August 1st, 2010
The fiery sun gleamed through Lacey’s eyes. This was her fourth night in Fiji with her family. They had left a couple of hours ago, so she would have the place to herself. She could picture it now, peace and relaxation. No more brothers and their wives yelling at her, no more of her annoying sister invading her space, and finally, no more of the Braddocks’ voices telling her what to do. Just her, her electronics, and her dreams. She couldn’t wait to sleep all day tomorrow.
Now, she was at Fiji’s Beach Resort and Spa managed by Hilton. Whilst sipping her fruity drink full of pomegranate, bananas, and strawberries, she turned the page of her book. She was reading an old favourite, Jane Eyre. ‘I would always rather be happy than dignified,' probably her favourite quote from the book. It described her life perfectly, she had always wanted to be full of joy and harmony, but her parents’ title did not let her.
Lacey put her book down and took another sip from her exotic drink. The sun was centimeters away from setting. She could feel the air getting thicker when someone sat down next to her. By the tone of his breathing, she could tell he was male. Lacey didn’t want to turn around and look at him, she just wanted to read her book.
“What are you reading?” a male voice spoke. Lacey finally looked up and saw the stranger. His hair was short and dark, it had the remains of a buzz cut. His hazel eyes complemented his tan skin just like her light brown pixie cut now matched her olive coloured skin. She flashed him the cover of the book, not wanting to make a sound.
“Jane Eyre, eh? What’s that mark on the cover?” He pointed at the large “L” written across the book.
“It’s the way I mark my books,” those were the first words she’d said to him.
“So you have more hardcover paperbacks? Are you some sort of brainiac that has read every kind of novel at least 4 times?” That insulted her. Lacey’s reaction was visible to his eyes so he saw she was disfigured.
“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean that,” his apology wasn’t enough for Lacey. She turned around so her back faced the boy’s head.
“Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to call you that, I’m sure you’re not a know-it-all,” that just made things worse, Lacey got up and started gathering her things, heading for her hotel room.
“I am genuinely sorry, here, let me buy you something to apologize,” he called the bartender over by snapping his fingers. Lacey wanted to leave more than anything, but she couldn’t turn down a drink and be rude to the boy. After all, he just wanted to chat. She sat back down in her leather seat, putting down her book.
“So where ya from?” his slang bothered her, couldn’t he just say ‘you,’ it was only one more letter.
“The U.K.” she was surprised he didn’t already detect that from her posh accent. The boy had an accent too, but it wasn’t completely English, there were hints of other cultures in it.
“I noticed that, I meant where in the U.K.?”
“England,”
“Where in England?”
“London,”
“Where in London?”
“Stratford,”
“Where in Stratford?”
“I think it’s my turn to ask you some questions,” she raised an eyebrow, she wasn’t going to tell someone she just met where she lived, she had already said enough.
“Very well,” he moved his hand to signal that she could go on.
“Where are you from?”
“Bradford, United Kingdom,” he smiled like a child during Christmas, the corners of his mouth going as near as they could to his ears.
“Why are you talking to me?” when she said that, it came off as quite rude. She had forgotten how to speak like a typical teenage girl, only because she had been spending so much time with the Braddock’s. Her posh and famous parents couldn’t tolerate impolite language so she always had to act her best whilst they were around.
“I dunno, I guess I was just lonely. I’m here with my family, but they just get annoying after a while,” Lacey listened carefully. The sun was milimeters away from setting. She turned to face it and so did the stranger.
“Astonishing view, right?” she just nodded.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” he was now ignoring the beautiful view full of colors. Even though they ranged from light maroon to sunflower yellow, his golden eyes were on Lacey.
“I forgot to ask you, what’s your name?” as soon as he said that, Lacey’s conscience came into action. Should she tell a stranger her name? He already knew where she lived, surely he would find her if she told him her name.
“I think that’s my information to keep,”
“Then give me a nickname,”
“Um,” she didn’t have a sufficient amount of friends for her to have a nickname. Her brothers and sisters only called her by her first name, all of them except Theo. He called her ‘dummy,’ but what sort of nickname was that? She had to come up with her own.
“I guess you would call me..” she had to think of something creative, “Call me ‘world wanderer,’” that sounded ‘cool’ to her ears. She did like to travel and go to unimaginable places. Lacey had been to all seven continents, she had just checked off Antarctica last Christmas.
“Why such a peculiar name, world wanderer?” the boy seemed intrigued by her.
“I like to travel, I’ve been to all seven continents,” Lacey flaunted about her travels. She never liked to brag about her parents’ money, but now it seemed like a good time.
“Impressive, I’ve only been to four. Well, now it’s five. Antarctica and South America can wait,” with nothing to say, Lacey just nodded again.
“So, world wanderer, what brings you to Fiji?”
“What do you think? I just need some relaxation,”
“Have you been here before?”
“More than enough times, my parents are regular customers here,” this was her fourth time of visiting Fiji. She was only six years old when she first arrived, now she was seventeen.
“Ah, upscale individual, I should’ve guessed,” this stranger had been more rude in the last ten minutes than all the boys she had ever encountered in her life.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re wearing Urban Outfitters’ shorts, no one wears those unless they have an extensive amount of money. Your family is a regular here, this is one of the most expensive hotels in the world. You’ve been to all seven continents, most people can’t afford a train ticket to get to their loved ones.” that was harsh. This was why she didn’t like to brag, people would yell at her that there are others who need money. She knew it too, she tried to help charities and volunteer as much as possible, but everyone who didn’t know her thought she was a stuck up, snobby daughter that the Braddocks raised.
She had to leave him, his words were too much for her. Why would he just start attacking her—
“I have to go now,” he started to get up. Finally, she thought.
“You know, that drink I ordered never came. I guess I owe you one,” she nodded for the twentieth time, she didn’t care about him or his drink anymore, he hurt her.
“See ya,” he waved his hand a little to signal goodbye. The sky was now darker than ever. She hadn’t even noticed the time, it was now 18:54. The stranger had left, and she was now all alone. Lacey didn't want to read anymore, all she needed now was sleep. She would sleep all night and not think about the stranger once.
She had enough for one day, she gathered her things and started to get up. With a handful of books in her hand, she walked into the hotel. The sky was a navy blue with hints of violet in it. That was not the perfect ending to a perfect day. Now closing the door of her suite, Lacey sighed. She wasn’t feeling well, her head ached and her body couldn’t hold itself up. With her regular clothes still on, she fell onto the bed and let her dreams take her in a delightful adventure.
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