Desert Heat

CHAPTER FOUR: WARNED

"Thank you very much." Lily thanked the young woman who escorted her to her room. She handed the young woman some notes that she had in her pocket, and the young woman seemed more than pleased as she accepted them.

"Thank you, madam." The young woman thanked Lily, and she shut the door, leaving Lily to herself. Never in her life had Lily thought that she would be spending more than ten hours on a plane talking to a man who had nothing good to say. Gerardo was the type of man that Lily had avoided all her life, and unfortunately, she was stuck with him on a plane.

Fortunately, for her, after trying to catch some sleep, the plane had landed, and she had made her quick escape, hoping that she would never come face-to-face with Gerardo. Her little room was peaceful and beautiful—not exactly a five-star hotel room, but it was fine for her.

It had a TV, bed, table, and bathroom, and that was more than enough for Lily. She looked at her wristwatch and rolled her eyes. Even though she arrived in the early hours of the morning, she was due for work in the next four hours.

She had never been one to complain about working, but there was always a first time for everything, and this was the first. Lily quickly jumped into the shower, and as soon as she dressed herself, she threw herself onto the bed and slept.

The next day, the rest of the crew came over to the hotel to get her. What Lily had thought would be a desert country was more beautiful than she thought it would be. Driving to the different location was a revelation for Lily; the country was rich in culture, and their Arabian dishes were delicious.

The sights of the beautiful country of Hamidin, the people were among the friendliest she had seen, and her only complaint was the heat.

"Wow, this country is hot," Lily told the translator, who had accompanied herself and the crew to the selected locations. Talking to her, Lily discovered that Christine was a young British woman who had visited Hamidin and had fallen in love with the beautiful country.

"Yes, you are right; that is why I always carry sun screen with me," Christine replied, and both women laughed it off. While the rest of the crew set up their equipment for the next interview, Lily could not help but wonder why the country seemed peaceful but the atmosphere was off.

"Hey Christine, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, you can."

Lily thought about her question for a while, wondering if she had just been imagining that something had been wrong with the people of this country.

"With the last few interviews, I felt as if the people were holding back. I don't know, but it is as though they are afraid of something," Lily voiced. Christine hurriedly pulled Lily away from the busy crowd and into the corner.

"I apologise for pulling you away, but it's best that we talk here," Christine whispered, her action causing Lily to wonder what was actually going on.

"Why are you pulling me away?" Lily questioned.

"You see, the king just passed on, and for the moment, the country is restless until the heir to the throne is announced. As for the people not being too open to speaking, let's just say that the late Sheikh hated when his people spoke about the intimate details of the country to foreigners." Lily took what Christine had said to heart and made a note in her mind.

"Thank you for telling me that, otherwise, I would have been in trouble." Lily thanked Christine as she placed her hand on her chest to feel her beating heart.

"You are welcome, and one last thing: there are parts of the kingdom that you cannot venture into," Christine warned.

"Wait! How do I know what not to venture into?"