☆☆☆ Chapter 33 ☆☆☆

The Second Day

I woke up feelin' all of my muscles in sync with each other 'cuz of the spa yesterday, but I wanted more of the experience, and what better way to get it than taking a calm, bubbly bath?

I lit up some scented candles, went a little overboard with soap, and put on one of the face masks given to me by the spa. My last little touch was bringing Teresa's radio into the bathroom while she was still too busy snoring and dreaming 'bout somethin' nerdy to notice (I sneaked it in my bag before coming to the hotel, hopefully she'll never know).

While searching around in my bag for the radio and a pair of acceptable panties to wear, I found myself face-to-face with the pale blue envelope.

Yes, the one with the letter that Daniel had written for me under the influence of Deep Feelings and had begged for me to not read. Yes, the letter I got along with my elegant dress and maid uniform. Why the hell did I have it there? The answer's pretty simple: I knew I would miss him, so why not read something from him? Also, if Daniel doesn't know 'bout me reading it, he won't die from embarrassment, and I could imagine him being right next to me on such days like these when he's not around. It's a win-win situation!

With the tub warm and ready for me and a radio set to a station with sappy love songs, it was obviously the best moment for me to read it, anyway, so as soon as I sank my sexy bod into the water, I read his words:

I want to be your knight in shining armor── the one to guide you through both your everyday problems and problems that tear you apart from the inside. I want to save you just as much as you have saved me, and help you see just how great I can be for you. I love you Ane. You are without a doubt one of the people I hold dearest to my heart, and I hope that someday you will feel the same for me.

I've known you for so long, but in your eyes, though our time together has been short, many great memories between us are and will continue to be born. They will grow and develop into something more meaningful than their own individual selves by the time we're both sixty, looking back on our youth and spoiling our grandkids, if you open yourself up to me and give me a chance.

If there is ever a moment you may doubt the grace that is brought to this earth with all that thrives within your heart and mind, now is not the time.

You have always been a stubborn sweetheart no matter how sour you try to be.

If there is ever a moment you may doubt the grace that is brought to this earth with your beauty, now is not the time either.

I want to rub my face in your boobs, suck them a bit, squeeze them.

Gods you're so damn curvy and busty I just want to eat you up already, just thinking about you like this I──

Yes my dearest Ane, I want to share my life with you. It matters not how many years pass in between the times we share together, I will always be waiting for you right here for your answer. Regardless of the answer, I will always and forever love you.

I'm a tad bit horny. Okay, fine, I'm very horny, please help me, xoxo... xxx.

Welp, that answered one of Fiona's questions, if that's how he gets by just writing a heartfelt letter. I couldn't tell if I was disappointed, and neither couldn't I help but admit it was fairly sweet and perverse, just like Daniel── pretty fitting, honestly, with his cutesy fancy cursive and carnal, savage feelings.

It only made me miss him more.

Why did I have to read it? Why did I have to bring it? Why did I think it would help me to store it for a day like today? Why did I expect something like this to happen, a day where Daniel is not around? Just how lonely can I be to think of something like that?

Heck, and today was one of those days I'm supposed to be at Dr. Connor's office to talk 'bout my feelings, but nope, here I am sulking in the tub of a bathroom 'bout an hour away from home.

Goddammit Daniel, I fuckin' miss you!

☆☆☆

By the time we stepped out of the building, the sun was already way up in the sky ready to attack with its steaming hot rays── it was the perfect day for the pool and lots of sunscreen. It's a great thing we were also prepared and ready to defend ourselves.

From Teresa's bag, out came the sunscreen. She squeezed some onto her hands, rubbed them together, and then rubbed her hands all over her heavy bronze skin. Eventually she offered me some, which I couldn't refuse even though I knew I would be fine. I then handed it over to Fiona who then gave it to Hilery, and once we were finished we were ready to take over the pool.

We were all wearing killer one-piece swimsuits (except for Fiona, who wore a far-too-suggestive bikini... and here I thought Teresa would be the one to wear somethin' like that), but I don't think any of us really planned to even dip our toes in it. No, it wasn't 'cuz of a lack of space in the pool, but rather 'cuz there was a damn bar a few steps away that I knew would at the very least distract me and Teresa from splashing some chlorinated water onto each other's faces. I know, I'm still not twenty-one but what can possibly stop me from a fairly good alcohol-free Bloody Mary or Pina Colada? Besides, I can always go over to Roger's house with Daniel if I ever want to have an actual drink (though that'll take me some time 'cuz of the first and last time I went there── neither of them trust me around alcohol now).

"Today is going to be another wonderful day!" Fiona squealed like a child, brushing her golden locks with her delicate fingers as she sat down on one of the bar stools. Hilery, on the other hand, seemed a little too nervous for comfort, and from the way she looked at the building directly across from us, I can say with confidence that we're by the haunted area.

At the same time I overheard Teresa tell the bartender to give her anything strong, I noticed Hilery's eyes perk up and lock onto a freckled little brat passing by with a teen. She squirmed in her seat as her eyes followed the brat, with a faint grin on her face.

Once the brat and teen inched closer to us, Hilery jerked right out of the seat and into the pool, making a huge, loud splash that left the teen completely soaked after shielding the brat. Some tiny drops hit me, too.

What the heck was Hilery thinking to do that?! Did it make her happy to bother others like that or somethin'? It was just plain rude!

For what seemed like a good minute, the brat insisted to jump into the pool, right where Hilery had jumped, but the teen grabbed his small arms and kept on telling him he couldn't. Hilery's head still didn't come out of the water during that time and it got me a little more invested in what was going on than before. I was surprised that neither Fiona or Teresa cared to pay attention to all that ruckus from both the teen and brat, but oh well, to each their own.

After two full minutes of Hilery staying underwater and the brat throwing a tantrum, Hilery's head suddenly popped out, gasping for air, but once she had a lungful of it, she went right under the surface again. Watching Hilery come up and down like that only made the brat's tantrum worse, and the teen's eyes almost popped out of her sockets.

I think she wanted to haul Hilery out of the water and make her apologize, but Hilery seemed to have no intentions of doing that.

The brat's little green eyes were wide open, excited, matching the 'o' from his mouth. Maybe he wanted to see another splash?

"MO── " The teen immediately rushed her index finger onto his lips, scooping his tiny body off the floor. She stared down at the pool while trying to keep the brat under control, again, maybe expecting Hilery to come out, but she gave up on it after a while.

She walked away, giggling to herself. It was pretty strange. I thought she was mad, it was kinda confusing.

As she walked further and further away from where I sat and towards the building directly across from us, I managed to hear the teen say, "No, Felix, that's not her," to the brat. Eventually she opened the doors of that building, the only yellow one in The Poconos Getaway, and stepped inside.

I found myself clenching my jaw, completely thrown aback by something I realized a little too late, that I could've looked into if I'd realized earlier── there was something off 'bout the brat. There was something oddly familiar about him, somethin' a little too familiar. If I'd taken a closer look at him, I just know I would've known why, but the world doesn't give second chances out like free samples, right?

To see if I could drink away my curiosity, I asked the bartender for a random minor-friendly drink and wolfed it down in one go. I was 'bout to ask for a refill when right next to me sat someone whose eyes were obviously glued onto me. He didn't speak for a few minutes, choosing to chug down some beer instead, but it didn't take long for him to break out of a shell I didn't want to deal with.

"Hey there pretty lady." Did I even need to give him any form of stingy attention to show how disinterested I was? "My name's Steve. Twenty-two and ready to make friends," he said, using the toothpick that was already halfway in his mouth to pick stray pieces of junk off of his teeth. "What about you, sugar?"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "It shouldn't concern you." Why is my sister and Hilery's mother not payin' attention to what's goin' on 'round them?

"Come on, don't be so cold, sugar, though I'm completely fine with sassy girls, too. I'm pretty lonely here and I thought maybe you could help me out a bit. I dig sexy, big ebony girls like you, if you know what I'm saying. I'm sure we could be great friends." Oh my god, is this really happenin'? This is beyond ridiculous! I called for the bartender, ready to complain 'bout this trashy Steve guy, but midway into the bartender coming, Steve said, "I also saw you lookin' at my boss' son for a little too long."

I felt my eyes narrow before saying, "Excuse me?" The bartender, a little confused, left to mind his own business.

"Huh, so that's what reeled you in," Steve muttered to himself, giving me a smile he so obviously thought would win me over (spoiler: it didn't). "Well, if that's how I can talk to such a rare beauty like you, then so be it." He flashed me another smile, as if his second time would be the charm (another spoiler: it wasn't). "Yeah, that kid's Boss' son. I hang out with him and his family── we're pretty close, and I'm very protective of them, too. It's just that, you know, so much shit goes on with what we do and their heads are always wanted, you don't know when to let down your guard sometimes, even. It's sad, really. All we try to do is help our community, but some special people out there don't give a crap about that. Well, whatever, it's just something normal in my line of work. Anyways, some good advice for you, don't do anything funny if you know 'em, sugar. I basically live for Boss and trust me, nothing passes over me. That's why I'm all the way down here."

I was just 'bout to say something when he excitedly interrupted me: "Oh! Hey, why don't you show me around, tell me what's so great about Florida? Take me to a lake or something, watch me fight a crocodile or skin a snake! I promise we'll have a great time." His eyes rolled up to the sky, in the middle of some simple-minded thought. "Where are you from by the way? I can't pick up the accent── are you Caribbean? If so, where── the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad? Are you African? If so, where in Africa? Tell me about yourself, sugar, and I'll tell you more of what you want. I'm not giving up on you just yet." He winked at me one more time and I almost felt like gagging. I didn't even want to slap him, he was just so persistent, so... ugh. I couldn't even compare him to Daniel, 'cuz Daniel's the good kind of persistent, the good kind of annoying, the good kind of everything.

Where the hell's my Daniel, by the way? Didn't he say he constantly watches over me? Why doesn't he just walk into this situation then? Is he a sissy? Look, I don't actually want to be mean (psych!), it's just that I'm clearly not interested in Steve and I already have all I needed and wanted; a loving and caring boyfriend!

"Look, Steve, I only looked at that brat 'cuz of a dumb situation, okay? I thought he looked familiar but that's literally it. I have a boyfriend, and even if I didn't, I'm not interested in you. Go find someone else to bother."

Steve definitely had something in mind and was more than ready to get it off of his chest, but right in between our seats stood Hilery within the blink of an eye, just like when she'd jumped into the pool, with her hair dripping water everywhere she stood. Her deep, green eyes were wide and staring right at me with such a fierce intensity in them that I felt as if I was intimidated or worse── attacked!

"Big sis, what are you doing, talking to a stranger like him?" Before I even had the chance to answer, she rubbed her chin, looking up briefly at the sky. "You know, I saw big brother Daniel nearby but I didn't think I would have to tell you that. I thought you loved him enough to not talk to other boys."

Steve sighed, drinking the rest of what was left in his glass, and put it down as quickly as he had grabbed it. "Okay, I get it, I know where this is going. I'll take my leave now," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and standing up. With his eyes settled on Hilery, he sighed once again before giving her a small smile. "Sorry, I didn't know, blondie." He left swiftly, walking into the one and only yellow building here at the hotel, where the teen and familiar brat had walked into earlier.

Hilery and I both watched him leave, and once he was out of our sight, I needed answers. "So what you said right now, were you just lyin' to make him go away?" I asked. "Where did you see Daniel?"

A playful smile crossed Hilery's face from one end to the other. "I'm not telling! Nope, big brother Daniel is so not here! He told me to say that, so it's the truth! He told me to keep quiet! He said to tell you── uh, no, he's not here, yup, he's not here at all!" She was definitely lying, it was just so easy to tell; her hands were behind her back and she kept avoiding eye contact with me while whistling!

Maybe she was expecting me to just know, but god I don't care if she's a giant next to me when it comes to height── she was such a little kid!

I really hoped that she would hold on to that innocence forever, but who knows when life would come to slap her silly with reality and ruin it all for her? It could be tomorrow or even an hour from now for all I know, and that really made me uncomfortable. I would prefer if something happened to me instead.

Still, it didn't mean I had to break the mood she had unknowingly set. After clenching my fists, I let myself snort. "Look'a 'ere you crusty booger, you're really bad at lying. You better spill the beans before I tickle it out of ya, and don't you dare think I can't── just ask your big brother Daniel, he knows I'm a fiend, trust me."

Somehow that didn't faze her, it only got her more excited. "Oh, no! I'm so scared, someone please save me," she taunted, sticking her tongue out.

"Don't complain later 'cuz you asked for it!"

Once I attacked her ribs with my fingers, she started to thrash about in laughter, and at one point clutched right onto Teresa for help, which finally grabbed both her attention and Fiona's.

Teresa, confused 'bout me suddenly tickling Hilery, tilted her head slightly. "Hmm, what's up? Did I miss something?"

She missed a few things, not just one! "You seriously didn't see Hilery hold her breath for like two minutes straight underwater? Or some brat throw a tantrum? Or a guy hitting on me, like, literally right here?"

Teresa blinked a few times before focusing on one of the things I said. "Whoa, what? Hilery what the heck, are you part mermaid?"

Hilery's face flushed a bit. After tucking a few loose, wet hairs behind her ears, revealing the adorable set of heart-shaped earrings I've never seen her without, she shook her head. "Uh, no, but... I'm in the── er, I used to be in the swimming team back in, uh, North Carolina, b-before transferring here."

Fiona's eyes twinkled. "Wow, that's nice, kiddo. Why don't you join the team here, I'm sure they'll put you in! Just visit the school before classes start to contact the coach or something, but... hmm. That'll be a while from now won't it?" Hilery nodded, but wasn't really engaged in what her mother was saying 'cuz she was too busy sneaking more than just a handful of looks at the yellow building. There was a large poster by its entrance of a swimming competition held at the hotel every Friday afternoon. It promised several enticing rewards to the winners. Hilery didn't just look at that poster though, there was something more in those eyes of hers that I couldn't really read.

Fiona continued; she went on and on, slowly but surely raising her voice. "But please don't tell me you held your breath believing there was a ghost around. No matter how nice it sounds to be underwater for that long, it doesn't excuse you from that ridiculous thing you did back in our room!"

Hilery's attention was finally in the right place, but by then it was too late. Fiona put her glass down, ready to rant. "Girls, Hilery asked Enitan to bring salt to our room all night long! She didn't just put it in a corner of the room to keep the so-called big bad ghost away, she spread it everywhere, and I mean it when I say everywhere! On the bed, in the closet, on the bathroom floor, anywhere and everywhere! Poor Enitan couldn't get some sleep, and neither could I. Enitan tried, believe me, to shut Hilery down but nothing worked. Goodness, I dread to go to our room tonight and see it all sparkly clean. Those poor maids in charge of our room will deserve a raise by the time we're out of here. Teresa, my daughter took your suggestion a little too close to the heart. Next time, think twice about Hilery's young and impressionable mind before saying anything!"

I couldn't help but notice a teeny tiny smirk sneak itself onto Hilery's face as her mother continued to complain 'bout her. Maybe it really did make her happy to bother others, in some lighthearted manner── maybe she was just too into mischief for her own good?

If that is what Daniel meant 'bout Hilery, it was still not as bad as her demonic evil twin's problems.