The Final Rose

Chapter Nineteen: Safe

"Nokomis," I heard a whisper. "Noko, are you awake?"

I rolled over in bed and rubbed my eyes. "What's wrong?" 

Lee was on her knees beside my bed, with her face at my level. A wide grin was spread across her face. "Jail break."

Outside of our four-star prison, the sky was dark with the sun not yet peeking above the horizon. The rest of the women were still asleep in their rooms, but Lee and I shuffled across the tiled hotel lobby, escaping to freedom. When we once again burst outside, I felt like I could breathe again. My lungs opened up, and I sucked in the slightly algae-tinted scent of island air.

"Better, right?" Lee posed.

I nodded in agreement. The few words she'd already said that morning were more than she'd spoken to me since leaving our lagoon. But she had made no mention of the kiss, which had me believing maybe it had been a one-time thing--an accident. Lee described herself as touchy-feeling, so perhaps kissing her friends was common. If she wasn't going to bring it up and make a big deal out of it, neither was I.

She held up her arm in the air. "Taxi!"

"What if the date card comes when we're gone?" I couldn't help being the voice of reason. "What if the other women wake up and realize we're gone?"

"We'll be back before then."

She sounded so self-assured, I couldn't help but believe her.

We returned to the same beach as we'd gone to the previous day. Because of the early hour, the area was even more deserted than before. A cardboard Closed sign hung on the service window of the small restaurant.

Lee dug around in her bag and produced two sets of snorkeling masks. She held them in the air like a prized catch.

"Where did you get those?" I asked.

"They had them at the front desk."

I had no idea when she'd had time to do so, but I didn't question her about it.

"Have you ever snorkeled?"

I shook my head.

"Can you swim?" she asked.

"I grew up on the Great Lakes."

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

I had plenty to worry about, but nothing that had to do with drowning in the ocean.

We stripped out of our shorts and shirts, down to the bathing suits we wore underneath, me in my one piece and Lee in her gold bikini. I sucked in a sharp breath when my toes hit the water. The ocean was--understandably--far colder than the inland lagoon from the day before. I adjusted the plastic strap so the mask fit on my head. The snorkel's mouthpiece tasted like rubber.

"Ready?" Lee's voice was muffled as she spoke around the plastic snorkel.

I followed her out into the ocean. The sand was gritty beneath my bare feet, and I sunk up to my ankles as if in quicksand.

Lee raced into the ocean and dove under the small waves. When she re-surfaced, she blew saltwater out of her snorkel like a porpoise with a blowhole. She spit out her snorkel and cocked her head. "What are you waiting for? It's time to get wet."

I was thankful that my mask converted most of my face. I was sure she hadn't intended it that way, but I could feel my cheeks grow hot. If only she knew.

I leaned over and ducked just the front of my facemask into the water. Where Lee was trusting and ready to dive in, I found myself more cautious and less willing to put my faith in the water-tightness of the equipment.