STORY ARC # 5: VACATION ROULETTE
An Uncertain Enemy
But what if the story is more complicated than it seems?
This is part of a Choose Your Own Adventure story, ‘Vacation Roulette.’ Go back to the first chapter by Linden Schneider here. Or return to the previous chapter: Hiding Your Secrets or Risking Your Lives on Vacation. Find out how you can write collaborative Choose Your Own Adventure stories with other authors here!
For now, you’ll go along with Sandra, who is one of the Vacation Roulette organizers. Yes, she might want to kill you. But what if the story is more complicated than it seems?
Regardless, you’ll be on watch for anything strange. With your smile tight and polite, you shake the blonde’s hand. In contrast, her handshake is firm and her smile is radiant. She’s quite gorgeous, in all honesty. But predators can be pretty too, right?
Sandra helps you with your luggage, and leads you both to the cab waiting area. Your partner bumps your shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look like you swallowed something bad.”
Their tone is teasing but they look worried. You bump their shoulder back. “Nothing,” you mumble. “Just getting the nerves. I haven’t flown — well, traveled — in a long while.” You shrug.
Your partner pats your arm and their facial features soften. They murmur, “The past is in the past. I’m here now so you’ll be safe, all right?”
You nod absently. Once again, you debate with yourself whether to tell your partner about the mysterious texter or not. You settle for a no for now. Especially not when Sandra, one of the Vacation Roulette leaders, is nearby.
When the limo arrives and you all pile in, Sandra regales you with her stories, probably all fictional. But you are beside yourself with worry and just stare out the window throughout the drive.
When you reach the hotel, Sandra waves goodbye to the limo driver, which seems over-the-top in friendliness. Your partner shoots you a side-eye, but you ignore them. They might give you an earful once you’re alone together again, but you’re not in the mood to chat right now.
To your dismay, Sandra shoves some coupons in your face, and utters with a wide beam, “You must be hungry from the long flight. The hotel has an all-you-can-eat buffet, and with these coupons, you can have all you want for free!”
Your partner looks astonished. “Is that true? We can eat at a hotel buffet completely for free with no conditions?” Their jaw drops.
The blonde woman laughs, her chest heaving with mirth. “You ask that as if we’re lying. Yes, you can eat at the buffet as much as you want during your time at Vacation Roulette. The chefs won’t let you keep leftovers in a takeout box, but if you want to eat in your room, you can order room service, which the coupons will also cover.” Her smile is bright and shiny as her lip gloss.
She leaves you at a buffet booth, adding that your wake-up call tomorrow is at 7 am. With that, she sashays off like a damn goddess.
Your partner waves a hand in front of your face, and you scowl at them. They raise their hands in a gesture of peace. “What’s gotten into you today? You seem a bit moody.”
You fume at them and say, “I’m just tired, thank you very much. You don’t need to baby me, either, I can take care of myself.”
Your partner frowns. “I wasn’t trying to baby you. I just noticed that you’re acting strangely today, ever since we got off the plane.” They hesitate before adding, “If you for some reason want to go home instead, just tell me and we’ll leave.”
It’s clear that your partner wants to stay, though. You feel a little grumpy but you wave off their offer. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just eat. You can get your food first. I’ll watch over our stuff.”
Your partner looks dubiously at you, but they shrug, slip out of the booth, and leave. A part of you irrationally thinks that your partner is going to leave you, and no wonder, since you’ve been throwing a fit around them. But your rational side calms you down.
While you wait for your partner to collect their food, you spot Sandra sauntering by, her hair and skin perfect as a pearl. She catches your eye and smiles, then walks away, out of the buffet. Your curiosity is piqued.
What do you do?
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