Speria Island

Chapter 2: The Guests

Kathan Davidson sat down on the bench and glanced impatiently at his watch; the boat was supposed to arrive at the slip fifteen minutes ago. He glanced down at the invitation in his hand, which caused his heart to flutter slightly. Initially, he doubted attending due to the cryptic message that accompanied the invitation, but it was the same cryptic message that cemented his decision to attend. The manila envelope with the words Speria Island embossed elegantly across the front in a fancy silver font, served as a reminder that he was on his way to an abandoned island to play a game for money and prizes; money and prizes that he did not need. He opened and reread the summons.

'You have been invited to attend the opening of Speria Island on October 9 through October 13. Come prepared to play a game that will test your valor. Take a tour of the grander island and explore its many hidden passages, where there are whispers that the spirits of many "UNREPENTANT" souls roam...your past...your secrets...'

"Oh Kathan, what are you doing man?" He asked himself followed by a heavy sigh.

He folded the invitation, stuffing it back into the envelope and then inside the pocket of his brown hunting coat. He looked around again and noticed that a few others were standing around, possibly waiting for the same boat.

His eyes fell upon a curvy, athletic beauty with long, wavy, auburn-haired. An athlete? Yes, she could have been an athlete in her younger days. Her body, while not overweight, suggested that at one time she might have been fit and lithe and that time and circumstance might have caught up with her. Her eyes were sullen and dark and yet still attractive, as though they hid a secret as shadowy as they were.

He watched as she fumbled with her suitcases while trying to check her invitation for accuracy before placing the invite back into the raggedy cross-shoulder bag that she wore as part of her ensemble.

Across from her was a very attractive Iranian – American woman who stood quietly surveying the beautiful movement of the Atlantic Ocean. She also glanced periodically at her watch before finally turning and walking towards the marina office. 

She paused briefly to keep from colliding into the gorgeous black female that was walking towards him. She strutted down the pier; her attitude reflected in her swagger. She was interesting to look at and not just because of her looks; her personality shone through just from her demeanor and movements, suggesting that she was not to be trifled with. She had a nose piercing that sparkled when the October sun bounced off it, as well as piercings up both ears, one in her bottom lip, and one in her right eyebrow. She wore a pair of long green camouflage cargo pants, stuffed inside a pair of black military-inspired boots. She also sported a matching sleeveless camouflage jacket and a long sleeve army green t-shirt that only came mid-drift, exposing her navel and stomach, which coincidentally also donned a piercing and an amazing tattoo of a horse's skeleton on fire, that wrapped around the right side of her small waist. As she drew closer, he noticed other tattoos but none as prominent as the horse on fire tattoo.

She walked slowly over and sat down beside him, dropping her small shabby duffle bag onto the ground before sitting back and relaxing against the back of the bench.

His face remained nonchalant and uninterested; out of his peripheral vision, he could see her sit slowly up and turn to face him.

"I saw you on the ferry from Peak Island, are you catching the boat to...Spirit Island?" Bailey Bridges asked.

"Yep." he answered short. "And I believe it's Speria Island," he corrected her.

"Oh," she said, inertly. "Well, what time is this boat due to arrive? Did they say?" She asked, trying to appear slightly more indifferent than her initial impression, as she once again sat back on the bench and crossed her legs.