Unleash The Island

Chapter 14

So, they had staff to tend to them and their needs. EJ knew that Wayne Alodia had money, but never imagined this kind of wealth. Wayne sat at the end of the table with a glass of wine in his hand. His brother and Imani strolled down the stairs, making their way to the table. They held hands, subtly, as they walked towards two chairs on the side. Leo and EJ began to follow suit. Leo sat in a chair, leading to EJ sitting in the one next to him. She did not even have the stomach to eat, but the thought of looking bad in front of the people that let her stay in their mansion helped her gain an appetite.

Glass trays filled to the brim were placed in the center. There were green beans, chicken, bread, and it kept going. It felt like a Thanksgiving dinner. The staff was done and they walked away somewhere. There was a pitcher of water in front of EJ, which she gladly took and filled her glass. She motioned it in front of her and Leo grabbed the handle with one hand. His forearm muscles and veins showed, but she quickly looked away.

"This is probably the most people over in a while," Wayne said as he dished some chicken on his plate. "Besides my coworkers coming over."

Nobody else added anything to that statement. It was just dishing food, passing it around, then devouring it. The meal was eaten quietly, besides the chewing sounds. EJ watched over everybody at the table as she ate. The only people she knew were Leo and Imani, who she knew from school. She was fairly nice, but her friends were not. Beck and Nina bullied her for years until EJ started to defend herself. Leo finished eating quickly, making EJ hurry up a little bit.

"The police were everywhere today," his mother perched up. "I went to the grocery store and there were four cops inside. It's crazy."

Leo did not say anything, but EJ wanted to. "Yeah, we saw a few at the beach. I guess they're just trying to finalize everything."

Lisa perched up and asked, "You're from the island, right?" EJ nodded as if she was in a trance. "What's your favorite place to get some good lobster?"

"The Net," EJ answered.

Lisa let out a laugh, which slightly intimidated EJ. She thought she answered the question wrong. When Lisa settled her laughter, she told EJ, "My friends and I would steal lobster rolls from their kitchen once a week. It was every Thursday because we knew a friend that worked there and she would distract her boss for us." Wayne raised one eyebrow and looked in her direction. "They were just way too expensive. At least I got a few back then for free."

Wayne took long sips of his wine and did not say much at the table. Leo's brother and Imani were silent as well. They were the first to finish, too. They thanked the parents, then brought their dishes to the sink. The two of them happily walked up the stairs. EJ cleared her plate and Leo got up, which meant she should get up. They brought their plates, silverware, and glasses over to the sink. He turned the faucet on and rinsed them off to get anything left over.

"You want to see the dock?" he asked her quietly.

EJ nodded and they made their way out of the door. Their backyard was amazing. There was a pool and a whole dock. There was no boat, surprisingly. Leo took fast strides on the dock. The two of them walked to the end and Leo sat down. EJ followed and sat beside him. It was right on the coast. The glass door screeched and shut. Wayne came out with a bucket and three fishing rods. Leo let out a sigh as he walked down the dock.

"Hey, guys," he said as he placed the hefty bucket behind them. "I thought we could do some fishing while the sun is out. EJ, you know how to fish?"

"Yeah, my dad liked to," she said with her cheeks red.

He handed them their fishing rods and held one out. Casually, he grabbed a worm and pulled it down the hook. He handed it to Leo, who traded with him. He handed the fishing pole to EJ. She decided to wait until everybody was ready. When Wayne was done, he plopped next to Leo.

"Everybody ready?" he asked, receiving nods. "Let's get some fish." Wayne went first and launched the string out into the water. Leo was next, then came EJ. "Just remember to be patient."

Not even a minute passed by when EJ felt a pull. It was so strong that she had to tighten her grip. She began to twist the lever and the string came closer. Wayne prepared a hand held net and gave it to Leo. With all her might, she pulled the sucker in and she could see the fish struggle under the water.

"Yeah, that's it," Wayne said with a grin.

Leo held out the net while holding the handle. The fish was massive. With a small smile, she yanked the fish up before it could let go and Leo caught it with the net. He held out his hand while his pole rested on his arm and she high fived him.

"I'll go get the cooler." Wayne placed his pole down, stood up, and ran back to the garage. When he came back, he rolled the cooler down the wooden rock. He opened it and said, "Bring the net over and I'll throw it in."

Leo brought the fish towards his step dad and Wayne went into action. He lifted the fish with his bare hand and unhooked it. There was blood by its mouth. He placed it in the cooler and closed the lid.

"Just like my great grandparents did almost two centuries ago." Wayne began his usual saying. "One day, it was a hobby. The next, it became their necessity." He let out a brief breath of relief. "That was all before all this craziness was unleashed on this poor, old island."

After that, Leo caught one. EJ caught two more. Wayne caught the last one. The sun set when Wayne threw his fish in the cooler. They cleaned off the hooks and Wayne took the rods. Leo was instructed to bring the bait bucket back to the garage. Once all of the equipment was sorted, Leo led EJ towards their rooms.

"You want to watch a movie or something?" he asked. "I have a TV."

"Yeah, sure," EJ said, trying to hide how giddy she felt.