Not Lost, Not Yet

Three

Stepping off of the boat feels unreal. The smell of salty, warm sea hits strong. There's so much to look at. There are trees so dark and tall that go way above the clouds, vines loose everywhere, and in between two sturdy signs that say something in Spanish and another language, there's a magical world of brightly coloured flowers, animals and a luminous glow where the sunlight shines through. 

I can't focus on one thing to look at since there's too much. I look behind me at the people getting off, but there are none. They all look frightened. I turn back to the jungle, and I see that Maria and her niece, the little girl she was talking to earlier, have joined me on land. 

"Just us?" I ask. 

"I guess so. Maybe everyone else is going to the next locations," Maria asks, shrugging. 

"No tour guide? No nothing?" I ask, but then a tall man emerges from the trees. 

"Follow me," he says in an unfamiliar accent, leading us towards the sandy beach. 

We walk with our few bags for a while, and sand gets into my shoes. It's so hot on the beach. The water is so crystal clear. Maria looks just as thrilled to be here as I am, just without the nervousness. 

After another ten minutes, the man shows us a lodge up on the sandy beach. It's not very tall. I doubt they get visitors often. I glance at Maria, and then I follow her to the front doors. 

The hotel looks like it could collapse at any moment. Just to be safe, I don't talk too loud. The inside is decorated with flowers and vines and little lights. 

Overall, despite the piles of sand that cover the wooden floor, this isn't the worst place I've ever been. When Maria and I walk into the common room, a woman with long, curly black and grey hair stands up to greet us with a wide smile. 

"Hello, darlings, who are you?" she says in the same unfamiliar accent as the man from before. 

"I'm Maria, and this is Emma. Oh, and this is Delilah, my niece. Where are our rooms?" Maria says politely.

The woman smiles and points to the open wall of the common room, which leads to a path of stones. Along the path are little cabins. It looks like the ultimate paradise. 

"Thank you," Maria says. 

When we reach the cabins, we find the small cards that have our room numbers on them. Turns out, Maria, Delilah and I all got assigned the same cabin. At first, we think about correcting them, but then we conclude that it's always better to explore an unfamiliar island in an unfamiliar country in an unfamiliar continent with someone else, especially if you know you'll never get bored of hearing whatever they have to say. (Of course, the last part was not discussed between the two of us).

I never stay in one place (or state) for too long. I tend to move around. I don't know what it is about staring out onto the same city over and over again, but I can't do it. 

Of course, Maria will never know I'm afraid of settling into one place for too long. She's too perfect to know anything real about me. 

"So, North Dakota," Maria says, turning to me after she finishes unpacking into the small cabin. 

"Yep," I say, sitting on my bed. 

"What's it like?" Maria asks. 

"Oh, you know, boring. How's British Columbia?" I say, even though I lived five months of my life in the Yukon and Alberta. 

"In all honesty, I only spent the first five years of my life there. I moved to New Brunswick after that. New Brunswick's fine, but it is a little boring," says Maria, running her fingers along the bed frame of her bed. 

I nod, even though I don't know how New Brunswick is. I'm just lost in her beautiful, glowing eyes. And I feel like I'm sinking as she talks in her adorable, sweet, soft voice. 

Oh no. I think I know what's happening.

A/N 

hey, sorry I haven't been posting, I just went away for a few days but I'm back now. i completely forgot that I didn't write chapter three, since I was writing the other chapters. so anyway, here it is. i hope y'all like my messy story so far <3

also no offence to New Brunswick! I actually really like it there. and i don't know how North Dakota is, but I'm sure it's wonderful.

don't forget to vote and comment your kind and funny thoughts!

k bye

-maia <3