Shalia's Diary Book 10

by Tracy St. John

  Cifa continued. “There are gorgeous paths to walk, a stunning lagoon to swim in, a menagerie of rare and exotic animals and birds, fishing excursions, and more things than I can possibly name. If you can’t be happy here, then you need to determine what’s wrong in your heart.” He winked at me. “That’s the island’s official motto.”

  I noted our ship veering starboard, now cruising parallel to the stunning beach where maybe fifty people lounged or strolled or swam. “It sounds like heaven,” I sighed.

  Seot had been watching me more than our surroundings, though I’d gathered he’d never been here before either. He took my hand and pressed it to his lips. “I am so glad things worked out so we could be here with you.”

  “Both of you,” Cifa grinned, hugging Anrel close. She grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked, her favorite thing to do these days. Cifa didn’t wince and he didn’t make her stop. He never does.

  Larten brushed her cheek, smiling with affection. Then he bent to plant a kiss on top of my head.

  As usual, they were perfect. Perfect men on the perfect vacation in the perfect setting. I should have been over the moon with rapture.

  Instead, something I hadn’t been aware of inside me shrank back. Something small and scared. It was too perfect, wasn’t it? The fabulous men. Their perfect looks. Their perfect lives. The way they treated me and Anrel as if we were the center of their universe. The way I felt about them.

  No. It wasn’t right. Not because of any fault of Clan Seot’s, but because of me. I was far from the ideal. Hadn’t I proved that time and again? When I thought about it, what did I have to offer these guys, besides a working uterus and decent X chromosomes?

  Nothing. It had to be counted as a miracle that they hadn’t seen it yet. When they did…

  I had gone cold despite the splendid sunny day. A thousand doubts crowded in my head as Seot stood at my side holding my hand, as Larten squeezed my shoulders from behind me, as Cifa cuddled Anrel, who definitely deserved daddies like these.

  Then the momentary terror passed, and the shadow lifted from my heart. For heaven’s sake, what had come over me? Give me wonderful, and I melt down? Sheesh. Talk about overthinking stuff.

  I still felt shaky inside, but I knew I was being a goof. I concentrated on our progress as the ship continued to circle the island, still marveling at the rocky protrusions and people roaming among them on the invisible walkways, along with the island itself.

  At length, we came to an area where many boats were docked. “Most of these belong to the island’s owners,” Cifa informed us. “They’re used for diving and fishing excursions. Visitors usually come in on shuttles, which come and go at hours that won’t disturb the tourists who are already here.”

  Our ship slowed down, gradually coming to a stop. As soon as it did, three of the island boats left their moorings and headed over.

  “Our taxis to the shore,” Ila confirmed. “Does everyone have their overnight carryalls?”

  We were packed for the next two nights, as we were staying on Nacabri for that time. I reached for the two I’d packed for the baby and me, but Seot and Larten beat me to it. When Seot felt the weight of Anrel’s bag, his brow lifted and he chuckled at me.

  “You laugh, but having everything that child needs is no joke,” I told him.

  “Ancestors, I thought it must be yours to be so heavy.”

  “Are you calling me high maintenance? I’ll have you know my bag is incredibly light.”

  “It is,” Larten confirmed. “I’ll be glad to switch bags with you if Anrel’s is too much, my poor, overtaxed Dramok.”

  Seot gave him a mock glower. “Don’t make me swing this and crush your head with it, Larten.” His smile returned as he looked at me. “I guess I’m still learning how much is required to properly care for a baby. I promise to do better. In fact, next time I want to pack her bag with your guidance.”

  Ugh, there’s that perfection again.

  We boarded our boats. Instead of being brought to the shore where they’d been moored before, we set off in an easterly direction, hugging the shoreline. Then we entered a bay, and oh my gosh. Yet another amazing bit of Nacabri’s resort was revealed to take everyone’s breath away.

  The beach was as pristine as the rest we’d seen, the idyllic scenery unmarred by anything but tourists relaxing. A couple of Kalquorians rode at the edge of the surf on kestarsh, and laughter and shouts drifted from the far edge of the island where a kurble game was underway. I saw the willowy shapes of a few Plasians, some of whom appeared to be making love in front of everyone. If they weren’t having sex, they were doing some seriously heavy petting. But that’s not surprising, not from Plasians.

  It certainly wasn’t what made me, Joelle, Candy, and Seot gasp. Even Larten and Stidmun’s eyes widened. Cifa’s grin threatened to break his face in half. I was sure our companions in the other boats must have been reacting the way we were.

  We stared at the astounding structure in the middle of and half-submerged in the bay. To my eyes, it looked similar to a nautilus shell, with the opening facing us and partly submerged. White like the structures we’d left behind, it curled in a spiral, with silvery strips segmenting it at regular intervals. It was gorgeous, if improbable-looking.

  “That’s where we’re staying,” Cifa confirmed as our boat sped towards the shadowed opening of the ‘shell’. In another couple of seconds, we entered.

  Just wow. Inside the lobby, or whatever one might call it, a landing sat a few feet above the waterline. Our boat stopped next to a platform with steps that led up to it. In a moment, we were on solid footing again. A swarm of attendants hurried to the boats to take charge of our carryalls. Cifa, Ila, and Erom conferred with a few of them for a few moments before our luggage was taken away, presumably to our rooms.

  “I’ll get us checked in,” Erom said, doing his take-charge Dramok thing. I’ve learned when he gets a certain tone in his voice, he can be relied on…his more mischievous instincts are put on hold. So I had little worries that anything would go wrong.

  Instead, I gazed about the lobby, enthralled by the view. There was a bar, and its attendant smiled at us with welcome. I also saw a little shop with soaksuits, underwater breathing masks, souvenir trinkets, and the sort of sundries one might need if they forgot to bring them from home. There was also a sort of grill set up, from which good smells wafted to us.

  Cifa said, “When we get our room designation, you simply give it to any merchants on the island. Should you go over the amount prepaid by our accounts, it will be billed to the clan named on the room.”

  “Take anything you want or need, Shalia and Joelle,” Seot said. “You are not to worry about anything.”

  Cifa nodded. “I made our clan responsible for your quarters, Joelle. Enjoy your stay as much as you like. I do draw the line at you buying the resort itself, though.”

  Joelle laughed at his joke. “Thank you, Cifa, but I doubt I’ll need anything beyond food. This trip has already been so generous of you. I can hardly believe I’m doing all these things! My one big vacation back on Earth was a week in the Florida Keys.”

  Beyond the concession areas, there were window vids that showed the island, the sea, and everything around ‘Hotel Nautilus’, as I was thinking of it. The scenery was breathtaking. There were plenty of seating areas to lounge around and enjoy, as a few guests did. Attendants dashed about taking care of them. The firepit wasn’t needed but it was lit; it turned out the merry flames were encased in a clear chimney so that the heat didn’t affect the room’s perfect temperature.

  “This room will be nice to hang out in if the weather doesn’t cooperate,” I noted.

  “They have nightly gatherings in here,” Cifa said. “Meet and greets. There are also rooms where you can set up games, preview vid dramas from all over before anyone else sees them, or attend a show. I’m interested in seeing how our cruise line’s entertainments stack up against Nacabri.”

  Seot asked, “Shalia, what
do you want to do once we’ve got our room assignment?”

  “Play tourist?” I suggested. “It would be good to not only see what all the offerings on the island are, but to also plan the best parts to shoot for the vid.”

  So that was what we did. Our quarters were gorgeous, as swanky as a greeting and sleeping room could be, though we had to send for Anrel’s crib on the ship. Hotel Nautilus (actually, Nacabri Sun Coast Shelter – I like my name better) had never hosted a baby before, so they weren’t prepared. The manager of the place came to apologize in person, even though I assured the staff there was nothing to apologize for. He insisted I get an extra amount of credits to use at the island’s concessions to make up for the lack. I guess they pride themselves on seeing to every possible need. With more Earther gals heading to Kalquor in the near future, they’re going to have to gear up for the babies that might be brought along.

  At any rate, we poked our noses in our rooms, oohed and aahed appropriately, and headed back out to get a look at the things we could do. Joelle came along. At first, she tried to send me off without her, saying Anrel and I needed proper ‘family time’ with my prospective clan. I couldn’t imagine leaving her by herself since everyone else was taking time with their own clans (or in Candy’s case, her beau). I insisted and pleaded my case to Clan Seot. They agreed she was not to be left to fend for herself, and that she had to come on our tour of the island with us. I was glad, and I think Joelle was too. She’s good company.

  Goodness, there was a lot to see. Climbing, hiking, swimming, sports from mild to extreme, the kurble tournaments – after a quick com consultation, Seot and Larten signed up most of the men of our gang to enter – everything to be imagined. We visited the menagerie, which delighted Anrel to no end. Cifa and I remembered to bring our vid recorders and we got some amazing footage of Anrel sitting with baby kestarsh and ronka. I rode a kestarsh for the first time. I must say, a six-legged animal moves smoother than a four-legged one…though it’s weird to see a furred animal walk more like an ant than a horse or cow. Joelle rode too, and is now trying to figure out how to convince my dads they should own a couple of the animals. She’s hooked.

  I encouraged the guys to do some climbing or rappelling or a crazy activity called ‘brangil’. Brangil consists of strapping oneself to a line that goes downhill and over a cliff and shooting through at stupid speeds while spinning. One lands in a net just inches from either the surf or rocks, depending on how high the tide is at the moment. Joelle turned green just looking at the horrible contraption. The men got that light in their eyes that told me they wanted to go for it.

  “Are you going to try it?” Larten asked.

  I covered Anrel’s ears. “Not only no, but fuck no. But I’d never stand in your way of suicidal fun.”

  With laughter, they got in the long line of men waiting to try to self-destruct. Because the ‘ride’ was so quick, Joelle, Anrel, and I only had to wait about fifteen minutes before the breathlessly happy trio returned.

  “Now for your fun,” Seot said. “All the rest of the day is for the enjoyment of you ladies. Thank you for letting us try that.”

  We went on the beach near the monumental stone edifices where the clear walkways awaited my interest. Joelle had no desire to climb, but she was more than happy to play with Anrel in a shallow tidal pool. “Wave to us from the heights,” she said.

  Though the walkways seemed invisible from a distance, they’re much easier to see when climbing and strolling them. Footprints, plus the handprints that had been left behind on the equally transparent sides which stretched over my head, kept us from getting the full illusion of walking on air. But it was still a rush to be high above the beach and the sea. We climbed ever higher until the people below looked like tiny dolls, until Anrel looked as if she was no bigger than my big toe. I could see her splashing in the little pool with Joelle next to her, a pair of miniatures I could have fit in my smallest pocket. It made me lightheaded, but the view was fantastic. And perching on the great pillars and arches was amazing.

  There was so much more to do and see, and we wore ourselves out enjoying as much as we could…both that day all over the island, at the lovely and luxurious reception in the resort’s lobby…and later when Anrel slept and I was alone with the clan.

  December 18

  Today was an incredible repeat of yesterday. Sun and fun was the rule on Nacabri, and we experienced all we could stand. Our group even made it to the semi-finals in the day’s low-impact kurble tournament. It was fun to watch, if a bit violent. I’ve heard that people can die and there is actual poison in the kurble balls in the professional version. I’m glad the worst we saw was a few broken bones and bloody noses, all quickly healed. None of our guys suffered more than some bumps and bruises, thank the prophets.

  The rest of the day was spent in tamer pursuits. The night – now that was a different story.

  I came out of the shower and into the greeting room in my dressing gown to discover Joelle there snuggling with Anrel. Seot, Cifa, and Larten sat around on the loungers laughing with her. Bright eyes turned in my direction.

  Seot stood. “Matara Joelle will stay with Anrel if you’d like to go out tonight,” he said.

  “How nice. You really don’t mind?” I asked her.

  “Of course not. What else am I going to do?”

  “Relax? Have a few drinks, sit in the whirlpool, walk on the beach?” She’d spent a lot of time with us, and I thought maybe she’d like a few hours to herself.

  “Are you kidding? I wuv dis widdle girl,” Joelle said in a silly voice. She rubbed noses with the baby, making her laugh.

  “You promised she and her clan would get a cruise when my dads get home,” I reminded Cifa. “She deserves more than being the resident babysitter.”

  As Joelle spluttered in dismay that I would think she wasn’t having the time of her life, Cifa grinned. “I’m sending her and her clan on a cruise once a year. Especially since she’s not bought herself the first nice thing since we got here.”

  “Now that’s just too much,” she insisted. “My clan and I will take the one ‘welcome home’ cruise with many heartfelt thanks, but I’m not taking advantage of our relationship to Shalia like that.”

  “Sounds like she wants to go out twice a year,” Larten said, his eyes twinkling with deviltry.

  “Now just a darned minute—”

  “Shall we make it quarterly?” Cifa asked, his brow raised. I had to smother a laugh.

  Joelle jumped up and stomped her foot. “That’s enough. I mean it.”

  Seot chuckled and leaned over to kiss the back of her hand. “We are grateful to you for giving us the occasional freedom to spend one-on-one time with Shalia. Accept our gifts as a poor compensation for that. Please, Joelle, get yourself something nice to remember this trip with us. I beg you.”

  She scowled and waved them off. “Shalia, get ready for your night out and get these loons away from me. They’re as impossible as my own clan.”

  I grinned. “You are worth more than your weight in gold, you know. Speaking of night out, what am I wearing?”

  The three men looked at each other. “You brought that little pink dress you can slip in and out of, didn’t you? The one that looks so easy for you to take off in a hurry?” Cifa suggested with a snicker.

  “I’m taking Anrel to my quarters,” Joelle said, turning red but giggling like a schoolgirl. “Have a good night, all. We’ll see you in the morning.” She grabbed Anrel’s overnight bag and shot out of our room.

  “What shenanigans are on tap tonight?” I asked.

  “Can we surprise you?” Seot said.

  It’s a good thing I love surprises. That it looked to be a sexy surprise had me bubbling in anticipation. I had the dress on (yes, easy on, easy off) in a matter of seconds. It was a cute but casual piece, softly molding to my curves. My hair and makeup took a little longer, but I wanted to look nice for whatever adventure we were about to embark on.

  The guy
s rewarded my efforts with looks of appreciation. Seot nudged Larten. “Are you ready for any fools who might try to lure this gorgeous woman away from us?”

  “She won’t want them after I crater their faces,” the Nobek affirmed.

  “Please,” I snorted, linking arms with Seot and Cifa. “As if I would look at other men. Have you seen yourselves?”

  We went out, trading compliments that got more and more outrageous by the second. By the time we stepped out of the chauffeured shuttle that the concierge had summoned for us, I had been told I was gorgeous enough to break the universe in half. In return, I assured the guys that they were so masculine, they could impregnate a planet just by looking at it. I was laughing hard as I looked around the beach we’d been left on. The white sand was lit by moons, stars, and a path of glowballs bobbing on the ends of their tethers.