STORY ARC #5: VACATION ROULETTE

Broken Promises

She is very pretty, but all you want to do is to punch and smash up her perfect face.

This is part of a choose your own adventure story, ‘Vacation Roulette.’ Go to the beginning chapter by Linden Schneider here. Or return to the previous chapter. Find out how to write collaborative choose your own adventure stories with other authors here!

There’s no way in hell that you’ll give up. You will steal that gold locket and win that vacation back no matter what.

Your partner hates that you’re going back to your thieving ways, and even threatened to break up with you. But you suspect that your partner only said that in the heat of the moment. You’re confident that they’ll see reason when you get the vacation back.

On the surface, it’s creepy that the Vacation Roulette organizers asked you to steal jewellery from a house between 1 to 3 AM, then to deliver this gold locket to someone at 9 AM in a coffee shop. This someone would wear a red hoodie and be reading a Jim Butcher novel.

Yet, this was exactly what you used to do, as a thief, so perhaps this is a test of your skills and cunning.

Apparently, the residents of the house you’re about to steal from, may be armed as well.

Your partner had turned their face away, mumbling that they didn’t want to see you ever again. Then they covered their head with the blanket. As hurtful as it was to see their rejection, you didn’t let it discourage you. When it was almost 1 AM, you set off.

It’s a chilly autumn evening in the middle of October. But your heart palpitates with excitement as your old habits kick in. You may not condone theft anymore, but you feel the itch returning to your fingers as you approach the house that lies just outside the lights.

It’s likely just a nondescript, generic house. But in the lack of light, it looks almost spectral. You suck in a breath of cold air. Now is not the time to get superstitious.

When you breach the house’s security system, you laugh at how effortless it is. In fact, it’s so easy that you’re disappointed. At length, you reach the master bedroom. You inhale deeply again, and smell a rose-scented perfume. There are no sounds inside.

Nimble as a cat, you sneak into the room. The lord and lady of the house are asleep in their bed, dozing in silence. You take one look at their vulnerable forms, before slipping to the side. In seconds, you spot the jewellery box, and inside, is the unmistakable gold locket.

With one last glimpse at the woman and man under the covers, you fish the locket out and replace the jewellery box before you go.

It’s only once you’re out of the house that you can breathe freely again.

When you arrive home, you discover that your partner has locked you out of your bedroom. You sigh. Technically you can pick the lock, but you don’t want to stir their wrath any further. So you fall asleep on the couch.

The next morning, you wake up with your limbs aching. Then you panic when you realize it’s already 8:30 AM. Without even checking if your partner has unlocked the bedroom door yet, you dash out of the house and into your car.

Somehow, you arrive at the coffee shop on the corner of Main Street and Church Street at 9:00 AM. You gaze around nervously. A bunch of students are hard at work on their laptops, and some are laughing at a joke you don’t understand. Some other patrons are middle-aged and older folks enjoying their drinks.

Then, you see her. You blink. For some reason, you assumed that the person in the red hoodie with a Jim Butcher novel, would be a man. But this reminds you not to fall for gender stereotypes. The title of the book is Cold Days, with Harry Dresden’s signature image on the cover.

With some trepidation, you approach the woman. She casts you a look and lowers her red hoodie. Her wavy chestnut-blonde hair tumbles down onto her shoulders. The smile she gives you is sly. “How’s everything?”

Tentatively, you retrieve the damn gold locket and place it in her palm. Her smile widens as she examines the piece of jewellery. She nods, and you see the glint of her white teeth as she grins. “Good to meet you. I’m Sandra, one of the Vacation Roulette organizers.”

You gulp. “So…am I in?” You might have even lost your partner for this, you almost add.

Sandra doesn’t seem to see your pain. Instead, she casually ruffles her hair, and puts the book down on the table. She’s using a bookmark with a galactic design. “It depends,” she says, in a slow but saucy tone. The woman taps her chin. “There’s still one more test you need to pass.”

“And what’s that?” you ask in haste.

Sandra lifts her hand. “Slow down and relax. Get a drink first. I’ll pay for it.”

You refrain from snapping that you don’t want a free drink, you just want to win back the vacation so that your fallout with your partner will be worth it. But you gather some patience and walk with Sandra to the cashier.

You scrunch up your nose at the fancy items scribbled on the chalkboard. Who uses chalkboards nowadays?

Normally, you would just order a plain old black coffee, sometimes with a sprinkle of milk. But since Sandra is treating you…”I’ll get the blueberry whipped cream vanilla latte.” You have no idea what that is, but since it’s one of the pricier items, you might as well get it.

If Sandra is annoyed at your choice, she doesn’t show it. Calmly, she pays for your drink. When the barista finishes mixing your drink, you gratefully take it and walk with Sandra back to your table.

With wariness, you eye the chestnut-blonde woman as you sip your drink. It’s richer and sweeter than you expected. “So?” you ask without any preamble.

Sandra laughs, a gay and innocent sound that is so at odds with the vices she might ask you to indulge in. Does she have anything else that she wants you to steal? Sandra stretches her arms, then says, “All right, honey. You love your partner, right?”

You almost spit out your drink. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Sandra lightly kicks your foot under the table, and you barely restrain yourself from growling at her. Airily, she says, “I remember how you answered the last question of our quiz. Loyalty is hard to find.”

You purse your lips. “What’s with that quiz, anyway? Such creepy moral dilemma questions. And why on earth would I kill my partner?”

The Vacation Roulette organizer arches an eyebrow. “Not even to save ten small children?”

You gaze at her with suspicion. She is very pretty, but all you want to do is to punch and smash up her perfect face. So you spit out, “Why would I ever be thrown into such a situation? How absurd.”

“Use your imagination,” Sandra replies. “Plus, we were not literally asking you to kill your partner, so rest assured. The quiz was just our first test.”

“Which I failed,” you say.

“Which you failed,” Sandra agrees with a nod. She raps her long, varnished nails on the cover of Cold Days. “However, you did tremendously well on this second test.” She taps the gold locket that you didn’t realize she had already slipped on. You have to say that she looks great in it, with the gold locket bringing out the golden irises of her eyes.

Sandra continues, “The third and final test, involves your partner.” She pauses with an ominous suspense. Then she says, “I want you to kidnap your partner, and bring them to me.”

What do you say?

1. This is ridiculous! It’s one thing to answer dark and disturbing morality questions, but it’s another to actually carry out one of those scenarios.
2. Press Sandra for more details. Our first assumption is that it will be violent and nasty. But maybe Sandra means something else and there’s some wiggle room. After all, she did imply that they wouldn’t literally ask you to kill your partner to save ten innocent lives, right?

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