Free The Light of the Blue Pearl by K.C. HAWKE

something to write home about. Had she anyone
to call she probably would have been on the phone that instant
retelling her tales.
    But she didn’t, and it was late, and she was
still very much exhausted. She thought it best to have everything
ready for the morning. Like the morning before it, it was going to
come long before she was ready.
    After packing up the few items that had made
it out of her bag, she reached into it and pulled out her
medication. She drank it down with water and looked out at the
ocean one more time before crawling under the covers and drifting
off to a pleasant place reminiscent of the day she had just
had.

CHAPTER
9
     
     
     
    I t hadn’t felt like
she had been sleeping long before the alarm was going off. But she
was getting used to that feeling, as loathsome as it was.
    She rolled over and turned off the annoying
sound before it had the chance to ruin her day, and lay back down
just for a second to reminisce about the night before.
    That put a smile on her face and enough
energy in her body to get out of bed completely and start preparing
herself for the departure from the island.
    She was excited to see Ian again that
morning, but saddened at the same time at the realization that it
would probably be the last time she ever saw him. That final
thought made her suddenly sluggish.
    The feeling was stupid she knew, she had
just met the guy and to feel a loss for something that a couple of
days ago hadn’t even been on her radar was silly. She did her best
to push the sad feelings aside and get herself ready to go.
    She didn’t do much besides shower and apply
a small amount of makeup. She knew that that many hours on the
planes and waiting in airports was going to wear on her face no
matter how it started out. Working on pointless things was
generally not her style. So she finished getting dressed, packed up
the few things that managed to escape her suitcase during her short
stay and looked around the room one last time before opening the
door to leave.
    Waiting outside her door was Ian. She
definitely hadn’t expected to see him standing there, even though
they had agreed upon a visit before leaving, it was really
early.
    She closed the door to her oasis one last
time and turned toward Ian and smiled.
    “Good morning,” she said.
    “Good morning,” he said back, already
reaching for her belongings before she could object. “Did you sleep
well?” he asked, as they headed toward the stairs.
    “Pretty well, although I am really sad to
leave already,” she answered.
    “Yeah I can imagine,” he replied. “Do you
think you’ll ever come back?”
    Yet another question that never entered her
mind, although now having spent a little time here she couldn’t
imagine herself ever staying away.
    “Yeah, I think I will,” she replied. She
looked out at the ocean one last time before heading to the office
to officially check out.
    She found it incredibly hard to believe that
after everything that she had been through in the last few days
that she was to say goodbye to a place that now took a prominent
place in her mind.
    Since she didn’t travel often, she assumed
this feeling was fairly natural of a place that was as magnificent
as this; how could you not feel a loss for something beautiful,
relaxing and eye opening? If you didn’t she assumed there had to be
something seriously wrong with you.
    As they made their way to the office to
check out she could tell Ian was holding his tongue and staying
quiet for some reason.
    It was an uncomfortable silence with someone
who previously had only made her feel at ease.
    Once she was checked out they made their way
out front to wait for the taxi that would arrive shortly.
    “I don’t want you to leave,” Ian said
finally. Staring down at her feet he looked like a lost boy who had
run out of crumbs.
    “Oh, Ian….I don’t want to go either, but I
don’t have much of a choice here,” she answered, trying to get him
to meet her gaze.
    “Would