Mind Games

Instead of hanging two more charm bags over her bed, she took the first down, set it aside.

Tonight wasn’t for quiet sleep, but for action.

Her need for the quiet, for the ordinary kept her from taking action too often, and for too long. That changed tonight.

With Bunk already sprawled on his bed, Thea slipped into hers.

And did what she did best.

She built a dream.

The blue sea charged at the sugar-white sand. Palms waved their green fronds around the brown-haired rounds of coconuts. The stretch of beach rolled and rose up to thick jungle where birds of jewel colors winged and called. Vines tangled there, smothered in flowers of moonglow white.

Tiny crabs, transparent as ghosts, scrabbled over the sand. Snakes, as bright as the birds, slithered silently among the vines.

Beasts with fangs and blade-sharp tusks roamed in its green shadows. Spiders, as fat as fists, weaved webs.

At the center of the island, the volcano rose, black as pitch against the blue of the sky. Clouds as thin as smoke ringed its peak.

It loomed silently now, its sides scored by rivers of lava that flowed when it chose to roar.

She stood on the beach in sturdy, knee-high boots over brown pants. She wore a many-pocketed vest over a long-sleeved shirt. Her belt carried a sleeve of water and sheaths for a jagged-edged knife, a short sword. Her hair hung in a single braid topped with a side-snap bush hat.

She scanned the water, pleased with the circling shark fins. Shells littered the verge of the beach like shards of colored glass.

Another island floated beyond that circle. Pristine, welcoming. Safe.

There, salvation.

She waited until she felt Riggs scratching at the window. Then throwing it open, she pulled him in.

She’d outfitted him—fair was fair. His boots crunched over shells as he stumbled, disoriented, blinking against the strong sunlight.

“Hey there, Ray. Welcome to Perilous Island.”

“What the fuck is this?”

“It must feel good to get out of that little room. Here you’ve got a pretty beach, a sea breeze, sunshine, no doors to lock you in. You’re welcome.”

Smiling she looked into those pale blue eyes. “Now let me explain the rules.”

“Screw rules.” When he rushed toward her, she only had to hold up a hand to lock his boots into the sand.

“That would be your first penalty, Ray. You have to wait for the go signal. But I’ll let this one slide. Your goal is to reach that island.”

“My goal is to beat you bloody. Then I’m going to choke the life out of you and watch you die.”

“It’s just those goals that got you here. But you’ll have to catch me first. And survive. There’s a boat on the leeward side, and you can use it to escape and reach Sanctuary Island. But the getting there? Well, Ray, they don’t call it Perilous Island for nothing.”

“This is bullshit.”

“Is it? What it is, is a dangerous journey, so you’ll want to stay alert. You’re going to encounter predators, traps, challenges, obstacles. You’ll also have the opportunity to locate weapons, power boosters, healing stones, a number of helpful tools.”

He struggled to pull his feet free. “I said what the fuck is this!”

“My dream, my game, my rules. See Edina up there?” She gestured to the volcano. “She looks quiet now, but she’s getting restless. If she blows before you reach the leeward side, well, Ray, your chances of getting out of this alive diminish, severely.”

“I’m not playing some dumbass game.”