| Chapter 3: The island wasn't small. In fact, it was quite large. There were many tiny boutiques and shops and restaurants with fabulous food. The beaches were private and beautiful, with the sun casting brilliant glows down onto the ocean water. The house in which they were staying in was an old, adobe and held many antiques, from antique chairs and tables to old oak dressers. The house stood atop a hill, with many fruit and oak trees surrounding it, and it had a beautiful view of the ocean. They drove up the long driveway to the house. Emily stepped out of the jeep and glanced around her. Oh, how she loved it here. "Hey, this place is great." Lucky said as he looked around. Emily opened the trunk and with Jason's help, started taking out the bags. "It is, isn't it." She glanced out at the ocean. "Are all of the beaches private?" "Most are, to those who live on this side of the island. Near town, there's a public beach and a boardwalk." Emily carried a suitcase inside. Lucky followed with his own. "Choose a room." Emily said. "There are plenty." Emily walked into a light yellow room that had a view of the ocean. She dumped her suitcase down on the bed and started to unpack. A few minutes later, Carly stuck her head in the doorway and said, "Hurry and unpack. We're going to go eat in town." Emily nodded and finished putting her clothes away. She met up with Lucky, Carly, Jason, and Michael outside and soon they were driving into town. They had dinner in a small Italian restaurant, having a lighthearted, fun conversation and passing jokes back and forth. The sun was just setting when they got back to the house. Emily climbed the stairs to the outside patio and watched the waves in the ocean. She turned as Lucky came up beside her and sat down next to her. "So, do you like it here?" Emily asked. "Yeah, it's great. A little adventure would suffice, but you know, you can't have everything." Lucky grinned. Emily laughed. "You won't get any adventure around here, trust me." "Hey, Em?" Emily looked over at her friend. "What?" "Didn't you say that the beaches on this side of the island were private?" Emily followed his gaze down onto the sand. She saw a figure on a horse that was galloping right by the shoreline. Emily quickly stood up and rushed over to the railing of the patio. She leaned out a little to get a closer look at the figure. Her eyes grew wide in recognition. "Nikolas?" |