Dangerous Games

BEACHES AND SUNSET

The beginning of the end was a phrase Kali rarely thought of but one she had read many times in books or heard in movies. Kali never really knew how to apply the phrase, and unfortunately, she had no idea that the happiness she felt staring at the reserved room was exactly that, the beginning of the end.

"This is beautiful." She dug her elbow into Samuel's rib, winking at him.

"It is."

She shrieked when Samuel picked her up. Her hands went on his shoulders, and she held on, giggling as he rushed into the room and spun her around.

"Our bags are already in, so we should change and join the others on the beach."

"I want to see it from the balcony."

"Your wish is my command."

He walked to the wooden balcony and set her down. Their wooden hut was one of several, lined in serpentine fashion, from the shore. The breeze was strong there, billowing past them, blowing through their clothes and hair. With the tides in, if she sat on the floor and allowed her legs to dangle below, they'd be caressed by the cold ocean water.

"Ember and Peter chose a good spot."

"They plan to be having fun for the next week. What better place than this?"

"I am glad June was able to make it. Thank you for taking the trouble to have one of the drivers go for her."

"It was my pleasure." He patted her shoulder and returned to the room. "We should get changed. They must be waiting."

"Oh, you are such a stickler for time. We should check out the rest of this room. I want to see what the bathroom looks like."

"Next, you'd want to see what they stocked in the minibar or if they actually have heated towels. We'd be here forever."

"Curiosity breeds adventurers." She sung.

"And kills cats."

She chuckled and pushed the door open. The bathroom was exquisite. It had a shower built around a sizeable Jacuzzi tub.

"This is quite expensive. Isn't it?"

"The tub? Or the resort?"

"The resort."

"It isn't. Don't get me wrong, it's pricey, but not pretentious. Compared to other resorts in this area, this one provides service worth its cost."

"Been here before, huh?"

"Yes. Several times."

"Then I'll take your word for it."

Kali changed her top and shorts out for a dress while Samuel changed into shorts and threw on a button-down shirt, which he only buttoned halfway. They needed nothing from their room except towels, so they took those and headed down to the beach to meet the others.

"Where are the birthday babies." Kali teased as soon as she spotted Peter and Ember on the water.

The siblings waved back, sloshing out of the water to meet them. Timothy and Ysabel sat together, watching from under a large umbrella. Timothy raised his coconut when he saw them, and Kali waved back.

"You finally join us. We should all have taken the van."

"Kali had something come up last minute, but we are here now. Happy birthday, Ember."

"Thanks." She hugged Samuel and then Kali. "Come on. Get out of those clothes. We are playing beach ball. Join us."

"Where's June?" Peter asked.

"Thirty minutes away. She had to leave after school. She'd be here soon."

"Alright. Come on. The game starts when she gets here. For now, we are just having some fun."

"Okay." Kali chuckled.

Kali pushed her dress down her legs and placed it on the lounger beside Samuel's. The water was cold and past her waist, but she gingerly entered. Giovanna only smiled, shifting the ball from one hand to the other while everyone found a place to stand.

"Simple rule. The ball shouldn't touch the water." Ember said.

"Got it." Kali and Samuel replied.

"Pass the ball." Peter waved over his head.

Giovanna realized the ball. She launched as high as the water allowed and smacked it hard towards them. Peter shuffled back, diving to catch the ball, and hit it back into the air as he crashed into the water.

"Babe, it's coming to you," Samuel yelled to be heard over the water crashing around them.

"I see it!"

She dove forward, realizing that the ball wouldn't be able to reach her where she stood. She took a deep breath, hitting the ball up and away before she crashed into the water.

When she resurfaced, the ball was in the air again.

She gushed as the siblings cheered. The game went on until a few more guests started to arrive.

"June's here." Giovanna pointed towards the shore.

June had arrived with a couple of Ember and Peters friends in toe. Giovanna was already dressed to get in the water, and as soon as she spotted them, she dashed towards them.

Kali hugged her cheerful sister first before she said hello to the others. She ribbed Peter about his weight before he threw her over his shoulder and walked her to the spot where they played with her legs kicking in the air.

"You are on my team, tiny." He said to her, dropping her next to him. She fell into the water with a loud plop. "You better make sure we don't lose."

"Grouch." June spat out water from her mouth.

The other guests split between joining them to play and remaining on the shore to watch the game.

Peter introduced his friends to Kali and June because most of them were people they had never met. To his credit, his friends had the same temperament as him. They were guarded but still welcoming and kind.

"Peter didn't invite us to the wedding, so all I saw of that glorious event was from his social media page." Yemi, the only female in his friend group, said with a smile.

"I hope they were flattering."

"They were. It's nice to finally meet you."

"I sure hope there's some good food after this." Fredrick smiled as he moved over to Ember's team.

"The party begins at six." She winked.

"Sounds like a plan."

Kali chuckled, jumping up on Samuel's back as he walked her to Peter's team. They enjoyed a long game in the water, chatting as they played and singing along to the songs that played on the speakers.

She noticed Ysabel's hard gaze as they played, but Kali was unphased. She had everything planned. The money to pay off the loans was complete, and as soon as she could, she would tell June the whole truth. The loan on her house was ready to be paid.

Kali knew she couldn't play her hand too early because Ysabel would get on alert, but the pawns were in place. And at the first sight of trouble, she was ready to move them.