I’ll go first. I’m spending it in Bangkok. And the Philippines.’
‘We were actually asking Joshua for a secret,’ Stephanie says, looking at me expectantly. I drag a stick through the sand, avoid her eyes.
‘I’m a Pisces,’ I say after a moment.
Shan snorts. ‘Game changer. And to think I was about to tell you all I had my wicked way with a hottie I met in line at the post office last week.’
‘What?’ Jaxx frowns.
‘Twenty-two, six-three, a lot like you, Abercrombie,’ he winks at him. ‘We were in line for an hour. We never made it to the front. Actually, I didn’t even make it home for three days. I still didn’t mail that letter. Oops.’
‘I’m a Pisces too,’ Alyssa says, looking straight at me now. ‘When’s your birthday?’
‘March 12,’ I tell her.
Her eyebrows shoot up. She puts her toothbrush down. ‘You're kidding? Mine too.’
‘Uh oh,’ Shan says.
‘Interesting,’ Journey pipes up. ‘Mysterious and elusive. The sign of self-undoing. Extremely passionate but not easily fooled. You create your own world to avoid the misery and difficulties in this one. Not always a good thing.’
We’re all looking at her now. Is she serious?
‘You’re like Susan Miller,’ Alyssa tells her.
‘Who?’ Shan asks.
‘ Who? Look her up.’
‘Yeah, I’ll just go Google her,’ he says, rolling his eyes.
‘Seriously, Journey, you’re right,’ Alyssa adds and I don’t say it, 'cause this suff is kind of stupid, but she’s pretty right about me, too.
‘I’m not an astrologer, I’m just interested,’ Journey says, looking between us thoughtfully. ‘Two emotional drifters on one island. Don’t drown yourselves.’
My nerves are twitching the more Alyssa’s inscrutable eyes laser at my face. ‘I have a real secret,’ I say quickly, changing the subject. ‘I just taught at a Zombie Survival Camp for a month.’
Shan folds his arms around his knees and cocks a plucked eyebrow. ‘There’s such a thing as Zombie Survival Camp?’
‘It’s the end of the world as we know it,’ I say, but Alyssa’s looking at me with even more interest now and for some reason my heart’s started to beat harder. Maybe I should have a beer.
‘So you’re a teacher?’ she says, rubbing the ash from her cheeks. ‘What kind of teaching?’
‘Survival,’ I respond, finally meeting her eyes.
Shan gasps dramatically. ‘Well, that’s not entirely fair!’
But I’m still looking at Alyssa. ‘Amongst other things. I haven’t really had a home in two years.’
‘Where have you been?’
‘Anywhere that would take me.’
Her eyes burn into mine in the firelight and for a split second, everyone’s gone but us. I drag my eyes away. The sign of self-undoing - Journey’s right about that.
‘OK, Karin, what’s your secret?’ Stephanie says.
‘My name means pure .’
‘Something else!’ Shan barks at her, flipping the lid off another beer and handing it to Alyssa. ‘You’re supposed to be entertaining me. I could be playing Candy Crush.’
‘I got accepted to art school,’ Karin says, holding her breath.
‘That’s a secret?’ Mia says. ‘Honey, that’s great!’
‘My parents don’t know. They think I applied to law school.’
Shan gasps. ‘You rebel!’ but Alyssa nudges him, frowning.
‘It’s kind of a big deal in my family. They’d probably disown me if they found out. They’ll support me through law school, but not if I choose to do what I really want.’
‘That’s tough,’ Alyssa says now. ‘You need the prize money for school, then, right? Me too. Well, cooking school.’ She traces the neck of her beer with a finger. ‘I want to open a restaurant someday, with Greek food. I have a ton of recipes and ideas. I just need qualifications, apparently. Who’d have thought?’
I shoot her a look. No wonder she could fillet those fish like a pro.
‘Couldn’t your rock star boyfriend have paid for that?’ Jaxx says.
‘Why would I have
‘We were actually asking Joshua for a secret,’ Stephanie says, looking at me expectantly. I drag a stick through the sand, avoid her eyes.
‘I’m a Pisces,’ I say after a moment.
Shan snorts. ‘Game changer. And to think I was about to tell you all I had my wicked way with a hottie I met in line at the post office last week.’
‘What?’ Jaxx frowns.
‘Twenty-two, six-three, a lot like you, Abercrombie,’ he winks at him. ‘We were in line for an hour. We never made it to the front. Actually, I didn’t even make it home for three days. I still didn’t mail that letter. Oops.’
‘I’m a Pisces too,’ Alyssa says, looking straight at me now. ‘When’s your birthday?’
‘March 12,’ I tell her.
Her eyebrows shoot up. She puts her toothbrush down. ‘You're kidding? Mine too.’
‘Uh oh,’ Shan says.
‘Interesting,’ Journey pipes up. ‘Mysterious and elusive. The sign of self-undoing. Extremely passionate but not easily fooled. You create your own world to avoid the misery and difficulties in this one. Not always a good thing.’
We’re all looking at her now. Is she serious?
‘You’re like Susan Miller,’ Alyssa tells her.
‘Who?’ Shan asks.
‘ Who? Look her up.’
‘Yeah, I’ll just go Google her,’ he says, rolling his eyes.
‘Seriously, Journey, you’re right,’ Alyssa adds and I don’t say it, 'cause this suff is kind of stupid, but she’s pretty right about me, too.
‘I’m not an astrologer, I’m just interested,’ Journey says, looking between us thoughtfully. ‘Two emotional drifters on one island. Don’t drown yourselves.’
My nerves are twitching the more Alyssa’s inscrutable eyes laser at my face. ‘I have a real secret,’ I say quickly, changing the subject. ‘I just taught at a Zombie Survival Camp for a month.’
Shan folds his arms around his knees and cocks a plucked eyebrow. ‘There’s such a thing as Zombie Survival Camp?’
‘It’s the end of the world as we know it,’ I say, but Alyssa’s looking at me with even more interest now and for some reason my heart’s started to beat harder. Maybe I should have a beer.
‘So you’re a teacher?’ she says, rubbing the ash from her cheeks. ‘What kind of teaching?’
‘Survival,’ I respond, finally meeting her eyes.
Shan gasps dramatically. ‘Well, that’s not entirely fair!’
But I’m still looking at Alyssa. ‘Amongst other things. I haven’t really had a home in two years.’
‘Where have you been?’
‘Anywhere that would take me.’
Her eyes burn into mine in the firelight and for a split second, everyone’s gone but us. I drag my eyes away. The sign of self-undoing - Journey’s right about that.
‘OK, Karin, what’s your secret?’ Stephanie says.
‘My name means pure .’
‘Something else!’ Shan barks at her, flipping the lid off another beer and handing it to Alyssa. ‘You’re supposed to be entertaining me. I could be playing Candy Crush.’
‘I got accepted to art school,’ Karin says, holding her breath.
‘That’s a secret?’ Mia says. ‘Honey, that’s great!’
‘My parents don’t know. They think I applied to law school.’
Shan gasps. ‘You rebel!’ but Alyssa nudges him, frowning.
‘It’s kind of a big deal in my family. They’d probably disown me if they found out. They’ll support me through law school, but not if I choose to do what I really want.’
‘That’s tough,’ Alyssa says now. ‘You need the prize money for school, then, right? Me too. Well, cooking school.’ She traces the neck of her beer with a finger. ‘I want to open a restaurant someday, with Greek food. I have a ton of recipes and ideas. I just need qualifications, apparently. Who’d have thought?’
I shoot her a look. No wonder she could fillet those fish like a pro.
‘Couldn’t your rock star boyfriend have paid for that?’ Jaxx says.
‘Why would I have
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