See The Sun

Paradise

I sit stiffly in the cold metal room, its harsh fluorescent lights stinging my eyes. I keep my gaze down, hating my current position. I make a face as I look at my wrists; they decided to handcuff me, the cowards. I take a deep breath of the stale, artificial air and frown. For a split second my mind drifts, and I can see that gorgeous beach, with its beautiful sunsets and calming waves.

A hand slams down on the stainless steel table in front of me, snapping me back to my horrible reality. "Listen up!" The government jarhead barks. I lift my eyes slowly until they meet on his. "You are going to tell me what happened in Madeira. I don't care if I have to beat it out of you!"

I glare at him, not the least bit frightened by his threat. My eyes flit over to the table, where they have laid out a plate of processed garbage for me to eat. Next to the plate is a plastic fork.

I look back at the officer, locking our eyes. "It would be so easy for me to kill you." I say simply. We sit in tense silence for a few seconds before he pulls away, stomping back to the door and slamming it shut behind him.

I smirk at the two-way mirror as I hear muffled shouting, obviously coming from my frustrated interrogator. I'm surprised to hear an equally frustrated woman's voice answer him. The voices die down and I stare in disgust at the plate of "food" for a full minute before the door opens once again.

A lady officer, clad in dress pants and a blouse, walks into the room. The look on her face is warm but professional, and I size her up as she takes a seat. "Rachel, my name is Cassandra Mills. You can call me Cass if you want" I say nothing, so she continues. "Listen, I know that jerk Ben can be a real hot head sometimes." She chuckles and I look at her, nodding in agreement. "We obviously wouldn't hurt you in your current state" she says softly, "but I can't say the same for Mr. Laret."

"It's 'La-ray', not 'Lay-ret'." I snap. It doesn't phase Cass. "Sorry, I've never been very good with French names." I sigh. "That's okay, I've gone most of my life with people calling me 'Ray-chell' instead of 'Ra-shell'. I'm used to it now." I smile slightly and Cass returns it eagerly.

"I know you don't want anything to happen to him." She explains. "Which is why we need you to tell us everything that happened to you on that island." I stare at her for a moment before speaking again. "I suppose I should tell someone about what happened. It's just that the Canadian government took so long to rescue us, I just wanted them to have to wait too."

"You have to understand Rachel, the island was in total chaos. We had to wait until the violence died down a bit to extract anyone." Her defense is weak at best and I shake my head. "Tell that to my dead friends and their families, or the staff and guests at that resort. I'm sure they'll spit at your weak excuses."

Cass looks down for a second, and I can see that she is sympathetic. "I am truly sorry for what happened to you guys out there." She says, a genuine look of guilt on her face. "But at least try to help me understand by telling me everything. By not holding back."

I think about it for a second, nodding when I've made my decision. "Take these cuffs off and replace that slop with a hot chocolate, and you've got a deal."

• • • • • • • •

I practically float off the boat as we dock at the port in Madeira. I saved up for four years to go on this trip, and now that I'm here, I could explode I'm so excited. My tan wedge heels finally touch land and I gasp at the beauty surrounding me. The air is salty and fresh, the water sparkling blue in the early afternoon sun. I can hear seagulls crying as the tropical breeze blows my medium length hair out of my face.

"Okay guys, I'm in love." I say as my friends file off the boat behind me, ooing and ahhing. "We've only been here 30 seconds and Rae's looking for a place to live." My friend Chelsea giggles as she takes my arm in hers.