So are the next several hours.
Maddy gives us spare clothes and bikinis.
“You’ll find that a bikini will become your second skin.” She smiles. Everyone is super-nice and smily. “We get the necessities in town with tokens.”
There are tokens instead of money on the island. Makes sense.
There is coconut oil.
“We make it ourselves, actually. It’s a natural sunblock. Well, to a degree. You’ll find out soon enough that you don’t care about tan lines anymore.”
The fresh water comes from the springs.
“There are several waterfalls on the island. We wash clothes there. We’ll take you to one of them in the next few days.”
Every bungalow has a shower and bathroom, but most of the pipes were damaged by the last hurricane. So they use the outside bathrooms and the shower that is in the back, close to the jungle, with the four chest-high bamboo screens for privacy.
Next, Maddy points out the bungalows.
There is a greenhouse where they dry and process pot that they grow to trade things with the town.
There is the Common Lounge, the large draped room where we spent last night. The swimming pool behind it is dried out and the poles of the cabanas are naked off fabrics. There are several tiki hut structures.
An open-plan kitchen with fancy stainless steel, granite tops, and a kitchen island, is covered with a layer of salt. And an open cabana, a dining room with two ten-foot-long tables.
Maddy explains the chores and who does what. There are schedules for cleaning and shifts written in chalk on the community board in the dining area. It’s like a hippie farm.
Katura studies everything with interest. Dani with absent calmness.
I take it all in. It feels like some strange dream. An alternate reality.
And the only reminder that it’s not is Kai.
10
KATURA
Alright.
I need to figure things out.
There is a reason we ended up here, and it might just be for the best.
I follow Maddy as she explains how their little communal living arrangement works, but I am more interested in what went down with the Westside.
Bo is the leader here. He is a magnificent creature, and I should stay close to him. He looks like a polished Rasta guy with his almost waist-long dreads gathered at the back of his head. But his manners are too thought-out, practiced, and precise. He seems like he has his shit together, and the way he reasons is just like my father. He is older, too, in his thirties. So he is not one of the spring-breakers. But he is too dominating and organized to be one of the island staff.
Maddy is the one in charge of pretty much everything. She can be useful. She is the mother, the sister, the godmother, the counselor—that type.
Kristen fucks her way through the Eastside. That one likes fun. She eyed me at breakfast with competitive curiosity.
Ty is the sunshine. Blond, tanned, perfect surfer’s body, smiley attitude, all jokes and winks. And a talker. I should ask more questions. He’ll spill all the gossip.
Ty, Kai, and Owen always stick together. Jeok, the Asian kid, occasionally hangs with them.
The rest—I will find out more about them.
By the time we are finished with our tour and are led into a bungalow that the three of us will have to share, I’m in a great mood.