* * *
When we eventually get to the surface, the team are in various states of well-being, gasping for fresh air, running into the jungle for the toilet – a designated clearing of mud – and piling into any truck they can, keen to get the hell out of here. Amid the chaos, Cam instructs the crew to stick with the Islanders and travel back together. ‘Tell Amber that you are feeling sick and are going to the toilet,’ he whispers to me.
I do as he says and run over to Amber as she’s getting in the truck with Giovanni. ‘Listen,’ I say. ‘I’m not feeling great. You go ahead and I’ll hitch a lift back with one of the instructors. I think I’m going to be sick.’
Giovanni gives me a sceptical look.
‘It’ll be the eggs,’ Amber said. ‘And the ghosts. I’ve thrown up twice already.’
I pretend to retch, and Giovanni quickly slams the door shut. ‘Okay. See ya!’
The truck roars to life and sets off. This causes a chain reaction with people bellowing names out and instructions to ‘Get a move on!’ Kitbags are flung haphazardly into the back of trucks and engines are violently revved as though we are fleeing a terrible earthquake.
When the convoy has left in a cloud of dust, I look at Cam, confused. Where is our transport? Why are we not fleeing with the others?
‘It seems as though we are stranded in the middle of the jungle. Are we stranded in the middle of the jungle? What sort of rescue plan do you call this?’ I squeak. I don’t care how good-looking he is, this is not a good plan. I look around at the dense jungle, the trees looming above us. The entrance to the mineshaft is making serious whooing noises and I can hear myself getting hysterical. ‘What were you thinking? Are they coming back for us? How will we get out of here?’
Cam stands looking at me in amusement. It causes me to stop jabbering. His eyes move from mine to peer over my shoulder. He has a massive grin on his face.
‘Oh man. I don’t think I will ever get used to this.’
‘To what?’ I say, twisting round to see what he is looking at. My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I see a ghostly figure walking towards me. It has my face, my hair, my body. I steady myself on Cam and he is quick to throw his arm around me. I feel so light-headed and, for a second, think I am imagining it.
‘Hi, sis. Fancy meeting you here,’ says Lois.
26
My twin sister and I throw our arms around one another. It feels so good to hold her. I breathe her in, as I have been doing my entire life. Her energy becomes my energy. She squeezes me even harder and whispers, ‘I’ve missed you so much.’ Then she takes a look into my eyes and says, ‘You have questions. Me too.’
‘We have to go,’ says Cam. ‘You can fill each other in on the way.’
Lois and I hold hands as we race through the clearing to the jeep that Cam has parked up. We set off immediately, both of us huddled in the back while Cam drives. He has to twist in his seat to reverse out. It’s very tricky, so Lois and I wait before we launch into our mammoth Q and A session. It gives me a chance to fully appreciate what excellent bone structure he has. The light bounces off his hair, his lashes and his impeccably shaped eyebrows. His DNA is truly magnificent. Like Angelina Jolie and her famously symmetrical face, Cam must be the world’s only other human being to have such symmetry. There’s nothing you would change about his face. It is all perfect. He is simply breathtaking. And he is willing to risk everything… just for me. How have I managed to land someone so magnificent, so courageous and so downright brill?—
‘Stop it. Put your stalker eyes away. You’re being way too much,’ Lois leans in to hiss.
This makes me blush even harder. Sisters! She’s only been with me five blinking seconds and already she’s criticising. I start giggling because, of course, she’s completely right. I’m like a giddy teen with a horrendous crush on a kind-hearted global singing superstar. When we swerve onto the dusty road track, Cam rams the vehicle into first and we race off. Every now and again, I catch his eye in the mirror, causing me to blush, blink and clear my throat.
‘How are you here?’ I ask Lois. ‘How come you’re with Cam? What is happening?’ I am so disoriented.
‘Cam rang me as your next of kin to say you were leaving the villa. But I was already here at the airport because you had sent me the message,’ she says. ‘Anyway, we were waiting for you to leave the villa, but you never turned up. And the airline lost my luggage.’ She rolls her eyes and does that throwing up of her hands thing that I do too.
‘What message?’
‘The message. The one we planned before you left.’
‘I have no idea what you mean.’
‘You sent me the Chris Martin message.’ Lois is frowning at me. ‘You said in episode three, “If you never know, you’ll never try,” which was clearly code.’
‘Code for what? It doesn’t even make sense. It should be the other way round.’
Cam catches my eye in the mirror. I can’t tell whether he thinks we are both insane, or whether it is just my sister that he thinks has lost the plot. I throw him a weak smile and try to get to the bottom of why Lois has flown six thousand miles across the planet because she thinks I am incapable of toughing something out.
‘The code that you need me to come and’ – she lowers her voice – ‘fix you.’
It’s no use. I start howling with laughter. ‘Oh, my word. Lois, you are such a bad liar. You have always wanted to come to Mexico, and you have been desperate to go onLove on the Islandsince the show started! Please don’t use me as an excuse.’
Lois is the picture of guilt.
