Category — 1. Sabrina

Somehow, Bryan the Aussie Pirate managed to get every last drunken passenger on board in record time, and we were off. Bryan didn’t bother to unfurl the sails this time – he was trying to beat the storm, and the engine growled unpleasantly, coughing gasoline fumes that made my unsettled stomach all the more unwilling to keep down my lunch.

I looked up at the sky, watching an ominous patch of clouds move over Rose Island. How odd that no one saw this coming. Because it looked like it was going to be pretty bad. I tried to swallow the bile in the back of my throat, wondering if we’d get hit by the storm while at sea. I would definitely end up puking then.  Read more...

I dug my feet further in the powder white sand, grinding my teeth. The relief I’d felt at finally being off the boat was swiftly replaced with anxiety: Rose Island was secluded, pristine, and void of distractions. Nothing but the turquoise beach stretching endlessly before us, nothing but relaxation on the agenda. I glanced at Tanya, who was giggling with Captain Bryan. Well, nothing but relaxation for most of us.

Sky and I had found a quiet place on the beach to sit, and she rummaged through my backpack, pulling out her book. Realizing the torture I was in for, I pulled out my iPod. Sky looked around for a second, leaning back on her elbows. “This place is gorgeous,” she said.  Read more...

I sat on a pink bench, the painted wood hot against my thighs. Holding a bottle of water in one hand, I tossed the white pill into my mouth. Drinking it down, I eyed the catamaran warily as it bobbed up and down in the harbor. I hated boats. Just looking at one float on the waves made me nauseous. I glanced at Sky and Tanya. Sky was reading a trashy romance novel and Tanya was putting on lip gloss. Neither one of them had thought about my propensity toward sea sickness when they’d signed up for this, and I hadn’t reminded them. I was enough of a drag as it was.  Read more...

“Oh, look at this, S, it’s perfect for you,” Sky cried, smiling mischievously as she held up an enormous hand-carved mask next to her face.  The face was elongated and grimacing, its hooded eyes narrowed into ominous slits. I shuddered covertly, reminded of the masks that hung in my grandfather’s home. As a small child, I would close my eyes as I walked past them so they wouldn’t give me nightmares. “It kind of looks like Tanya when she’s drunk,” Sky added, grinning.

Both Tanya and I forced smiles for Sky’s sake and then continued to peruse the wares of the stall individually, walking in opposite directions.  Read more...

I kept standing up, rummaging around in my bag, checking my Blackberry. Sky and Tanya lay tranquilly on their lounge chairs, sipping on their daiquiris, their eyes half-closed behind their sunglasses. Tanya wore a brightly-colored string bikini that displayed her toned abs and fake breasts. Sky wore a black tankini that hid her untoned abs and real breasts. I wore a blue Nike two-piece, which consisted of a racerback top and boy shorts.

“Sabrina, I am thisclose to slipping a tranquilizer into your bottle of water,” Tanya said, turning her head ever so slightly in my direction.  Read more...

“Sabrina, what do you think you’re doing?”

I didn’t even bother to look up from my Blackberry – fifteen new e-mails? What the hell was wrong with these people? What part of the word “vacation” did they not grasp? “Chill out, Tanya,” I replied with a sigh. “I’m just checking to make sure nothing important has come up.”

Tanya leaned forward, trying, either seriously or in jest, to grab at my phone. I lifted it over my head and scowled at her.  Read more...