Vacations from Hell
“Yeah,” Liz says.
“Did you see me and my sister? We were talking to a guy named Jay?”
Seriously? His name is Jay? That is so close to James. Is that not a sign that he was meant to be my first, or what?
“I saw,” I say.
“Have you seen my sister since then?” she asks hopefully. “Here somewhere?”
The three of us shake our heads.
“Maybe she’s still with…Jay?” I say. “My Jay,” I want to add but don’t.
The girl sighs. “Do you mind if I sit down?”
“Of course, sweetie, take a load off,” Liz says, pulling in her knees to make room.
“I’m Ali,” she says. “And my sister is not with Jay.”
“Are you sure?” I ask hopefully.
She nods. “I went by his room this morning. She wasn’t with him. I asked him where she was and he said he had no idea.”
That’s good news, right? “But didn’t she go off with him last night?”
“He says she didn’t,” the girl says. “But that doesn’t make sense. She never came back to the room. Her bed is still made. Where else could she be?”
Liz pats her arm. “Maybe she met some other guy?”
“I guess….”
“I’m sure that’s it. She probably met some guy and went back to his room.”
“But that’s so unlike her! I mean, she liked Jay; why would she just hook up with someone else?”
“I’m sure she’s around somewhere,” Liz says, continuing to pat the girl’s arm. “Do you want me to help you look for her?”
“Would you? I’d really appreciate it. It’s just the two of us, and I’m getting a little freaked out—”
“No worries,” Liz says, tying on her wrap. “I’m happy to help.”
“Do you want us to come?” I ask.
“No, you guys stay here in case…”
“Carly,” Ali says.
“In case Carly turns up.”
“Are you creeped out?” Hailey says to me as Liz and the new girl head to the elevator.
“Hmm?”
“Are you creeped out?”
“About what?” I ask, truly clueless.
She pulls her legs into a cross-legged position. “Um, the fact that her sister was with Jay last night and disappeared?”
“But Jay told her Carly wasn’t with him,” I say.
“Sure, he said that, but what if he’s lying?”
I shrug. “Why would he lie?”
“He would lie if he did something to her!”
“Like what?”
“Like many things! Something bad! Gotten her drunk, robbed her, or thrown her over the boat railing. He could be a killer. We don’t know anything about him except that he’s good-looking.”
“Not true,” I say. “We think that he has no children. That he enjoys female company. We know he’s here for a wedding, and that he goes to Penn.”
“So he says. Don’t you think it’s all a little weird? The girl he was with last night is missing. And…come to think of it, what happened to the girl from the hot tub? I haven’t seen her around either.” She turns white. “Omigod.”
“What?”
“The story about the vampire. What if he’s the vampire?”
I almost laugh. “Oh, come on. Jay is not a vampire.”
“He could be.”
My Jay is not a vampire. “No he can’t.”
“Yes he can! Think about it.” She rubs her temples. “We only see him at night.”
“Not true. We saw him in the hot tub. That was during the day.”
“Oh, right.” Her forehead creases. “But it was indoors! Ha! No direct sunlight.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You think it’s a joke, but he could be dangerous. If I were you I would stay clear of him. Don’t let him try to get you alone.”
Let him? At this point I can’t force him to be alone with me.
An hour later Liz is back, looking satisfied. “All good,” she says, lying back down in her chair. “Sister found.”
Hailey claps. “Seriously?”
“Yup.” She reaches into her bag and reapplies her sunblock.
Hailey sighs. “Thank god. Where was she?”
“She got up early and went to the spa. Ali must have been sleeping when she left the room.”
“But I thought her bed was made?”