Poppy makes a great show of surprise. “But you organise parties in London. Surely it goes with the territory. Not even a tiny bit of, say, coke?”
Tanya shakes her head, but she’s scowling now. My heart is pounding.
Across the sky there’s a loud boom of thunder. A minute goes by, and then there’s another, even more threatening than the first. It’s getting closer.
“I think that’s our sign to call it a night,” Poppy says. “Now that we’re all acquainted again, I can’t wait for the hen party to start properly tomorrow.”
“What’s the plan?” Esther asks.
“As long as we’re not too hungover, I’m thinking we’ll have a nice breakfast and then a walk up Deadman’s Peak. As for the rest of the day, you shall see.”
My head automatically turns to look at the cliffside, which looms behind the lodge and seems even taller than it did during the afternoon. A flash of lightning illuminates the scene and a bird flies off into the distance, scared by the sudden brightness.
“That’s me out of the water,” Tanya says, and we all follow suit, hurrying out of the hot tub and into towels.
Poppy’s gaze is on the sky. “Robin said there were often nighttime storms here. You’d never know during the day.”
“Just some overblown chairs and rolling bottles of cider,” Annabel says. “I’m looking forward to the walk tomorrow.”
Is she? The Annabel I know wouldn’t be caught dead doing outdoor activities. That’s much more Esther’s cup of tea. Maybe she’s just trying to suck up again, that charm she puts on for strangers that warms them to her. But Poppy’s not a stranger, as much as she feels like one.
“I’ll see you in the morning, ladies,” Poppy says. “Would one of you mind putting the cover back on the tub? Thank you for the game, it was very interesting.”
She departs, heading across the decking and into the main lodge.
“I don’t think I like Poppy,” Tanya says, and for once I’m in full agreement.
“I mean, that’s nothing new,” Annabel points out with a small smile.
“Oh come on, she’s not that bad.” Esther reaches for the cover and places it on herself, then switches off the CD player. “Just a bit of a superiority complex, that’s all. As if you three aren’t as bad sometimes.”
“We’re not like that,” I say.
“Whatever.” She yawns, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m knackered anyway. Are we heading off?”
“In a minute,” Tanya says. “I just want a word with Chloe.”
The other two look puzzled, but don’t argue, heading down the path towards our huts.
“See you tomorrow morning,” Esther says as she leaves, and I know for a fact she’s going to ask me what Tanya said.
It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to tell her.
Now that it’s just the two of us, the isolation of the island grows. The thunder and lightning continue to make their way towards us, and the first spatters of rain start to fall. A pit of nerves enters my stomach. I don’t know what she’s going to say.
But Tanya surprises me.
“Thank you,” she mutters, barely able to look me in the eye.
Is this really the time to be bringing any of that up?
“Right,” I say.
“Seeing Poppy,” she says, “it’s odd, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re a good friend to me, Chloe, I don’t forget that. And I’ve been a good friend to you, haven’t I?”
Tanya’s words are starting to slur, a glazed expression to her face. She’s drunk.
“Get some sleep, Tan,” I say. “You need it.”
She reaches forward and grips my arm, her hold surprisingly strong. “I mean it. Thank you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, stressing each word. “But okay.”
She releases me, slowly walking to her hut. I watch her go, making sure she doesn’t stumble.
I need to keep her on my side, but she’s starting to become more trouble than she’s worth.
Seven
Tanya
May 19, 2023
For a moment I forget where I am.
Soft morning light eases into the room. I must have opened the curtains and the window before I went to sleep, the breeze a welcome coolness to my face. It still feels early, so I take my time getting ready for the day. I sit up and stretch my arms, enjoying the gentle clicks in my shoulders. From my position I can see through the forest the path that leads to Esther’s hut, a vision of greens and browns.
This room, this island—it’s a world away from what I know.
Chloe’s puzzled face comes back to me from last night. Her embarrassment, trying to move the conversation along, not wanting to talk about it. Maybe that’s for the best, pretending she doesn’t know anything. Maybe that’s how she’s decided to deal with it. I need to too.
Perhaps Poppy really is genuine about wanting to forget the past. She seemed happy enough yesterday, other than her disappointment in us not doing anything for charity. Maybe I’ve been worrying all these years for nothing.
I’m about to heave myself off the bed when I catch sight of Annabel bursting out of Esther’s hut, face like thunder. Esther soon follows, dressed in her running gear, trying to placate her. I’m aware that if the two of them dared to look over they’d see me sitting up in bed staring at them, so I lie myself back down and try to hear what they’re saying.
“And for it to just come up last night, like it was nothing! Oh, we all went to Morocco. That Chloe. She’s such a smug bitch sometimes.” Annabel’s voice comes out like a screech. Esther tries to shush her.
Is this really what they’re arguing about? Bloody Morocco? It was two years ago. And it was Chloe who brought it up anyway. Why have a go at Esther?
“Annabel, you need to calm down. I couldn’t exactly say no, could I? And I didn’t want you to feel like you had to go.”
“I’m sure that was it. You were doing it out of the goodness of your heart.”
“Haven’t the past two years proven just what I’m doing out of the goodness of my heart?”
I frown. What are they talking about?
“You can’t keep throwing it back in my face. I’m trying, I really am—”
“It needs to end, Annabel. I can’t keep doing this. You need to think about what you’re going to do, because you’re on your own.”
“Esther!”
I sneak a glance up, and find Esther storming away from Annabel this time, presumably off on one of her runs. Annabel is left standing by the hut, and even from this distance I can see every muscle tense with anger, her brow furrowed. From somewhere else—Chloe’s hut, perhaps—something clatters onto the floor, and it’s as if a light has switched on, Annabel’s features change that quickly. The fury has melted away, and in its place is an expression of calm, as if nothing took place at all.
What the hell was all that about? Annabel hurries away, probably anxious about the sudden noise and not wanting to be caught near Esther’s hut. I sit up again, mind whirring. Clearly, the two of them are hiding something. It can’t just be that Annabel is mad about us all going to Morocco without her.
I stand up and head to the small bathroom, grateful the shower only takes a few minutes to heat up.
Fluffy peach towel wrapped around me, I start to unpack my suitcase. I take my time, carefully transferring each folded item to the oak chest of drawers underneath the window, laying out my outfit for the day on the bed. Oh God, right, that bloody cliff walk. I take out my Doc Martens.
A quick dab of makeup, and I’m ready. I find myself staring at my face in the mirror for a fraction too long, observing my frown lines, my paleness, the bags under my eyes. Do I really look that rough, or am I focusing too much? My nose is congested, no matter how many times I inhale, and if I stay still for too long my hands start to shake. I don’t think the others have noticed though.
“Knock knock.”
Esther pokes her head through the door. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
She sits on the bed. Her hair, slicked back, hangs to her shoulders and her face is flushed.
“Have you been for a run?” I ask, as if I don’t know already.
“Yeah. Just along the beach front. It’s been so nice not to wake up and check my emails, you know.”
“How long have you been up?”
“Hours. I’m always an early riser.” She stretches out her legs and reaches her hands across to grab her feet, folding forward. “It’s a great beach to run on, though.” She sits back up. “You know how Robin was saying there were some rock pools down the other end? I found them.”
“I don’t know how you get your energy.”
“I love it here,” she says. “I’m definitely going to go for a run every morning whilst I have the chance. It’s my only respite from my emails. And messages from Brad.”
“Aren’t you going to miss texting him?” He’d texted her so many times already even before we handed our phones in, hers a constant array of beeps whenever we got signal. “He’s so loving.”
She pulls a strange face. “You could say that. No, I think I’m glad I’m having a break from technology. We’re heading up the cliffside today, aren’t we?”