Malina Beach: A Paradise Island Series

by K. A. Burgdorf

  “Hi,” I say to her, grinning a little too large. “I hope I’m on time.”

  “Hello!” she exclaims as if she has had a little too much coffee this morning. “You are right on time,” she tells me. “Follow me, quickly, please.”

  She stands and makes her way around the desk, motioning for me to follow her into the door beside her. We take a right and hurry down a long, surprisingly shady corridor. We pass a door with the word Cinderella in pretty blue and silver lettering. The next door says Rapunzel. The next is Arial, and then Sleeping Beauty. My mouth falls open. Could this mean…? We finally stop in front of a large door with ‘Snow White’ on the door. My heart quickens at the sight. My own dressing room! I nearly let out an audible squeal in excitement.

  She pushes the door open, and the first thing I see is a small loveseat with white with gold trim. I want to bounce up and down in excitement, but I don’t… I stay professional, yet cheery. I can’t mess this up. This is too good to be true for me.

  She motions for me to sit in front of the vanity mirror. There are makeup cases piled on the table portion, and a costume hanging on the wall beside me.

  “There will be a woman arriving in about ten minutes to do your touchups… she will just come in and introduce herself, but this is her job so she will be speedy and mostly likely seem very impersonal, but don’t take it personally… honestly.”

  “Great,” I say. “Thank you very much… for everything.”

  “You’re welcome. Do you need any refreshments while you wait?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Okay,” she says. “Also, after your makeup is done, there will be a gentleman coming to show you around and explain everything to you, okay?”

  “Great.”

  “See you later,” she says and turns to leave me alone, shutting the door gently behind her. I smile to myself. I could really see myself being her friend… and I don’t even know her name. She’s just so happy and nice… like Emily.

  Minutes tick by endlessly and I look to the comfy couch in admiration. I’m so sleepy, but how bad would that look? The makeup artist comes in and I‘m passed out drooling all over this pretty white couch.

  She will think I'm a spaz. Which, I guess I am in a way. I’m most likely the youngest Character Greeter working here, and I’m the new girl. Now one likes the young new girl.

  I sigh. I wish Ben were here.

  The door opens suddenly, making me jump. My head whips around to see this short, wide woman with her glasses on top of her dark, messy knot of hair. She smiles briefly at me, as if that smile is all in the job description. I smile back at her tiredly.

  “Hello. My name is Judy. I’ll be doing your makeup everyday, so we might as well be friends,” she says, though her words don’t ring sincere. I hold out my hand.

  “I’m Malina,” I introduce. “Malina Beach.”

  “Beach?” she says. Her eyes are a pretty Emerald color, like the bottom of the ocean. “I used to know someone by that name.”

  “What was their first name?” I wonder.

  “Sasha or Sandy…”

  I giggle. “Sandy Beach?” I say. She grins, setting her bag on the floor by my feet.

  “Maybe I have it wrong,” she allows. “Now, lets see what we are working with.”

  What we are working with? She must mean my beauty… or lack there of. I’m not sure if this is good or bad? Hopefully good. She touches just under my left eye.

  “You didn’t get any sleep last night,” she says. It’s an accusation. She shakes her head and sucks her teeth. “You have got to get plenty of sleep.” “I’m not used to waking up so early… it’s summer,” I explain. “I’ll try to do better tomorrow.”

  “Well,” she says, padding a little brush under my eyes. “After a long days work, you will want your sleep.”

  She talks as she does my makeup, first taking care of the bags under my eyes, and then working on the general fairness of my skin. That takes thirty minutes all on it’s own before she takes all of my hair and stuffs it up into a wig cap. She talks about her morning and how she couldn’t find her curling iron, spilt coffee all over herself, her dog, and her desk full of paperwork. Then she had to give her dog a bath, and he’s a big dog, so she was a little late.

  After she is done with the wig cap, and making my face a fair white, she sets a pampered and hair sprayed wig on top of my head, jerking it this way and that way, so that it looks like my real hair does. She fluffs the wig, combs it gently and sprays it with more hair spray. Before, finally, she applies fake lashes, red lipstick, and lip liner. Finishing touches with concealer, mascara, eyeliner and then finally some blush.

  After an hour of sitting, holding perfectly still, not licking my lips and trying not to touch my face, I was more than happy to stand, and what I saw in the mirror was absolute perfection. From the neck up, I was a Disney Princess. From the neck down, I was Malina Beach. I looked stunning, as every princess should.

  Now, all that was left to do was put on the dress. Judy left me to do that on my own, shutting the door and standing outside to give me my privacy, which I appreciated.

  I took off my clothes and unzipped the bag the dress was in. My hands shook. I was so nervous. What if it doesn’t fit? What if I tear it? What I mess up my hair or my makeup?

  I take the dress out of the dry cleaners bag, and hold it against my body, looking at myself in the full-length vanity mirror. It’s just like the one in the cartoon Ben showed me. It’s stunning, blue and yellow, with smaller parts of red. I grin at myself in the mirror and quickly slip it on. I ask Judy to kindly zip me up.

  When she does, she grins at me.

  “You look gorgeous,” she says. “Now, wait here, and Seth will be here in a few minutes to tell you where to go and what to do,” she tells me. “Listen to everything he says. It will only help you.”

  “Thank you!” I tell her. I would hug her, but I don’t want to ruin any of my costume.

  She leaves me and I twirl in the mirror, excited and dancing, hopping up and down. I take a selfie and forward it to Emily, Ben, Addie, and my mother.

  I get a response from Addie and Emily right away, but nothing from Ben or my mom. Addie says, “Lookin’ sexy! Love the wig!” and Emily says, “Is there any way you can steal that dress?”

  I giggle at their messages, but quickly stow my phone away in my purse and stuff my purse under the table as the door opens. I turn to look at the guy standing in the doorway. He doesn’t look very surprised to see a Disney Princess, which makes me want to laugh, because I sure would be. Maybe that’s why so many people pay so much money to stay in Disney Resorts, to see something they never thought was truly possible.

  Which makes me wonder even more why they picked me, an ordinary, small town girl from Tennessee, to be a freaking Disney Princess. Though, I’m in no way complaining.

  “Hi,” I say, holding out my hand. As he takes it, I notice how good-looking he is. I also notice what he’s wearing. He’s Prince Charming. He’s Snow White’s Prince Charming… Oh my Goodness.

  “Hello,” he says, smiling at me. His eyes are a warm chocolate brown. His voice is smooth and deep. “Are you Malina Beach?”

  “Yep. I am.” My heart is racing the same way it did when I saw Ben. He grins.

  “I’m Seth,” he says. “I’ll be your Prince Charming.”

  When he says this, I burst into a fit of laughter. It’s just too silly, too weird, too fairytale. He watches me with an odd mixture of amusement and confusion. But he is soon chuckling along with me.

  “Okay… that did sound pretty cheesy, but technically, it’s true,” he says.

  “I’m sorry,” I laugh. “It’s just… this is my first time doing any of this. I mean, I’m wearing a wig and fake lashes… and then you show up,” I giggle, and then realize that I’m being incredibly rude and embarrassingly unprofessional. I clear my throat and sober up at once.

  “I’m really sorry,” I say. “Just ignore me.” He grins, b
right and goofy.

  “It’s okay. But we really do need to get going,” he says, holding the door open for me. “By the way,” he adds as I pass him. “You can’t even tell those eyelashes of yours are fake.”

  He takes me down the long corridor towards the end of the hallway, where I had just entered, but turns left instead of right, and takes me into a large, empty room. We cross this room, into another larger room. Except this one is filled with a party. A birthday party for a six-year-old girl. Oh, crap.

  I can feel myself starting to panic and tense up. My throat begins to close. It feels as though someone has shoved a metal rod down my throat. This was a huge mistake.

  Maybe Jacob was right. I’m no actress.

  Seth holds out his arm, waiting patiently for me to take it. I hesitate, and he leans in close.

  “I know we don’t know each other, but just play the part,” he tells me. “It’s much more fun than it looks. And I’m not going to bite.”

  I smile at him and take his arm. He holds onto it as if it’s delicate crystal. As if I’m going to shatter into a million tiny shards of jagged glass. That’s just what I need right now.

  At first, no one notices us. We are just two people at the party. Until the little girl, with blonde curls down to her waist and her freckles along her nose, notices us. Her scream must be heard all the way back in Tennessee. She leaps off her father’s lap, running towards Seth and I like we are her saving grace.

  “Hello,” Seth says so cheerfully, I nearly giggle. “Thank you for inviting us to your birthday party,” he continues. I watch him closely as he talks with the girl. For a moment, I’m in a trance. And for a moment, he looks exactly like a cartoon character.

  He looks exactly like my true Prince Charming.

  “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you’re here!” the little girl exclaims. I grin at her, flashing her my best smile. But it isn’t fake. It isn’t acting. Her happiness, shock and excitement radiate around the room and everyone else smiles.

  “Would you like us to sing happy birthday?” Seth asks her. The little girl gasps and turns to her mother.

  “Mom!” she exclaims. “They’re gonna sing, just like you said!”

  “Yes we are, Sarah! Ready Snow White?” he asks me. I grin at her.

  “I’m ready!”

  Seth starts and I quickly join in, we sing, but it isn’t like I expected. It’s not like when you go to a pizza joint and some tired teenage girl sings you happy birthday while doing a series of snaps and claps. We sing with nothing but happiness and enthusiasm.

  There’s no obnoxious clapping. We sing as if we are on a stage in front of 20,000 people and this was our one big shot at fame and fortune. And Seth is surprisingly good.

  He really is like Prince Charming.

  When the song is over, we stay and watch as they cut their cake. The little girl’s cake is a huge image of my face; Snow White’s face. After they cut the cake, we take photos with the little girl, then the little girl and her parents, and then one big group picture of the whole family. And it was all a blast.

  When the party is over and the family leaves the party room to go and swim, Seth and I are left alone. He cuts himself a piece of the leftover cake, taking a seat to eat it at the table. I can’t believe what I’m looking at.

  Prince Charming is having a piece of birthday cake.

  “Umm,” I say. He glances up, waiting for me to say something. “Do you mind if I go and get my phone? I have some people who would really like to see you.” I ask.

  He chuckles. “Sure. But hurry. We only get a five minute break in between parties.”

  “I’ll be two seconds.”

  I turn to hurry out of the room. I find my way back to Snow White’s dressing room and I quickly dig my phone out of my purse. I know it’s silly. It might even be childish and unprofessional, but there’s no way I’m passing up this opportunity.

  I rush back to the party room and Seth is now sipping a cup of the Kool-Aid that was served at the party. I snap a photo of him, and giggle. He laughs at me, mostly because I caught him off guard. “That was longer than two seconds,” he says, setting the cup down and standing. He adjusts his suit. His suit has large white sleeves, a blue vest and gray tights, complete with a long red cape, boots, fake dagger and a hat. And he pulls it off completely, even though he looks like he is wearing a Halloween costume. It suits his with his cute dark curls and large brown eyes. Even his nose is perfect. I send the picture to Addie and Emily and my mom and McKenna, but not Ben. I take it he probably doesn’t want to see my Prince Charming. But we quickly have to move along to the next little girl’s birthday party. The next girl hugs me tightly and kisses Seth’s cheek, to which he actually blushes, making everyone laugh.

  It’s the same thing every party. We sing, we cut the cake and we take pictures before seeing the family off. Then we have another five minute break, to which now we both have a piece of cake and some Kool-Aid, and then it’s back to the next party. After the third party, it starts to feel like a job. And by the fourth and final party, my throat becomes scratchy from all the singing and my feet are killing me in the heels I was given. I worry that I’ve sweated off all of my makeup, but when I take a bathroom break and check myself in the mirror, I’ve still got the perfect face painted on and well crafted.

  Judy is kind of a genius. But of course, like many people who love makeup, this is her art. And I’m the canvas.

  I meet Seth outside the bathroom in the hall, and he looks as beat as I feel, though still put together. Something about these costumes makes you look, but not feel invincible.

  “So,” he says. “How did you like your first day?” he asks. He checks his watch, seeing that it’s now five, our day is officially over. Except that we have to take all of this makeup off now, return the costumes to our dressing rooms and do this all again tomorrow.

  “It was great. I enjoyed it,” I tell him. “Especially enjoyed wearing this dress.”

  He laughs. “Well, you do look very nice in it.”

  “Thanks,” I say, smiling.

  “We have a few minutes before we are due back at our dressing rooms,” he says. “Would you like to walk around the grounds with me? Say hello to some of the guests?”

  “Sure, I’d love to,” I say. Once again, he offers me his arm. We walk out together, into the lobby and then into the main activity center. People are standing and sitting all around. There’s an arcade, an eating area in and outside the building, and a spa just to our right. We are in the heart of the resort, and it’s stunningly beautiful. The ceiling is high above our heads. There are two seating areas that are luxurious and well lit with lanterns and overhead lighting. There’s a gorgeous view of the ocean and the rocks on the other side of the building, that you can see straight through to the other side. The sky is an illuminating mixture of gray and blue, with thin clouds off in the distance, welcoming the coming sunset.

  Also outside, the palm trees stand tall as people lie on chairs, sipping drinks and watching their kids play before dark. I recognize some of the little girl’s we sang to today, who wave at us as we walk along the sidewalk encircling the building. Off to the side of the building there’s an enclosed play area for smaller children, with a large tree on display in the center. Palm trees and weeping willows fill in the gaps and hide most of the fence. The grass is luscious and cut to perfection. The play equipment, like the bridge made of wood and rope, seems to be made from rope cut from trees right around here. It adds to the scenery as well as gives kids just another thing to do at this amazing place.

  I wish I had had the opportunity to come here as a child. If only I could go back in time. Not to mention the pool, large and deep with rocks and boulders and ferns to make it look like a lagoon. There are fountains and water spraying from rocks, people enjoying the warm water or the pool and hot tub, and walking along the beach, hand in hand, like the ending of a movie. I learn quickly that there’s a collection of buildings instead of one large one.
And each one is grander than the next.

  “Is it going to be like this everyday?” I ask Seth.

  “For the most part,” he says. “Tomorrow we have five birthday’s to do and a family reunion.”

  I glance up at him, surprised. “Whoa.”

  “Yep,” he chuckles. “You better rest your voice tonight.”

  We say hello to many people and have our picture taken, but suddenly someone calls my name.

  “Malina!”

  I turn to see Ben jogging towards Seth and me. I quickly drop Seth’s hand.

  “Hi!” I say. He smiles.

  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, this place is huge,” he says, slightly out of breath. He kisses me hello and turns to Seth, who is appraising Ben with curiosity.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “We were walking around saying hello to everyone,” I tell him.

  “Killing time.”

  “Oh, okay,” he says; now glaring at Seth. “We should get going. We have a long ride back.”

  “Well,” I have to meet Judy to get all of this stuff off of me first. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright. I can wait.”

  “Seth,” I say. “This is Ben. My boyfriend,” I introduce. “This is Seth, he plays my Prince Charming,” I laugh. Seth grins at me and holds out his hand.

  “I didn’t realize Malina had a boyfriend. It seems you should be the one wearing this suit and sweating your ass off out here in the sun,” Seth jokes. I giggle.

  Ben shakes his hand and wraps his arm around my waist. “I may have to apply to take your job,” Ben chuckles. Somehow, this conversation converts from happy to passive aggressive.

  “Well, we better get going,” I say. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Seth. Thanks for today.”

  Ben practically drags me away from Seth, pulling me around a swimming hole like we’re running from something.

  “Are you alright?” I ask.

  “I’m fine,” he says. “But I heard on the radio that there’s a storm coming tonight. And we have to drive home, so as soon as your makeup is off, we should get the hell out of here before we end up in the middle of it.”