“Must have been.”
“Lunch, then?” Esther says. She massages the back of her neck with her hand, and I notice some horrible ringed bruises on her wrist, as if someone has grabbed her too hard. She catches me looking and drops her hand immediately.
Poppy stands there pleasantly enough. I can’t believe how assured she is. She’s been caught out snooping on us, but she doesn’t seem bothered at all. If anything, she’s challenging us, begging us to confront her, and for some reason we’re too afraid to. Which is so odd. It’s Poppy Greer. Confronting her is our old pastime. It’s funny how things change.
She grins at us. “I can’t wait to tell you guys what I have planned this afternoon. It’s going to be a day to remember.”
Twelve
Tanya
May 19, 2023
Lunch lasts forever. The five of us are sitting around the same table where we ate breakfast, and I find myself sitting as far away from Poppy as possible to avoid a repeat of the orange juice incident. Annabel has been off since we came back down from the cliff, and even Chloe is in a bad mood. Poppy keeps up the pretence that we’re all having a fantastic time, chatting about funny anecdotes from her times at work, and all of us respond with just enough enthusiasm.
Finally, Poppy disappears into the main lodge and comes back with a huge, expensive-looking bottle of gin and a couple of envelopes. Her eyes are lit with excitement. This must be her fun scheme for this afternoon that she’s kept referencing.
“Are we doing shots until we pass out?” Chloe quips. “That’s a game I could get behind.”
Poppy laughs. “Not quite. Though this gin is incredible. I’ve only had it once before because it’s so costly, but trust me, ladies, when I say it is worth it.”
“What are we doing then?” Annabel leans forward and tries to look at the two envelopes. One is peach, the other baby blue, but otherwise they’re blank.
Poppy claps her hands together. “As part of my special day, you’re all going to take part in a scavenger hunt.”
“A scavenger hunt?” Esther looks unimpressed. “Like we’re part of the Girl Guides or something?”
I’m as doubtful. Out of all the things I was expecting Poppy to say, that wasn’t it. All of us traipsing around this island looking for things?
“I’m sure I don’t have to explain the rules to you.” Poppy beams a megawatt smile, choosing to ignore our lack of enthusiasm. “But whoever comes back with the most items will win this fabulous bottle of gin here, and also their choice of activity for this evening’s entertainment.”
“Can we win our phones back?” Chloe asks.
“Oh, don’t be silly!” Poppy laughs again, a short bark that shuts Chloe up. “Now, there are five items all together, so I thought I’d split you four into two competing teams. Won’t that be fun?”
“You’re not coming with us?” I say.
“Well, of course not. I know where all the items are.”
Good point. I glance at the others. It would make the most sense to pair with Chloe, as annoying as she is. I don’t want her spending too much one-on-one time with anyone else, not with what she knows.
“I guess Chloe and I will—”
“Oh, I’ve already chosen your teams.” Poppy hands me the peach envelope, and the baby blue to Annabel. “Esther and Chloe, you’re together. And Annabel and Tanya.”
Oh Jesus.
Chloe masks her look of horror well as Esther turns to face her, shrugging. Meanwhile, Annabel offers me a raised eyebrow. I know I’ve been odd with her recently, but I can’t help it. Really, I would have wanted anyone but her, considering what I’m not telling her. But I fix a grin on my face, as if I’m pleased.
“Inside the envelopes is a clue to your first item,” Poppy says. “I gave you different clues so you wouldn’t all end up following one another. Another clue will be next to the item when you collect it. Be sure to look everywhere, and most importantly, have fun!”
She takes in our reluctant faces, and shakes her head in amusement. “Honestly, look at you four. You’re on a private island, it’s a beautiful day, and I’m giving you the chance to go exploring. What more could you ask for?”
“Another few hours of sunbathing,” Chloe mutters. She’s trying to catch my eye but I ignore her, opening the envelope with Annabel instead.
The clue is written in the same neat handwriting as the invitation.
I’m near the height of a dead man,
Nestled within a bush,
Come and find me if you can,
I’m a delectable treat for a crush.
“Nice rhyme,” I say.
It comes out more sarcastic than I intended, and a flicker of something crosses Poppy’s face. Anger? Irritation?
“I’m going to make this place look amazing for tonight,” she says. “The four of you need to be on your way now. And no sharing clues!”
“Fine, fine.” We wave goodbye to Chloe and Esther, who head off in the opposite direction back towards the beach. Annabel and I head down the path that leads to the cliff. We don’t turn back, but I’m certain Poppy is watching us go.
“The height of a dead man,” I say as we round the main lodge and disappear out of sight. “Well, that’s a pretty easy enough clue. Robin called the mountain here Deadman’s Peak. It’ll be around there somewhere, put in a bush.”
Annabel nods. “Right. Whatever. Let’s head there.”
She’s much less enthusiastic than this morning. Walking with her now, I realise just how little time we’ve ever spent together as a pair. Chloe has been to lots of my events solo for her Instagram career (for better or worse, considering what we now know about each other) and even Esther is easy enough to talk to, always wanting to make you comfortable. Annabel and I are the most distant of the four of us, and being put together now seems to really highlight how little we’re able to talk to each other. At school I used to be afraid of Annabel. She had such a queen bee energy about her, so much confidence, style, and brains all wrapped up in a pretty exterior that she wasn’t afraid to brag about. Every little scheme, every little plan of ours or event—that was Annabel, making sure everything went her way.
And when things didn’t, we all knew about it. It’s so easy to remember. Something about being on this island with Poppy has brought back memories of the past I don’t really want to think about, but they’re all flooding back now. I can imagine Annabel’s temper if she finds out what I’ve been keeping from her. What Chloe has done.
Maybe Chloe and I aren’t the only ones who will face her wrath. I still don’t know what she and Esther were arguing about earlier. That’s an odd one for sure. Esther is so amenable. What did Annabel do that got even her riled up? Something about Esther doing something for two years. What on earth is that about?
It’s dark under the cover of the trees like this, walking towards the cliff. Although there’s a path created either deliberately or through many footsteps over the years, the terrain is still bumpy in places, and at one point Annabel almost trips over, having to steady herself against a palm tree.
“This bloody island,” she says. “It’s not what I had in mind.”
I know what she means. But the white sandy beaches, the clear ocean, all of that is breathtaking. We just didn’t expect to be traversing through the rest of it, on some pointless mission.
“We might as well try to enjoy it,” I say.
Annabel frowns. “Well, you are Poppy’s biggest fan.”
“It’s been so long since we were together,” I say, in an attempt to warm her to me. “We should meet up more often just the two of us.”
“You seem off lately.”
Because I can’t bear you not knowing the truth. “I’ve been distracted.” This, at least, is true as well. If Annabel knew what I’d been through in the past six months, we’d be having a very different conversation right now.
“How’s Harry? London?” she asks, the dreaded questions.
“Oh, you know. Fine. How is home?”
“Fine.”
We’re both lying. Our answers are plastic, cheap and readily available without any prior thought. If I imagined Poppy’s little getaway bringing the four of us closer together again, I imagined wrong.
The path begins to slope upwards, heading towards the summit, but a large bush on the right stops me in my tracks.
“This has got to be it.”
I’m weirdly invested in this scavenger hunt, my heart thudding as I reach my hand into the bush, ignoring the brambles scratching at my arm.
“Is there something there?”
“Yes! A box. Look.”
It’s quite big, the size of a shoebox, but gift wrapped with a bow. There’s a label on the front that says “Open Me” with a kiss, so the two of us sit on a stone nearby and unwrap the bow and lift the lid.
I almost drop it.
Inside, amongst pink tissue paper and another envelope, this time golden brown, is some lipstick. A very expensive brand.
We don’t have to look underneath or open it to know what colour it’s going to be, but we do it anyway.