The Siren's Code

Preparations

Tuesdays were Cassie's day off, not that days of the week were particularly relevant here, and early morning surfing boot camp seemed to be up to her as Jay hadn't been around much, so after a lazy morning reading Wattpad, Cassie ambled over to the cafe to grab a coffee, the sky was grey and brooding, it reminded her of Jay. Their trip hadn't ended quite so well, he clammed up again, right when she woke from their amazing sex – which didn't do much for her self-esteem – and then it was like nothing had happened, and then he had vanished. She couldn't say she had been feeling great, she had a night out... and then regretted it, all a bit of a shitty situation.

As she got to the restaurant Bear, Juan and Luc were fixing on the storm shutters and pulling guy ropes over the palm roof fixing them to concrete embedded hooks in the sand, at least now she knew what those toe stubbing annoyances were for.

"Hola!"

"Buenas Cassie."

"Anyone for coffee if I make it?"

"Claro," Luc said as Juan looked up grunting and Bear nodded with a screwdriver between his teeth, screwing down the last of the shutters.

"Storm coming?" Cassie asked, scooping the coffee into the filter, looking around for the tamper.

"Not a full cyclone at this time of year but worth being prepared."

... and there's a good swell coming in shortly. we don't want to miss it," Luc clarified as he took his coffee, "Gracias," he nodded.

"Anything I can do?"

"Actually yes thanks, you could talk to the guests, make sure all furniture is inside their bungalows and that they keep their shutters locked, same at your place."

"What about the surf shack?"

"That's ok, Jay and the guys are locking that down now."

The mention of his name sent a sharp spike through her body, guess he was back then. Cassie took her coffee to the beach to sit on her favourite log watching the crests of the waves blowing forward in a ghostly blur, before heading back to the broom cupboard, moving her chair and table inside and checking the time; eleven, most people will be up she thought, and headed out round the bungalows. Knocking on doors she explained about the storm to people in various states of slumber and undress. She helped them lug chairs and tables in, darting back to the restaurant for bin bags to clear water cartons, glasses, beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays that also could do without being blown around the coastline.

There were packs of cards, half played backgammon, a chess board, books, sketch pads, phads. On her second trip back to dump stuff Zinni joined her and together they made sure everyone was prepared for the storm as much as they could be. Explaining like broke records that it wasn't til this afternoon but if you go out make sure all is locked up and don't go too far. The restaurant, although boarded up, will stay open for those who would rather hang there. Records, in spite of their analogue beginnings are still alive and spinning incase you wondered.

Cassie walked back past the water fountain in front of reception where she had waited that first day for the queue to subside, suddenly wondering whether this adventure of hers was petering out. She lingered, only one of the iguana family currently in residence, but a toucan was drinking from the upper level, by far her favourite bird, such a brilliant quirk of nature, it's beak like a drag queen's finger nail, how they stayed in the air she has no idea but she loved their non-conformity, but right now she wished she was less of a toucan and more of common or garden variety of bird which her father delighted in so much back home.

She sighed, thinking about what she had run away from a year ago, when the going got tough, Cassie got going, was usually the case, why stay when you can run?