Slowly turning in a circle to try to see it all, I wished the guys thought to pack a good camera. They’d already visited the island several times during their childhood, so it wouldn’t be special to them. I’d want to remember the day. The view; the feel of the gritty stones under my feet, the smell of meat cooking, drifting toward me from some nearby village. I would want to reminisce on the first days Michael returned to me, and the days we built our relationship—days that would, hopefully, be stories we told our children and our grandchildren, and several generations of offspring after that.
Michael tugged on my hand. I logged away my memories, and we continued down the hill into a large village. It was bustling with tourists and natives buying and selling local wares. I was drawn to the many buildings, small and bright against the rocky terrain, but they tugged me away from the market area.
The hostel looked like a beach house, with the exterior outfitted in stone. The windows were framed in wood with vibrant curtains billowing. We climbed three flights of uneven stone stairs to get to the entrance. My massive men crowded me on the front porch, each vying to stand beside me. They were going to have to figure out a rotation.
The interior was as colorful as the exterior. The lobby was filled with potted plants and chairs with throw pillows embroidered with blocky animals. Elias conversed in Spanish with a plump woman sitting behind a desk possibly made from an old pallet. I wished I knew Spanish so I could ask, but my guys probably didn't even know what pallet repurposing was, so I didn’t try to get them to translate.
Anthony handed over some bills and she led us to a small bedroom with two twin beds, then pointed across the hall to an open door. I could see a tiny shower through the doorway. After a few more exchanges with Elias, she left us in the sparse room.
A dresser with a small, clean mirror was situated between twin beds. There were several hooks on the wall and nothing else. The linens were like the rest of the house, bright and cheery. They were beginning to show signs of wear, but clean. The owners took pride in their belongings. I plopped down on one of the beds with a sigh.
Elias relayed the info he'd been given. We were free to come and go as we pleased day or night, but she didn't recommend exploring the island in the dark, as the terrain could be unsafe. Michael stepped out to use the bathroom, which was to be shared with anyone else staying on our floor. Anthony snuggled up next to me. He said she'd questioned that all of us would share one room, but he told her Michael and I were married and they were his best friends, so she let it go.
She brought in a cot that would squeeze into the corner of the room, and Michael and I were expected to share one of the beds. That would be interesting, given Michael's size. Even though I'd lost weight, I was still no pixie.Do pixies exist?
Michael returned from the bathroom, and we repacked their backpacks with essentials for keeping me fed and hydrated. They pulled out a bag of blood, and Elias sucked some out of the tip before handing it off to Michael. Michael walked over to the window to enjoy the view while he drank his portion.
"Did you even drink any?" Anthony asked as Michael handed him the bag.
"Yeah, I'm not drinking as much since I was starved. I can't resist drinking some, but I can control a bit better how much I drink, especially since I know I do have a supply of more if I need it."
I ate a granola bar and downed a bottle of water before heading over to the bathroom. The room was barely big enough to turn around in with a shower stall, toilet, and pedestal sink with no mirror. A bar of homemade soap sat on the sink ledge. "Hey, Elias. Did you guys think to buy soap?" I called to them.
Anthony came out of the room and stood in the hall. "We didn't, Coya. We forgot toothbrushes as well. We’ll have to visit that marketplace after all. I'm sure they sell such things." I smiled, looking forward to shopping, and closed the bathroom door in his face as he sighed.
I did my business, wondering if I was going to get constipated for fear of defecating where they could smell it. I'd already gone a couple of days, maybe it would happen at the hostel so I could shut both doors. Surely the stink wouldn't penetrate that far.
The soap smelled like lavender. I hoped we could find something similar in the market. I giggled, imagining my big men smelling like flowers.
Livened by an unexpected burst of energy, I skipped over to our room to collect my guys and go shop. It was too late in the day to trek out to the ruins anyway. Michael pulled me to his side, a place I was more than willing to be.
"Are we ready?" I asked.
"Sure, Coya. We’re on a specific mission, but there's no reason we can't try to have a little bit of fun this afternoon," Anthony said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. Michael's arm around me pulled him along with us. I laughed and looked back at Elias.
"Hold my hand, Eli, and we'll freak out the locals," I said, giggling.
The walk to the market was breathtaking. I closed my eyes and breathed; the sun warm on my face as we crested a big hill before the entrance to the market stalls. A coughing fit surprised me as I inhaled a strong scent of an animal. My eyes popped open, and I squealed in the face of a llama. The guys burst out laughing at my expression and the odd noises I made as I coughed and squeaked. I scrambled to let the llama and a native man pass by, confusion on his face.
Right, keeping my eyes open. I turned away from the llama and gazed over the roofs of the stalls at the bottom of the hill. We walked through a crude trellis that served as the entrance to the shopping area. Immediately, we were greeted by children wearing balaclavas, offering to shine our shoes. Michael smiled at them and crouched down. After a short conversation in Spanish, he handed them a few Boliviano bills and they scampered off.
A young girl offered a flower next. I accepted the flower with a smile and turned my head to raise my eyebrow at Michael. He took out a few more bills with a sigh and gave them to the little girl. We carried on toward the stalls. I pulled Michael by his wrist. Looking back, I saw Elias and Anthony watching me with bemused expressions.
I turned to pick which stall I wanted to shop at first and stopped dead. The sneaky woman that had stalked us since we arrived in Copacabana was crossing the path in front of us. She glanced our way once, and when she saw me watching her, she took off in the crowd of tourists. I sprinted after her. She was like eighty years old, I figured surely, I could catch her.
My many years of shopping at huge retailers on Black Friday kicked in as I bobbed and weaved between the tourists. I ducked under a man’s outstretched arms, yelling “sorry!” behind me.
I heard three yells—I surprised my guys. “Keep up!” I yelled; sure they could hear me. Hell, after drinking my blood for the past several days they could probably find me anywhere in a mile radius.Like mosquitos. They’re my mosquitos.
Thankful yet again that I’d trained my body so hard, I went at a fast pace. At one point I had to twirl around a small child that darted out in front of me. I didn't want to lose the slippery woman again. I saw a flash of her black and white hair duck behind a stall ahead to my right and put on another burst of speed.
I turned the corner to find the elusive woman surrounded by Michael, Elias, and Anthony. I gave them a stupid expression. Even knowing their abilities, it still shocked me to see them somehow get ahead of me unnoticed.
I stepped between Michael and Elias to confront her. “Who the hell are you?” I yelled.
Michael touched my elbow and said, “Riley, keep it down. We would like to draw the least amount of attention possible after that chase through the market.”
“Answer the question,” I said in a normal tone.
