Apart from the storm, the evening had passed without drama; it had been nice enough. The conversation over dinner had been easy – chatting about where they were from, what they did, how they felt about Hannah, why they were here. They seemed like a good bunch of people: self-aware, kind, considerate, for the most part. Clearly Hannah had chosen her group well. And Naya was gorgeous; there was a warmth about her that reminded her of Robyn, even though they were nothing alike physically.
Draining her glass of water now, pushing thoughts of Robyn out of her mind – that was the last thing she needed, if she was trying to sleep – Carly stood up, stretched, felt her eyelids flicker; perhaps finally, she was ready to get some rest.
When her eyes opened again, she was surprised to see light trickling through the edges of the heavy silk curtains lining her bedroom window. She checked the time on her phone: it was gone eight. She’d had a few hours’ sleep then.That’ll do.
She got up, luxuriated in her rain shower for a few minutes, then dressed in a vest and leggings and opened her bedroom door, listening for the others; there was only silence. She slipped down to the kitchen, taking in the stunning view outside, the still waters of the pool, the lush green leaves and bright red and pink flowers at the garden’s edge. On the dining room table was a spread of fresh fruit, filled pastries, brightly coloured juices and steaming percolators of coffee, their toasty scent reaching her nostrils. Her stomach rumbled.
‘Ah, you are awake!’ Paola strode into the kitchen, ushered Carly towards a seat at the table and filled her mug with coffee. As Carly took a sip, a clicking sound came from the front door. Luisa, dressed in the same crisp white linen tunic and trousers as yesterday, stepped inside the house, waved and gave Carly a broad smile.
‘Good morning, Carly. I hope you slept well! Paola has made a delicious breakfast for you, of course,’ she said. Then, looking around: ‘Hannah is here now?’
Carly was about to respond, but she was interrupted. ‘Well, if Hannah’s here, I sure haven’t seen her.’ It was Ben, his voice coming from the bottom of the stairs. He ambled into the kitchen, yawning, plaid shirt undone, revealing what looked like a ten-pack of abs on a perfectly smooth torso – waxed, Carly assumed, to within an inch of its life – as he stretched his arms above his head.
‘Anyone else up?’ he asked.
‘Nope,’ Carly replied, with a shrug. ‘Not yet, anyway.’
Mira wandered into the kitchen behind Ben, and Carly startled when she saw her: perhaps it was because she’d just woken up, but Mira looked paler and even more delicate inthe morning light, and positively minuscule in an oversized blue sundress. And her hair – which Carly was sure, now, could only be a wig – was fixed at an angle, one side sloping down further towards her neck. She looked fragile, and Carly felt a sudden rush of care for her; a desire to wrap her up in a blanket, keep her safe, like she’d done with her most vulnerable clients.
Like she’d done with Robyn when they were having their difficult days, she realized, with a hot pang in her chest.
Paola shuffled somewhere near Carly’s shoulder. ‘No, Hannah is not back,’ she said. ‘Perhaps she is stuck somewhere on the road – it is probably not safe to come back by boat yet. But she will be here soon. At least the storm is over now, and it was not so bad as they said...’
That storm? Not so bad?Carly wondered what abadstorm here would be like, in that case.
‘Ah,sí, she has probably got caught somewhere,’ agreed Luisa. ‘But the water will start to move away in the next few hours, I am sure.’
She paused and turned to wave at Scott as he arrived downstairs, with Naya a few steps behind him. Naya looked pale and washed out; perhaps she hadn’t slept much, either.
‘Good morning to you both!’ said Luisa. ‘Hannah will be here soon – until then, you can eat, drink, and we have a fabulous morning prepared for you all.’
‘Hannah is still a little delayed by the weather,’ explained Paola, in response to the questioning look on Naya’s face. ‘There’s some flooding in the area that must be stopping her from getting back. But it is not a problem – you will still enjoy this morning with us.’
‘Sounds great,’ said Scott, and Naya nodded her agreement, as the five of them joined Carly at the table and filled their plates with various fruits, tortillas andsalchichón.
‘What’s the plan for today then?’ asked Scott, pouring coffee into a mug. ‘Hannah emailed an itinerary, but it was pretty loose, from what I remember – just a couple of activities scheduled each day, with plenty of time left for our one-on-one work with her.’
‘Didn’t she put something about a waterfall in the email itinerary?’ said Naya. ‘I really hope so – the pictures of it looked incredible. I’m dying to see it and go for a swim.’
‘Yes, this is true,’ said Paola. ‘But first for this morning, we have planned a sound bath, which our specialist practitioner Thiago will lead for you when he arrives, and then...’
Paola’s words faded as a text bleeped on someone’s phone.
First one; then another.
Then another.
All at the same time.
There was only one possible sender.
NAYA
Naya set down her fork and reached into her pocket for her phone. Truth be told, she didn’t have much of an appetite – she was grateful for the distraction from her full plate of food. She’d surprised herself by managing to sleep deeply last night in spite of the storm, but the rest had done nothing to ease the queasiness sitting in her belly. She tried to shake away the tremor of anxiety she felt about what it meant.
‘It must be Hannah,’ said Carly.
Naya glanced at her screen. ‘Oh yes, I have a text from her – did you all get it too?’
