The Siren's Code

Definitely not surfing

There is nothing nice about the sound of an alarm. Cassie leant over and groped for her phad to turn off the noise penetrating her slumber as Xena, her AI assistant, didn't seem to be playing ball. Ooohhhh, god five am this is nuts, it isn't even light, she dragged herself out of bed and down the ladder, stiffly padding into the kitchen, her limbs far from awake.

Pouring a cup of water into the pan she switched the hob on and opened the door to grab her bikini off the line, coming back to find the last PG Tips bag in the box – a parting gift from a nice English family whose boy had kitesurf lessons at the shack – there was something about the taste of a cup of builders... brewed long enough and garnished with milk and sugar, it was restorative and she hoped this morning would give her at least something to get herself out of the door.

While waiting for her masterpiece to brew she found a t-shirt and board shorts in the trunk by the sofa, hearing steps and Basta's name being gruffly whispered from outside but by the time she poked her head out with tea in hand it was quiet, but starting to get a fraction lighter at least.

She wondered if Jay had called Basta away to test if she was even going to get up. I'll show him she thought as she slipped on the socks rumpled up in her trainers from whenever the last time she wore them was, drained her tea and hung her key fob around her neck. The door locking behind her, she pulled the heels up on her shoes as she descended the three steps and headed towards the surf shack, sun starting to rise. It was cool and still, a little moisture in the air and no one around. Quite nice for a not nice hour to be getting up, she thought as she walked the short distance to the shack, and found Jay sitting in a chair on the deck, reclining like he was bored of waiting. She wasn't late.

"Morning, you made it!"

Condescending shit she thought, I bet I was right about his ruse earlier, he could see my light was on.

"Ready?"

"Yes, do I need a board?"

He shook his head disparagingly. Ahhhggg she hated him, it was early and he was being a twat.

"No, first we have to get you fit, so we are going for a run, glad you remembered your trainers," and off he ran, her following like a freshly hatched chick trying to keep up, Basta showing her up by running rings round here. It dawned on her he wasn't joking, this was a proper run she puffed after not very long already considerably behind, having not really exercised since she left London a year ago.

He turned round running backwards, still way faster than her fast forward.

Show off she muttered.

"Ok we're going to run to the end of the beach and back, follow me with the exercises, and then we will head inland to do some hill work."

WHAT! her body clock did not function at this time, she wished she had had a good strong Colombian coffee instead of her builder's tea, builders did not have to do this!

But she kept her mouth shut and followed, running fast, running slow, lunging sideways like a crab, stopping. Wow stopping, no stopping to do some star jumps, not the kind she knew; out in out in, but these mad starbursts in the air down to a couch. As they got to the end of the beach, he asked if she was ok? But before she could say no, they were off again.

Back at the shack he allowed her to stop, she was completely exhausted, everything felt like jelly, her lungs were tight, she bent over hands on her thighs, and just stood in shock, as he gave her a water bottle and grinned like he was enjoying her pain, "come on let's do some road work it's easier."

And before she even had time to look up at him in horror, and think of some clever retort he had jogged off in the direction of the one road that looped the island. She wouldn't put it past him to run her the whole way round.