The cabana wasn't what I was expecting.

"What do you think? I hope black is okay. To be honest, it's a lot better than some of the other colours." Desmond shrugged and walked in like he owned the place.

"I've slept in worse."

The space wasn't overly large. The length of the back wall was the same as the bed. The side walls were full height for the entire width of the sleeping area, then the rest was half-hollowed out. There wasn't a fourth wall where the entrance was, so everything was very open.

"Is it even safe in the rain?" I hummed as I glanced up to the thatch roof.

Desmond chuckled as he made himself at home and sat down. "Roof will hold and there are coverings for the windows and door."

"Is that what we're calling those?" I asked as I rolled my eyes at the "windows".

He shrugged and lifted his feet onto the bed. "Drawers are under the bed for your stuff, and all your valuables should already be in the safe, right?"

I nodded and sighed as I got on my knees and opened the drawers. Sure enough, everything was there. "Yep, but why can't we have our phones or anything like that?"

"No service anyways."

"What if I get bored and want to play Candy Crush?"

Desmon froze and his smile fell from his face. "Candy-what?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Very funny, Desmond, but I am being serious. I know I'm lame for still playing it."

He blinked. "So am I. What are you talking about?"

Soon my smile faded too and I started at him blankly. "Candy Crush? It's a game on the phone. Matching tiles, stuff like that? Where have you been for the last few years, living under a rock?"

"No, I've been here."

♟♙♟♙

Desmond had been here for almost seven years now – he was one of the first to arrive. When I asked why he didn't go back, he said, "What would I go back to? Plus, they never asked me to leave." I expected no less.

The rest of the day we wasted away by talking. I caught him up on the main events that he had missed in the wider world and he told me more about the island. I made sure to get the Cliff Notes version because I had a feeling that he could go on about this place for hours.

We had gone silent as I stared out the door of my cabana and looked at my perfect ocean view. I felt Desmond's hand slide over mine and I jumped. "What are you doing?" I asked as I jerked back my hand from his grasp.

Desmond took my hand with a small smirk and I raised a brow in hesitation. He hung onto me. "What, don't you trust me?"

"Not overly," I admitted, but especially not with that look on his face.

He mocked a fake hurt. "After all I've done for you, you don't trust me?" I didn't have time to reply before he started to laugh. "That's probably a good idea," he teased before he stood up and separated the mesh sheets over the door. "There's a party. You can meet some new people and maybe, for once in your life, you can even have a bit of fun."

My eyes narrowed, but even I found myself smirking now. "Oh, you're going to pay for that!"

With that, we both took off running. I was both following and trying to catch him. We sprinted down paved paths, a small line of flowers and lanterns leading the way through the night. I eventually caught up with him and hit him on the arm.

"That's for insulting me," I said before pausing and hitting him in the arm again. "That's for making me run." I chuckled, slightly out of breath.

Desmond didn't seem to mind our little jog. He wasn't winded at all and grinned at me. "What, not a runner?"

I rolled my eyes as we both slowed our pace to a leisurely walk. "Only when I have to," I admitted with a sigh. I looked around us and saw that the area was familiar from my tour before, but I didn't know where he was taking me. "So, are we going to the east pool, rock-climbing wall, or games hall?" I asked. Those were the only thing down this path other than cabanas.

I was met by silence and a shocked expression. "How do you know what's down here?"

My big mouth was once again getting me into trouble. "Guess you can say I got a good memory." I didn't bother to point out that I had memorized every path he'd taken me down.

"Pool," Desmond replied, thankfully without calling me out for my memory. "Almost everyone should be there."

Out of the three options we had, that was by far the worst. "Then I should tell you something..." I said softly. I could hear music up ahead and it was getting louder and louder.

"Can it wait?" he asked as he looked around us, seeming like he had something to say himself. It really couldn't wait. I could see the paved area of the pool and approximately a hundred people standing around it, talking and laughing.

Desmond never waited for an answer as he grabbed my hand. In one swift motion, I was over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"Wait! What are you doing?" I screamed as my heart rate started to raise.

"This is how we say, 'Welcome to Dell Island!'" He chuckled as he jogged into the pool area like he wasn't carrying an extra 110 pounds on his shoulder.

"Put me down!" I shrieked as I kicked my feet, unsure what his intentions were. My screams got the others' attention and instead of helping me, they were cheering and laughing. "Desmond, wait! I can't—" I started to protest as he stopped at the edge of the pool.

It was too late.

In a fluid motion, Desmond launched me off his shoulder and into the pool. I felt like a rock as I sank to the bottom, thrashing, unable to find air. I opened my mouth to scream as my chest began to ache. No sound came out and instead, I drew water into my lungs. I could still hear cheering and laughter as I continued to sink to the bottom. The world was going black and my racing heart finally started to slow.