[Invitation to Eden 21.0] Falling or Flying by RG Alexander

“Smells fine to me. Think about this cabin. The map. Your miraculous ability to catch fowl with your bare hands. Not to mention that after two days in the jungle my feet are still blister free. I choose to believe this is meant for us to eat. Eden has ways we can never understand.” She took the fork back and shoved a cold ravioli in her mouth, praying she was right and daring him to take her food away. When she swallowed, she smiled. “It’s good.”
    Court grabbed his can gratefully, winking at her before digging in. Austin grumbled, but it didn’t take him long to give in to temptation. If they died, they’d all go together.
    They wandered around as they ate their cold dinner in silence. There was a bedroom, a bathroom, a laundry room and a storage room that made her choke on her perfectly preserved dinner. “Guys?”
    Austin was there first, and he laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed before letting it drop away. “Maybe Court is right. This is something out of fiction. Were they preparing for the apocalypse?”
    Rows of toothpaste, canned goods, shampoo and soap. Bag after bag of beans and pasta and cleaning supplies. Court laughed out loud when he saw it. “This is my idea of a vacation. If only they had satellite.”
    Joely was still staring at the shelves. “It makes sense. If they were living here they would need to stock up whenever they could. It’s not like there’s a grocery store around the corner.”
    “Why didn’t they take it with them?”
    Because they didn’t need it, and someday someone might come to the island who did .
    Joely knew that was the reason without needing any proof. This was Eden’s influence. She saw it all the time. The people the island gave to had an instinctive, no doubt subconscious, desire to pay it forward. To give back. To help Eden make another dream come true. Mr. V had done that in spades and, though he thought his reasons selfish, the ripples he’d made would affect the island long after he was gone and the resort was in ruins.
    Thank you for this. It is exactly what we needed.
    Now, if she could only find out what Austin was keeping from her, she’d be happy. She chewed the last ravioli and shook her head. Happy was probably the wrong word.
    She walked back to the living room and stared blankly at the photographs, lost in thought. She had one more night with them. The resort was half a day’s walk from here according to the map. If they started early, they would make it back in time for dinner.
    One more night. Court had promised her a ménage and Austin had… He’d been trying to tell her something since yesterday, she realized. She’d stopped him then, unwilling to have reality intrude on their time together. She wanted to stop him again. Wanted to enjoy every second of the time they had left together.
    She didn’t want the man of her dreams to have a wife and three children back at home. That would break her heart.
    Court appeared in front of her, taking the empty can from her and setting it on the coffee table. He slid his fingers through hers and she frowned. “I thought you’d be in the shower by now.”
    “The water hasn’t had time to heat yet.” He pulled her behind him and walked to the back door of the cabin. “Besides, the shower can wait—this can’t.”
    He opened the door, then called to Austin over his shoulder. “Man, you are really going to want to see this.”
    She glared at his back as he dragged her outside. “What is it? What could possibly be more important than…” Her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened and closed in shock. “That can’t be real. Who were these people?”
    They had hot springs. In their backyard. The size of a small pool, with steam rising from it.
    Court let go of her hand and tore off his shirt. “Smart people. Angels. People who knew the only thing better than having a pool in your backyard was having a natural hot spring in your backyard. Don’t question the island, Mary Ann. Just get