



The plan managed to work but the question is "Now what?"...

Last edited by Dare (17/09/2017 at 09:25)

Name: Cressida Prince
Age: 30
FC:
Natalie Dormer

Interests: Leo, Marco & Zack

Status: R1 R2 DONE; R3 in Progress

Joining: infiltration mission

Morning Talk (Marco)

Cressida enjoys the feeling of the morning breeze on her face as she sits on the empty beach just looking at the ocean in front of her. It is a bit after 8am and while this is her usual time to wake up she has tried to sleep longer during the vacation but today is hasn’t worked. Maybe it is because she want to bed early yesterday after not staying at the bonfire due her throbbing headache. The blonde woman has tried to fall asleep again but in the end she has given up changed into some sport clothes and then she went for a morning jog… and now she is sitting here. She closes her eyes leaning back into the sand just enjoying the moment. Cressida is lost in her thoughts not hearing the footsteps coming closer so it isn’t much of a surprise that she startles when she feels a hand touching her. Without thinking she reaches out hitting the person - in what she assumes - in the face making him or her cry out.
“Cressida!” she finally opens her eyes recognizing no one else than Marco kneeling next to her holding his nose.
“Oh my god… I’m so sorry.” she exclaims sitting up and leaning over to him, “Does it hurt a lot?” carefully she moves his hand away and luckily she can’t see any blood and his nose is only slightly red.
“It is okay. Your punch wasn’t that hard.” he replies lips curled into a grin as he looks at her.
“Very funny…” the blonde woman replies arms crossed in front of her chest, “It is your own fault for sneaking up on me like that.”
“I wasn’t sneaking up on you. I called your name like 10 times… you are the one who hasn’t reacted at all.” Marco tells her, “You got me worried.”
“Oh sorry. I guess I was too lost in my thoughts to notice you.” Cressida says looking at him with an apologizing gaze, “But there is nothing to worry about, Marco.” she adds placing a hand on his shoulder, “I appreciate it though.”
“Just don’t do it again.” he says and she gets the feeling that he means every word of it, “What are you doing here anyway? It is pretty early.”
“I know but I couldn’t fall asleep anymore so I went for a morning jog and somehow I ended up here. What about you?” Cressida shrugs. “Couldn’t sleep as well?”
“I usually go jogging in the morning… it is relaxing, quiet and perfect for clearing my head.” Marco explains with a smile on his lips, “But today must be your first time because I haven’t seen you this early before.” he adds teasingly.
“I’m on vacation so I do try to sleep a little longer and how could I not with these comfortable beds.” the blonde woman chuckles, “Today is different though maybe because I went to bed earlier than usual. But yes it is my first time morning jogging in the Caribbean though back in London I try to go at least 3 or 4 times a week.”
“But the bonfire was yesterday?” he asks looking at her confused, “Though if I think back now I don’t recall seeing you anywhere.”
“Oh that… I wasn’t feeling well due a horrible throbbing headache which is why I left after half an hour.” Cressida explains leaning back on her hands, “Usually I wouldn’t say no to a nice evening with good music and good company. Did I miss anything particular?”
“Not that I noticed.” Marco replies slightly shaking with his head, “But I don’t doubt that there are going to be other parties where you can spend more time with me since I’m definitely the best company.” he adds lips curled into a smirk. “And don’t even try to deny it. I know that you enjoyed herself a lot during our little tour.”
“Well it isn’t everyday that I get a private tour.” Cressida agrees, Especially with a tour guide who is that nice and not to forget good-looking she thinks to herself. “But tell me Marco you travel a lot but have you ever been to London before?”
“Once I think 4 or 5 years ago. The weather wasn’t the best though I guess I had to expect the rain but I still enjoyed it. I even did the whole tourist program including a guided tour.” Marco explains laughing shortly.
“Somehow I can’t imagine you at a tour at all… I mean isn’t it a strange situation for you?” she asks tilting her head looking at him.
“I thought so too at first but it is pretty interesting. There is always something new to learn from me.” he replies, “Especially since every tour guide has a different way of working and a different way of handling the tourists… unfortunately some of them like to think that they know everything better. But I guess it isn’t much different for you.”
“You have no idea. I love my job but some brides are just the worst but I always tell myself that I wasn’t much different when I bought my wedding dress.” Cressida tells him with a shrug, “Not to forget that bride wants to look beautiful on her wedding day.”
“Your dress?” Marco asks confused first looking at her and then glancing down at her hands. “I didn’t know you are married…” his voice is barely a whisper and she feels immediately guilty for scaring him.
“Not anymore. It didn’t work out and I got divorced 5 years ago.” she replies.
“Is that even allowed? Owning a bridal store but being divorced?” he says teasingly nudging his shoulder against hers. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking…”
“Nobody complained about it yet and even if they did I wouldn’t care. We grew apart. He had his own job and after getting promoted he was working longer than usual. After realizing that we have barely seen each other over a month I decided that I can’t go on like this.” Cressida explains looking at him, “There was no fighting or quarrelling and since my wedding dress is definitely not to blame I don’t see anything wrong with still selling them.” she adds lips curled into a smile.
“As long as you are happy with it the rest shouldn’t matter.” Marco says with a sincere smile on his face, “Say are you doing anything later? I got a little surprise for you.”
“Other than being lazy not.” the blonde woman chuckles, “I will probably be at the beach… unless you want to meet somewhere specific.”
“Beach is perfect.” he grins at her, “See you later, Cressida.” suddenly he leans over pressing a press on her cheek before he gets up jogging away. She keeps looking after him until he disappears from her sight.

The Surprise (Marco)

Cressida has tried to relax in the past hours but she can’t stop thinking about Marco’s surprise… she knows that it won’t be anything bad since she trusts him but still it doesn’t stop her from worrying. She has given up on reading an hour ago right now spending her time with checking if Marco is somewhere around but she hasn’t seen him since their meeting in the morning. Letting out a long sigh she leans back into her lounger closing her eyes again. Maybe she should take a short nap just to pass some time since Marco hasn’t told her when they will meet.
“I hope you are not going to attack me again.” she hears Marco’s amused voice right behind her. Opening her eyes she sees him leaning over her lips curled into a grin, “I hope you weren’t waiting too long for him.”
“Not at all. I tried to keep myself busy with reading but I don’t remember a word I read… guess you made me too curious about your surprise.” Cressida replies chuckling. She moves a bit so that he can sit down next to her.
“Perfect cause that was exactly my intention but I wonder now should I give you the surprise now or let you suffer a bit longer.” Marco says with a wide grin suddenly holding up an envelope.
“I say you give it to me now.” she leans over trying to grab it from his hand but he is quicker hiding it behind his back. The blonde woman tries again but she loses her balance and kinda ends up sitting/lying in his lap. Cressida blinks realizing how close they are now. Only a few centimeters are separating their faces from each other… she just needs to lean forward to kiss him and for a short moment she is considering it. There is no denying that Marco is a good-looking, funny and interesting man and so far she has been enjoying his company.
“Wow I didn’t know you want the surprise this much…” Marco’s voice brings her back into reality.
“It is your fault.” Cressida pokes him into the chest, “You are the one who got me curious.” She moves off his lap sitting down next to him, “So please can I see it now?” she gives him her best puppy look.
“But only because you said please.” he laughs finally handing over the envelope. She carefully opens it and to her surprise she discovers a few photos of herself standing in the middle of the clearing full of parrots.
“Marco, they are beautiful…” she gasps taking a closer look at the pictures, “I didn’t even notice that you took them.”
“That was the plan by the way it would have ruined the surprise. But I’m glad that you like them.” he says looking at her with a smile, “That one is my favourite…” he points to the one showing Cressida as she looks at a group of colourful parrots with a fascinated expression on her face.
“I like all of them. Thank you, Marco.” she flashes him a bright smile before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug.
“I’m glad but there is a slight catch.” he says after she pulls back and she can see a grin on his face.
“Let me guess… I have to make it up to you?” Cressida asks crossing her arms. “And I suppose another smoothie won’t be good enough for you?” she already knows the answer to the question but that doesn’t mean she can’t try at least.
“Not this time but weren’t you the one who claimed to be creative and that she will think of something.” Marco replies clearly making fun of her, “But don’t worry you can keep the pictures as a gift… just don’t forget to think about something to make it up to you.” he tries to stand up but Cressida wraps a hand around his wrist pulling him back down next to her, “Yes?” he asks confused but instead of replying she leans over pressing her lips against his. At first he doesn’t react at all and she thinks that she just made a big mistake but then she can feel his hand on her waist pulling her closer against him. Marco is the first one to pull back looking at her with his soft brown eyes and she can’t help herself to smile at the sight.
“Creative enough for your taste?” Cressida asks biting on her lower lip. His hand is still touching her and she can feel him drawing patterns into her skin.
“You have no idea.” he replies lips curled into a grin. “You still owe me for the private tour though.”
“You are a cruel person…” she sighs, “But thank you again for the pictures. I will make sure that they special place.”
“Anytime Cressida.” Marco smiles and this time she lets him get up, “Enjoy the rest of the day.” he gives her a quick peck before walking towards the ocean.

The Meeting & a pleasant Night (Leo)

Cressida’s head is still spinning at the end of the meeting… testing room, people missing, stealing an access card and cloning it. Everything feels too unreal for her and she keeps thinking that any moment she is going to wake up and realize that it was just a bad dream. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen and the events of the past days are still really happening. Like she has told Leo she isn’t going to sit back and let others do the work and it might be crazy and risky and a lot of other things but she has decided to join the Infiltration mission. The blonde woman doesn’t allow herself to have any doubts like how Zack and Xander don’t manage to get an access card. It has to work out or Juliana and Arthur will be forever lost. “
“Are you okay?” Leo asks as he joins her standing next to a window.
“Not exactly but we got a plan… one that will work hopefully.” she replies letting out a sigh. “I don’t know about you but I don’t feel like staying any longer.”
“Me neither. Come I will walk you back to your room.” Leo offers placing his hand on her lower back carefully pushing her towards the door. “I think that is the only positive aspect about tonight.” he says once they are in the hallway.
“And what would that be?” Cressida asks looking at him from the side.
“I get to spend more time with you.” his lips are curled into a smile nudging his shoulder against hers. “Even if the situation could be a better one.”
“It is still nice though.” she offers with a small smile, “I mean this you and me… and not people disappearing.”
“It is but I know something even nicer. You and me in your room.” Leo grins but she only rolls her eyes at him, “Come on. At least think about it… I enjoy your company and I’m pretty sure that you enjoy mine as well.”
“Only in your dreams maybe.” Cressida teases chuckling. She has no idea if he is being serious with her - it does help though to keep her thinking about something else for the first time this day.
“In this case I should go to bed soon and I bet yours is very comfortable.” Leo says with a twinkle in his blue-green eyes.
“And I bet that it is the same as yours.” she replies shaking with her head.
“What to find out? Tonight we test yours and tomorrow mine.” he tells her and she feels a shiver running down her spine at his words. He is starting to sound more serious and there is a chance she might accept his offer, “Or the other way around if you prefer but I think yours is closer.”
“Actually it is right there…” Cressida whispers pointing to the door next to them. She looks at him taking a deep breath before she opens her mouth, “So do you want to come inside?” It is too late to take her words back now… sure she could say it was just a joke but that would be a lie.
“Gladly.” Leo smiles at her. She has her keycard ready to open the door but there is something she has to do first. Cressida leans over to Leo wrapping an arm around his neck and pressing her lips against his. He reacts immediately pulling her closer with an arm around her waist. She doesn’t care that they are standing in the middle of the hallway and anybody could see them right now. The blonde woman pulls back enjoying the sight of him looking at her with wide pupils. She wants to lean in for another kiss when Leo softly grabs her shoulders holding her back.
“We better continue this in your room.” He suggests with a smirk and this time she actually opens the door dragging him inside. Leo presses her against the wall lips on her neck sucking and biting and she moans at the feeling trying to get him even closer.
“Bed… over there…” she pants feeling one his hands sneaking under her shirt. She has a hard time concentrating already. Cressida pushes him back slowly trying again, “The bed is over there.” her lips are curled into a grin enjoying the confused look he gives her for a moment. It doesn’t last long though and in the next moment she finds herself on the bed with him kneeling on top of her and his hand back under her shirt.
Two can play this game… she thinks to herself as she starts pulling on his shirt until she can finally get it off. The sight is nothing new but it is different cause it is just the two of them and not to mention on her bed right now. Cressida’s top and shorts land somewhere on the floor along leaving her just in her underwear and judging from Leo’s gaze he seems to enjoy the view a lot.
“You are wearing too much…” she says tugging at his pants and finally getting the stupid button open. With some help she gets his pants off throwing them on the floor as well. “Much better.” Cressida grins at him before she turns them around straddling his waist. “And now to the best part.” she opens her bra before kissing him passionately again...

You are drunk (Zack)

If anybody would ask what Cressida remembers from the day after the meeting it wouldn’t be much… Leo was still there when she woke in the morning which felt nice and didn’t make things awkward between them. Most of her afternoon she spent at the beach trying to look like she was still enjoying her vacation which was hard. She could only hope that Zack and Xander have luck and manage to get an ID card.
Where is my optimism when I need it? The blonde woman lets out a sigh as she steps into the bar in the evening. To her surprise Zack is sitting at the counter but not with his usual glass of whiskey but something that looks a lot like vodka. She already feels the worst if he is drinking the hard stuff tonight.
“It didn’t went well?” Cressida asks as she joins him pointing at his glass.
“What? It went great… Andrea and the girls did a fantastic job and if there wasn’t a keycard to steal I would have used some time to check them out.” Zack replies with a smug smirk and it is clear that it isn’t his first glass. “Charity already got the keycard doing her little computer thingy. I was kinda hoping you would be there too… in something tight and revealing.” he adds licking over his lips as he takes a longer glance at her legs and cleavage.
“Of course you did.” she replies shaking with her head. She has stopped to be surprised by his behaviour or him checking her out without even trying to hide it. “But I’m sure the others managed perfectly fine without me. So what is with the vodka tonight?”
“Why not? We got the keycard and I felt like celebrating tonight.” Zack grins before he empties his glass ordering another one, “You drinking with me?”
“But just one glass…” Cressida replies despite knowing that it would better to stop him before he gets himself completely drunk.
“This is the good stuff.” Zack says as soon as he got a new glass and has taken the first sip, “Much better than duty and responsibility.”
“What are you talking about, Zack?” she asks confused and actually considers taking his glass away. “Maybe you should stop drinking… I believe you had enough.”
“Enough? I had nowhere than enough of vodka.” he replies downing the glass in one try, “What I have enough though is duty… I would rather just drop everything and go. Leave this f*cking island and go back home. Continue doing my job and never think about this nightmare again.”
“Do you even know what you are saying? People are missing and you talk about leaving and duty.” Cressida exclaims looking angrily at him.
“As if I’m the only one thinking this way. But unlike you I have the guts to say it out loud.” Zack replies glaring at her. “Or wouldn’t you take the first opportunity to get of this Island if you could? You are all hypocrites.”
“And you are drunk.” she reaches over snatching the empty glass away from him, “You might regret your words tomorrow.”
“Drunk? I’m a bit tipsy… you haven’t seen me drunk yet. And trust me everything I said isn’t going to change tomorrow just because I got a few hours of sleep.” Zack laughs signing the bartender to bring him another glass but this time Cressida manages to stop him, “What are you doing? I’m old enough to make my own decisions and you are not my girlfriend.”
“Maybe but you know what is happening tomorrow and if anything goes wrong because you look like you just feel out of bed Arthur and Juliana might be locked up forever.” the blonde woman hisses, “And do you want to be responsible for this? I think not… you wouldn’t have agreed to get the ID card and to be part of the Infiltration. So get it together and stop acting like you are the only one on this f*island.” she grabs his hand dragging him out of his seat and to her surprise Zack actually lets her.
“You don't know shit about me or my responsibilities, but damn you are sexy when you get angry.” he says with a smirk as they walk through the hallway. “Not that you are usually not sexy but there is the vibe about you tonight.” he steps closer placing his hand on her lower back, “Admit it you are just bringing me back to my room so you can spend more time with me.”
“In your dreams maybe…” she huffs but makes no attempt to move his hand off.
“Must be a really good dream then.” Zack smirks and in the next moment she finds herself pressed against a wall with his lips on top of hers. It is definitely passionate, hard and full of hunger. It takes Cressida a lot of strength to manage to push him away.
“Your room now!” she says arms crossed and glaring at him. Unfortunately Zack misinterprets her tone and instead of finally giving up he just widens his smirk before he grabs her hand dragging her after him. The blonde woman lets him only shaking with her head.
“And here we are.” he suddenly stops and she nearly bumps into his back. “Wanna come inside?” Cressida knows that she should say no and head to her own room but a part of her worries that he might head back to the bar if she leaves now and do something stupid. She nods and his face lightens up as he drags her into his room closing the door behind her. That it was a big mistake she realizes as soon as Zack kisses her again and one of his hands sneaking under her skirt.
“Zack...Zack!” she pushes him away again looking at him sternly, “You are drunk and we are not going to do something you will regret in the morning.”
“Who says that I will regret it?” he asks taking a step closer reaching out to touch her again, “We are both adults, Cressida. It is just sex… fantastic sex if I might add. Believe me I’m the best you will ever have in your whole life.” he smirks at her but she has already made up her mind.
“That is great but I prefer to have sex when I’m sober. Good Night Zack.” she gives him one last look before she leaves the room shutting the door close behind her.

Time for Action (Marco)

Cressida fixes her glasses for the third time in the last 10 minutes while she is waiting for Marco to pick her up.
“Now isn’t time to change your mind…” she murmurs to herself startling when there is a loud knock on her door. “Okay calm down… it is just Marco.”
“Hey, are you ready to go?” he greets her with a smile, “Oh nice glasses.”
“They are mine but I prefer contact lenses and yeah let’s go.” she replies but Marco must have seen something in her looks because he takes a step closer and reaches out for her hand.
“You don’t have to go Cressida. Nobody is going to be mad at you if you would rather stay with Charity, Peter and Riley.” he tells her.
“I know but I want to help. I just hate it that I don’t know what to expect and what we are going to find.” she replies with a sigh.
“We are going to find Arthur, Juliana and the others and we are going to get them out of this place.” Marco gives her a reassuring smile, “But it is your decision… it would worry less though if you stayed here.”
“You are cute, Marco but you don’t need to worry about me.” Cressida kisses him softly before grabbing his hand pulling him out of the room.
The blonde woman feels sick when she sees the files about herself and she doesn’t even want to think how they managed to get all this information. It is horrible and sick… not to forget about the scientific procedures they have managed to find. Cressida realizes that all of them have to get off this Island as soon as they can. And while Xander manages to find out where Arthur, Juliana and the others are kept they don’t manage to free them. At least they know where to find them and Cressida is certain that they will try again and actually manage this time.

Rushed but DONE

Last edited by schoggettchen (21/09/2017 at 22:54)

ROUND 4

The scientists know about you. Or, at least, they know someone sneaked into the facility even if they can't pinpoint on which guests were part of the scheme.
But that isn't their worry as they have work on their hands.

Snippet

“I want these people caught and I want them locked up.” The head of security grunted as a finger pointed at the still images of the guests disguised on the surveillance footage. The other guards nodded in fear, not of their boss but of the man sitting on his desk behind them. His icy blue eyes were locked on the screen, paying no attention to the pesky blame-inducing scene in front of him.
“They'll get caught. Just like everyone else will eventually.”
The voice didn't come from the man, but the security's heads all turned to the woman beside him.
“What if they run and tell someone?” The head of security was panicking and she did understand his point of view, he didn't yet realize who they were working with.
“I'm bored.” The man nonchalantly told his assistant, letting his chin relax on his hand. - “Get out. NOW.”
He didn't scream, he didn't need to. The shiver that ran the spine of every single man in that room was enough to scare them colorless. They nodded and scurried out, careful not to knock the door.
Despite saying he was bored the long sigh the man gave, told her he was getting impatient which was dangerous for any of them.
“Perhaps we can minimize this.” She murmured, walking to the screens so she could take a better look at the footage. - “We can run their faces through the program and identify them.”
“I don't care about them.” His voice shut the woman up as she turned to him again. - “They didn't do a thing. They didn't “save” their friends or do anything. They're just pawns who still didn't realize it.” His bored gaze made the woman swallow dry but she nodded once. - “They are sheep and sheep follow the herd. Give them some food and they'll follow you. Put a shepherd dog around to make sure they stay away from the wrong path. As simple as that.”
“You mean...” The woman turned to the screen. - “There's a shepherd dog among them?” She didn't expect him to reply, she knew how her boss worked but still her eyes scrutinized the footage.
“What food should we give to these sheep?” Was his answer instead.
“Food...” She tried to connect the dots. He meant a distraction to keep the guests out of their door. Something that would make them forget about what they saw, just like the sheep they were. A smile came to her lips. - “A party... But not just any party... A gala... a ball.”
“A ball...” The man repeated, linking his hands and letting them fall on his lap.
“Every woman dreams of a ball... Every man too, even if it's just so they can flirt and take some woman to bed. Or drink. Or both.”
His simple nod was all the confirmation she needed.
“I'll ask the department to print out the invitations and provide the clothes.”
It was that simple, keep the sheep busy so they won't see the wolf.

Two days after the undercover mission a ball is announced as the highlight of the summer. Not only will it have an open bar but you will also get to choose your dress from an endless assortment that the resort provided for you to look fabulous.
The investigation group though, will see it as the perfect opportunity to rescue the five guests and run away from the resort.

Charity finds in the maps that there's an emergency jet on the other side of the island used in case the big ones responsible for the testing need to flee and let's everyone know that's their way of escaping. So pack your things for a couple of days because it will take three days to get to the other side of the island and you'll have to cross a dense forest to get there so have that in mind.

On the day of the ball the little team talks through the plan. And that plan consists on creating a diversion at the party so security will have to run into the room and leave the research building less guarded so they can sneak in and free the other guests.
Marco and Leo will start a mock fight, pretending they're drunk and one “accidentally” smacks the fire alert button, starting the sprinklers as a siren goes off. At that time Thiago and Charity will cut off the lights so the cameras won't be able to catch anything and will add more chaos to the ballroom as people start screaming and panicking.
And that's when they move. Half the team will enter the building to set Arthur, Juliana and the others free while the other half will remain on the entrance, trying their best to keep security away from them either by blocking the hall doors or fighting with anything they can get their hands on.
Those who will go to the testing room are Zack, Leo, Riley and Peter while the others will stay at the entrance. You're free to choose whether to go or help fight off the guards.

As the guys set the five guests free they'll learn that one already died due to the experiments and the four of them don't look all to well. Luckily Arthur and Juliana are two of the four.
They manage to run back to the entrance even if Peter and Riley had to knock out a couple of guards. As everyone meets up there's no time for hugs, they need to run away.
Just as they run to the doors the head of security manages to open the doors and guards flood into the entrance hall with their guns aimed at them. Charity had a backup plan she hoped she didn't need to use but at the sight of guns she presses a button that sets off bars of explosives previously installed and blasts off the entrance as everyone jumps outside the building.

Some people get injured by the blast: (names used with the random picker)
Peter will be injured on his arm as a part of the entrance wall falls on him;
Xander will be injured on the head and face as several shards of glass hit him and cut him;
Diamond will get her leg injured due to falling on a boulder after the blast;
Cara will have her hand cut open due to shards of glass;
Riley will break his foot while trying to land safely after jumping off the blast zone;
Johanna will get cuts and scraps all over her body due to the debris of the blast.

People try to get others up while wanting to run away while they still can but it won't be easy with the injured. After a few moments everyone is up and ready to escape with the help of the uninjured but a sight made them short of breath.
Standing by the blasted entrance of the building is a man with cold blue eyes and a woman by his side. While she has a completely angered face he shows no emotion. No anger, no amusement, no nothing.
“RUN!” Leo screams as he helps Riley run towards the woods. Both breath hard as they hide behind a tree, hearing the others behind him but a shot made all their heads turn back.
“NO!” Andrea screams as she lunges towards the facility but Marco's strong hands hold her back. Tears stream down her face as she sees Juliana's immobilized body on the ground, blood pouring out of her chest. She tries to fight Marco off but he's too strong. She hears someone say they need to go and feels her legs move with the rest of the group but her mind is still with Juliana's corpse.

A strategic place was previously chosen on the woods to keep their backpacks and as soon as they get to the place they change clothes and prepare for the three day walk. They will also try to help the injured and mourn Juliana's death.


ROUND 4 REQUIREMENTS

* Name of your character
* Round Status
* Romantic Interests
* Please state if you'll be joining the rescue group or stay defending the entrance
* Story about the ball party, diversion and rescue scene and arrival at the spot in the woods; Optional: Story about the days after the undercover scene or the stuff found on the files; Story of your character helping the injured at the blast or in the woods; anything else you'd like to add
* Outfits for the ballroom party and the woods; Optional: Outfits for any other scene you see fit;


Round 4 will close on the 22nd of September at around 11pm

Last edited by hhgurl1 (19/09/2017 at 19:05)

IMPRESSIONS

These are based on your interactions with the extras so the more you write, the more I have to work with!

For those who still haven't finished R3, you can still catch up and impressions will come when you're done.

Click me!

Andrea- Oh her boyfriend would definitely get the surprise of his life when she goes home. Yet Andrea doesn't seem to worry as she thinks back to the several kisses she shared with Raven. She liked them just as she liked the woman. And she'd be definitely more into deepening that blooming relationship if it weren't for the fact that Jules was locked up in that building.

Xander- Okay that had been a date. A very non-conventional date but still... He liked knowing more about Raven even if he shared very little about himself. And he did like her kiss, it stirred something up inside of him, but that changed into worry when he ran out of the building with Zack and saw her kissing Andrea. Was that just part of the distraction or did she like going around kissing people? Maybe he should ask her? But how could he really, they weren't kids, just because she kissed him didn't mean she felt anything major about him.

Optional:
Andrea will want company after finding Jules locked up and being unable to help her. She'll seek for comfort with Raven and want to stay in her room. She'll want a dance at the ball as one last fun moment before it all goes to hell.
Xander will be a little awkward after seeing the kiss between Raven and Andrea and will mention it without looking too jealous or confused. Raven may read between the lines though and ask what's worrying him. If so he'll confess and ask Raven exactly what she wants. If that's him then he'll want to stand by her side at the ball to make sure they escape uninjured. She can help him after he gets hurt at the blast.

Click me!

Thiago- He had been right about inviting Jo to dinner, she was lovely and he really could feel a connection growing between then. He worried when they went to the undercover mission together, he didn't want any harm coming to her. Perhaps he should open more to her and let her know of his feelings...

Optional:
Thiago will knock on Johanna's door the day after the undercover mission to make sure she's okay and help with packing if she needs it. He'll talk a bit of his feelings about the whole testing and how he wants to go home but he'll also express worry for her and want her by his side. He'll give her the painting he made of her and ask her to be by his side at the ball before he helps Charity to turn the lights off and run away. He will help Johanna when she gets injured.

Click me!

Riley- He shoots and he frickin scores! He's happy beyond words that Di had been the one to actually make a move on him. She was everything he expected her to be and then some. Now his worry was if she just wanted a one night thing or something more serious. Not that he wouldn't like even if she decided it was a one time deal, but yeah now he wondered about that. Maybe he should talk to her... or maybe not. He didn't know.

Andrea- Oh she had to tease Diamond. After talking to Zack Andrea tried to go back to Di's room but the sounds she heard made her stop on her tracks with a grin. She wasn't going to interrupt whatever was going on inside that room. But she was for sure going to tease Diamond to the end of her days about it! The blonde woman chuckled, packing her things. She realized she hadn't smiled since she heard of Jules disappearance, and with her still locked up it was hard to smile again. Yet Di somehow made her chuckle.

Zack- Okay so he did basically say jokes all the time, Diamond wasn't wrong about that, but it didn't mean he didn't feel anything for those people. Actually he felt more than he wanted, he felt worried and he was someone who never worried about someone else other than him. And it was eating him up, he hated that feeling. He asked himself over and over again why did he want to go there, why bother, why not just continue to work with his jet?

Optional:
Riley will make himself at home in Diamond's room until the ball, that is if she doesn't kick him out of there. He'll make sure to help her feel at ease with the idea of running away from that place and assure her he'll protect her if needed.
Andrea will catch Diamond at lunch and tease her to no end about her time with Riley, asking the big questions about her feelings and the man. She will though look very gloom about Jules and worried about the rescue plan.
Zack will help out Diamond after she gets injured and look very worried about the outcome of that rescue mission. He won't hide how affected he became after Jules' death but he'll try to stay strong and a sort of leadership role.

Click me!

Arthur- The man let out a big sigh as he leaned his head on the wall of the white room. He could hear Juliana's low sobs but he wouldn't cry. He wasn't that kind of person. He would hold everything in and be strong. They would get out of there, they had to. And to think he had a perfect time with Cara just a few days before, it all seemed like a dream now. He wished he could see her, let her know he was okay and that everything would be okay.
He couldn't believe how much he missed someone he barely knew but it looked like a bad prank played by God. Placing someone in his path, someone beautiful and loves horses to just lock him up in that cell, being experimented on with needles and serums. He wondered if Cara knew he was missing and if she'd worry for him.

Leo- He could tell Cara was also very worried about the missing people, he could feel it during their dinner. He wished things were different, that they'd have all met under different circumstances and wouldn't now have to fight for their freedom. But one thing he was sure, he was going to help get Arthur and Juliana back, whatever it took. What he didn't expect was having to take Cara back to her room after the undercover mission, he should have pointed out that she was supposed to pretend to be drunk, not actually be drunk. Still he couldn't help but chuckle at that.

Riley- Okay so now things were right on path, at least Cara seemed to believe he was honest about his apology. And he was. He wanted to know the girl by whom she was and not by how hot she looked. Well that and the fact he was sleeping with Di but still, he liked Cara's personality and wanted to be her friend.

Optional:
Arthur will hug Cara before anyone else as soon as she's rescued from his cell. He will be in bad shape but a bright smile will be spread on his lips. He will try to protect Cara as they run away from the facility and will help her when she cuts her hand.
Leo wants to keep Cara company during the ball since he sees her worried gaze. He'll be very nervous too but he'll stick to his end of the deal by pretending to be drunk and start a fight with Marco. He'll be pretty messed up after Juliana's death so Cara can help to cheer him up if she'd like.
Riley will continue to try and befriend Cara, noticing too her worry for Arthur. He'll ask her if she likes the man and reassure her that they'll all go back home safely.

Click me!

Peter- Never would he have thought he'd find love in that place. And even less after knowing it was all a scheme to experiment on them. But for some mystical reason he and Aaliyah had met and become close and now... Now he worried about her. Not only because he wanted her to be safe but also because when that was all over he'd go back home and wouldn't exactly be close to the woman. And he wanted to be close to her.

Andrea- Despite all the shitty stuff happening in her life the blonde was happy with the group of friends she managed to get in that island. Ali was one of the important ones, she loved the way she was all up for action when it came to helping out Jules. She also felt happy even if she'd never say it out loud, that Aaliyah found a special someone on Peter, even if she did sound annoyingly sweet with all the lovey dovey stuff.

Leo- The man couldn't even bring himself to push Ali back to the water. He just shouldn't shake the image of Juliana in that cell. They were friends, good friends he never thought he'd have, especially with a woman, and especially when she's gay but the reality is he did like Jules and it was a blow to see her and the other four guys locked up and be unable to rescue them. He was glad though that Ali wanted to cheer him up, it proved she cared for him even if he saw the way she looked at the Peter guy, he was sure they were banging, he recognized those lovesick gazes. At the moment all he wanted was to set the guys free and leave that shitty island.

Optional:
Peter will ask Aaliyah to move to his room until the ball to make sure she isn't taken by the resort. He'll be very protective of her during the rescue scene and will be strongly against her staying back and defending the entrance since he wants to help free Arthur.
He'll jump forward to protect Aaliyah when the entrance blasts and will end up hurting himself;
Andrea will try to tease Aaliyah about her relationship with Pete but will end up confessing her own uncertainties about her boyfriend and Raven. She'll ask Ali what she'll do when she goes back home when it comes to Pete. After Jules' death she will be a wreck so Ali can give her some kind words, just like Leo.
Xander will find out about Aaliyah's true identity through the files and will feel hurt that she didn't tell him about it. He'll ask for an explanation since he thought they were close friends and she'd trust him more than that.

Click me!

Leo- He shouldn't worry about this stuff, she should know better and the fact that Juliana, one of the rare friends he actually made in that place, was locked up in that room made him feel even guiltier of the fact that he was thinking about Cressida instead of freeing the captive woman.
But he couldn't help it, he thought Cressida was joking when she led him to her room, just like he thought he was joking when he teased her to spend the night with her, but after seeing the spark in her eyes and that kiss he realized he wasn't actually joking. He really didn't know what to do, he was attracted to Cressida but what did he know about her other than the superficial stuff? Well they had time to know each other when they leave that hellhole but still he didn't know what to feel. He broke up with his girlfriend weeks ago because she was too clingy... what if Cress ended up being like her?
He knew he was being stupid, Cressida didn't seem to look even a bit like Nicole but still... the fear was there.
But now was no time to think about women or relationships, especially when he saw the way Marco was all protective of her during the undercover thing. No, he had to think about getting out of there, this was a matter of survival and he was proud to say he had great instincts when it comes to that.

Marco- The man smiled as he watched through the corner of his eye Cressida reading the files. Okay she had a terrified look on her face but still she was cute. He couldn't believe something good actually came from that whole nightmare. Because that was the way he would classify it, a Nightmare-in-elm-street-worthy nightmare. And yet when he looked at the woman's light blue eyes he couldn't help but feel safe, even if he did worry a lot about her well-being. Well, he'd just have to keep her safe and make sure the both of them got out of that island in one piece. And preferably together.

Zack- He grunted, lying with his stomach down on the bed. Just why was he worrying about these mushed potato brainers again? They didn't deserve saving, they were a bunch of ungrateful little */@&#! It was Cressida's fault for making him doubt himself, she and her sexy side smirk of hell. She actually had the courage to turn him down! Sure he was tipsy but he knew how to work his material even in that state. Well it was her loss, just like everyone else's loss, he wasn't going to help them anymore, he was sick and tired of playing the nice guy. Now he was just going to be the spectator and let them use their mushy brains of theirs.

Optional:
Leo will be confused, not to mention worried, the next days, partly due to the captive people but also because of what happened with Cressida. He doesn't know what to think of it, especially when he sees the way Marco looks at her. All will be forgotten after Jules' death, he'll be pretty messed up so Cressida will have to try and cheer him up when they get to the woods;
Marco wants to keep Cressida at close range, especially on the night of the ball. He'll want to take her there, not only because he wants a chance to dance with her but also because she'll be part of the plan to start the fight with Leo. While they dance Leo will ask her to dance and the "fight" will start. After being in the woods Marco will still want Cress to become even with him with the "owing" thing so he'll share a tent with her and ask for a massage as payment. Cress is free to accept or decline.
Zack won't move a finger to help Arthur or Juliana when they get to the cell. Leo, Riley and Peter will do all the work and Cressida will know about it from Leo. She is free to scold Zack for it even if he won't care.
After Juliana's death though something changes in him, he'll seem broken even if he won't mourn the girl's death like the others. He'll be silent and gloomy but still grumpy.

Last edited by hhgurl1 (22/09/2017 at 22:37)

Name Aaliyah Wyatt
Age 24

Status
R1, R2, R3, R4 complete
Romantic (Interest) Peter, (Andrea, Leo)
Friendly Interest Arthur, Riley, Xander

Jules

You were the craziness of me,
I didn't think I would miss you but I do,
But I know where you are you shine the brightest.
I hope to see you among the stars someday,

RIP
Staying and defending the entrance.

Story

Calm before the storm

Distraction After Math|| Peter

Instead of going with the girls to keep up the appearance of having a party. Aaliyah went straight to charity’s room and knocked.

“How did it go?” Was the first thing Charity asked when opening her door.

“We can do this totally tomorrow, I just came for Peter,” Aaliyah saw him grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

“Have a nice night,” Aaliyah replied Peter was stunned.

“Hey wait up Ali where are the other girls,” Riley yelled after her.

“The bar,” Aaliyah replied not even turning around.

“Aaliyah what are we going to do,” Peter asked when they were in front of her door.

“What I promised you of course,” Aaliyah replied still walking to her room.

Aaliyah opened her door and pulled Peter inside.

“I think you promised me that I was the only one allowed to take your dress off,” Peter replied kissing Aaliyah’s neck.

“So what are you waiting for?” Aaliyah replied with a big smile.

No PG after this sorry.

Aaliyah woke up first the next day, looking at Peter’s sleepy face. Not feeling the slightest bit of creepy or anything. She was happy she took Peter with her the night before. The night had ended wonderfully indeed but they would have to get the hell out of this island soon.

“Stop staring at my face it’s creepy,” Came the groggy voice of her companion who by the way had still his eyes closed.

“Who are you calling creepy,” Aaliyah replied pricking his cheeks.

“Aaliyah! stop that,” Peter replied opening one eye.

“Why would I do that I was creepy already remember,” Aaliyah was truly acting childish but Peter was asking for it.

Before she knew it she was under Peter’s weight once again.

“You could have woken me up with a kiss you know,” Peter replied kissing Aaliyah on her lips.

He let her lips go a second later to see a red glow on her cheeks.

“Shouldn’t the princess get that,” Aaliyah replied smiling.

“Only if she sleeps longer,” Peter replied softly with the same red cheeks and happy smile.

After that sweet moment, they showered together and dressed up.

“Hey Aaliyah, can I ask you something?” Peter asked softly.

“What’s the matter hubby,” Aaliyah asked stopping to get her stuff into her suitcase.

“I really like my wifey to come in my room till we get off this island,” Peter replied seriously.

Aaliyah had a shock than an awww moment.

“Did you really just called me my Wifey,”

“You call me hubby soooo,” Peter finished looking awkward.

Aaliyah just grinned and jumped on him.

“Yes I will move in your room can we go now?” Aaliyah asked him.

Peter nodded and kissed Aaliyah’s nose.

“Iew Pete, You need to do it like this,” Aaliyah rubbed her nose against his.

“You are weird,” Pete replied laughing.

“I am your weird,” Aaliyah replied with a wink.

After that silliness, both finished packing Aaliyah stuff and went to Pete’s room.

“Wow and I thought I was a disaster,” Aaliyah replied trying to find the floor in Pete’s room.

“I am sorry for the room,” Pete replied looking ashamed.

“No need to apologize, I like that I know you're not perfect,” Aaliyah replied putting her suitcase down.

“How about breakfast,” Aaliyah asked him turning around to look at him.

“After you wifey,” Peter held the door open for her.

Maybe not perfect but perfect for me, Aaliyah thought and walked out of his room.

“Thank you hubby,” Aaliyah replied with a grin.

They got breakfast and when Aaliyah asked for seconds, Pete got up to get it for her which Aaliyah found so sweet.

Teasing Sister|| Andre, Peter

“And did you get your steaming night,” Aaliyah already smiled before turning around to see Andrea.

“Hey soul-sister, it was awesome!” Aaliyah told her and grinned.

“Did you go all kissy-kissy,” Andrea asked blinking with her eyelashes.

“We did more than kissy-kissy,” Aaliyah replied simply.

“Is he the one for you then,” Andrea replied looking like a bully.

“And only,” Aaliyah replied honestly.

“Still hate love-sick people,” Andrea replied but her smile said something else.

“Okay, where is your beautiful smile,” Aaliyah asked her worried now.

“I miss Jules,” Andrea replied simply.

Aaliyah looked outside.

“I miss her too, I wished they saved her yesterday,” Aaliyah commented looking back at Andrea.

“It was horrible Ali I wished you had seen it, I want to save her now,” Andrea replied looking red in the face.

Aaliyah looked surprised at her outburst.

“You and the rest of the resort Andrea was the real matter except that?” Aaliyah asked and she saw Andrea signing.

“I don’t know what to do,” Aaliyah looked at her surprised.

“About?!” She asked, therefore.

“Going back home,” Aaliyah frowned at that.

“I don’t understand what do you mean?” Andrea looked

“What are you going to do with Peter when you get home,” Andrea asked

“Properly marrying him,” Aaliyah replied simply.

“Aaliyah! You only know him for two weeks,” Andrea replied surprised which Aaliyah just raised a shoulder at but when she saw Andrea’s face she elaborated.

“But I want to get my life on track first which means going back home,”

“What do you mean?”

Aaliyah signed she saw Andrea as family and now that she concluded she wanted to fix everything in her past to have a future with her hubby she could properly tell Andrea who had become a real sister for her. So that is what Aaliyah did telling her past.

“OMG, you are rich,” Andrea told her with a surprised face.

“Filthy is what they call it this day,” Aaliyah replied with a grin.

Andrea laughed.

“And there is the Andrea that I know,” Aaliyah replied looked around for Peter and saw that he was still getting food or trying to.

“I like Raven but I like my boyfriend at home too,” Aaliyah just got a whiplash at how fast she turned to look back at Andrea.

“Wait what,” Aaliyah was so confused.

“I am so confused about it Aaliyah,” Andrea replied.

“You are confused? I am confused, what do you mean boyfriend?” Aaliyah replied shocked.

“Yeah I do, his name is Aaron,” Andrea replied with an: I love him, face.

“But I didn’t give you away yet,” Andrea laughed.

“You are so weird Ali,” Aaliyah looked at her seriously.

“Tell me everything from the start Drea,” Aaliyah said looking at her still to seriously for her normally.

When Andrea was done Aaliyah looked at her raised eyebrows.

“No you're not one of those pre-justice persons are you,” Andrea looked annoyed.

“No, but it seems to me like you want both and don’t know which to use but didn’t Raven already choose for both of you,” Aaliyah asked her softly.

Andrea pulled a sad face.

“I really liked her,” Andrea replied.

“It’s that really so or was it just the fun you liked?” Aaliyah asked her thoughts.

Andrea was quiet for some time.

“Hey here is your food,” Pete said behind them making them both jump up in fright.

“Thanks, hubby,” Aaliyah replied when she was calmed down.

“Thanks, Pete, just in time,” Andrea replied trying to get some fruit from the plate.

“Hey, not sharing,” Aaliyah replied and hit her hand.

“You are horrible!” Andrea replied pulling her hand back.

Aaliyah grinned.

“Only when it comes to food soul-sister,” Aaliyah replied blowing her a kiss that Andrea caught and blew one back.

“Why am I feeling outside the boot,” Pete replied sitting next to Aaliyah.

“You may have her heart but I have her soul,” Andrea replied with a grin making Aaliyah laugh.

Peter looked between the two shook his head but still smiled seeing both girls having such fun.

Seeing my past on paper|| Xander& Peter

Next day Aaliyah and Peter gathered at Charity's room to get the results like most other they knew the five people weren't saved but she hoped to find out what the next move would be.

"We need to talk," Aaliyah heard as soon as she walked through the door.

"Xander? What is going on," Aaliyah replied when she saw his face.

Peter looked between the two.

"Can you leave us for a second, Peter," Xander replied looking at Peter.

Peter frowned and looked at Aaliyah who nodded and smiled at him. Peter sighed and kissed her forehead before going to the larger group who were going through files.

"What's going on Xander," Aaliyah asked him.

"I thought we were friends," Xander looked hurt.

"We are?!," Aaliyah replied confused.

"Then what is this," Xander replied holding up a file on it was written Catherine with her picture next to her.

Aaliyah gasped and took the file from him.

All were written in it her whole past and even the now but she got mad when she read their conclusion.

She will properly fail this test too much of a princess that things the world is her paradise. Won't know how to survive in the wilderness only with grandpa's help maybe.

Aaliyah huffed she was anything but a princess.

Aaliyah tears the file what would they know.

"So why didn't you tell me," Xander asked when Aaliyah was pulled back into her past.

"Because I hate my past and why would I be grateful for people who see me as a tool to get what they want," Aaliyah snapped annoyed.

"You could have told me," Xander replied annoyed.

"Why would I? Don't you understand I wanted to forget about it," Aaliyah bite on her lip.

Again her past came at a wrong time but would she ever be ready that's when Peter's face flashed by.

For him, she would be ready.

"I told you everything about me," Xander replied.

Aaliyah's head snapped to look at him.

"Quite that bull-shit we both know you did not tell me everything because Xander I still find you a mystery to unravel," Aaliyah pointed at the shattered paper.

"That's not me I thought I showed you that enough, I thought I told you enough about me," Aaliyah walked passed him and saw Peter look worried at her.

She wished she could smile but her tears where closer instead of going to the group Aaliyah left the room she needed some air.

"Hey wait for me honey," Aaliyah turned around and saw just the person she needed.

"I hate it, I really hate it," Peter took the crying woman in his arms.

"I will be there for you Ali, I will always be there for you," Peter said softly which made Ali clung to him tighter.

When Aaliyah finally had calmed down she kissed him.

"That sounded like a proposal," Aaliyah joked but when she saw those eyes of his she knew he would have proposed to her in a heartbeat.

Surreal Feelings|| Riley, Andrea, Leo

Later at night, Aaliyah went to the bar together with Peter, Charity found them and gave them the plan on paper for the next day even taking Peter separated to talk some things over while Aaliyah got a drink.

“Hey beautiful,” Aaliyah turned around and smiled.

“Hey Riley, haven’t seen you since you been away for the night,” Aaliyah replied hugging him.

“Yeah,” Riley replied gloomily.

“What’s wrong?” Aaliyah asked him taking a sip of her cocktail.

“I don’t understand women,” Aaliyah looked at him surprised.

“Of course not that’s why I told you, you are bad with a woman,” Aaliyah replied to him.

“Would you have slept with me one day and the next day act like I was nothing?” Riley replied grumbling.

“No, I won’t dare sleep with you,” Aaliyah replied taking a sip of her drink.

“Not nice Ali,” Riley replied with a pout.

“I see you as a little brother and incest is wrong sooo,” Aaliyah told him.

“Aww you are so sweet wish someone else was too,” Riley replied still looking gloomy.

“Seriously who are you talking about?” Aaliyah replied.

“Diamond,” Riley replied.

Aaliyah almost chokes on her drink.

“Sorry, did you just said Diamond?” Aaliyah asked not seeing the woman agree to sleep with Riley.

“Yes, I did,” Riley replied seemingly proud of himself.

“Wow, didn’t see that one coming, Riley kinky boy,” Aaliyah replied teasingly.

Riley huffed but still laughed at the teasing which made Aaliyah happy.

“Maybe you shouldn’t look at her like you look at a defenceless girl, look at her like an independent woman,” Aaliyah replied taking a sip of her drink.

“What does that mean,” Aaliyah gave him a look but before she could elaborate Andrea came and swept her away.

“I need to get my mind off things,” Andrea told her simply pulling her to the front.

“And?” Aaliyah replied.

“Let’s sing,” Aaliyah got a microphone pushed in her hand so she knew she wouldn’t get out of it.

Andrea mounted There’s nothing holdin’ me back, which Aaliyah nodded at.

Andrea started the song with some nice tunes on her guitar.

Song

“I wanna follow where she goes,
I think about her and she knows it,” Aaliyah started softly.
“I wanna let her take control,” Aaliyah continued with a shake of her hips.
'”Cause every time that she gets close, yeah” Aaliyah turned around to wink at Andrea.
“She pulls me in enough to keep me guessing,” Andrea song together with her.

“And maybe I should stop and start confessing,” Aaliyah and Andrea sing together.
“Confessing, yeah,” Andrea sings alone.
“Oh, I've been shaking
I love it when you go crazy
You take all my inhibitions,” They sing together with Aaliyah grabbing the mic harder.
“Baby, there's nothing holding me back,”Aaliyah winks at the public.

“You take me places that tear up my reputation
Manipulate my decisions
Baby, there's nothing holding me back,”

“There's nothing holding me back,”

“There's nothing holding me back,” The chorus where sang together.
“She says that she's never afraid
Just picture everybody naked,” Andrea sings.

She really doesn't like to wait
Not really into hesitation,” Andrea continues to sing.
“Pulls me in enough to keep me guessing, woohoo,” Aaliyah comes back in.
“And maybe I should stop and start confessing,”
“Confessing, yeah,” Only Andrea’s voice is heard.
“Oh, I've been shaking
I love it when you go crazy
You take all my inhibitions
Baby, there's nothing holding me back,” They both sang.

“You take me places that tear up my reputation
Manipulate my decisions
Baby, there's nothing holding me back,” They both sang with Aaliyah finally getting into the song.

“There's nothing holding me back,” They sing it together.

“There's nothing holding me back,” Only Aaliyah sings this part.

“'Cause if we lost our minds and we took it way too far
I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright,” Only Andrea sings it Aaliyah loved her soft voice.

“If you were by my side and we stumbled in the dark
I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright,” Aaliyah sings this part alone.

“'Cause if we lost our minds and we took it way too far
But I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright
If you were by my side and we stumbled in the dark

“I know we'd be alright, I know we would be alright,” They sing together once again.
“Oh, I've been shaking
I love it when you go crazy
You take all my inhibitions,” Aaliyah alone.
“Baby, there's nothing holding me back,”

“You take me places that tear up my reputation
Manipulate my decisions
Baby, there's nothing holding me back,”

“There's nothing holding me back,”

“There's nothing holding me back,” Together all of it.

“I feel so free when you're with me, baby,” Aaliyah sings this part.
Baby, there's nothing holding me back,” Aaliyah and Andrea finish together.

When they were done Aaliyah bowed and there was a round of applause also a lot of another Song, another song, Aaliyah turned to Andrea who was simply nodded and Aaliyah winked and told her Thinking out loud for the next song. Which Andrea immediately started in.

Song
“Hmmmhmmmm,” Aaliyah started.

“When your legs don't work like they used to before,” Aaliyah continued.
“And I can't sweep you off of your feet,”

“Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks,” Aaliyah searched for Peter’s eyes.
“And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70, oh yeah”
“And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking about how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand,” Aaliyah sang looking in the eyes of the one for her.

“Oh me I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am,” Aaliyah continued not taking her eyes away.
“So honey now
Take me into your loving arms,”
“Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart,” Aaliyah winked at Peter who smiles only got brighter.
“I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are,” Aaliyah sang.
“When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades,”
“And the crowds don't remember my name, oh yeah,” Aaliyah continued closing her eyes.

“When my hands don't play the strings the same way, mm yeah.
I know you will still love me the same,”
'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen, Oh yeah,”  Aaliyah looked at Peter once again.

“Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory,”
“I'm thinking about how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand,” Aaliyah sand pouring her soul to Peter.
“But baby now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars,” Aaliyah sang turning to look at Andrea.
“Place your head on my beating heart,”
“I'm thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are, oh,”

“who, Lalalalala, whaahoo, lalalalala,” Aaliyah nodded at Andrea.
“But baby now
Take me into your loving arms,”
“Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars, oh ho,”

“Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart,
I'm thinking out loud,”
“That maybe we found love right where we are
Oh maybe we found love right where we are
And we found love right where we are,” Aaliyah sang finishing the song before bowing once again.

Aaliyah and Andrea got a standing ovation but Aaliyah was more busy with kissing Peter.

“I really hate pure love,” Andrea said as soon as the couple released their lip-lock.

“Yeah, Yeah,” Aaliyah replied raising an eyebrow.

“But great job Aaliyah that was amazing,” Aaliyah chuckled at Andrea and hugged her.

“So are you,” Andrea just nodded simply.

The night was still young but Andrea still excused herself. Aaliyah hoped she was ready for the next day. Aaliyah herself was enjoying her evening with Pete but interrupted it when she saw Leo.

“Hey hotshot, how are you?” Aaliyah asked the man who was slumping.

“Better,” Leo replied taking a sip from his drink.

“Good,” Aaliyah replied asking for a coke.

“Really not going to drink?” Leo asked her.

“I had enough actually,” Aaliyah replied back to him.

“You seem so happy,” Leo noted.

“I am happy don’t only seem like that Leo,” Aaliyah replied.

“He makes you happy doesn’t he,” Aaliyah smiled.

“He does,” Aaliyah replied smiling.

“I wished you had sung for me,” Aaliyah chuckled.

Aaliyah chuckled.

“And I wished you were happy too,” Aaliyah replied.

Aaliyah looked around saw Peter yawning and stood up.

“I have to take my hubby to bed, see you Leo,” Aaliyah replied.

“You don’t have to show of lady,” Leo teased.

“But sir that is the most fun at being in love,” Aaliyah replied with a grin waving him bye.

Peaceful night|| Peter

Aaliyah sat in between Peter’s legs while going through the paper that Charity gave them earlier that night.

“I will be defending the door with the others,” Peter shook his head.

“I don’t want that I want you to stay with me,” Aaliyah turned around to look at him.

“I would be more of a help defending the door,” Aaliyah replied.

“But I can’t defend you if you're so far from me,” Peter complained.

“I know my superhero,” Aaliyah grinned and kissed his lips.

“So you're coming to save the others with me?” Peter asked.

“No,” Aaliyah replied simply.

Peter rolled them over tickling Aaliyah who had tears in her eyes in no time.

“Have mercy,” Aaliyah replied with laughter.

“Only if you won’t be so stubborn,” Aaliyah thought of it for a second and shook her head.

“You are being the stubborn one,” Aaliyah replied Peter looked at her shocked.

“Pete, look at me I will be fine really, be my hero and save those people pretty please,” Peter pulled Aaliyah shirt over her head.

“I need a little more convincing wifey,” Aaliyah chuckled and kissed his lips.

“I will convince you hubby,” Peter smirked.

Aaliyah found it totally cute that he got bolder and bolder with her, it meant he was getting more comfortable with her.

Heading towards the storm

Can I have this dance|| Xander, Peter

“Can I have this dance,” Aaliyah looked up and saw Xander.

“No,” Aaliyah replied simply.

“I am sorry if I hurt you, Aaliyah,” Xander said and Aaliyah huffed.

“You don’t know me right so Miss Wyatt is it for you,” Aaliyah replied.

“Aaliyah plies,” Xander said keeping his hand out for her to take.

Aaliyah looked at him and sighed, taking his hand.

“Thank you,” Xander walked her to the floor when a slow song started.

“You were right I do know you, your headstrong, sweet, talented, always ready to help those in need, a good listener, I just thought I had the right to know it all,” Aaliyah wanted to speak up but Xander shook his head.

“You have been more open and honest to me then most people in my life Ali I value you as a friend I should have known you had a reason to not talk about your past,” Aaliyah’s mouth fell open.

“Ah your husband is coming, I am really sorry Aaliyah I know you are a good friend,” Xander released her when Peter got close Aaliyah grabbed Xander however and whispered in his ear, “I like you too, Xander no worries already forgot it.” Xander smiled at Aaliyah and nodded at Peter.

“How is my beautiful woman doing,” Peter asked Aaliyah which made her smile.

“I am doing great hubby,” The tight grip Aaliyah felt made her face fell.

“I will be fine Pete,” Aaliyah reassured the man once again that night.

“I know, I know but it’s still hard, if something happens,” Peter replied looking worried.

Aaliyah smiled softly “Nothing will happen I am good with a bow you know,”

Peter huffed not replying but kept dancing with her on the floor.

Then Aaliyah heard the fight going on Peter nodded at her Aaliyah grinned she loved the dress but since it had been free Aaliyah couldn’t wait to tear it apart.

Aaliyah turned at the voice of Leo fighting with another guy not soon after fire alarms went off.
At the same time, lights go out which was the cue for some to leave the party.

Others were panicking and screaming running around like a chicken without a head Pete had a strong grip on Aaliyah, however, Aaliyah keeping up with his pace easily, they made their way outside both breathing heavy.

But there was no time to catch their breath they had to get to the building where their friends were being held.

Mission defending|| Peter, Xander, Leo

When they came to the building a guy handed Aaliyah some flat shoes and a bow and arrow which Aaliyah had asked for beforehand after tearing the underside of her dress Aaliyah stood her place seeing that most looked at her weirdly.

Aaliyah raised her shoulders.

“Need to stand good the gown is too restricted,” Aaliyah replied like it was normal to tear in a gown.

Aaliyah was nervous but she shoots to guards while the others fought some others but thank god, there weren’t too many guards coming. The distraction had worked apparently.

Not too soon after Aaliyah sees the people running to the front she was so happy to see Jules but the people running behind them not so much. The guns pointing at them was enough to make everyone start running faster.

Aaliyah heard the explosion but she didn’t see the wall grumble over her, yet Peter did and pushed her aside making Aaliyah’s heart sank when she could see him but he was standing straight with a pained expression, however.

“Peter!” Aaliyah stood up as fast as she could to get to the guy.

“I am fine Aaliyah,” Peter replied with a grumble.

“But next time you listen to me,” Peter continued.

Aaliyah hugged him and nodded in a daze.

Before they were both running again, Aaliyah held him tightly it may have been the other way around, however.

She didn’t know how much she loved him but if something had happened to him Aaliyah would have died too, She was sure of it and that thought scared her more than she liked to admit. She always thought she was too strong for that but Pete clearly showed her just now that he held her heart in more ways than one. Aaliyah turned her head to him and wished she could kiss the pain on his face away.

Her light went out|| Jules, Andrea, Peter

Aaliyah and some others were helping those that got injured, which was good.

But then most people got white sheet’s face like they saw their worst nightmare,

“Run!” Aaliyah heard coming from Leo and that’s exactly what she did together with Peter who was leading a lot on her.

But the shoot that was fired three seconds later made Aaliyah turn her head she didn’t know who yelled harder Andrea or herself. While Aaliyah had thought she could get to Jules who had fallen down after being shot.

Peter had a tight grip on her which had surprised Aaliyah but then she was too shocked to see the once lively woman on the ground with blank eyes it was then that the tears started to fall. Peter mumbles we need to go but Aaliyah’s mind is blank she was on auto-mobile the group got at the place of meeting and she changed her clothes in something better to walk in. Grabbing her light backpack with almost nothing in just the necessary she and all the others started on the three-day walk.

Aaliyah looked once back, She regrets that they had to left her body here. Aaliyah would never forget the bloodstream from her chest. But thinking about the crazy funny woman Aaliyah lets a little smile escape before grabbing Pete’s good hand.

“Let’s get this over with,” Pete mumbles and Aaliyah happily agrees even though the storm was far from over it seemed everyone knew but they were sure also sure they wanted to live.

The storm is far from over

The Woods|| Friends and people

The night had fallen soon.

Andrea’s eyes were red and the woman was still crying.
While some were helping the injuries. Peter among them Aaliyah wanted to give Jules the farewell she deserved.

“I want to give the proud, funny, crazy woman Jules some last respect by saying," Aaliyah started when she got the attention she wanted she continued.

"I never thought someone could be as crazy as me,
You were the craziness of me,
I didn’t think I would miss you but I do,
But be sure I know where you are you shine the brightest.
I hope to see you among the stars someday,
Rest In Peace, Jules,” Aaliyah had tears in her eyes herself when she was done and looked above like the others seeing a star that shone.

“If someone else would also like to say something?” Aaliyah asked.

More people stood up wanted to say something which was awesome in Aaliyah’s book.

“Thank you, Aaliyah,” Andrea said and Aaliyah smiled to her.

“Come here babe,” Aaliyah opened her arms for Andrea to nestle in her crying.

Not too soon after Peter Nestled behind Aaliyah warping his arms around both,

“Sing for her and us all Aaliyah,” He whispered softly kissing Aaliyah’s neck.

Song

“It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again,” Aaliyah started softly.

“We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again,” Aaliyah continued while going through Andrea’s hair.
“Why do ya have to leave so soon yeah,
Why do you have to go?
Why do ya have to leave me when I needed you the most,” Aaliyah sang softly.

“Cause I don't really know how to tell ya
Without feeling much worse,
I know you're in a better place but it's always gonna hurt,

Carry on Give me all the strength
I need to carry on

“It's been a long day without you, my friend,” Aaliyah sang feeling her heart sank.

“And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again,”
“We've come a long way from where we began,”

“Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again,”
“When I see you again,”
(Aah oh, aah oh Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
“When I see you again,” Aaliyah finished tears in her eyes.

Aaliyah looked down to see Andrea soundly asleep.

She turned her head and kissed Peter on his lips feeling at peace.

But not sure she would be the same without one person that was to short in her life.

Outfits

Teasing, Surreal, Dance aka Ball, Mission, The Woods

Done

Last edited by NinaJones (23/09/2017 at 22:48)

Name: Raven Morris

Round Status: R1-R4 complete

Romantic Interest: Xander...

I'll be helping to defend the entrance

Later that night

It was official we'd all crossed over into some horror/comedy and were stuck here until we worked our way out of it. At least that was how it felt after all the Scooby gang style antics of the evening.

Why couldn't it just have been some sound stage in Cleveland? I wondered. That kind of trick would have been preferable to the terror that surrounded this current situation.

"Hey can I stay with you tonight?" Andrea asked as she fell into step beside of me. She looked fragile in that moment and while I understood it I wasn't sure I could deal with it.

"Sure." I replied with a smile as I grabbed her hand to keep her close to me.

***

It was clear after a few hours that neither of us was going to go to sleep, at least not naturally. Andrea was clearly on edge which made sense since I'd found out at least one of the people being held was a good friend of hers, and not wanting to take inadvertently take advantage of that I wanted to remain physically distant.

"We really should get some rest." I said finally. "I have something that may help."

I rummaged through one of my bags until I found a small bottle of over the counter sleeping pills. I then went to the mini bar and grabbed a bottle of water.

"This should help." I said as I offered her both bottles.

She looked at them both skeptically, but finally relented taking one of the pills and a healthy swallow of water. I pretended to do the same thing but instead slipped my pill under my tongue before taking a drink. I didn't like deceiving Andrea but I needed a few minutes of peace to try and piece things together and that couldn't happen with both of us sitting around anxiously staring at each other.

After about 15 minutes Andrea started to yawn, which triggered a yawn in me as well although I wasn't actually tired. I slid into bed with her trying not to enjoy the warmth or scent of her skin as she settled close to me, and waited until she drifted off to sleep.

Outfit heading to bed:



Once I was sure Andrea was a sleep I slipped out of bed and found my notebook. I wondered if maybe there was something in my observations that would stand out as an obvious sign now. Sadly nothing did.

As I continued to look for clues there was a knock on my door, it was faint but insistent. I grabbed my journal and one of the blankets off the bed and wrapped it around myself before going to the door. The journal would make a poor weapon in the worst case scenario but maybe the stun of being slapped across the face with it would shock any would be attacker. As I got to the door though I noticed the peep hole and standing on my tip toes I was able to make out Xander's face.

"I know it's late." He said as a way of greeting. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

"Can I come in?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," I started as I stepped aside. "We have to be quiet though Andrea is sleeping."

I could have been imaging things but at the mention of Andrea's name he seemed to retreat into himself.

As we settled into the small living room I unwrapped myself from the blanket, and while I couldn't be sure it's possible that Xander blushed just a bit at the sight of just my bra and panties.

"You were going to sleep in that...with Andrea?" He asked, the words just tumbling out.

"Yeah...I mean if I could sleep."

"Oh...I can go if I'm interrupting something."

"She's asleep." I responded with a small laugh. I noticed that he didn't seem to be at ease with that response. "Is there something bothering you? I mean aside from everything that we found out tonight."

"I saw you kiss her earlier." He said quietly. "I thought it may have been just an act but she's here...and you look like that."

"Are you jealous?" I blurted out, instantly realizing it was the wrong word but unwilling to take it back.

He could have left in that moment but he stayed and with a sigh and as few words possible he admitted he was confused by me and asked what I wanted. It's not something people usually asked me and I was thrown off guard.

I wish I could say that in that moment a light bulb went off in my head and I instantly knew which of them I wanted, but it didn't and I didn't...

"I should go." Xander said finally. How much time had passed? Several minutes? An hour?

"Please don't." I said as I reached out for his hand. I was still uncertain but the thought of him leaving, and the knowledge that he'd likely distance himself from me was unnerving.

"You're sure you want me to stay?" He asked. "And Andrea?"

"Andrea is asleep and I'm not waking her up to tell her to go to her own room. I'm also not okay with leaving her alone, not tonight, not with everything going on."

"What if she wants to stay here tomorrow night?"

"Then she can and so can you if you'd like." I started. "It's probably not a good idea for any of us to be alone."

I could tell he wasn't fully satisfied with that answer, but he was also seemingly unwilling to press much further.

"I won't kiss her again." I offered. "And if she sleeps here, it'll be just that."

"What about me?" He asked.

"That depends on you." I said.

It was only when he leaned over to kiss me that I realized I was still holding his hand...

Outfit answering the door:

Interlude

If Andrea was shocked to see Xander curled up on the couch the next morning she didn't voice it. Instead she mumbled something about needing air, grabbed her dress and rushed out.

What had I done? I thought as Andrea closed the door behind her. Looking at Xander still asleep I wondered if I'd made the right choice.

The Ball

"So I'm going to say it, this is a trap." I said when the ball invitations arrived a day or so later.

"You're probably right." Xander replied. He hadn't officially moved into my room, but he was staying closer, even if he still wasn't saying much.

"At least I'll get to go out like Carrie in a killer dress."

"Carrie?"

"The Stephen King novel."

"Did she survive?"

"Sort of..." I said with a wink before heading to the boutique to pick out a dress. I wasn't going to bog either of us down with the detail that technically she died and was only maybe reborn.

***

"You look...you look beautiful." Xander said as I emerged from the bedroom where I'd been getting ready. I'd taken the opportunity to put my hair up knowing that this was going to be far from a perfect evening and the last thing I wanted was my hair getting in the way.

"You look pretty hot yourself." I said admiring him in his tux. "How much time do we have before this thing starts?" I asked flirtatiously.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just wondering if I'd have enough time to redo my hair if it happens to get messed up..." Normally I would have been more direct but I didn't want to scare Xander off since aside from a few kisses he hadn't initiated anything else. "You know what forget it, let's just go." I said to fill the silence.

He didn't stop me as I went towards the door and that was all the answer I needed for the moment. If he wasn't ready for something more physical I didn't want to push him and regret it.

***

"Okay so this may be slightly better than the scene in Carrie" I admitted as we entered the venue for the ball.

"Wasn't that just a gym?" Xander asked.

"I said it was slightly better." I laughed.

For the most part everyone seemed to be acting normally and not like there was anything going on other than a party. I accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter for the sake of appearances but I didn't actually drink any and asked Xander to follow my lead which he did.

At least that he'll do. I thought with a sigh as I scanned the room, looking for anything out of place, and making a mental note of the exits. As if they were drawn to her, my eyes fell on Andrea who looked amazing as usual. Before I could look away our eyes met and she strode over to me.

"Dance with me." She commanded as she pulled me toward her. "Hold her drink." She instructed Xander as she took my still full glass from my hand.

I followed her on the dance floor and felt an immediate surge go through me as the scent of her perfume wafted towards me.

"He can't stop staring." Andrea laughed as she cocked her head towards Xander and as I turned around I noticed that his eyes did seem to be firmly locked on us. "Want to give him something to watch." She said with a smirk.

I did, but I didn't. Andrea was sexy and spirited and easy to connect with but Xander...despite being guarded and more of a gentleman than I would have liked, well he was something else, something I didn't get and felt like I had to explore.

"I shouldn't." I said finally. I knew better than to apologize.

"He better know how lucky he is." She smiled, kissing me quickly on the cheek before turning toward the bar.

"I didn't kiss her." Was all I said before taking my drink back from him.

***

As the night wore on it would have been easy to forget that this wasn't really a party, but a mission instead and at the sound of the fire alarm there was some clear confusion as if some of us didn't know it was going to happen.

What the hell are we doing? I wondered as a small group of us stood defending the entrance, Xander thankfully by my side. I used my full glass of champagne as my first weapon, splashing it in the face of a security guard before I threw it and watched it explode into the crowd. After that it was my shoes, my nails and my fists, anything and everything I could possibly try...

And then there's a blast and while I was uninjured I heard Xander scream and felt my stomach drop as I pushed toward him. There was blood, a lot of blood dripping from his head and face. I held back a scream as I grabbed his hand, helped him up and led him forward. He groaned in pain as we moved forward and he tried to remove the glass.

Once outside of the building I tried to help but there was a man who'd make the devil shiver standing at the blasted entrance. Whoever he was I didn't want to cross him any more than we already had...I also didn't want to hear the gunshot or hear the agony in Andrea's voice and she screamed...

The Woods

When I packed my bags to come on this vacation I hadn't planned on a three day trek through the woods so I didn't even have any long pants. Instead I grabbed the most suitable things I had and raided my bags for anything that seemed like it would be useful. I was especially thankful for the hand sanitizer and tampons which were used as makeshift first-aid supplies to clean Xander's cuts which will long and jagged were thankfully shallow enough not to need stitches. I was also thankful for the travel size bottle of mouth wash, hand wipes and aspirins that I planned on rationing for the three day walk ahead.

"No sleeping." I commanded as I finished cleaning his cuts. I didn't know much about concussions, or even how to check for one and I didn't want to risk it.

"No sleep." He repeated back to me as I wished he'd suggest an alternative to help keep both our minds off of what was happening.

Can I really deal with him being so physically distant? I wondered. It was a selfish thought all things  considered but I was comforted by how normal it was, by how normal my urges still were despite everything else.

I went and offered my first-aid supplies to everyone else and found Andrea. Worldlessly I embraced her, holding her tightly to me.

"I'm so sorry." was all I could whisper as I held her close to me as she sobbed.

I waited until her body stopped shaking to let her go and rummaged through my bag for one of the small bottles I'd grabbed from the mini fridge.

"To Juliana." I said uncapping the bottle and taking a small sip before passing it to her.

"To Jules." She said taking a large gulp.

"Keep it." I said as she tried to hand the bottle back to me.

"Thanks." She sniffed.

All around me I heard snippets of conversation, people recapping the night, wondering what the morning would hold, and of course mourning their friend. As I sat next to Xander he put his arm around me and pulled me closed to him before lightly kissing me on the forehead.

Who is this guy? I wondered as I realized that I never asked him what it was he wanted the night he confronted me about Andrea, and as we sat in the woods it felt far too late...

Last edited by Dare (21/09/2017 at 03:55)

Name:

Cara O'Connor


Age:

19


Round Status:

Round 1: Complete
Round 2: Complete
Round 3: Complete
Round 4: Complete


Role:

Joining the rescue group


Friday:

I sat cross legged on my bed, lost in my thoughts. Last night we'd all heard how the group were being held hostage, and since then I couldn't get Arthur out of my mind. The idea of him being locked in a room, suffering, made me feel sick. Don't get me wrong, I felt for everyone that was trapped there. But I felt like I had a special connection with Arthur, and even though I barely knew him I missed him. I was also angry - not just at the people at the resort but the investigation team. Why hadn't they got them out? Not being able to take it any more, I pulled a hoodie over my head and left my room.

* * * * * * * * * *



It was one of the darkest nights I had ever seen, and I was the only one about. I didn't let the eeriness put me off though, as I marched over to the building Arthur was being kept in. Out of no where a voice called my name.

Turning around, I watched as Riley walked closer towards me. I hid the stick I was carrying behind my back. "What are you doing?"
I've never been a good liar, and I could feel a guilty look plastered on my face. "I'm just... going for a walk. Clearing my head, you know..."
"Around here?" he asked, lowering his voice a little. "Cara it's dangerous to be here, especially alone."
"Well you're here, also alone before you interrupted me."
"Yeah, because I've been following you ever since you passed through reception."
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much. I don't need to following me."

I spun around and began walking again, but seconds later his hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me around once more. "What are you really doing?" he asked, his eyes locked on the stick that was now swinging by my side.
I saw no point in lying anymore, and instead chose to come clean. Who knew, perhaps Riley would have helped me. "They're in there, Riley. Our friends. No body else is doing anything, I have to do something."
"And what were you going to do, whack them to death with that branch?" his voice was stern for a moment, but concern soon filled his eyes. "You can't go in alone, I'd never forgive myself if they took you too."
"Well then come in with me."
"I can't, you know that. Let me take you back to your room."
"But we need to help them."
"I know, I know. And we will. The others are working on a plan, we'll soon get them back."
"What if soon is too late?" I whispered, tears in my eyes.
Riley remained silent for a moment, before resting his hand on the stick. He tugged it, taking it from my hand, and put it on the floor.

"Come on" he said, and took my hand. "It'll be okay."

* * * * * * * * * *

"Thanks. And sorry for... you know..." I said, resting on my door. "I just don't want anything to happen to them.
"It's okay, I get it. But I meant what I said, we'll think of something. You've seen that Charity, she's super smart. She'll help us come up with a plan."
"I know."

Silence fell in the corridor, but after a few seconds I broke it.
"I know this isn't really the time, but would you meet me on the beach tomorrow please?"
His glance fell to the floor, and he shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Erm."
"It's okay, I know you're sleeping with Diamond." He looked even more uncomfortable. "And I don't want to come between whatever's going on. I just want to say thanks, for tonight."
A smiled spread on his face and he looked slightly relieved. "In that case, sure."
"I'll meet you in front of the beach huts at 1 then."

He planted a kiss on my cheek, before wishing me goodnight.

I'd meant what I said. I was happy he had Diamond, and even happier that this slightly creepy dude had become a friend.


Saturday:



I watched Riley has he walked along the sand, getting closer as the seconds passed. He was wearing a shirt and shorts that fell at the knee. He looked nice.

His eyes seemed to rest on the red and white checked blanket I was sat on, and the basket that was also lay on top.
"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." I said, handing Riley a bottle of lemonade as he sat down.
"I wouldn't have expected you to know a quote like that." he said, chuckling a little.
"My Ma used to say it all the time. I guess it just kinda stuck."
I began to open the picnic basket when Riley tugged it out of my hands. "Here, let me."

I bit into the sandwich, but spat it out almost instantly. Glancing over at Riley, I saw that he too was struggling to eat the lunch. After one mouthful he put the sandwich down beside him. "It's a bit too spicy for me that."
"I thought I'd put tomato ketchup in, but I'm guessing I picked up the chilli sauce instead." I felt my cheeks turn the same colour as the sauce.
"Not to worry, I'm sure there's other stuff we can eat!" he suggested, swigging some lemonade.
I reached for the basket. "Oh yeah, there's this cake I made - f*** sake!" Riley stared at me in amazement, probably surprised by the way I'd shouted my curse. No longer caring what he thought I threw the basket across the beach. I turned my back on Riley but sensed him go over to the basket. Inside he'd have seen a cake, crushed and broken. I'd spent so long that morning icing a thank you message on the cake. And it was all for nothing.

Suddenly a pair of hands were placed on my shoulder, making me jump. I ferociously attacked a tear that had rolled onto my cheek.
"Hey, it's okay. It's not worth getting upset about. I don't mind broken cake."
"It's not that. Not really."
"I'd guessed. Is it..." he paused, and I read on his face how tactful he was trying to be. "Is it Arthur?"
I couldn't help but nod, although I didn't understand how a guy I barely knew could have such an impact on me. Riley seemed to understand though, because he twisted me round and pulled me closer to him. Not in a romantic way, but as a friend offering support.

We remained like that for a while before he pushed me away and brushed back a lose strand of hair that had stuck to my rather wet face. "Come on, let's go and get something proper to eat. My treat."


Sunday:



"Should you really be drinking that?"
I ignored Leo's question, and took another sip of my drink.
"You don't want to get drunk tonight, do you?"
Sighing, I turned and faced Leo. "I'm not getting drunk. I'm just having the one drink to steady my nerves." I realised I'd become more aggressive as I'd spoken, but I hadn't been able to help it. "Sorry."
He nodded. I'd expected him to move away but he remained by my side. I slipped my hand into his and squeezed it, and a small, sad smile spread on Leo's face.

"How are you feeling, anyway?" I asked, a few moments later.
"Nervous." I couldn't help thinking that he needed the drink more than I did. "Can we dance?" he asked.
I didn't feel like dancing but I guess I was grateful for a distraction. I took his other hand and we moved towards the centre of the room. A slowish song came on, and as Leo led me round the room I couldn't help wishing that it was Arthur I was with. What makes it worse is the fact I didn't even feel guilty.

I was dragged away from my thoughts as someone slammed into me, hard. Leo and I broke apart and found Marco staring at us. As I was about to take Leo's hand once more he stood in front of me, looking very tense. He began shouting at Marco, swaying this way and that. Then I realised what was going on; this was the fake fight. No sooner had I figured that out the lights went off, and I was left standing in pitch black. The alarm that was going off was deafening. With my hands over my ears I staggered around in the darkness, and tripped over what I can only presume was a table. But before I hit the ground someone caught me and pulled me to my feet.

When I'd eventually made my way to the corridor the light told me I was with Leo.

* * * * * * * * * *

"I'm coming with you." I said to Leo and Riley, my voice full of determination. The two men look at each other, uncertainty plastered on their face.
"Maybe you'd be best in the entrance with the others Car" one of them said.
"It'll probably be more dangerous with us." the other commented.
"I don't care. I'm coming."
"I think we'd both prefer it if you stayed with the others."
But the Zack - someone I'd not really bumped into much - spoke. "Come, Cara. We'll need all the help we can get."
Under any other circumstances I would have given a smug smile. But given the current situation, I hitched the skirt of my dress up and followed Peter down an endless number of corridors.

Eventually we found ourselves standing in a large white room. My eyes scanned it quickly.
"Cara?" A weak voice called out. Figuring out where the voice had come from, I rushed over to the man who was crouched on the ground.
"Arthur."
As I ran towards him he stood up. Forgetting how weak he'd be I launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. I nearly knocked him over but he placed his arms around my waist, which seemed to steady him. I tilted my head towards his ear. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"I'm okay. Mostly."
"I was so worried about you." I whispered, adjusting my head so it slotted into his neck.
"Sorry to break up the romance," a deep voice calls out, "but we really need to get a move on. The others won't be able to hold those guards up forever."
I was annoyed, but I know we needed to make a move. I put Arthur's arm around my neck and allowed him to lean on me. He stumbled as we walked, but he never fell.

"You look beautiful by the way."
I couldn't help but smile.

* * * * * * * * * *

We ran back along the maze of corridors, me still half carrying Arthur. Out of no where a guard appeared in front of us, and I froze in my tracks. He tried to take a swing at me but thankfully I ducked out of the way in time. The next thing I know the guard was on the floor, and Riley was stood with his fist slightly raised.
"Thanks man." Arthur murmured. Riley looked at me and nodded, before continuing running.

Eventually we made it to the others. I thought there'd be some kind of mass reunion but if everyone was just sprinting as fast as they could. As I moved forward I felt like my lungs were about to explode, and my arm grew heavy as Arthur lent on it. But then the person in front of me stopped so suddenly I nearly ran into them. As I was near the back of the group, I had to stand on my tiptoes to see what was going on - if we were running out of time why would they stop so suddenly? And that's when I saw it; multiple guards running towards us with guns. I may have been far away, but I could see evil in their eyes.

"They've got guns." I say, panic in my voice. "Arthur they've got guns!"
"It'll be okay, I won't let anything happen to - " but before he could finish his sentence an almighty blast boomed down the corridor, powerful enough to knock me to the ground. Pain surged through my left hand and tears rolled down my cheek. I studied my hand and found it to be covered in blood; confusion took over. As I looked at my hand I was aware of somebody pulling me to my feet. We jumped and landed outside.

I was aware that blood was still dripping from my hand, but I couldn't help watching the chaos that was happening all around me. Head's were bleeding, legs were sticking out at funny angles. It was just awful.
"Cara, your hand."
"Huh?" was all I managed to say as Arthur picked up my wrist and examined my hand.
"There's so much glass in it!" I looked at what he was talking about, and almost threw up. A large shard stuck out of my hand, as well as smaller pieces sprinkled across my skin.
"How are you doing? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine... it just hurts." I murmured as another tear trickled down my face.

We were completely unaware of the figures standing behind us until Leo screamed at us to run. Arthur grabbed my right hand and pulled me along, shoving me behind a large rock.

I heard the gunshot.

Both Arthur and I peered over the rock and found a girl with black hair lying on the ground, blood pouring out of her chest. We watched in horror as Andrea charged at the man with the gun, before Marco grabbed ahold of her. Knowing that was our cue to leave, Arthur helped me to my feet and we began to ran again.

* * * * * * * * * *

The plan was to make it to a clearing where we'd already hidden our bags. We made it there eventually, with both Arthur and I supporting each other. By the time we made it, I felt like I'd lost a lot of blood and my hand was killing me. I sat down on a stump, barely able to breathe.

"Here, let me look." Arthur said, gently taking my left hand. I couldn't watch as he examined it again; the visions of my last glance were still haunting me.
"This might hurt a little."
"WAIT what are you doing?"
"I need to pull the glass out."
"You can't. It'll hurt."
"I know it will, but I can't leave it in. It'll become infected." My fearful eyes locked with his reassuring look. I lowered my gaze; "I'm sorry."
"What for?" Arthur questioned, looking rather confused.
"All that you went through and I'm sat here crying over a cut hand."
"It's okay to be scared Cara." he whispered, leaning in closer. And then our lips met.

It was the most amazing thing in the world. My stomach was flipping whilst my heart fluttered. Never had I thought that a guy so much older than me could make me feel so happy, especially at a time like this.

But the feeling ended as pain rippled through my hand. My eyes flickered over to my hand which now had more blood dripping from it. Arthur pulled away, holding the piece of glass in his hand. I couldn't help but wince as he threw it away. "Sorry."

A few moments later all of the glass had been removed, thanks to Raven's hand wipes. Arthur had ripped the lower section of his top and had wrapped it around my hand as a makeshift bandage. I suddenly became aware of how much blood was smeared over my dress, and how sweaty I felt.
"I'm just gonna go change. Will you be okay?"
"I will, it's you I'm worried about."
"I'll be okay."
I picked up my rucksack and headed into a more private area, where trees acted as a cover.

As I changed all I could think about was kissing Arthur; had it meant something to him or had it merely been a distraction?

* * * * * * * * * *



10 minutes later I was sat against Arthur with my head resting on his chest. He was stroking my hair in an attempt to calm me. But all I could focus on was trying to block out the sounds coming from around me. Some were crying out in pain, some were thinking back on the evening's events, and other's were mourning. All I wanted to do was forget everything that had happened.

Well, maybe not everything.

My eyes creeped open and I found myself watching Leo, rocking back and forth. Although he was making no sound he was crying, something I'd never even imagined he knew how to do.
"Go to him." Arthur said out of the blue.
"I want to stay with you."
"And I want you to stay with me. But right now he needs you more than I do."
"But what about everything that happened to you?"
"But look at him, he's distraught."
I found it difficult to carry on arguing, so I simply gave Arthur one last hug before heading over to Leo.

I sat down beside him, unable to say anything. Instead I took his hand, and offered him a sad smile.


[[I'm sorry, I was a little drunk writing the ending so it might not make complete sense. Guess a little bit of Cara lives within me]]

Last edited by Fashion-Chic (22/09/2017 at 01:08)

Johanna Nolan
24
Romantic Interest: Thiago
RS 123, complete. R4 complete

Johanna will be joining the rescue team.

In Room
Link to external image

A sudden ball seemed suspicious. After discussions about the previous mission in Charity’s room, we decided to use this ‘Ball’ as an opportunity to rescue the others and leave this place. Even though I have always dreamed of going to a ball, after everything that’s happened, I would rather pass. I started packing since we were going to flee during the ball. It’s going to be a long way so I decided not to take all my things because I just brought too much. I would rather stay alive than worry about my things. As soon as I started packing I heard a knock on the door. It was Ty. He asked me how I was doing and started to pack with me. I felt relieved that he was there. Somehow I feel safer when he’s around. He told me that he already packed his things.

“I just want to go home. This place is crazy. I never imagined I would be living a horror movie.” He said.

“I know, But I feel safe as long as you’re by my side.” I told him.  He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. He pulled me into a hug and whispered “I’ll always be by your side”. Then he looked as if he remembered something and left the room and came rushing back in after a few seconds with a paper in his hands. “This is for you.” He said. I looked at it and my jaw dropped. It was me on the paper. He drew me!
“You’re so talented! What made you want to draw me?”
“I like to draw beautiful things.”
I blushed at that.
“Um, we have some time at the ball before we need to help Charity. Will you dance with me?” Ty asked. I smiled and told him that I would love to.

~~~

The Ball
Link to external image

Before we went to the ball, we met up with the others again and made sure that everyone knew what they had to do. I will be joining the rescue group. After the talk we went to the ball. I stayed with Ty just like we planned. He took me to dance. “You look handsome in that suit.” I told him while blushing. He blushed too. I could see that he doesn’t get told that very often. I felt safe in his arms as we swayed to the music; I didn’t want the time to end. It was only when I saw Charity giving a sign with her head that I had started to feel anxious. I looked at Ty and I think he could see what I was feeling. He put his hands on my cheek and kissed me. “Everything will be alright. Just be careful.” He said and left to do his part of the plan.

~~~

Everything was going as planned, from the fire sprinklers to the blackout. The room was in chaos. Everyone was screaming. For a second my legs wouldn’t move until one of my teammates grabbed my hand and we were off to save the others. We entered the building and saw the ones that were captured. We managed to set four free and were shocked to learn that one of them died. As we were heading for the doors, guards entered the room. I stopped in my tracks until I heard an explosive. I felt myself fly off the ground and hit the floor. Although I was injured, I managed to make it back on my feet. We were outside now. My whole body was aching. I could see cuts and scraps all over my body where it was exposed. Ty rushed by my side and assured me that we were both okay.
“RUN!” we heard Leo scream so we both ran and hid. A guy killed Juliana. Although I never talked to her, it’s hard to watch someone die. We had to go.

~~~

The Woods
Link to external image

We went to a place where we had already planned to go and got changed. I couldn’t touch my body without feeling a sting. I saw some others were injured too, some worse than me. It was too much to watch. Most people were mourning Juliana. I suddenly felt bad that I never spoke to her. I couldn’t mourn her like they were. Ty grabbed my hand. Although it hurt, it was a pain I could bare as long as he was there.

Last edited by BearHugs6 (21/09/2017 at 16:55)

* Name of your character: Diamond V.
* Round Status R 1, 2,  3 and 4 complete.
* Romantic Interests: Riley Andrea and Zack

Z: A ball? All of a sudden?
A: Wasn't that what you wanted?
Z: Yeah but it's kinda dubious don't you think?
D: Zack is right. It just too soon.
R: Yeah I mean if Zack was smart enough to think about a party as a distraction why would't they think it's a good idea.
A: OMG, they know we know.
Z: Yes, but they don't know, we know they know we know.
D: OMG, you seen Friends?
A: Guys, guys we don't have time for that. We need a plan. But first, let's go choose our outfits.
D: You wanna win the ball queen.
A: Been there done that.

Choosing the dresses:

D: This are Fing ugly...
A: Who cares?
D: What? You said to we should do that..
A: Yeah, 'cause I wanted to get reed of the guys.
D: Why?
A: Because you an Riley?
D: What about me and Riley?
A: After I left to find Zack, I came back to your room and I've hear some really interesting noises.
D: What, no.. It was...
A: Don't lie to me Di.
D: OK, OK, we Fed.
A: And..
D: It was ok.
A: OK? Just OK? Cause you sounded more that ok haha "Ohh Riley, YESS"
D: Shat up! Haha. It was great, what do you want me to say?
A: Idk, are you 2 a thing now?
D: Andrea, no! We just, I just thought... we might die on this island. We might end up in cages and turned into lab rats. 
A: We'll be fine, Di.
D: I hope so, I have a painting I need to finish back home.
A: Lisen to me! We will go home. You'll Fing finish that painting. And we will sue this motherFers and become billionaires.
D: Be better. Now help me find a black dress.

A: What about this one?
D: Are you kidding me?
A: NOO, you'll look like a princess, a dark princess. Riley will love it.
D: We just had sex. We're not 16 and going to prom. I don't even know if he likes me.
A: Did you ask him? It doesn't matter. You'll wear it and you'll love it.
D: Finee! I will wear it.
A: AND?
D: And I'll Fing love it! haha
A: Good haha

In Diamond's room, before the ball.


A: You look amazing!
D: I do, right? haha
A: Listen to me. We have a plan.
D: What? Why do I find out about this now?
A: We need you whit the rest of the people. You need to guid them after (Andrea tells Diamond the plan). Plus you can barely move in this dress.
D: The dress you chose for me. OMG You already had this planed. WTF Andrea?
A: I didn't waned to tell you this,  he asked me not to.
D: WHO? Riley?
A: Look Diamond he really likes, he wants you to be safe.
D: I'll Fing decide for myself! Where is he now?
A: Di, please!
D: Andrea, where is he?
A: At the ball.

At the ball:
R: Hei Diam..
D: Who the f do you think you are?
R: What's going on, what happened?
D: Andrea told me about you Fing plan.
R: Diamond, it's not like that.
D: Just because we had sex it doesn't mean we are a couple! I don't need you or anyone else to protect me! I've been doing it myself since I was 14 and I survived.
R: I'm sorry.
D: Ha, are you?

At the bar:
D: I'm not in the mood Zack.
Z: For what?
D: Your stupid jokes. You've probably hear me and Riley and came to tease me.
Z: Everyone heard.
D: Was it really bad?
Z: It was pretty bad!
D: Thanks, you are pretty helpful.
Z: Do you want me to be helpful or do you want me to tell you the truth?
D: Th truth.
Z: Good! Cause that's why I like you. And also you have nice boobs.
D: Thank!
Z: And your ass, don't even get me started on your ass.
D: Shut up! haha. You're not that bad either. And I'm sorry, for what I said. I know you're not a bad person. And being funny is your way of cooping with your insecurities.
Z: Hei, hei, hei. What insecurities? Do you even look at me? I'm hot!
D: Of course.
Z: And you don't thin I know that you're bitchy for the same reason?
D: Touchee.
Z: You know Riley jdid't do it because he thought you were week.
D: Than why?
Z: Because he knows you can help the others in case something happens to us. You're smart Di, and you can fake being calm so good. These people need someone who can make them think everything is going to be ok. And you can do this.

It's been too long, they've been in there for too long, Diamond's think right before she hears someone screaming RUN. And she finally sees them. She tries to take off her dress so she can move properly but BOOM, she runs but it's too late. Diamond falls dawn over a a boulder and feels a lightning pain in her leg. She hears Andrea screaming and crying she hears other people screaming too but she doesn't care about them.

Zack: Are you ok? Can you move?
Diamond: Yes, I don't know. It Fing hurts.
Z: Let me check. Hmm. It doesn't seem to be broken.
D: Thanks God!
Z: Don't get me wrong, it looks terrible and it's a lot of blood, but...
D: Jeez, Zack. I get it. Thanks.
Z: Let me help you.
D: Where are the other? I've heard Andrea screaming.
Z: She's fine, one of her friend died.
D: Good.
Z: What?
D: That she's fine. That's good. Not that someone died.
Z: We need to move faster and get to the rest. We need to change and you need someone to take care of your leg.
D: Riley? Is he ok?
Z: Yes. he's fine.

Arriveing a the meeting point.
Andrea: OMG, is she ok?
Z: Ye..
D: I'm right here, I can hear you. I'm ok.
A: Ah poor thing. What happened.
Z: I'm going to go find first aid kit.
D: Something exploded and when running I stubbled upon a boulder. Zack says it's not broken.
A: Good. Di, I have to tell you something.
D: What?
A: Riley is injured too. He's ok, it's his leg that's not ok. someone is taking care of him now.
Z: Found it. What? What did I miss?
D: Nothing, more people were injured actually.
Z: Oh, here let me take care of that leg, Andrea, help me.
A: OK, ahm.. Di, this is going to hurt a little.
D: Grea.. FFFF. I wasn't even ready.
Z: Sorry.
D: Andrea, I'm sorry for your friend. I hear you scream back there I was really worried.
A: But, we're fine now. And we'll have to prepare for the trip.

After Zack and Andrea took care of her foot and helped her change. Diamond felt a little better. But still something was off. Where was Riley?



And the she saw him walking with a stick in his hand to help himself. She never felt happier.

Last edited by DiamondValentino (23/09/2017 at 16:21)

Name: Cressida Prince
Age: 30
FC:
Natalie Dormer

Interests: Marco (Leo)

Status: R1, R2, R3, R4 DONE

Defending the Entrance

The News (Leo)

Over a day has passed since Cressida and others have infiltrated the testing room and discover all the files and where Juliana, Arthur and the others are kept. It still feels like a bad dream to her especially knowing that they have all this information about her and she tries not think about how they got it the first place. It is frightening and she can’t wait until they finally find a way to get off this freaking island… hopefully with everyone safe and unhurt. The ball might seem like an opportunity - at least that is what most of the others think - but to her it feels much more a trap and she can’t shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen. Unfortunately not going isn’t an option since Cressida fears that she might make herself suspicious and she doesn’t want to be the next one locked up in a cell. So despite not being in a party mod at all she accepts the resort’s offer and gets herself a dress for tomorrow evening. And since she knows what she likes and what suits her it is an easy decision in the end… it is dark red, with a décolleté lace top and fits just perfectly.
”If it only would happen at a different time and place.” Cressida thinks to herself with a sigh as she looks around the room finally spotting Leo. They have agreed to meet up and she hopes that he got good news after meeting with Charity earlier. His facial expression doesn’t look too optimistic but she knows that he has been hardly smiling since locating Juliana and Arthur.
“Hey.” the man says as he sits down next to her, “I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”
“Only a few minutes. How are you feeling today?” she asks not expecting a different answer than yesterday but it doesn’t stop her from worrying about him though.
“You know me… I still worry about Juliana but after my talk with Charity I feel slightly hopeful.” Leo replies flashing a small smile.
“Oh sounds like you bring good news.” Cressida sits up straight and looks at him with a curious expression.
“Not sure if good news are the right words but I guess it is better than nothing. Charity found a way off this Island.” Leo explains, “There is an emergency jet on the other side unfortunately that means we need to walk through the jungle for at least 3 days.”
“Sounds pretty risky and dangerous.” she mumbles lips pursed together, “But I guess we can’t wait for another opportunity.”
“Not if we want to free Julliana and Arthur as soon as we can. The ball is the best option we got right now.” he tells her leaning on the table, “We already have a distraction planned out and if you don’t mind you would play a part in it.”
“Of course, I don’t mind, Leo. Just tell me what you need.” Cressida is quick to reply. She might not know Arthur and Juliana personally but to her it doesn’t matter… if she can do something to help them escape she won’t hesitate for a second.
“It isn’t a lot and I promise that you don’t need to hit anyone. Marco and I had this idea of a fake fight which would happen after I ask you to dance with me and he isn’t going to approve of my proposal.” Leo says and for a moment she can a confused expression on his face, “It should be enough to distract the guards and give the others a chance to slip away.”
“I wouldn’t mind hitting one of the guards myself.” the blonde woman chuckles, “But I’m sure that Marco and you will be pretty convincing.” And there is it again the strange look on his face and this time she can’t keep her mouth shut, “Leo, are you sure that everything is alright? You seem a bit strange today…”
“I was just thinking about what happened between us and that I don’t really know what to make of it.” Leo admits looking at her. “I don’t want things to get awkward between us.”
“Why do you think it is going to be awkward. We had sex… this is what happened. I’m not going to expect anything from you, Leo.  We are both grown-ups.” Cressida reaches over placing a hand on top of his, “I don’t regret what happened… yes, you are a funny, nice and interesting man but in the end we barely know each other. Or were you expecting anything to change?”
“I don’t regret it either but I wasn’t sure. You know that I have recently ended a relationship and I guess I wasn’t sure how you would act around me now.” Leo replies scratching the back of his head, “Nicole used to be pretty clingy and a part of me worried that you might do the same.”
“Clingy? I’m anything but clingy. I’m sure if you ask my ex-husband he will tell that at a few points during our marriage he would have been happy with me being clingy. In the end I might have been too independent though and too much focused on my work. So you wouldn’t need to worry about that at all.” Cressida explains chuckling, “But like I said I don’t expect things to change between us. I think we are both grown-up enough to have sex without falling in love immediately.”
“I guess that is true.” Leo says with a smile, “I guess I was just confused about everything and then there are those looks Marco has been giving you recently.” he adds and this time she is the one with the confused expression, “Wait! Don’t tell me you didn’t notice? He wasn’t exactly trying to hide them.” he asks laughing shortly.
“Not really to be honest. I mean he did worry before and during the infiltration and he has been pretty protective lately but I thought only since he doesn’t want anyone else to go missing.” the blonde woman says eyebrows furrowed together.
“Who knows there might be more behind it. Why don’t you ask him?” Leo offers smiling, “But I’m glad things aren’t going to be awkward between us now… it would be kinda said since I enjoy talking with you and of course relaxing with you in the Jacuzzi.”
“Yeah maybe I should once this nightmare is over.” Cressida replies with a frown, “Anyways I thing it would be pretty stupid of us to make a big deal about one night. Like I said I don’t think anything to change between us and I like spending time with you too. Though I would feel a lot better once we are finally over this Island.” she lets out a sigh looking at him.
“Me too Cressida but remember tomorrow is the Ball and in three days we will have found the emergency jet - and before you know we all will be back home.” Leo places a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.
”I hope you are right… the blonde woman thinks to herself already looking forwards the day this whole nightmare is finally over...

Getting herself a Ball date (Marco)

Later that day Cressida is sitting in one of the Jacuzzis enjoying a tropical fruit drink when she sees Marco heading in her direction. She doesn’t think much about it until she notices his smile getting bigger and she remembers what Leo has mentioned earlier… maybe he is right and there is more behind it.
“You are hard to find today, Cressida.” Marco says looking at her, “I have already giving up hope and I have to admit that is the last place I would have expected you.”
“Well you found me but tell me where were you expect to locate me?” she asks lips curled into a smile, “Oh and you have to join me. No idea if you have ever been in a Jacuzzi before but it is an amazing feeling.”
“Since you are already offering…” Marco grins as he slides into the Jacuzzi right next to her, “My first guess was the beach either your usual spot or the beach bar but I had no luck spotting you there. Then I checked the inside of the resort but that I found you here was pure luck.”
“Mhm sounds like you must have a very good reason if nearly searched the whole resort to find me. So tell me what can I do for you, Marco?” Cressida asks scooting a bit closer to him. She keeps her eyes set on his face hoping to catch one of those looks Leo has mentioned to her but she can’t recognize any difference from his usual expression.
“It is about the Ball tomorrow… I was hoping that you want to go there with me together.” Marco says lips curled into a smile. His proposal does surprise her since she hasn’t spared one thought about finding herself a date for tomorrow night. It is a nice idea though and it totally matches his protectiveness over her lately.
“I would love to.” the blonde woman replies smiling as well. “Leo told me already about your plan for the fake fight and I hope it will work.”
“I’m sure it will… I can be pretty convincing. I know it is hard Cressida but you need to stop worrying that much. We will get off this Island.” Marco says giving her a reassuring smile as he reaches over to take her hand, “I’m glad that you said yes. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Who is worrying now?” she asks teasing him, “But I get what you mean… I don’t want anything happen to you either.” she squeezes his hand slightly. “And why wouldn’t I say yes? I like spending time with you, Marco. You are funny, living an exciting life and you always have something interesting to tell… not to forget that you are good-looking.” Cressida adds with a smirk.
“I don’t know… you seemed pretty close with Leo in the past days.” he replies shrugging, “But yeah I enjoy spending time with you as well even as much as I enjoy looking at you.” to emphasize his points he lets go of her hand pulling her closer against him instead. “And I like it that you still owe me a few things.”
“Of course you do but who knows one day we might be finally even.” Cressida says before she leans over pressing a kiss on his lips. He doesn’t take long to react and before she knows what is happening he pulls her into his lap. She wraps her arms around him deepening the kiss. A moan escapes her lips as Marco pulls away only to start sucking on her neck instead.
“Marco… maybe we should stop.” she manages to push him away softly. “As much as I enjoy kissing you and your hands on me this isn’t the most private place to continue.”
“I know but sometimes it is really hard to control myself around you.” he says letting out a low sigh, “There will be time to continue once we are off the Island… it might take a bit longer but I’m sure it will be worth waiting.” he kisses her again this time softer.
“Of course it will be.” she agrees before she get off his lap sitting down next to him. “A lot of good things are worth waiting for you.”
“Yes… they are.” he nods wrapping his arm around her.

The Ball (Marco & Leo)

Cressida has just put in her second earring when there is a soft knock on the door. Smiling to herself she opens it coming face to face with Marco wearing a black suit together with a red tie - she wouldn’t give him any other detail about her dress other than the colour - and she is surprised to see that he has managed to match it quite well.
“Don’t you look handsome tonight.” she says before pressing a kiss on his cheek. He doesn’t reply instead only keeps looking at her. “Oh cat got your tongue?” she asks teasingly.
“Not really… I was just enjoying the view.” Marco replies keeping his eyes a bit longer on her cleavage and she recognizes a compliment when she gets one. “You look gorgeous, Cressida.”
“Thank you.” the blonde woman smiles at him brightly. “Let me just grab my purse and then we can go.” she quickly checks if she hasn’t missed anything. “Okay I’m ready.”
“Perfect.” Marco places his hand on her lower back as they walk out of the room. “And nervous?”
“A bit… I know tonight might be your only chance to free Juliana and Arthur.” she admits looking at him from the side, “And I can’t stop thinking that they might even expect us to make a move. I mean we manage to get in the Testing room and the next day we get the invitation to the Ball. Seems too suspicious to me.”
“I reckon you aren’t the only one who was thinking this but I’m not going to let happen anything to you, Cressida.” Marco says wrapping an arm around her waist. “Just promise me that you will be careful.”
“I know that Marco.” she tells him with a soft smile, “And I’ll try to but you have to be careful as well.”
“Wow they sure didn’t care about any expenses…” the man says once they have reached the ballroom. There is fitting decoration everywhere, soft music playing in the background and waiters walking around the room offering drinks to everyone.
“I wonder how they can afford all of this… though maybe it is better if we never find out.” Cressida looks around the room, “If only we could enjoy the evening.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with having a bit fun. There is still time until the distraction and it would be a shame to waste this opportunity. You want something to drink?” Marco offers looking at her.
“Yes please.” she smiles at him. As he disappears in the crowd she uses the moment to look around spotting Leo standing not far from her. Smiling to herself she decides to join him.
“Cressida, you look fantastic tonight.” he greets her with a bright smile. “But where did you leave Marco?”
“He is getting us something to drink and thank you. You look great as well.” she replies smiling as well, “Did you come alone?”
“No, I’m here with Cara. She has been pretty down since Arthur got captured and I thought she could need some company for tonight.” Leo replies pointing over to the redhead wearing a beautiful blue dress.
“That is very nice of you.” Cressida says, “And are you ready for later?”
“I don’t know honestly… I’m a bit nervous.” he admits letting out a sigh. “I try not to think about what could go wrong but it is hard.”
“I can understand that.” she places a hand on his shoulder, “I worry too about Juliana and Arthur, about your plan… about Marco. Tonight it isn’t easy for me to stay optimistic though it make everything easier.”
“Oh so you finally noticed the looks he has been giving you?” Leo asks with a small smile. “And yes some optimism would be helpful… maybe I will feel better once we have freed them and made it into the woods.”
“Not exactly to be honest but I guess it helped to know that he worries about me too and well that he asked me to go to the Ball together.” Cressida explains spotting him in the corner of her eye walking over to them.
“Hey Marco. Already preparing for later?” Leo greets him pointing to the two glasses in his hand.
“Well it has to look convincing.” Marco replies with a smile. “But don’t worry… one of them is for this beautiful lady.” he adds handing Cressida a glass of champagne.
“Ah I see. Well enjoy yourself and until later.” Leo says with a wink before walking away.
“Beautiful huh?” she asks looking at him.
“Only telling the truth.” Marco answers with a shrug. “You have no idea what this is dress is doing to me.” he adds leaning a bit closer.
“Oh I have a pretty good idea.” the blonde woman teases him before she takes a sip from her glass. “It was strange though… I’m way too much used on being the one to help others find a dress.” she adds chuckling. “But I know what I wanted and more important I know what I look good in.”
“I think you more than just good in it.” Marco tells her before he leans down kissing her softly. “Do you want to dance with me?” he offers holding out his hand for her.
“Gladly.” she replies setting down her glass on one of the tables before she accepts his hand. A soft and slow song is playing so she wraps her hand around his neck while he places his on her hips. They are swaying in the rhythm of the music and she keeps looking at him with a smile on her lips. Suddenly there is a tap on her shoulder and as she turns around she sees Leo standing behind them.
“Come let’s dance Cressida.” he says though it sounds more like slurring to her and without waiting for her answer he grabs her hand pulling her away from Marco.
“Hey! Let go of her.” the other man demands and she realizes that the distraction is going to happen now. Knowing of the fake fight beforehand doesn’t help her though to look shocked when Leo takes a swing at Marco. She gasps out making it look pretty convincing when Marco hits back… Leo stumbles backwards and she sees one of his hands smacking against the fire alarm. Suddenly the sprinklers starts as a siren and the lights go off. People are screaming in panic but Cressida tries to stay calm feeling Marco grab her hand as they hurry out of the room and towards the research building.
She is staying outside this time helping others blocking the entrance and trying to keep the guards from following the rescue team. Fighting in a long gown proves to be pretty difficult but Cressida is glad that she took a purse with her as she smacks a guard into the face with it. She keeps hoping that they will manage to free Juliana, Arthur and the others soon. Marco is next to her hitting one of the guards and sending him down onto the ground. But then everything seems to go wrong… the securities manage to break down the door and more and more guards are getting into the building. Cressida realizes that they will never manage to hold them long enough especially not with all the guns aimed at them. Without thinking she reaches out to grab Marco’s hand and suddenly there is a loud blast destroying the entrance and somehow she manages to jump out of the way without injuring herself. Others are lying on the floor though and the blonde woman makes a move to help up the one closest to her. Within a few moments everybody is up on their feet and ready to run but then sees something in the corner of her eyes.
Standing by the blasted entrance of the building is a man with cold blue eyes and a woman by his side. While she has a completely angered face he shows no emotion. No anger, no amusement, no nothing. Cressida feels a shiver running down her spine at the sight fearing that they might not making it in the end. Someone screams to run and without thinking she lifts up her gown and sprints towards the woods hiding behind one of the trees when there is suddenly a shot. She peeks around the tree seeing Juliana lying on the ground and Marco holding Andrea back from running towards the black-haired woman. The others are already walking deeper into the woods and Cressida follows them trying not to look back at again but the sight of Juliana lying dead on the ground will be sure one she won’t forget that quickly.

In the woods (Marco)

Cressida immediately changes her gown for the clothes they have placed at a spot in the woods earlier before she sits down back pressed against a tree. She hasn’t known Juliana, not talked with her once but she still feels sadness over the young woman’s death.
Nobody deserves to die like this… she thinks to herself as she wraps her arms around her legs. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation and not a living nightmare. The blonde woman looks around seeing some already setting up the tents for the night and preparing for the three day walk. To think that she will be stuck on this Island for at least another three days scares her… she has seen what these people are capable of killing Juliana without hesitating a second. And Cressida doesn’t want to think about what might happen if the security manages to find them in this place. Lost in her thoughts she doesn’t notice Marco sitting down next to her until he wraps an arm around her shoulder pulling her close against him.
“I’m scared…” she whispers leaning her head on his shoulder. “Juliana is death… they killed her without a second thought.” He doesn’t reply anything instead pulls her even closer. “Do you think they will find us?”
“I don’t know… I really don’t.” Marco whispers, “I don’t think they followed us though. Andrea and I were the last ones to get away but the security stayed behind.”
Cressida wishes that this could mean that they might manage to get off the Island without any bigger problem but right now she just can’t think positive… not after what has happened tonight.
“I set up a tent for us if you want to stay with me tonight.” he tells her. “Unless you prefer to sleep alone…”
“No staying with you is good.” she replies looking at him from the side, “I think I can’t handle being alone right now.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you.” Marco says before he gets up. He holds out his hand and she grabs it letting him pull her up. Placing a hand on her lower back he leads her to one of the tents.
“Thank you, Marco.” Cressida says as he closes the tent. She is already sitting on top of one of the sleeping bags.
“You don’t need to thank me for anything, Cressida. You already know that I worry about you.” he tells her with a small smile as he joins her on the ground. “I heard that we are leaving pretty early so we better try and get some sleep.”
“Makes sense…” She agrees slipping into her sleeping bag. As Marco reaches out to open his she carefully wraps a hand around his wrist stopping his movement. “Can you sleep with me?” she asks looking at him.
“Of course.” he nods and lies down next to her. It is a fight fit in the sleeping bag together but Cressida feels safer once she feels his arm around her. She lays her head on his chest feeling him drawing random patterns into her skin.
“Good Night Marco.” Cressida whispers before she closes her eyes and despite the early events it doesn’t take her long to fall asleep.

DONE

Last edited by schoggettchen (24/09/2017 at 19:29)

ROUND 5


And this is it ladies and gentleman, the final adventure of your lives.
You have escaped the building alive (well some of you at least, RIP Jules) and now all that is standing in the way of you and your home is a three day walk through the forest.
Keep in mind that this is a jungle-like forest so be careful where you step because there are huge tree roots and poisonous plants and berries everywhere.
The group advances through the forest as soon as the sun rises and by the time it sets down you set camp. There will be drones flying around trying to spot you so you'll have to be careful of them but no physical presence will be seen.

Meanwhile...

“Shouldn't we go after them?” The head of security asks, panting after catching up with the man and woman in charge. The woman is leaned over the corpse of a black haired girl while the cold eyed man just stands there with his hands on his pockets.
“No.” He simply replies, turning his back on the corpse and his assistant. - “Leave her Sarah, we have no use for a dead sheep.”
The woman rose to her feet again, turning to the head of security. - “Clean this mess.”
“Yes ma'am. But, shouldn't we send someone after them?”
Sarah smiled, her green eyes turning to the woods for a moment.
“And risk killing our men? No.” She chuckled then. - “There are enough dangers in there. They'll kill themselves, either by hunger of by nature's hands.”
The head of security swallowed hard, a shiver running down his spine at her smile but still it was nothing compared to her boss.

After three long days you finally see the top of the mount where the aerial base stands.  Everyone will cheer, happy to be saved and on their way home. After a little convincing Zack will fly the jet out of the Island and will land in Arizona. Amongst Juliana's files is her home address so before everyone goes home they'll make a small trip to the woman's home to bring the news to her family.
Despite being heartbroken the family will offer a roof to the group for the night.
The next morning Xander and Charity bring in news. They contacted with FOX news and they scheduled an interview to expose the vacation scam and show the photographic evidence. Everyone will decide to go to NY together.

The tv station will arrange for them to stay in a hotel while they wait for the interview and Leo will think about having a celebration dinner in honor of Juliana and also to thanking any god out there for them being alive.

The next day you'll get a call to rush to Xander's room. He'll be pretty messed up, completely in shock that the photos he took disappeared and the data was erased from his camera and laptop. Still everyone will continue with the plan and go to the interview where they'll talk about their experience and the things they went through.


ROUND 5 REQUIREMENTS

* Name of your character
* Round Status
* Final romantic Interest
* Story about at least one of the three days in the woods; Story about staying in Arizona for a couple of days and going to New York; Story about the scene in Xander's room, the dinner and the interview. Optional: Any scene you'd like in the woods, in Jules' home or in the hotel in NY
* Outfits for the dinner in NY and the interview. Please dress nice for both.



Dinner dates will be posted on the impressions!

Round 5 will close on the 25th September roughly at 11.30 pm

Last edited by hhgurl1 (22/09/2017 at 23:49)

Round info

Here's a few photos of the scenery before you. Keep in mind that you'll be travelling through a rainforest so don't expect an easy path.

     

But these woods aren't safe as one would assume. The management made sure no one could easily get to the aerial base so they grew all sorts of poisonous plants, berries and mushrooms. One single bite can kill an adult in a few hours and some give a big rash if touched.
Those who will know a bit about these plants (at least know how to identify them) are Marco, Charity, Peter and Thiago.


Deadly Nightshade


Poison Ivy


Rosary Pea

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

Xander- The throbbing pain in his head made it hard to think. Xander turned to his side, watching Raven sleep as the moon reflected its shine on her face. He didn't know how to act around her, he had never been the type to trust someone but something about Raven made him connect with her. He was curious about her and about the things she liked. He wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything and he knew that in order for that to happen he'd have to tell her everything about himself. And as he looked at her closed eyes he knew he could do just that. Trust. Because he was no longer alone and didn't have to live behind a camera. Now he could actually experience the world and not just photograph it and it felt good.

Xander will ask Raven to be his dinner date in NY. He'll tell her all Raven wants to know about him and keep creating memories and building their relationship after it all ends. He'll also want to stay with her in Juliana's family home and the hotel.



Thiago- The man smiled as he watched Johanna take the first aid kit from Cara to clean her cuts. Despite everything they were okay. They were alive. It was all that mattered to him.
"Ty..." Peter walked to the man, making his head turn. - "You need to see this man."
Thiago rose to his feet and followed Peter deeper into the woods. There he saw Marco standing by a bush.
"What is it?" But before anyone could reply to him Thiago saw the bush. - "Deadly nightshade..." He murmured as Marco nodded.
"And poison ivy..." The taller man pointed to another bush. - "...And rosary pea." pointed to another.
"They thought things through, keeping all surroundings filled with poisonous plants." Peter added.
"That's why they didn't follow us here..." Thiago felt his breathing become raspy. He immediately started to worry about Johanna. He had to warn her, tell her not to get close to those plants and never, ever, eat them.
"We'll warn the group about these but I'm sure there's a lot more we didn't recognize. We'll have to be careful when eating."
Thiago nodded, rushing back to the camp. Johanna seemed okay while still occupied. He was definitely not leaving her side, not now and not ever for all he was concerned.

Thiago will show Johanna the poisonous plants and warn her not to eat anything they didn't collect themselves. He will invite Jo to stay in his tent for the three days, wanting to do the same in NY. After it's all over he'll want to stay by Jo's side so he will move to the US to be close to her.



Arthur- The feeling of Cara's lips on his were everlasting even if the kiss had been quite a few hours ago. He felt so thankful to God or any other heavenly figure for letting him stay alive. He was going to have nightmares for the next years, he was sure of that, and never would he tell what he suffered at the hands of those people.
Arthur glanced down at his arm where the endless needles poked at him every few hours with serums he had never seen or heard about. He was definitely going to get himself checked when he got home, make sure he didn't catch any illness in there.
But at the thought of home his heart fell. He lived in Australia... Cara lived in Ireland. She was young and beautiful and had a whole future in front of her as a jockey, and what did he have? He had his ranch, which he loved, but that was it. How could he ask her to go with him back home? But maybe he didn't need to. Maybe he could find a nice ranch in Ireland, maybe even close to Cara. But who was he kidding? For all he knew those feelings could very well have been simply concern on her part and not that she actually liked him, or wanted him around... The confusion made Arthur's head start to ache so he decided to sleep it off, hoping he'd have a clearer mind when he wake up.

Arthur is still pretty insecure about Cara's feelings but he does like her a lot. He'll be worried that she's young and lively and he doesn't have much to offer her. He will ask her about her feelings though and make sure she knows he wants to be by her side. He will ask Cara to be his date to the dinner in NY and there he'll tell her he wants to go to Ireland with her.



Peter- Peter walked out of his tent as soon as he heard steps outside. He glanced back at the sleeping Aaliyah and smiled. She had been just perfect the night before, saying heartfelt words in Juliana's honor and singing at the end. He wanted to continue to stand by her side even after they get out of that island, even if he knew it was hard with his work in NY and California while Aaliyah was an artist in Canada. But they'd make things work. Perhaps she could perform in the city that never sleeps. Hell maybe he could even find her a manager if he got in touch with his agency.
Leaving the tent Peter saw Marco walk inside the woods and after a few seconds decided to follow him. If he was going tracking maybe he could be of help.
"Found something of use?" Peter's asked as he saw Marco's confused face, standing by a bush.
"Define use." Now it was Peter's turn to look confused. -"This is a bush of Oleander flowers."
"And...?"
"And if one touches their leaves they might get a nasty rash on their skin. Eat one single petal and die."
Peter's mouth dropped. - "So no eating the flowers or touching the leaves. Got it." He had to warn Aaliyah and Arthur.
"The strange thing here is that these bushes don't grown in Central America. Not in a rainforest at least." Marco's voice called Pete's attention again.
"Well I've seen some Poison Ivy around and I also thought it wasn't from here but didn't think much of it."
He had seen the bushes as soon as they escaped the building and hid behind trees.
Marco looked at Peter before examining the other bushes and trees around them. He then gasped.
"We're on a freaking poisoned land." He murmured.
"I'll be right back..." Peter mumbled, running back to the camp to get Aaliyah. But the woman was still asleep and he felt sorry for waking her up. Instead he searched for Thiago, he had seen the man before, reading a book on plants and they discussed a bit about it. When he and Thiago made it back to Marco, the taller man was leaning by another bush.
"What is it?" Peter asked, but it was Thiago who replied. - "Deadly nightshade..." He murmured as Marco nodded.
"And poison ivy..." Peter pointed to another bush to show Thiago. - "...And rosary pea." Marco pointed to another.
"They thought things through, keeping all surroundings filled with poisonous plants." Peter added.
"That's why they didn't follow us here..." Thiago mumbled.
"We'll warn the group about these but I'm sure there's a lot more we didn't recognize. We'll have to be careful when eating."
Thiago nodded and rushed to the camp, followed by Peter, who couldn't keep worrying about letting Aaliyah sleep, she needed to know about that, as did they all.

Peter will warn Ali about the poisonous plants and dangers of the island, making sure he helps Marco pick the edible mushrooms and berries even if they could steal some food from the ball buffet. He'll want to share a tent with her for the three days and when they get to Juliana's family home he'll want to continue by Ali's side.
He will invite Aaliyah to be his date for the dinner in NY and talk about their life after the interview.



Marco- The man gave a long sigh as he looked into the woods as people woke up. Cressida was still asleep in their tent and he had to admit it was the only good thing about that whole trip. Unfortunately he couldn't sleep as much as he wanted to, the image of Juliana's corpse on the ground and Andrea's scream haunted him. He was sure he'd need a therapist once he got out of that place. But now wasn't the time to worry about himself, he had to get out of there and he had to keep Cressida safe.
Marco walked into the forest, glancing at the plants and trees, studying also the ground to evaluate if they'll have an easy passage but the sight that came before his eyes stopped him in his tracks, his mouth falling. He approached the bush, confusion being read all over his face.
"Found something of use?" Peter's voice made his head turn momentarily.
"Define use." Now it was Peter's turn to look confused. - "This is a bush of Oleander flowers."
"And...?"
"And if one touches their leaves might get a nasty rash on their skin. Eat one single petal and die."
Peter's mouth dropped. - "So no eating the flowers or touching the leaves. Got it."
"The strange thing here is that these bushes don't grown in Central America. Not in a rainforest at least."
"Well I've seen some Poison Ivy around and I also thought it wasn't from here but didn't think much of it."
Marco looked at Peter before examining the other bushes and trees around them. He then gasped.
"We're on a freaking poisoned land." He murmured.
"I'll be right back..." When Peter returned with Thiago, Marco was standing by another bush.
"What is it?" But before anyone could reply to him Thiago saw the bush. - "Deadly nightshade..." He murmured as Marco nodded.
"And poison ivy..." Peter pointed to another bush. - "...And rosary pea." Marco pointed to another.
"They thought things through, keeping all surroundings filled with poisonous plants." Peter added.
"That's why they didn't follow us here..." Thiago mumbled.
"We'll warn the group about these but I'm sure there's a lot more we didn't recognize. We'll have to be careful when eating."
As Thiago nodded and rushed to the camp, followed by Peter, Marco stood there, trying to identify every kind of plant, berry and mushroom. They couldn't give one single false step or they'd die. Not that he was worried about himself dying but he couldn't let anything happen to Cressida.

Marco will show Cressida all about the plants and trees surrounding that place, making sure she knows what they look like and to never touch a thing or eat anything that wasn't given to her by him, Thiago or Peter. Other than that he'll be his usual self even if anxious to get out of that island. He will decide to stay in a guest house close to Juliana's place since he doesn't feel like intruding there and will invite Cressida to join him and of course he'll want to share the hotel room with her in NY, as invite her to be his date at the dinner.



Riley- It felt good to wake up with Dia by his side. It felt safe. He knew he should be the one to protect her but instead it was he who felt safe. She was a tough woman, he knew that and independent which is why he didn't want to impose anything on her. Of course he'd like to talk to her about what would happen when they leave the island but he didn't know how to do it.
Just as he flew through his thoughts Peter's voice called him back to earth.
"What?"
"There's something you need to know."
Riley stopped, looking at his friend. - "Don't tell me we're being followed."
"No... or at least I don't think so..." Peter replied with a confused expression. - "What I mean is that we found out pretty much everything in this forest is poisonous. Eat only the stuff Marco, Thiago and I find and don't touch any leaves you don't recognize."
"Shit, Diamond's a vegan. I need to warn her, she can't eat anything out here."
"Do that. We stole food from the ball but I'm not sure they'll last the three days. We might need to collect stuff but we'll be the ones to find edible mushrooms and berries. We can't even hunt animals or birds because if they've eating the berries or flowers we could still get poisoned for eating their flesh." Peter let out a nervous smile. - "Guess Diamond won't be the only vegan for the next three days."

Riley will warn Diamond about the bushes and the poisonous plants, teaching her to differentiate edible from poisonous ones. He will share his tent with her and so will the room in Jules' home and the hotel in NY, if she wants to. He will muster up the courage to talk about the future before the dinner in NY where he asks her to be his date.

Last edited by hhgurl1 (24/09/2017 at 22:51)

Name Aaliyah Wyatt
Age 24

Status
All Rounds are complete
My hubby
Peter
Friends for Live
Andrea, Arthur, Leo, Riley, Xander

Story& Outfits

The storm is over now

Jungle

The Walk of live or dead||Peter, Andrea

"Liyah, wake up, sweetheart," Aaliyah grumbled something not understandable.

Before opening one eye to see that she was in the tent. She was surprised but it didn't matter she had slept well next to Peter.

"What's wrong?" Aaliyah asked softly.

"Are you awake," Pete replied looking at her which made Aaliyah close both her eyes.

"Yeah," She replied but Pete shook his head.

"I don't believe you,"  Aaliyah just mumbled.

She didn't expect to get kissed.

"Now wake up princess," Pete said making Aaliyah smiled.

"One more," Aaliyah mumbled.

When she got it she sat up straight, stretching her arms and yawned.

"Now what's wrong hubby?" Aaliyah asked her.

When Pete was done explaining what was going on, Aaliyah's mouth fell open.

"Those people are horrible," Aaliyah complimented signing.

"Yes, they are but do you understand don't touch or eat any plants," Pete replied worried.

"Sure it's just mean you are going to feed me," Aaliyah replied with a grin.

"Sure I will do that," they both mimicked the same grin before Aaliyah leaned forward and kissed his lips.

The other two days of walk looked longer than there were with Aaliyah having to change so that the poison stuff won't be immediately in contact with her skin after she tripped the fourth time Peter had enough and asked around so that Aaliyah could wear sneakers. At night the group would talk about themselves or Aaliyah would sing but the best time was when the group found a waterfall and it was time for showering.

"How are you feeling?" Aaliyah asked Andrea no woman had extra clothes or underwear so everyone was naked this would have been Jules Paradise Aaliyah thought with a smile.

"Better I think," Aaliyah nodded but didn't believe her Andrea had been crying herself to sleep every night.

"Good," Aaliyah replied softly.

They kept quiet before Aaliyah spoke up.

"This would have been Jules dream," Aaliyah said voicing her thoughts.

The laughter that came from Andrea a second later had Aaliyah laughing too.

"Oh Aaliyah that's so true," Andrea replied after her laughter subdued.

"I wished she died doing something she would have loved like bungee-jumping," Andrea said and Aaliyah nodded.

Aaliyah remembered the first week that they went Mount climbing without the equipment it had been scary but a lot of adrenaline kicks perfect for an adrenaline junkie.

"What are you thinking about," Andrea asked her.

"Our first week with her climbing," Aaliyah replied honestly.

"I miss her Ali," Andrea replied tears falling from her eyes.

"Me too Andrea, me too," Aaliyah replied hugging the grieving girl forgetting her own tears that were falling.

The day the finally arrived at the jet Aaliyah wanted to kiss the floor instead she jumped on Peter to kiss him.

"Damn I missed this," Pete said putting his forehead of his girls.

"Sorry," Aaliyah replied feeling guilty.

"No worries, I am happy you were there for Andrea," Pete replied with loving eyes.

"I am happy you were there for me," Aaliyah replied kissing him once again.

When they were finally seated Aaliyah started to sing The storm is over now by R. Kelly believing every word because she hoped it really was all over.

Storm Aftermath

Dinner&interview

Arizona||Pete

Aaliyah was happy that the group decided to give the message of Jules passing away personal but if she had thought Andrea was grieving telling Jules family what had happened to their girl was 20 times worse. Aaliyah was heartbroken and it would be Pete that will keep her going in the days that will follow.

"Are you okay," Ali shook her head hugging Pete who warped his arms around her.

"It's hurt it's so bad that we couldn't save her," Even though the food had been delicious Ali couldn't get a bite to pass her throat.

"I know Ali but we tried and you and Andrea were so nice to tell them how much you loved her, her last days on earth," Pete played with her hair when Ali was crying his shirt wet.

"It's okay to not be strong at this moment Ali I will be strong for us both," That really thought Ali's heart deeply if Peter had some mistakes Ali didn't care because he was the one for her she was sure about it.

Aaliyah slept that night really bad but Pete was with her the whole night holding her hand or giving reassuring words.

"Wake up, sweetheart, breakfast is ready," Ali nodded yawned and sat up.

"I feel like a wreck," Pete pushed a tuft of her hair behind her ear.

"You look too beautiful to be a wreck," Aaliyah smiled at that.

"Aren't you the sweetest," Ali complimented feeling a little better.

"For you always," Pete replied kissing her forehead.

"How is your arm," He held out his hand and Ali took it before she knew it he was holding her bridal style.

"Great, now let's go to eat," Pete replied walking out the room.

It was after breakfast that Xander and Charity came with the news about doing an interview with Fox news about the fake island, Aaliyah and most others agreed to do it, it meant they had another stop before going home.

Aaliyah held Pete's hand tighter and smiled up to him what was she talking about with him she was already home.

Safehaven called New York||Friends& Family

New York city has always felt like a safe haven for Aaliyah, but this time she felt like the rug would be pulled out under her. But she would be stronger now. She would grow up and face her demon the only regret she would have is not knowing if Peter would wait for her but deep down she knew he would that’s what made the decision to face the demons much better.

“And?” Peter asked her when they left Arizona on the way to New York.

“I can breathe again,” Aaliyah answered Peter question.

“Good,” Peter replied kissing the girls forehead.

Aaliyah indeed felt better but she was still felt sad but not the choking kind.

As soon as they arrived they went to their hotel to check in.

“I know most of you may not like the idea but I would love to set a dinner up in honour of Juliana,” Leo’s voice came to the group.

“We are in,” Peter replied while slugging Aaliyah back on his shoulder making his way to their room Aaliyah followed silently.

Later that night.

“Hey Aaliyah,” Pete started softly holding his hands behind his back.

“Yeah?!” Aaliyah asked surprised.

“Be my date to the dinner,” Aaliyah laughed.

“You already counted me in remember.” Pete looked ashamed.

“I am sorry I wanted to ask you more romantic,” Aaliyah smiled.

“Sure I will be your date and now tell me what do you have behind your back,” Peter grinned and showed her a big box when she opened it she gasped.

“Peter this is beautiful,” Aaliyah had tears in her eyes.

“I know that you had to leave all your clothes behind this is the least I could do,” Peter replied trying to dry her tears.

Aaliyah laughed through her tears. “Not all mine clothes, most of them,”

“No see this one as your first beautiful dress,” Aaliyah nodded and smiled.

The dinner night was joyful and fun not for everyone but Aaliyah and Andrea where re-calling fun times with Juliana with Leo stepping in and telling his shares.
Aaliyah knew it was soon but not too soon sometimes laughter was better than tears and who said that you could mourn someone only with tears.

Andre and Aaliyah sang Jules favorite song The A team by Ed Sheeran.

After that everyone went back to their room while Andrea choice to go home.

The next morning everyone was upset to learn that the evidence was gone but more so Xander, Aaliyah comforted him with the words that it could have happened to everyone nevertheless they all still went to the interview if Aaliyah had known her parents would be present she won't have gone in a million years even though she had to deal with them soonish, she hoped to had more days or even one more day.

“Catherine, what is this nonsense about a scam island, aren’t you ashamed of yourself,” The voice Aaliyah would remember anywhere.

“Father,” Aaliyah said surprised.

“You look like you have seen a ghost and what have I told you about your hair?” Aaliyah saw her dark-skinned mother and signed.

Already getting a headache but instead of covering in herself she stood proudly on her heels.

What happened next she didn’t expect Peter stepped before her in a protective stance.

“Who is that boy Aaliyah? Aaliyah holds his hand tightly before getting behind him.

“No one you need to know,” Aaliyah replied standing before Peter.

“To tell you the truth I love my hair mother and father I am not ashamed for what really happen to me,” Her father huffed.

“You need to come back to Canada, you need to sign papers,” Her father told her matter-of-factly.

“I know and I will come with you,” Aaliyah replied simply.

“But Ali,” Aaliyah glared at her parents until they turned around and left them alone.

Before turning to look at Peter, Aaliyah felt already tears well up.

“Pete I love you so much, I won’t make you choose between me or your job,” Aaliyah told him.

“Ali I can help you,” Peter said holding her cheek in his hand.

Aaliyah shook his head.

“I am done running, please wait for me,” Aaliyah asked him softly kissing his lips.

Before pulling away.

“Ali! Here call this number when you are ready and whatever she answers call her Harry she will believe you then,” Peter sounded broken still he put a business card in her hand.

“Wait for me,” Aaliyah replied before walking away from where she wanted to be the most.

Later Aaliyah will learn that the woman or transgender was his agent.

Weeks that follow

family meeting, going to Pete, Violin

Opening the cage||Family

Aaliyah walked into the meeting room looking at all the family-board members. She really did not want to be here but she had to get this over with sooner than later.

Walking to the head chair Aaliyah raised an eyebrow to her father.

"Father, can you get out of my seat," There was a gasp going through the room but Ali could have cared less.

"Excuse me, Catherine," Her father looked at her surprised.

"I am the boss I will be sitting in this chair,  so get off it," Aaliyah replied.

"Not for long I need you to sign this," Aaliyah took the documents but left the pen in her father's hand.

"Do you know what's the funniest?" Aaliyah asked still reading the documents.

"What?" Her father asked when Aaliyah didn't continue.

"Grandpa had four sons and multiple grand-children," Ali continued.

"And?" Her father replied not catching were, Ali, was going with all this.

"He left his company to the one that wanted it the least, I didn't understand it at first but I do know," Aaliyah told the board/family members.

"What are you talking about!" one of her cousins yelled clearly annoyed.

"He set me free," Aaliyah replied while tearing the documents.

"Now father I hate to repeat myself get out of my chair!" Aaliyah said and her dad did exactly that.

Everyone was shocked.

"But you don't know anything about running a business," another cousin replied.

Aaliyah huffed and presented them all with her red map, which had, all her diploma's and courses in it.

"In order to stay in Juilliard my robotic father had made me go to night school," Aaliyah said glaring at her father.

"And guess what I graduated cum laude and not to forget the curses I had to follow over the weekend didn't he tell you? Because grandpa knew, I had no social life to speak of," Aaliyah replied she may have, felt she had been free but she had never been in reality, till the island gave her real freedom in the eyes of a man that saw through her.

She looked outside hoping that the mess she had to clean up doing to her family would be done soon she was missing her hubby and it only had been 1 day.

"This can't be," the first cousin David replied.

"My daughter is unfortunately right this is all legit," Her father replied proudly Ali wanted to hit the man.

"Wait, Wyatt, I am not going to work with your daughter," Aaliyah turned her head at her uncle and smirked.

"That's correct uncle because all of you are fired only the real board members are allowed to stay," which we're only five Aaliyah thought to herself shaking her head.

You should never go in business with family really.

"What!" Her uncle replied shocked.

"I am buying you guys out," Aaliyah replied simply.

"What! You can't-do that," Another Uncle spoke up.

"Embezzling money from your father is what you can't-do," Aaliyah replied looking at her uncle's who had made her sick.

Her father was, thank god to proud to do such things.

"If you buy us out this company will have nothing," Her aunt said looking proud of herself.

Aaliyah rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen your share's lately?" all the family members look at each other.

"It looks like you didn't too bad because they are only worth 10,000 each," Aaliyah signed why did her grandpa hired such useless people.

"What!" Her mother yelled shocked.

"Yeah mother, let me introduce you to my business partner, Gorden, come in!" Aaliyah pointed to the door.

He walked straight to Ali's side. 

"Wait what is going on here," Her father asked.

After Gordon explained that the highest shares were actually that of Aaliyah and his. Which the old man had done at the last moment just for the fact that he knew how greedy his family was at to be sure that Aaliyah would get it all when she was ready he brought higher pieces of the company separated them in his lovely granddaughter and her best companion.

After the story was done all family member stood up and left furiously.

"Well played Aaliyah," Her father said while walking out the door her mother hadn't said a word while leaving.

"I learned from the best father," Aaliyah replied softly.

"What now lady Catherine," Gordon asked.

"Really Gordon, it's Aaliyah now," Aaliyah huffed but had to laugh afterwards she had done it, she was free, tears of happiness were rolling down her cheeks.

The next 3 weeks would be hectic for Aaliyah and Gordon trying to make the business run like it's supposed to but when she was ready and could leave the rest to Gordon.

Aaliyah sat on the first plane out of Canada, she had to make a detour before going to her final destination.

Jules Carter||Leo

"I am sorry sir she just walked past me," The man behind the desk looked up.

"Aaliyah," Aaliyah smirked at Leo.

"Hey mate," Aaliyah walked straight to him.

"Chris is all right she is a friend," Leo replied shaking his head.

"I told you sooo, Chris," Aaliyah replied mischievous making Chris blush and leave the room.

Aaliyah hugged Leo, she had missed him.

"Damn what are you doing here?" Leo asked overcoming his surprise.

Aaliyah sat before his desk.

"I am here for Juliana," Aaliyah saw him swallow.

"What's with her?" He asked slowly.

"Even though it was a scam that island is a time I will not want to forget, the fun, the meeting new people, falling in love but most of all the mystical time," Aaliyah told him.

"What are you going at Ali," Leo asked but seemed intrigued.

"I want to buy an island and name it Jules Carter after the amazing woman I met at the time," Aaliyah replied with a weak smile.

"Giving a few the opportune to really win a free vacation," Aaliyah finished.

"But Ali that sounds too simple," Leo replied looking thoughtful.

Aaliyah shook her head.

"We are loaded and we were her friends, it is simple. I want to give more people the, same opportunity we had without the shadow looming over us as being test subjects," Leo was quiet and Aaliyah smiled at him.

"Think about it and call my business partner when you have decided," Aaliyah set a business card before him on his desk.

"It seems you're going through with it with me or not," Leo noted.

"Will be nice to have you onboard Leo but I am going to my husband now," Aaliyah told him standing up.

"You married?!" Leo asked surprised and hurt.

"Not yet," Aaliyah replied walking to the door.

"Ali?!" Aaliyah turned to look at Leo.

"You are amazing and all but I really can't help," Leo said holding the business card up in his hand face full of fear, he really was on the brink of tears.

Aaliyah gave him a sad smile too.

"Just so you know... I am sure, Jules would have act straight for you," Ali told him leaving his office.

While Ali walked away she could still hear Leo's laughter. Happy she didn't leave him sad behind.

Identical Twin||(POV of Peter), Stephen

"Are you nuts how can you buy a ring for a woman you only have known for a month," Pete looked at his brother and signed it always was like looking in the mirror.

"Stephan can you stop it already," Pete replied looking at his phone looking at the picture of him and Aaliyah.

"She hasn't contacted you for the last 3 weeks," Stephen replied putting an expression on 3 weeks.

"I know she may have her reasons," Pete replied looking from his phone.

"Maybe she lied to you," Pete shook his head.

"She lied about her history," Stephen replied pestering.

"No, She didn't she told me the truth," Pete replied holding his phone tighter.

His brother huffed shaking his head at his twin.

"Just let's go out, she properly forgot about you already bro, so forget her," Stephen replied being worried for his brother who had been lovesick since he came home a week prior.

Pete frowned and shook his head.

"Ali isn't like that," He commented.

"How do you now! You only knew her for a month or something," Stephen replied.

"Stephan just quite it already," Pete replied not upset with his twin to fast but at the moment he was.

With that said Pete walks away looking at the picture that was taken in New York at the dinner party,  Aaliyah was holding his hand on the table and looked at him lovingly. Pete kissed the picture and held it to his heart. He was going to believe in his Aaliyah.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Aaliyah called the number.

"Hello, you are speaking to Harriet's," Aaliyah smiled at the base in the woman's voice.

"Hey Harry, can you tell me where Pete Fernandez is currently," Aaliyah asked the woman.

"How dare you call me Harry," The woman replied with a huff.

"Harriette!" Aaliyah replied impatiently she wanted to see her hubby.

"Fine! He, is currently at home in Mexico will send you the coordinates," Harriette replied.

"I am sorry for calling you Harry, Harriette Pete told me was the only way you had believed me," Aaliyah replied feeling guilty.

"No worries I will hit him myself next time I see him bye, Ali," Harriet replied.

"And can you keep it a surprise Harriette," Ali asked her.

"Sure darling," Harriette replied before hanging up.

When arriving at the airport Pete was waiting for her which surprised Ali she was mad that Harriette told Peter. But she will soon fond out that it's Stephen and not Pete that came to pick her up. Stephen wanted to test her like he tests all his brother's girlfriends.

"Hey Pete," Ali smiled at the guy and kisses his cheek.

But something felt wrong Ali pulled back and frowned.

"Shouldn't you be kissing me on the lip," Ali frowned at the man before looking him in the eye.

"I don't think so," Ali crossed her arms.

"Come on babe, I missed you," Stephen replied looking at Ali.

"I only kiss my boyfriend on the lip, sorry," Ali replied grabbing her back and swinging it on her shoulder.

"Ali, I am your boyfriend," Ali looked at the splitting image of her boyfriend yet he wasn't it she was sure of it what was his twins name again?

"Last time I checked his name was Peter, not Stephen," Ali replied walking outside.

"Now bring me to him," Ali has never seen a more shocked face.

The car ride was quiet till Stephen broke it.

"How did you know?" Aaliyah turned her head to look at him

"You don't look at me like I am the only girl in the world," Aaliyah replied simply.

"Should have seen that one coming he fell in love with the crazy in love one," Aaliyah laughed at that.

"I am sorry for testing you," Stephen said.

"Why did you do it?" Ali asked him.

"I don't want my brother to be taken away," Stephen replied heartbrokenly.

"Never would I do that I just want to share his heart with the ones already in it," Aaliyah replied.

Stephen looked surprised at the woman once again before smiling which was exactly the same as Pete.

When they arrived Aaliyah was the first to jump out of the car rushing to her waiting Peter.

"I missed you so much Pete," Aaliyah held him tightly.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," Pete replied hugging Ali just as tightly.

"Brother you were right she is a keeper," Stephen said walking into their parent's house.

Violin tears||Friends

One week after reuniting with Peter and really talking about their future together finally, Aaliyah had a violin concert in New York.

She had invited all her friends and those that wanted to come.

At the night itself, she was so worried to mess up.

“You will be alright,” Peter told the girl.

“How do you know I want to cry,” Aaliyah mumbled to her boyfriend.

“Don’t cry you will mess your mascara,” Peter warned her.

“I don’t care,” Aaliyah replied pouting.

“You are so cute say cheese,” Before Aaliyah knew it Pete had taken a picture of her pout.

“Delete that,” Aaliyah warned him.

“Nop,” Peter replied when Aaliyah jumped up and went for his phone he held it out of her reach.

“You are so mean Pete,” but Peter just kissed her lip making her smile.

“That beautiful smile is what I like to see,” Peter replied.

“You two are so corny,” Both turned to see Andrea standing there.

“Drea!” Aaliyah was hugging the woman soon.

“I can’t believe you made it,” Aaliyah replied surprised.

“Of course I would make it, I can’t believe you play the violin,” Andrea replied surprised.

“I told you I was musical schooled,” Aaliyah replied chuckling.

“Still also with that pretty voice,” Aaliyah blushed and Andrea smirked.

“You sure I can’t have her Peter?” Andrea asked teasingly.

“Yes Andrea 100% sure she’s mine,” Peter replied making both Ali and Andrea laugh at the serious in his voice.

Soon after Aaliyah started with her the concert.
Play

Aaliyah lost herself completely in the music it felt so surreal, but she loved it the most because it felt better than when she was playing underground. She really was happy she had an amazing boyfriend, Nice friends, a beautiful house, a great dog and her business ran itself with Gordon giving it now and then some more attention.

Before Aaliyah knew it the song came to an end and she got a standing ovation.
Which surprised her but the one that made the most sound was Stephen getting to know each other they were the best of her friends and no one not even they didn’t see that one coming. Aaliyah blew them hand kisses.

Aaliyah walked off stage ready to go to them.

“Miss Leighton or better yet Miss Wyatt,” Aaliyah turned around to see the men she met long ago before her, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“You are a hard person to find,” The man continued.

“Thank you for the flowers, sir,” Aaliyah smiled up at him.

“You got the talent I am looking for,” Aaliyah looked at him surprised.

“Excuse me,” Aaliyah replied confused.

The men name was Edward Frederick one of the biggest conductors and Aaliyah was surprised to hear that h would love to work with her the following weeks Aaliyah would get more work offers which she would think about but at that night the only place she wanted to be was with her boyfriend and friends. Which she told him but she also told him she would contact him soon.

Later at night, Peter took Aaliyah separated from the rest.

“Come I want to show you something,” Peter held her hand while walking before her.

They came on top of the beautiful building and Aaliyah was breathtaking at the sight.

“Peter this is beautiful,” Aaliyah told him.

“So where are you beautiful,” Pulling her to a deck and standing behind her Peter whispered.

"You were amazing tonight, Sweetheart" Ali smiled at those words whispered in her ear while looking over New York lights.

It was quiet for a long moment before Ali missed the heath from her boyfriend's body.

"Ali?!" Peter’s voice sounded vulnerable.

"Yes," Aaliyah replied turning around surprise to see Pete on one knee.

"Will you marry me," Pete asked popping the question.

8 months later

Wedding dress and something EXTRA

Yes I do|| Family and friends

“I am so happy you decided to marry on her island Aaliyah even though I couldn't set myself to help you when you needed it,” Leo said arm around her shoulder.

“No worries I am happy you accepted and of course it is the perfect grand opening,” Aaliyah replied looking over Jules Island tears in her eyes it had become so beautiful.

Aaliyah was happy that all her friends wanted to be present at her wedding on this island it had been a pain till she started to use her last name her grand-father was respected after all. Aaliyah was getting the same respect, she was funny, sweet and was open.

“Are you ready to become Mrs Fernandez,” Leo asked the woman.

“Yes sir born ready,” Leo laughed.

“Only you would say something like that,” Aaliyah just chuckled.

“Ali! Here you are, come on you need to get ready,” Andrea had been a serious maid- of-honour which had surprised Aaliyah.

“Coming already stop pulling me Drea,” Aaliyah commented but Drea wasn’t listening.

After everything was done and Aaliyah was ready and so were her bridesmaids
Andrea looked at her thoughtfully.

“Doesn’t your wedding dress look a little bigger there,” Aaliyah gasped at Andrea who was pointing at her belly.

“Don’t tell me…,” Aaliyah blushed.

“2 months wanted to tell Peter first Drea,” Aaliyah complained but Andrea's face went all smiley.

“Awe I am so happy for you Ali,” Andrea replied hugging her.

“It’s that reason you are wearing such a horrible dress,” Andrea asked touching the body.

“Shhh…It’s not horrible is a family tradition,” Aaliyah defended.

“You should have said no,” Aaliyah signed.

“I know right,” Both burst out in laughter before they heard the chimes of the wedding song. Making their way downstairs to the wedding.

Walking down the path Aaliyah smiling at Gordon.

“Thank you for walking me down the aisle, Gordon,” The old men had a toothless smile ready.

“For you always Lady Catherine,” Aaliyah smiled at him.

Aaliyah kept her name Catherine but made it her second name she hated the nameless especially because Peter liked to whisper it in her ear at night.

As soon as she saw her soon to be husband at the beach altar she blushed.
While pulling veil above her face, Peter goes to her ear.

“I really hate this old thing know I can’t wait to take it off,” Aaliyah had to chuckle at his words.

“Marriage is the most intimate of all relationships,” the pastor started.

“It is the ultimate commitment to love, share, trust and grow with another person.
It is the beginning of a whole new life,” Aaliyah looked at Peter lovely.

“By entering into this marriage groom and bride are stating publicly, the feelings and commitments they have held privately between them, they both have words for each other,” The pastor pointed at Peter.

“The first time I met you, you came running at me searching for a saviour,” Peter started.

“Oh come on! I already told you not to tell, that,” Riley’s voice came from the grooming line Peter chuckled.

“The kiss with the words fiancé that followed I can truly say that there is where you had my heart already,” Aaliyah smiled.

“You are talented, strong, sweet, crazy and so much more,” The audience went awe.

“Awe indeed because each day I wake up next to you Aaliyah is that mine first thought,” Peter looked at Aaliyah with so much love.

“We may fight but at the end of the day, we never go sleep with angry thoughts,” Aaliyah smiled at that.

“I know you will stay with me till the death do us part,” Aaliyah nodded energetically at that.

“I will be with you whenever your weak or when your lost or even when you just need a friend,” Aaliyah awed herself.

“And now the turn to the bride,” The pastor said.

“Everything he said and more,” Aaliyah replied grinning.

“Aaliyah,” Andrea warned her making Aaliyah laugh.

“I never believed in love at first sight,” the public went quiet.

“But you made me notice you and fall for you,”

“You may have, giving me your heart but I was soon to follow,”

“I may be the crazy in love person going too far with my jealousy sometimes but never remember it’s because I love you and losing you won’t do,”

“Want I want to say is thank you for loving me, all of me,” Aaliyah finished.

Grabbing his hand putting it on her belly.

“Just be sure to make one more place to love him or her,” Aaliyah whispered Peter had tears in his eyes.

“You better say the words pastor because I am going to kiss my wifey,” Peter warned making Aaliyah chuckle.

“You may kiss the bride,” the pastor said he didn’t have to repeat that because by you may Peter’s lips were already on Aaliyah’s.

“I now announce Mr and Mrs Fernandez,” The pastor said when they finally stopped kissing, Aaliyah was blushing cherry-red.

The applause they received was the best even though Aaliyah was running behind Peter with laughter.

They truly where ready for the next chapter in their life.

DONE

Last edited by NinaJones (25/09/2017 at 21:40)

Johanna Nolan
24
Romantic interest: Ty
RS 1,2,3,4 complete 5, done as well


The cuts on my body made the three days journey even worse. I could barely get a wink of sleep because they hurt no matter in what position I was. The first day in the forest, Ty showed me some poisonous plants. Because of those, we couldn’t eat much either because the forest was basically filled with them. Also, I was a bit apprehensive with all the food. Who knows what else they had planned for us. Ty also invited me to share his tent for the three days which also resulted in another reason why I couldn’t sleep. I was too nervous. I mean, what if I snored? I could see that he was also nervous. He tried his best to leave some space between us but it turned out to be impossible since the tent was small. The first night, he could see that I couldn’t sleep so we stayed up talking until sleep took over him. He is cute when he sleeps.

The second day we continued on our way. We tried to be careful to not touch any plants. Large leaves were blocking our way so we had to cut some of them. It was raining most of the time since we were in a rainforest, which made the trip even more difficult. I almost slipped a few times due to the water but Ty was always there to catch me. During that day everyone was talking about what was going to happen once we arrived at our destination. Eventually we decided to visit Juliana’s home to let her family know that she won’t be coming back.

When we arrived on our third day, I wanted to cry with joy. Everyone hugged each other, happy to have made it out of there alive. Zack flew the jet to Arizona. On the plane, we talked about what we should do. We had to let someone know about the secret behind the ‘free vacation’. Once we arrived, we went to Juliana’s home and told her family what happened. They cried so much that day. Some cried with them too; those who knew Juliana. They also let us stay the night. Ty and I slept next to each other again. We held each other’s hand for the whole night.

When morning came, Xander and Charity told us that we have an interview with FOX about the vacation thing. We also have evidence to show. Or at least we had.  We were also told that we were gonna stay at a hotel for a few days in NY.
“Let’s share a room.” Ty told me when we arrived in NY. So we did that. After everything that’s happened it’s like he doesn’t want to let me out of his sight. The next day we were called to Xander’s room. “It’s gone! It’s all gone!” He shouted while grabbing his hair. “The photos, the data, all evidence is gone!” That was shocking to hear. How did they remove it? Did they know where we were? “IT doesn’t matter now. We have to do this interview. It’s our only chance to expose them.” Charity said. So that’s what we did. We went for the interview.

“This story sounds crazy.” The interviewer said after we told him everything. “What evidence do you have to back this up?” He asked. “Well, that’s the thing. I took some photos but when I arrived here, everything disappeared. They erased all the data from my electronics.” Xander said. “I know it sounds crazy, like Science Fiction even, but trust me when I tell you it’s real. I am a journalist and I’ve written down everything that happened those few days. And most of it was written while we were still at the resort. There are even all the things that happened before we knew about this. I have always written the truth based on real facts so there’s no way we could be lying.” I said.

(interview outfit)
Link to external image

The night after the interview, we all went for dinner. We had no idea if he believed us or not but we just wanted to have a night in memory of Juliana and to celebrate the fact that we were alive. We made sure to make that night memorable since the next day everyone would be heading his own way. We all exchanged phone numbers that night so we could stay in contact with each other. If something good came out of this trip it was the friends that we made. Also I had the opportunity to fall in love. “Tomorrow... I don’t want to part from you, Ty.” I told him while looking down at my feet. As much as I was happy to be going home, somehow, home didn’t feel like home without him. “Jo,” He put his hands on my shoulders and I looked at his face. “I don’t want to be away from you either. Besides, I don’t really have a ‘home’ to go to since I don’t want to go back to my home town. That’s why, after giving it some thought, I decided to come with you.” My eyes went big at that. “If that’s okay with you, of course.” He said. “Of course it’s okay!” I told him, happily. “Good. I was hoping I can make a home with you.” My heart squeezed at that sentence and I kissed him.

(dinner outfit)
Link to external image

A month later I was allowed to publish the story on the newspaper that I work with. I heard that some policemen went to the resort to find out exactly what was going on for themselves. I hope they find the evidence. Now, every time I go to my apartment there is always Ty waiting for me. We have indeed made a home together and we also decided to get engaged!

Done 

Last edited by BearHugs6 (25/09/2017 at 16:45)

* Name of your character: Diamond V.
* Round Status R 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 complete
* Romantic Interest: Riley

A shot explanation about Andrea and Zack.
Diamond loves Andrea. She found in her a good friend and a trust worthy person. She's not taking out of consideration the possibility of having an affair with her someday. But a relationship was out of the equation since the beginning.
Zack. Diamond wold never admit but she really likes Zack. He surely became on of her BFF and she wouldn't have said no to a one night stand with him if there was't for the discovery of the human testing lab. But it would never work out between them. They're way to similar.

Diamond woke up next morning next to Riley, they haven't said a word to one another but it wasn't necessary. Diamond always heard about this type of connections but she always thought they were bs. they slept next to each other and she felt safe.

Z: Woke up pigeons, we need to eat and an leave. They might look for us.
D: I'm starving. What do we have.
Z: Canned meat. Yummy.
D: Ih, I can't eat that.
Z: Don't act like a princess now.
R: Zack, she's vegan.
Z: Really since when.
R: Since 2 years ago. She told as the first night we meet.
Z: Of course she did. They all do.
D: I'd rather eat tree bark than you caned cadaver.
Z: Enjoy.
D: He's such an idiot. Just when I started to think he was a decent person.
Z: I've hear you bat girl.
D: I Fing WANTED YOU TO HEAR ME.
Z: ENJOY YOUR TREE BARK.
R: I'll go find something for you.
D: Thank you.

Diamond leand on her back and put her head on her backpack, she felt something hard and se opened it. There were 3 cans of beans and, 4 small ones of sweet corn and one of pickles, a jar of peanut butter and one of jam but half of her clothes were gone. Who would have done something like that?

On the road:
D: Thank you.
Z: For what?
D: For my backpack. You never forget.
Z: Oh, that.
D: Why? Why would you pretend you forgot.
Z: Look Di, it doesn't matter now.
D: OMG, you like me.
Z: What? No.
D: You do.
Z: It doesn't matter. You chose Riley. I get it he's the good guy I'm the bad guy.
D: You know, I don't think that way about you. I like you. In a weird way that I can't explain I do. But it would never work out. We'd kill each other.
Z: You don't have to make up excuses.
D: That's not what I'm doing and you Fing know that. You know me better than that. You out of all these people have to know me better than that.
Z: Maybe I don't.
R: What's wrong.
Z: Nothing, I was just leaving.
R: what's up with him?
D: Nothing. How's your leg?
R: Fine, I'll survive.

The 3 days were like hell, most things were dangerous or plain deadly. Even tho Diamond loves nature and animals, she's had enough of that. She hasn't taken a shower, she hasn't been eating much nor sleeping. So when she finally heard heard someone in the front screaming ''We're here guys''

D: OMG, I can't believe it.
R: Yeah we made it.

Riley grabed her and kissed her like he never kissed anyone before.

In the plane:
D: I'm never complying about planes again. Ever.
R: I know right?

In New York after the chat and planning:

D: No one is going to believe us.
A: But we have to try.
R: someone died on that island. They'll have to believe us.
D: It's not going to be that easy.

At the dinner


R: Thanks for coming with me.
D: Thanks for inviting me.
R: So?
D: So?
R: I was thinking, what is going to happen between us after we live?
D: I guess we'll go back living our lives.
R: No. I mea us as in you and me.
D: Riley, I just I don't know.
R: Do you want to see me again?
D: Of course, I do. I like you. I really do, but everything is just so...
R: Much. I know.
D: You know, we live so far away from each other. An I have to finish art school.
R: I'll move with you. Wherever you go I go. Except if you don't want me to.
D: I ca't ask you to do that.
R: Don't. I'll do it even if you don't.

Z: What did you do to your hair?
D: You don't like it?
Z: I do, actually. It makes you look even crazier.
D: Haha, very funny Zack.
Z: So where is your boyfriend.
D: Inside, I came outside for a smoke. And he's not my boyfriend. I mean we don't know what's going to happen after.
Z: OK.

Zack grabed her hand an made her throw the cigarette, he made Diamond face him and feels her breath on his chest. They've looked int each other's eyes and kissed.

Z: Sorry. I had to.
D: Yes.
Z: I wanted to make sure we're not making a mistake leaving each other.
D: And are we?
Z: Probably.

Zack left and Diamond was out of breath. She lights up another cigarette but then sees Andrea coming towards her.

A: Hei! Whats with you an Zack? Was he a harassing you?
D: What? NO! No. Absolutely not.
A: Oh, I thought,  I mean I saw what happened and...
D: I know. Did anyone else saw us? I have to tell Riley myself.
A: He'll understand. But wow you and Zack. Who wold have thought?
D: Haha, I know right? 

The interview.


So Diamond, what happened on that Island?
D: It was a nightmare. It was like we were on a set and we were shooting for a horror movie. I thought we were going to die. I'm just really happy that everything is over.

Diamond said goody to everyone. She'll miss hanging out all day with her 3 new friends, but she has good friends back in London, they sure heard about what happened and will have loads of questions. She was s sure Riley was the one for her, but after Zack kissed her, everything seemed to be not as clear anymore.

Done

Last edited by DiamondValentino (26/09/2017 at 09:14)

Name:

Cara O'Connor


Age:

19


Round Status:

Round 1: Complete
Round 2: Complete
Round 3: Complete
Round 4: Complete
Round 5: In progress


Final Romantic Interest:

Arthur <3


Monday:

TBA


Tuesday:

TBA


Wednesday:

TBA


Thursday:




Friday:

TBA


Sunday:




Monday:




Tuesday:

TBA

Last edited by Fashion-Chic (24/09/2017 at 01:49)

Name: Raven Morris

Round Status: ALL rounds complete

Final romantic interest: Xander

Welcome to the Jungle

There weren't enough hand wipes in my entire bag to keep clean. Between the sheer amount of sweat and sleeping in the dirt, by the end of the second day I stopped wasting them on what felt like a futile effort. I'd also stopped asking "why not?" whenever Marco, Charity, Peter or Thiago said we couldn't eat something realizing that the answer was always going to be some variation of "It's poisonous."

Maybe I wouldn't have to keep asking had they thought to warn all of us at once. I thought with a grimace. I knew I wasn't a part of their clique and I didn't want to be but I also didn't want to end up with diarrhea or dying some horrible death because they'd only thought to actively warn their friends or the people they were sleeping with...

"I'm sorry they didn't teach this in Girl scouts." I mumbled after asking for the last time.

"You were a girl scout?" Xander asked with a laugh. I hadn't realized I'd even said that part out loud until he acknowledged it.

"You think that's funny?" I asked.

"You just don't strike me as the girl scout type." He said still laughing.

"If we ever get back to civilization I'll show you my badges."

"When we get back to civilization I look forward to seeing them." He said putting his arm around me.

It felt like it was a thousand degrees, I was sticky and probably smelled like a mix of lingering antiseptic and sweat and he didn't back away...in fact it felt like after that first night we were getting closer. He seemed more optimistic and more open and while he still hadn't told me every detail of his life I learned that if I asked questions that more often than not he'd give me an answer.

Interlude

I'd be lying if I thought I said I believed we'd make it out of that jungle alive. Almost every plant that could be identified was poisonous and the ones that couldn't be identified were equally off limits for fear of what they might do. Then there were the bugs and whatever else went bump or squeak or whizzing by in the night and the fear of what a bite or sting might bring. And for me there was also Xander and the worry of infection because while I'd cleaned his cuts and patched them up as best I could it wasn't like we were getting cell service in the jungle...trust me I checked.

But somehow we made it, and even more impressive was the fact that first we all fit into the helicopter (I predict things would have gotten extra ugly, extra fast if we couldn't, in fact I know they would have because I wasn't staying a second longer than I had to in the manufactured hell hole) and second that Zack managed to get us all the way to Arizona.

Arizona

If it had been put to a vote I would have been opposed to us all going to Juliana's house. We were an uninvited group of strangers who were there to tell her family that she was dead and that her corpse was unaccounted for. It didn't only feel morbid, it also felt very cruel.

"I can't stay here." I told Xander after her family extended the invitation.

"They said we could." He responded as if maybe I hadn't heard the invite.

"That doesn't mean that we all should." I started to clarify. "I didn't even know her and while I'm sorry she's dead there's literally nothing I can say to her family that'll be helpful, and what if they start asking questions about her body, none of us know how to answer that. Hell, we don't even really know who killed her."

"I get it." Xander began to respond. "But where are you going to go?" He asked with a note of concern.

"A hotel...I'm about 95% convinced that they're not all evil fronts."

Xander wanted to stay at Juliana's family home and made a good case for it saying that none of us should be alone but I refused to be swayed.

"You can stay if you want." I told him finally. "I'll even check in every day if you're worried." I assured him, feeling foolish as I said it realizing that while we'd shared more than most people would in a lifetime that I didn't even have a number to contact him.

"I'll go with you." He said after a few moments of silence, "That is if you want me to."

I was almost surprised by how badly I wanted him to come with me.

***

"You're not staying?" Andrea asked as she noticed me leaving.

"It wouldn't be right." I said simply. "I didn't know her at all, and being here...for me, it's..."

"I understand." Andrea said cutting me off and pulling me into a hug. "Be safe." she whispered to me, before kissing me on the cheek.

Xander and I said our goodbyes and I was thankful that despite everything my cell phone and credit card still worked. My battery was pretty badly drained but I scheduled an Uber, stopped at a local Wal-Mart for some clothes and a bottle of peroxide, and found the least skeevy, low-tech motel I could.

***



"You did something to your hair." Xander observed when I emerged from the longest shower I'd ever taken.

"I needed a bit of a change." I said swapping my towel for something to lounge in.

"I like it." He said after a few minutes before going into the bathroom to take a shower of his own.

When he emerged from the bathroom I was sitting on the bed in an oversized t-shirt flipping through the channels. Since he was still wrapped in a towel from the waist down I expected him to grab something to wear and come sit next to me but instead he went to where his camera bag was removed his camera. Before I knew it he was snapping shots.

"I bet you couldn't wait to do that again." I teased.

"You're right." He responded putting the camera down. "I couldn't wait to see you looking so relaxed...so you...again." He said, then he kissed me gently on the forehead and turned to put his camera away

"How is that you're such a boy scout?!" I said flopping back on the bed dramatically.

"Says the former girl scout?" He laughed.

"Emphasis on the word former." I countered. "Besides,you're just so...so chaste." I said searching for the right word.

"Chaste?" He smirked. "Maybe I'm just waiting for the right moment to make my move."

"Like when?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Like now." He said as he smirked again before dropping his towel...

The rest is not PG

***

The next day Xander told me we had to go back to Juliana's house but he promised me we didn't have to stay. While we were there he and Charity announced that they contacted Fox news and there was an interview scheduled.

Couldn't this just be over? I wondered hoping that we weren't doing something that would make a bad situation worse.

The next few days in Arizona passed in a blur with Xander regularly reminding me that while he was a gentlemen that he most certainly wasn't a boy scout...

New York

It wasn't until we actually got to New York that I realized I'd rather be almost anywhere but there. Not only had Leo arranged a group dinner as another memorial for Juliana as well as a celebration of sorts, but the feeling of dread that had started to surface when Xander and Charity mentioned the television show felt as if it was going to boil over.

"Please come to the dinner with me." Xander requested when I told him I was having reservations about it.

"Why?" I asked, "So we can sit around...again, talking about Juliana and how happy we are to be off the island?"

"You make those sound like bad things."

"I get that people need to mourn Juliana's loss but...and hear me out on this, are we even really sure she's dead?"

"We saw her die Raven!"

"Correction, we saw her get shot, after she'd been in some lab where they did who knows what to her." I spit out. "And what if it's not over? What if they're still watching us, tracking us?" I whispered.

A look of concern colored Xander's face before he drew me into his arms.

"Come to dinner with me." He said softly. "Please"

"Fine." I relented as I allowed myself to melt into him. "But I'm not going to like it."


Dinner



For me the dinner was as miserable as I thought it was going to be. The smiles around the table seemed false if not forced and I felt like I'd stepped into a "Twilight Zone" episode as I listened to everyone talk about how thankful they were as I pushed the food around on my plate. I tried to smile in the right places and answer any questions thrown my way but I felt a world apart.

***

Dinner lasted far longer than I would have liked and by the end of it all I wanted to do was be alone. Despite the fact that Xander and I had been spending all of our nights together I told him I was going to take advantage of the fact that we had separate rooms.

"Call my room if you need me." Xander said before he kissed me goodnight.

I showered, changed and was settling in to read the book I picked up at the airport when my room phone rang. I contemplated not answering it but by the fourth ring I figured I should.

"Hello." I sighed into the receiver.

"Raven Morris." came the mechanical reply before the dial tone.

My hand shook as I hung the phone up and when the phone rang again, I picked it up and immediately hung it back up. Then it rang again...and again...and again...finally it stopped.

Five minutes later there was a frantic knock at my door and I was too scared to move. It wasn't until I heard Xander's panicked voice saying my name through the closed door that I got up to answer it.

"Are you okay?" He asked, "I've been calling."

In that moment I wondered if I could trust him and decided to err on the side of caution. I
made up a quick lie about why I didn't answer the phone, something about reconnecting with my mother in Aliquippa and I didn't mention the first call at all. Yes, Xander and I had been getting closer, but this didn't feel like something I should tell him.

"Funny you should mention your mother." Xander said. "I have a surprise for you."

Getting to Xander's room I immediately noticed the picnic he'd laid out on the bed.

"What is this?" I asked with a smile.

"You didn't eat at dinner." He responded. "I hoped this would help."

***

Finding out the information is gone



I ended up staying the night in Xander's room and woke up the next morning to the sounds of panic. Startled I asked him what was wrong at it was then I learned all of the proof he had about the resort was gone.

Maybe that's for the best, was what I wanted to tell him, instead I asked him what he wanted to do.

He immediately started calling the others, because apparently this is what we did now: made every decision as a group, the de-facto democratic republic of resort escapees. I knew what their decision was going to be before they made it: of course they wanted to do the interview anyway. No one asked me directly for my opinion so I didn't give it; this was going to be dinner from the night before all over again...

The interview



I can always claim something like Stockholm Syndrome later, I reminded myself as I got dressed for the interview. And if I don't say anything then there's no sound byte to come back to bite me in the butt later. I reasoned. I would sit, plaster on a Mona Lisa smile and sip the water slowly whenever it seemed like a question was coming my way.

The start of the end of it all

It took a whole 20 minutes after the interview aired, the time it took to get from the news station back to the hotel, before I got a call from someone in the administration office at my university. While they wished me well they would not be welcoming me back for the rest of the semester.

"Well there goes 4 years of college, and a year and a half of grad school." I said as I ended the call. "Good luck getting me to repay the student loans." I grimaced.

Xander, who had only been half listening asked me what was wrong and I told him about how I'd been booted from school.

"At least now you don't have to write that paper." Xander tried to joke.

I'd never mentioned my paper, not to him, not to anyone on the island.

"Who are you Xander Acker?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"Come with me and find out." He said plainly.

"Seriously?"

"We leave tonight...and we leave everything here...well almost everything." He responded clutching his camera.

What did I have to lose?

Last edited by Dare (25/09/2017 at 01:42)

Name: Cressida Prince
Age: 30
FC:
Natalie Dormer

Final Interest: Marco

Status: R1, R2, R3, R4 DONE; R5 in Progress

Surviving the Jungle (Marco)

Cressida doesn’t know how late in the morning it is when she finally wakes up only to realize that Marco isn’t there. The spot next to her feels already cold meaning that he must have been up for a while now. Sighing to herself she sits up before she stretches her arms and legs trying to wake up the rest of her body. If it weren’t for the fact that they have to leave soon and get moving to reach the emergency jet she would go back to sleep. The blonde woman opens the tent looking around the small clearing they have used for their camp until she spots Marco talking with Peter and Thiago. She can’t understand what they discussing but they keep pointing at different plants.
If it is something important I’m sure Marco will tell me later… Cressida thinks to herself as she disappears back in the tent changing into fresh clothes. Just three more days and we will be safe.  Pulling her hair into a ponytail she steps out of the tent nearly smacking straight into Marco’s chest.
“Looks like someone is happy to see me.” he grins pressing a kiss on her forehead. “And did you sleep well?”
“I did but why didn’t you wake me up?” the blonde woman asks looking at him. “Oh and is everything alright? I saw you discussing with Peter and Thiago.”
“After yesterday I thought you could need your sleep and you looked too cute.” Marco replies, “We have a problem… come I will show you.” he places a hand on her lower back softly pushing her in the direction of some bushes, “Turns out that we are surrounded by poisonous plants and some of them don’t grow around this place. Which would explain why they didn’t follow us.”
“Oh god!” Cressida gasps looking at him with wide eyes, “Is there anything safe to eat for us at all?”
“I didn’t check all the bushes you but you definitely have to stay away from these… here we have the  Oleander flower bush, Poison ivy, Deadly nightshade and rosary pea.” he explains pointing at the plants in front of her but she has never been good with plants and while all four do look different she fears that she might not remember it later. “Don’t touch them. Eat only what Peter, Thiago or I give to you.”
“Okay… did you warn the others yet?” the blonde woman asks moving her gaze away from the plants and looking at him instead.
“Not yet… I think Peter wanted to tell Aaliyah and Thiago Johanna but the others don’t know yet.” Marco says grabbing her hand, “Come on, let’s pack our stuff and the tent and then we can tell them.”
After a quick breakfast the group advances further into the forest and Cressida keeps her eyes open the whole time… they might not have been followed yet but she still worries that the guards are just waiting for the right moment to capture them all. Nothing happens though just one or two drones flying around to spot them but they use the trees to stay hidden from the sight. As soon as the sun sets down the group sets up another camp for the night and once again Cressida and Marco share a tent together.
“What will you do once we are off this Island?” she asks later as they are lying in the sleeping bag.
“Take a long and hot shower for sure.” Marco replies chuckling, “Then I will eat something and sleep… just sleep. What about you?”
“Mhm a shower sounds good and sleep too.” Cressida agrees snuggling herself deeper against him. “Remember just two more days…”
“I know and I can’t wait. There are a lot of things I wanna do once we sleep in a real bed again.” he teases lips curled into a grin.
“Oh really? I hope you plan on keeping your promise.” she tells him stroking over his chest, “But now we should sleep… it will be another early morning for us.”
“Mhm true…” Marco murmurs before he presses a short kiss on her forehead, “Good Night, Cressida.” She wishes him the same and this time she doesn’t fall asleep this easy lying in the darkness listening to his heartbeat and soft breathing before she finally drops off.
The blonde woman can’t believe her eyes as she sees the aerial base for the first time after long and exhausting three days. Curling her lips into a smile she turns to Marco, “We did it… we actually did it.” She throws her arms around hugging him tightly.
“Of course we did… now let’s just hope that Zack is the excellent pilot he claims to be.” Marco replies.
Turns out that he is even if it took some convincing him to fly the jet out of the Island. Already during the trip through the forest it has been decided to make a short stop in Arizona to inform Juliana’s parents about what has happened. The blonde woman might not have known her but it still feels like the right thing to do. Looking out of the window she waits until the Island has completely disappeared from her sight before she leans her head on Marco’s shoulder letting out a soft sigh.
“Feels a bit like a deja-vu… we just need the water and me being clumsy again.” she tells him chuckling shortly.
“Yeah but now you don’t need an excuse to touch me anymore.” Marco replies grinning at her.
“Idiot…” she murmurs under her breath, “Wake me up when we have landed?” she can feel the exhaustion of the past days in her whole body.
“Of course.” he replies and it doesn’t take her long to fall asleep as soon as she closes her eyes.

Welcome to Arizona (Marco)

Cressida doesn’t join those who tell Juliana’s parents of what happened on the Island to her it doesn’t feel right. She hasn’t know the black-haired woman and instead of saying something useful she could only offer her condolence instead. So she stays outside enjoying the feeling of fresh air and the feeling of being safe. Letting out a sigh she pulls out her phone dialing Jasmine’s number… it has been over a week since their last talk and now with being off the Island she feels like filling her in on all the details.
“Cressida finally… I have been trying to reach you but I also ended on your voicemail.” Jasmine says after picking up, “Is everything okay?”
“Not exactly. I’m in Arizona right now.” the blonde woman replies dragging a hand through her hair.
“Arizona? What are you doing there?” Jasmine asks, “I thought the vacation was supposed to go for at least two more weeks.”
“It is a long story.” Cressida sighs, “The vacation turned out to be a cover up for a very sick experiment… I know it sounds absolutely crazy but just listen to me. People started missing and then we discovered all those files about every winner… they knew everything about me Jasmine. Where I live, work, when and why I got divorced… they even had information about you!” she exclaims voice getting louder.
“Oh my god… please tell me you are alright.” Jasmine tells her and she can hear the worry in her friend’s voice. “But how did you end up in Arizona?”
“I’m fine given the situation. We found an emergency jet and walked three days through a freaking jungle to get it. Juliana she didn’t make it… but her family lives here and someone had to tell them.” the blonde woman explains taking a deep breath. She turns back to the house seeing Marco standing at the porch, “I will stay here for two or three days before flying back to London. I will call you once I know more, okay?”
“You can call me anytime, Cress… day or night I don’t care.” Jasmine says, “I will come and pick you up from the airport. But please be careful. Talk to you later.”
“Always. Bye Jasmine.” Cressida replies before she ends the call.
“Everything alright?” Marco asks as he walks over to her, “You look a bit pale.”
“Yes… I was just talking to my best friend telling her what happened.” she replies leaning her head on his shoulder. “What did her parents say?”
“They offered us to stay in their house for the night but I don’t feel like staying. I didn’t know Juliana that well. There is a guest house nearby and I already booked a room for us.” Marco explains wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Sounds good to me… I hope they have a shower there. Oh and a comfortable bed of course.” she says with a small smile grabbing his hand. “Lead the way.”
The reach the guest house after a short walk of 10 minutes and while Cressida just wants to fall into the bed and sleep for days she is in need of a shower first. In the end spends nearly 20 minutes under the hot water and by the time she feels a lot cleaner even if her skin is slightly red. Only wearing a towel Cressida falls on the bed waiting for Marco to finish his own shower but in the end her exhaustion wins and within a few minutes she falls asleep.

When Cressida wakes up the next minute she is still only wearing a towel but Marco has draped a blanket over her body. He is still sleeping next to her and she thinks that is the first time seeing him this relaxed and calm since the discovered the whole truth and scheme about the free vacation. Lips curled into a smile she reaches over caressing his cheek. If anyone had told her before that the holiday would end like this… escaping from crazy scientist , ending up in Arizona but also managing to find someone she can see herself in a relationship with she wouldn’t have believed one word. 
“Morning....” Marco murmurs before opening his eyes looking at her with a sleepy expression. “How did you sleep?”
“A lot better compared to the last time. The comfortable bed helped though the company as well.” she replies pressing a short kiss on his lips, “I wanted to wait for you yesterday but I guess I was more tired than I expected.”
“It is okay. You weren’t the only one and today we can take our time with getting ready.” he tells her, “Besides I think there is a promise I need to keep…” she looks at him confused trying to figure out what he might be talking about as he suddenly grabs her around the hips pulling her onto his lap.
“Oh that!” Cressida smirks down at him. He leans up kissing her passionate while removing the towel and throwing it somewhere on the ground. The blonde woman places her hands on his chest slowly moving down but to her surprise she doesn’t feel a towel or boxers. “Oh that is a surprise as well…” she chuckles wiggling her eyebrows at him.
“Glad that you like it.” Marco grins before he turns them around making her wrap her legs around him pulling them closer together...

The City that never sleeps (Marco)

Cressida looks at her reflection as she puts the necklace on… so much has happened in the past days with them trying to get off the Island, going to Arizona and now they are in New York. Tomorrow there will be an interview with FOX News and while she thinks that everybody deserves to know what really happened on the Island she fears that those crazy scientist will find a way to get revenger. Letting out a sigh she shakes with her head now is not the right time to think about this. Leo has arranged a dinner for Juliana’s honor for tonight and Marco has asked her to be his date. Not that she has imagined anything else. They have grown closer and closer but she has no idea right now how it will work out once they are back in their homeland.
”And now is definitely not the time to think about this…” Cressida scolds herself looking at the bathroom where Marco is getting ready. She knows that eventually they will have to talk about it but for now she just wants to enjoy their time together.
“Can I come out now?” Marco asks and she chuckles to herself at his question. It has been her idea to surprise him with her look for tonight and him staying in the bathroom has been the only option.
“Yes.” she calls back turning around so she can see his face. “And was it worth waiting?” she asks lips curled into a smirk.
“Definitely. You look beautiful.” he says looking at her from head to toe.
“Thank you and you are handsome like always.” Cressida kisses him softly. “Are you ready to go?”
“The earlier we arrive the earlier we can be back in our room.” Marco grins wrapping an arm around her waist as he walks towards the door.
“I swear if you make any comment now how my dress will look good on the floor as well I’ll hit you.” she tells him glaring at him from the side.
“Well it might have crossed my mind but it would be a lie since it definitely looks better on you.” Marco replies grin turning into a smile.
“Good answer…” Cressida teases him as they step into the elevator. She stretches herself pressing a kiss on his lips.
“If you keep doing this we will never make it to the dinner…” the man murmurs after she has pulled back.
“Remember coming early and leaving early.” she smirks before intertwining their hands together.
It is a nice dinner with delicious food and Cressida spends a few moment catching up with Leo and Zack. Both of them are fine though the Scot seems a bit stranger than usual… he is still grumpy and gloomy and for a moment she considers asking him but she has the feeling that he isn’t going to tell her the reason. As she walks back to Marco she spots four women wearing long gowns and she shakes her head at the sight… they all look nice but in her opinion it is a bit too much for a simple dinner.
“And still want to leave early?” Cressida asks after she joins him at their table. She reaches over placing her hand on top of his. “Or do you want to wait for the dessert?”
“Mhm hard decision… I like both options.” Marco replies eyebrows furrowed together, “Do you think anyone will notice if we leave together with a plate of the dessert?”
“There is only one way to find out.” she curls her lips into a grin, “Are you in?” He grins too nodding at her. “Good…” She gets up making her way over to the dessert table. When no one is looking she grabs two plates quickly making her way over to the elevators where Marco is already for her. Turns out that Cressida likes chocolate cake even better with she can eat in a comfortable bed together with Marco… and later her dress did find a spot on the floor.

The next day can only be described as a disaster with Xander calling everybody to his room informing them that all the photos and evidence are gone. Cressida doesn’t know but somehow they must have managed to delete all the data. Still the others want to go through with the interview… to her it doesn’t make much sense though. The blonde woman wonders how anyone will believe them if they have no proof. She can only hope that their story is convincing enough. Two hours later and Cressida is sitting in the TV-Studio surrounded by camera, spotlights and Marco’s hand on her leg keeping her steady. Like anyone else she tells her story, how she experienced the whole vacation and how she felt after they discovered the true reason behind the contest. It is a strange feeling to share her story with thousands of people. She does hope that in the end it was worth the trouble...

Finally home

Being back in London is a lot stranger than Cressida has expected… Jasmine kept word and did pick her up from the airport. Unfortunately she also spends almost a week worrying like crazy, always asking if Cressida is alright and if she can help her somehow. It takes a lot of convincing and arguing to make her friend realizes that this way she isn’t being helpful at all and after a few times Jasmine finally accepts it. After two weeks of being lazy, spending hours with skyping or talking with Marco who is back in Greece the blonde woman finally goes back to work. Even after a month has passed she doesn’t manage to fall into her old rhythm though and instead of working on her appointments and finding the perfect wedding dress she spends more time in front of her computer. Cressida finishes all the paperwork, browses on the internet and along the way she discovers someone who is looking to buy a bridal store in London… and for a short moment she actually considers the offer. She can’t explain why but ever since she got back she has the feeling that a part of herself is missing. Shaking with her head she leaves her office grabbing herself a cup of coffee. She stays hidden from the sight of everybody else watching Jasmine who is talking with a young bride. This is supposed to be her appointment but how can she sell a wedding dress when her heart isn’t it. Cressida lets out a sigh before she disappears into her office where she stays for the rest of the day.
“I’m done for the today… are you going to lock up?” Jasmine asks a few hours later leaning in the doorway.
“We can go together. I have been done for a while now.” the blonde woman admits shutting down her computer.
“You could have gone you know.” Jasmine tells her. “I have got a key as well.”
“I know but… there is something I have to tell you.” Cressida lets out a sigh, “I found an offer today from someone who is looking to buy a bridal store in London. I already checked the information… his name is Mr. Hermann. He is from Germany and already has a few stores and now he plans on expanding. I might contact him.”
“Oh wow… I didn’t expect that.” Jasmine admits sitting down across from her, “Is it because of what happened on the Island?”
“Partly. I don’t know what exactly changed but it feels like something is missing.” she tells her lips pursed together, “I wanted to tell you first because I also thought about selling the store to you if you are interested. I know it is a lot to take in and I’m not expecting an answer right now.”
“I wouldn’t have one anyway.” Jasmine says chuckling shortly, “Something is missing or someone is missing? And don’t even try to deny it Cressida. I could see it in your eyes when you told me about Marco… you haven’t look this happy in years.”
“I do miss him and seeing him over Skype is not the same but don’t think that I’m being crazy? This store has been my life for years and now I might give it up.” the blonde woman replies shaking with her head.
“I wouldn’t call it crazy. You obviously feel something for him and nobody is going to be mad at you if you take the chance to find out if he feels the same.” Jasmine smiles at her encouraging, “Let’s do it like this… give me a week to think about your offer.”
“Okay but no pressure. I’m not mad if you say no.” Cressida says with a small smile, “Still want to leave together?”
“Of course. You know me.” Jasmine smiles brightly.
In the end Jasmine didn’t need the whole week to make her decision that she was going to buy the bridal store. Cressida knows that is definitely the best solution for everyone and it helps her to make feel less guilty when she buys herself a one-way ticket to Greece. She has no idea how long she will actually stay in the end or if it will work out with Marco but Jasmine is right… there is only one way to find out.

Life goes on..

Greece here I come... (Marco)

“Number 26… where are you?” Cressida mumbles to herself as she walks through one of the small streets of Livadia. Luckily Marco has given her his address because otherwise she would have had to spoil the surprise. “Ah there you are.” she exclaims after she finally spots it. Number 26 turns out to be a small apartment building. She decides that it must be her lucky day after she discovers that the entrance door isn’t locked. Walking upstairs with her trolley proves a bit difficult in the small staircase but she manages and before she knows it she is standing in front of Marco’s apartment.
“There goes nothing.” she murmurs before she uses the doorbell.
“I’m coming.” she hears Marco shouting from inside and her lips curl into a bright smile as she waits for him to open the door, “Cressida…” he looks at her with wide eyes, “What are you doing here?”
“Surprise.” she says before throwing her arms around his neck hugging him tightly.
“Wow… I don’t know what to say.” Marco replies after he has pulled back.
“Mhm how about that you are happy to see me or you could invite me inside.” Cressida suggests with a grin.
“I’m more than happy to see you and please come inside.” he laughs taking a step to side, “Tell me what have I done to deserve such a wonderful surprise?”
“Honestly I missed you a lot and lately I felt like something was missing.” Cressida explains as he leads her into the living room. She looks around… it is small but very cozy. “Jasmine suggested that I should come and visit you and here I am.”
“I missed you too.” he wraps his around around her from behind, “And how long do you plan on staying?”
“Not sure… I guess as long as you can handle me.” she grins, “I sold my bridal store to Jasmine. So there is nothing important waiting for me.” she adds with a shrug.
“You did what? Who are you and what have you done with Cressida?” Marco asks turning her around. He looks down at her with an amused expression.
“I know.. it sounds crazy and nothing like me but I have the feeling that it was a good decision.” she tells him, “And I will find something new to keep myself busy… either in London or well here.”
“You can stay as long as you want.” Marco replies before he finally kisses her.

Seven months have passed since Cressida first arrived in Greece and it doesn’t look like she will be leaving anytime. Officially she has moved in with Marco, selling her flat in London and after a bit of troubles she finally got the rest of her stuff to Greece. And she found herself a new occupation… a fashion store in the centre of Livadia. It might not be the same as selling wedding dresses but it is less stressful but more important is that it makes her happy. Not as much as Marco though… not that it was all sunshine and happiness. There have been a few fights in the beginning but they managed to make up and one day the blonde woman realized that she loves him. After telling him - because she couldn’t keep it to her any longer  she is happy to hear that he feels the same. It is strange how life can turn out sometimes but now as she is standing on the balcony together with Marco looking at the sunset she thinks that she doesn’t want to change it for anything else.
“Cress?” he asks.
“Yes?” she replies turning to look at him only to discover that he is no longer standing but kneeling instead. She gasp out as he pulls out a little box opening it and revealing a simple gold ring with a small stone.
“I love you and to me you are the best thing that happened to me on the whole Island… Do you want to marry me?” he asks looking at her with the most loving gaze she has ever seen.
“Yes… yes.” Cressida whispers feeling already the first tears rolling down her cheeks. She watches him as he puts the ring on her finger. “I love you too.” she tells him before pressing their lips together…

Happy Ending (Marco)

If anyone had asked Cressida 6 years ago if she would ever get married again she would have laughed and said no… and now look at her. She stands in front of mirror admiring her reflection. It is a simple white dress longer in the back but for the beach ceremony she and Marco have been planning in the past 6 months it is perfect. None of them wanted a big and fancy wedding with hundreds of guests instead they have settled for something small and only with those who are important for them.
“You can do this…” Cressida whispers to herself taking a deep breath. “He loves you so there is no need to be married.”
“Cressida, are you ready?” Jasmine calls from the other side of the door. Tearing herself away from the mirror she crosses the room opening the door. “You look beautiful.” her friend says hugging her shortly. “So are you ready?”
“Yes, let’s go.” The blonde woman replies with a small smile. As they walk down the stairs she can already see Marco waiting for her and all the worries she had after waking up are gone in the moment he smiles at her happily. Cressida tries to focus on the speech nearly missing her turn to say I do which makes a few chuckle. The rest of the ceremony passes smoothly… they exchange their vows and the rings. As Marco kisses her Cressida knows that she has found true happiness and love...

DONE

Last edited by schoggettchen (26/09/2017 at 21:48)

And finally, after two weeks I am proud to say that Paradise Island is now CLOSED!


THE PRETTIEZ

ROUND BANNERS

OVERALL BANNERS

CREDIT BANNERS

BONUS EXTRA

Hope you enjoy the banners and keep on reading to puzzle the pieces together!

Last edited by hhgurl1 (26/09/2017 at 22:47)

One week later...


*FOX NEWS intro*

“Good morning America and good morning Sandra. How are you feeling today?”
“Pretty good John, but let us begin giving the news to our viewers?”
“Of course Sandra. First of our latest news is actually a public apology.”
“Yes we believe we've induced our viewers into believing a lie.” The woman added.
“A week ago we showed the world the so-called scam of the Paradise Island and its free vacations, which several of the survivors gave testimony of their horrific experience and the discovery of scientific experiments being conducted on human beings.”
Sandra nodded, continuing the news - “At the time our station was unable to contact the organization behind Paradise Island but we've received since then an announcement by the management, rectifying the situation.”
The image was then switched to a video where the front person was a woman with bright green eyes and a warm smile plastered on her red painted lips.
“We, at Paradise Island, are extremely sorry for the informations that have been circling the media by a few individuals who were expelled from their free vacation due to property damage and indecent behavior.” The image changed again to the entrance of the research building, showing a few constructors working on it.
“As you can all see these disorderly people played with the fireworks we were meant to use on the last day of their vacation and blew up part of our building, placing in danger several lives and actually killing two of their own friends.” The image went back to the woman who had lost her smile.
“These are dangerous people and the authorities have been informed of the situation.” Her bright smile came back on. - “But fear not because we will continue with our free vacations for anyone who is willing to participate on our website. All we ask is that you behave well. Just access ParadiseIsland.com and enter your ID card number and that's it! Have the vacations of your life!”
The video ended and the news reporters were seen again with agravated expressions.
“Staying true to our honest policy of following all leads possible we interviewed this group without hesitation, unaware of the scam they were creating. They had no proof other than their own memories of the event and we believed them.”
“We now apologize at the whole Paradise Island organization on the name of Fox News.” Sandra finished, glancing at John before continuing to other news.

~~

“Pete, you have to see this.” Harriet pulled the man aside on a break of shooting.
“What is it?” But before he could reply his agent had already opened a video of the morning news on her phone.
Pete's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the journalists and as the green eyed woman appeared on the screen he gasped.
“Just what-” He didn't even finish his exclamation, all the lies the woman was spitting made him sick to his stomach.
He was white as paper when the clip ended and Harriet put a hand on his shoulder.
“Harriet I was there. What I told was the truth. You have to believe me.”
The mocha colored woman nodded, with pitying eyes. - “I believe you Pete... I'm just not sure how many clients will...”

Leo was sitting on his office chair, feet crossed over the table when his phone rang. He put the papers he was examining aside and rolled his eyes. He didn't feel like talking to any of his business partners. As the phone kept ringing he gave it a small glance and a brow rose.
“Riley? Don't tell me you already miss me, come on, it's only been a week.” He chuckled, but the voice that answered him seemed everything but amused.
“Dude are you watching the news?”
“News? I don't even have a tv on my office. You do know some people work.”
“Don't be an ass! Watch Fox! NOW!”
“Jesus alright.” Leo grunted, walking into the living room of the house he shared with his brother. He lazily grabbed the remote and looked at the screen. - “Are we on the news again?” He asked slightly curious but just as the image changed to the woman he had seen on the island his mouth dropped and so did the phone.
“Dude are you there? Leo? LEO?” He could hear Riley's voice on the phone but he approached the tv, his blue eyes scanning the footage of the destroyed entrance of the building and the fake sweet voice of the woman.
“What the actual f*ck” was all he managed to mumble, his blood rising to each word being said. He grabbed the phone.
“They're making us the bad guys!!!” He nearly screamed at Riley.
“I know man. I hear you. All too well actually.”
“Sorry, I'm just... what the hell? They can't get away with this!”
Leo heard Riley sigh on the other end of the line.
“Look, I'd be up to punching that woman on the face as much as you but I think they just did get away...”
“No way man, no way...” Leo replied dumbfounded, his eyes still locked on the screen, pretty much in shock.

“Xander?” Charity's voice could be heard as he picked up the phone.
“Yes?”
“Thank god I finally got a hold of you!”
“Sorry I have bad reception here, I don't get most of my calls...”
“Just where on earth are you?” The ginger asked completely curious.
“Well... here and there. Exploring the world as I always did.” He chuckled.
“How about Raven?”
“She's with me.” Xander smiled, happy that she had decided to leave everything behind and join him in his travels.
“So I'm guessing there's no TV wherever you are right?” Her voice was flat, which only made Xander laugh.
“Bingo. But why? What's the matter?”
“You never did find the photos you took of the facility did you? Or any of the other data?”
It stung to be reminded of his failure again.
“No... It's all gone. It's like all the evidence I was even on that island just evaporated. Even the photos of the animals and the view!” He then stopped, his brows furrowing. - “But...why are you asking this now?”
Charity gave a low sigh. She turned away from the tv, sitting on the couch so she could focus on what was important to say.
“Our interview was debunked. Or better said, erased. Scratched. Kapput. Gone.”
“Wow wait...” Xander shook his head in complete confusion. - “What do you mean erased? We saw it on tv...”
“Another report was aired just now...” Charity swallowed hard, knowing it was going to be a hard blow on the couple. - “The resort is blaming us for the explosion and saying it's our fault Juliana and the other guy who was locked up died... They say we're lying about our experience there just to cover up for their deaths... I don't know what to do Xander, I was the one to blow up the entrance but I never thought they'd use it against us!”
Xander could hear Charity crying on the other end so he tried his best to stay calm.
“Calm down Charity. I'll go look through all of my stuff again, I'll check my cloud and dropbox, I'll check everything online where I store my data to make sure nothing escaped me.
As the call ended Xander fell on his bed, completely defeated. Someone managed to clear out all of his data and now they managed to discredit their report of the vacation scam.

Marco slammed his fist on the table as he watched the news, anger burning in his eyes at the sight of the green eyed woman. Just what the hell were they trying to do, discrediting them? Making them sound like the liars and killers? And to stain Juliana's memory by accusing the wrong killers of her death? Marco would be caught dead before he'd let that happen.
He punched a chair that fell on the floor before breaking. He didn't need to guess who was calling him on his phone as it rang when the news reported moved on, he was sure it was one of the other guests or maybe Cress.
“Leo.” He greeted the man with a flat tone, pretty much matching the other guy's reply as he also said his name.
“Saw the news?”
“Me and the whole country.” He spat. - “What the f*ck are they trying to do now?”
“Trying to keep their guests coming.”
“Well thank you captain obvious.” Marco grunted, pacing back and forth on his bedroom.
“Calm the hell down. We need to think about this with our brains. We can't get affected by this.”
“Yeah it's so easy for you to say, you have money, people will still respect you after this. I'll be fired for sure and labeled the liar of Greece.”
“Shut up man, do you think these people even remember our faces? They'll talk about it today and maybe tomorrow but in a few days they'll have other stuff to talk about. We just need to lay low for now and try to find a way to prove our points of view.”
“Yeah cause it's that easy.” Marco replied feeling like crap.
“I didn't say it was easy.” Was the only answer he got.

Arthur stared wide eyed at the screen, seeing the woman that caused him nightmares every night since he escaped the research facility talk with such ease and sickeningly sweet voice that made his skin crawl. He had no reaction as he heard all the things they were making up for their escape and the blasted building.
When the apology was issued by the TV station tears started to silently fall down his face.
It had been all for nothing. They got out of that island for nothing. He had gone through hell for nothing.
A simple lie made them the good guys and he and the others were now seen as the bad ones. He couldn't believe it. They had won.

~~

The blonde man whistled, walking lazily down the marble corridor. Someone opened a door for him when he reached the end of it, to whom he tipped his cap as a thanks.
“Here. Have fun.” He smiled, throwing the envelope on the large mohogany desk.
“Is this all?” The woman asked, grabbing the envelope and its content.
“Do I look like I let anything miss?” He fell on a chair, knowing he wasn't going to get out of there before everything was properly examined.
The green eyed woman shuffled through the printed photos and then the data with the videos and the camera rolls with the negatives. She smiled at the sight of the blueprints.
“This better be everything, we wouldn't want anything surfacing... Complications would have to occur and we wouldn't want that would we?” She gave a sickening smile which made him grimmace.
“Never ma'am.” He didn't know who made his skin crawl the most, if this beautiful yet wicked expecimen of a woman or her boss with his transparent attitude. He did guess the answer to that though.
“Good. I like that we're on the same page here. Tell me, did anyone suspect you?”
The blonde man grinned, leaning back on his chair.
“I know what I do and how I do it.”
Somehow he thought that was enough of an answer as a brow rose on the woman's face.
“Well you did have your share of fun...” She pointed to the photos where he sometimes appeared next to women.
“Can't blame a guy for wanting to have fun.” He chuckled, straightening then his back. - “But now I'd like to get my payment and take off.”
The woman smiled, giving one last glance at the data. - “You didn't keep a copy of this did you?”
“Come on Sarah, would I ever betray you?”
“I believe you're smart enough not to.”
“You know me, keep your end of the bargain that I'll keep mine.” He shrugged. The woman now seemed pleased enough with his answer.
She rose from her seat, opened a drawer and placed a black parcel on the table.
He smiled, opening it to count the money.
“You never felt pity for those people? Not even when you were helping them?”
The man shrugged, placing the parcel on the pocket of his jacket before leaning way too close to the green eyed woman.
“Jealous?” He grinned. - “No, not really. Sure, some of them were cool but I mean, we all die eventully, if they happened to die here why would I bother?”
Sarah smiled widely, eyeing him from head to toe.
“It's always a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Nixon.” she extended her hand.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Zack grinned, kissing her hand before walking out of the room.


THE END... for now!


And this is the end of the first installment of Paradise Island!

Thank you all for putting up with me and my crazy ass characters and for giving me great and entertaining stories! I loved all of your characters, every single one of them had a special thing to them that made me smile and cheer for them.

I might host a second season some time later if you're interested so let me know below your thoughts about it!

Did you like the plot, did you see the end coming or the twists? What was your favorite moment and which did you enjoy the least?
Would you be up for another season, with new characters?

Comment below and let me know!

Last edited by hhgurl1 (26/09/2017 at 23:00)

So first things first...

Thank you for this amazing contest. I love every round of it, suffered while choosing who would fit Cressida the best and now after reading the snippet I know I made the right decision.

Thank you for the awesome banners. I love them all 

The final snippet, well let's just say... I knew it... I freaking knew it. And Cressida dodged a bullet for doing with Marco in the end 

You have to make another season even if I have to beg... and trust me I will.
So I'm absolutely up for another season with new charas and new ideas. Though I wouldn't mind seeing Zack just to kick him in his butt cause he deserves it... totally 

My favourite moment? The whole contest? I don't know there was so much I loved like Marco... yes Marco is def my fav moment of the contest even if I like Leo too a lot. But Cressida is happy with Marco 

I could go on for hours but I think I got my point through.

I love the contest. I love the characters. I love the idea. I love you 

I want more so please do a second season 

Basicly everything my lovely schogg just said but changed Cress and Marco into Aaliyah and Pete.

We need another season those people can't get away with it.

RIP Jules

Last edited by NinaJones (26/09/2017 at 23:20)

This was a GREAT contest and I honestly didn't see the twist at the end with Zack as the mole. I'd be down for a second season

Contest thread will remain open until today at 21:51 for feedback.