Bolstered by the strongBloody Marythat accompanied my breakfast, I forced myself to attend my first activity: poolside yoga. Not that I was wearing yoga attire, but the olive-green cargo pants I’d found had enough give in them to allow me to move, hopefully without splitting at the crotch.
When I followed the signs to the pool area, I figured it would be a basic rectangular pool, but what I found past the copse of trees that concealed the area surprised me. There were two pools, each more unique than I'd ever encountered, not that I had a lot of experience traveling.
One was a saltwater pool, which wasn’t entirely unusual, but it appeared to have a large cavern area on one end where you could swim inside and even lounge within. The other pool was freshwater, which I’d never heard of. It looked more like a pond—too dark to see to the bottom—with a green tint to it, as if there were underwater vegetation. A swirl appeared in the water, and I watched to see if anyone would surface, but they never did.
Weird.
The yoga class was on the cement area near the saltwater pool. It was led by a calm giant of a man named Ash. It wasn’t just his height, but his legs were asthick as tree trunks, and he moved or didn’t with such grace, it was like he was born of the earth. Ash was big enough to be the werewolf, but his vibe was all wrong. The energy that came off the werewolf was chaotic and driven by instinct. The man at the front of the yoga class was the opposite. He was tranquility personified.
His voice rolled over me as he guided us through the stretches. It was deep and soft, soothing and grounded. This man would make a killing doing ASMR videos. My awe ended quickly as I tried to keep up with poses I hadn’t done in a long time. Trying to keep my balance and engage my core—which I wasn’t entirely sure I even had—made trying to talk to my neighboring yoga participants more difficult than it already was. How did one casually strike up a conversation with their ass in the air inchild’s pose?
Still, I attempted. Though it didn't get much deeper than asking where people were from, or if they had been to Creature Comforts before. I was absolute shit at this. Shit at talkingandat yoga. By the time we were done, muscles that I didn’t even know I had hurt, though I was sure I had burned off the drink I’d had at breakfast.
What was next on the agenda? I grimaced when I pulled up the schedule on my phone.Pickleball? Fuck my life. Unsure if there would be a water fountain near the court, I swung by the lobby to hydrate. Maxime’s gaze locked onto me when I entered,though his expression remained neutral. I knew for certainhewasn’t the man I was looking for, and I needed to save up my peopling energy for the ones I didn’t know.
Without more than a wave in greeting, I went straight for the iced strawberry-infused water. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Maxime give a nod of approval, but I doubted he cared that much about my water intake. Again, I tasted a hint of something coppery beneath the light, fruity flavor. Lifting the cup, I stared at the pinkish hue as if I would be able to see the molecules within. It wasn’t bad, simply… unexpected.
Shrugging it off, I went to the pickleball court, expecting there to be several people ready to participate in a friendly mini tournament. Instead, I found one guy wearing a sweatband around his head, bouncing from foot to foot as he practiced his swing.
“Hell yeah! I was starting to wonder if anyone was going to show.”
I gave an awkward half-smile. “I guess it’s just me, then.” I’d been hoping to sit on the bench and talk with the players while they waited to play, but now it looked likeIwould have to play.
“Great!” He reached out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Chervin. Cheetah. And you are?”
“Bowen.” My brows pinched together as I shook his hand. “Did you call me a cheater? I can promise you, I don’t know enough about the sport to cheat.”
Chervinforced a laugh, though his expression remained jolly. “Ha! Like I haven’t heardthatone before. Sorry, maybe it’s rude to just come right out and ask, but I’ve never been anywhere like this.”
I eyed him carefully, not sure what he was talking about. “Come right out and askwhat?”
He leaned in and lowered his voice. “You know? Like what youare?”
With my mouth open, I stared at him. What I am? What does that even mean? The words of the cat from the beach came back to me. Not human. Was that what this guy meant? No, it couldn’t be; I was just exhausted.
Chervin waved it off. “Fuck it, never mind. Let’s just play. Are you cool if we use full power? I’m always having to hold back when I play back home, and it’s draining.”
“I suppose. As long as you don't mind an easy win. At this point, I don’t even know if there are actual pickles involved.”
He let out a loud laugh. “I never mind winning, and no, no pickles. It’s pretty simple; I think you’ll catch on.”
Hit ball with paddle. It was a pretty basic concept, though I hoped this guy wasn’t a stickler for rules, because I didn’t know them. Chervin took his spot on the other side of the net and directed me where to stand.
“Ready?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Notreally.”
A laugh sounded from the other side of the court. “You’re funny. Okay, let’s go.”
Chervin lobbed the ball into the air. As soon as he lifted his paddle to hit it, I felt a whiz of air rush past me, and the ball struck the fence behind me with a loud clatter. “Holy shit!” I muttered. I didn’t even see the ball. Sports had never been my thing, but that wasn’t… normal, right? Or was it just me?
I was still frozen in place when Chervin somehow managed to run over to retrieve the ball and return to his side in what seemed like milliseconds. “It’s all good, Bowen. Shake it off and loosen your stance. Okay, ready?”
Was I moving slower than usual? Were we in some kind of time warp? There was no way he moved as fast as my eyes seemed to have processed. I tried to do what he said as my brain fought to catch up.
Another serve and another clatter behind me before I could even blink. IknowI hadn’t imagined that. Suddenly, Chervin appeared before me with the same ball in hand. He wore a disappointed smile. “Too much?”
“Sorry, it’s my first time.” As if that were answer enough for why I couldn’t even track the ball’s movement.
