to find me, he can. Receiving a box here sent the Secret Service into hysteria. Somehow, he found me and sent a box of personal stuff from home. Pictures, jewelry, and knickknacks that I’ve collected over the years filled the box. No return address, but he sent it from the States. At first they were hell-bent on taking me somewhere else, but if he wanted to get to me, he’s proven that he would have already done it by now. Running from my dad isn’t why we are here.
“I’ll have to go with you.”
I was hoping she’d say that. I don’t want to do this alone. And she’s the only somewhat friend I have. After getting the box, it reminded me I can’t put this off anymore. To move forward, I need to be at peace with my past. And I need to do this before meeting my parents.
“You’re only saying that because you want to go to Bora Bora.”
She puts her palms up. “I’m not complaining, that’s for sure.”
The salty air greets me. Although, it’s only been a month everything is different as I step foot into the boat that takes us to Bora Bora from the airport.
Couples surround us, a mixture of exhaustion and excitement on their faces as they take pictures of themselves on the way to paradise. Me and Halli sit at the back of the boat.
“You doing all right?” She yawns and puts her sunglasses on, leaning back against the padded seat.
“It's weird being here.”
This has been my home for twenty-four years, except right now it feels like I’m an intruder.
The boat engine fires up, and we’re on our way. Not long after, Otemanu comes into sight. I tap her leg and her head lolls over. “My house is right past this town. We have to get a water taxi because they won’t drop us off there.”
I let out an audible gasp, and Halli sits at attention. Jumping to my feet, I rush to the other side of the boat to get a better look. No, no, no.
“What is it?” she asks.
I blink back hot tears as I stare at the blackened and charred remains where our houses sat just three weeks ago. I ask the driver in Tahitian what happened. A fire a week ago. Who would do this?
“What happened?” Halli asks as the boat continues to pass my destroyed home.
“He says there was a fire. Were you aware of this?” I jerk my head toward her with an accusatory stare.
She shakes her head. “I would’ve told you before we came.” Her gaze darts around the boat, surveying each person before coming back to me and lowering her voice. “Although, I’m not surprised.”
“Why? Who would do this?”
“Think about it, Aspen. Tobias—I mean Rudy—would want to cover his tracks. That means he needs to erase his presence.” And mine.
I wipe a tear from my cheek and plop down on the bench. “But these were our houses. Our lives.” Our fake lives. All my belongings minus the box he sent me are in ashes.
The boat pulls up to the first hotel and I realize we don’t have anywhere to stay. This is great. I watch the first three couples exit the boat while the two workers unload their bags.
“Um… Halli, we have a problem.” I could have called Dante and crashed with him, but I’m not comfortable with how we left things. We need to talk though. I can’t leave my best friend, no matter how much of an asshole he was. Wait until I tell him about my dad, he’ll flip. He always thought he was a little strange.
“Oh,” she says, figuring it out. She finds her phone in her purse. “No worries, I’ll get it taken care of. What hotel should we stay at?”
I tell her about one of the cheaper hotels that usually has rooms available. I relay the information to the guys once she gets confirmation of our hotel.
Staying with the bags while she checks in, I tilt my face away from workers as they walk by to avoid them recognizing me. As if on autopilot they say, “Orana.” I bite down on my lip to stop myself from saying it back. They don’t care if foreigners ignore them. Most of the time, we preferred it.
We locate our hut on the beach and Halli stands outside, spinning in a slow circle, digging her feet into the white sand. “Wow. Everything is so breathtaking.”