Across the Globe [COMPLETE]

Eerie Feelings And Riddles

16TH OF JULY

Samantha

It only takes a few minutes to get into town and find our hostel. We’re going to be here for 3 nights, so me and Em booked a private room to be more comfortable, and Tane called earlier and booked a private room for himself at the same place.

After having a quick chat with the receptionist, she takes us upstairs to the second floor, where we find that our rooms are one next to the other, which is pretty convenient. It makes me smile a little even if I’m still feeling a bit weirded out about what happened in the car.

I have a little time to kill while Em goes to have a shower, so I decide to finally open up the other attachments in the email the lawyer sent me. At this point, anything is welcome so I don’t have to deal with the memories of what might be me losing my mind.
Once the file loads, it takes me a while to go through the whole thing and separate legal terms and random things I’m completely unable to comprehend, from the important facts. Two of them stand out to me.

Fact number one: I now own a lot of properties.

Fact number two: There are properties in more cities than I expected.

I can’t believe my eyes, it looks like I have a beach house in Mount Maunganui, an apartment building in Christchurch, another beach house in Sumner, one in Nelson, and then there’s properties in places that I’m not even sure where they are.

Thank the Gods Em comes back as I’m finishing reading it all, and suggests we head out to the waterfront for some dinner, because I really need the distraction. We both head out, grabing Tane on our way.

We find the main road easily enough, and walk around reading all the menus from the stands at the entrance of each restaurant before deciding on a place that offers pizza and pasta, and has outside tables surrounded by big heaters.

We sit outside, barely warm enough, and I order some raviolis with bolognese, which is the first thing I read from the menu. And then I sit there, looking at the twinkly lights wrapped around the bannister that divides the restaurant from the street, just thinking about everything.

“Are you all good, Sam?” Em asks while we wait.

“Yeah, just extremely tired,” I lie.
Ever since arriving in town, I've had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I still have no idea what to make of those images that hit me earlier in the car, but I can’t stop thinking about them. Was it a dream? Did I fall asleep without realising? Was it a memory? A part of me honestly thinks I might be losing my marbles. Maybe I could do a video chat with my counsellor, I feel like that image of the blood is going to chase me my whole life.

And also, I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something. Like there's something else I should know, something I should be aware of. Something that I should be able to remember.

“I’m really looking forward to my chicken and parmesan pizza!” Em says happily, bringing me out of my daze.

“I still can’t believe you ordered a whole pizza,” I say as I try to smile up at her.

“Fuck yeah, and I will eat the whole thing!”

Food comes, and we eat mostly in silence, only Em’s voice chirping away every now and then. Afterwards, we split the bill, and Em suggests we go over to the waterfront for a little bit before heading back. It’s only a few meters away, so we agree, and we all sit on a bench by the lake, with Em in the middle.

The thing about Rotorua, is that it’s a town built around a bunch of geothermal springs, and the amount of sulfur in them makes the whole city smell like rotten eggs. I'm a little bit used to the smell by now, but it’s definitely not pleasant when my stomach is so full.