“Do you want to go for a bit of a ride on the jet ski?” Mitch asked, his question surprising me.

I have been so distracted, so absorbed in reading about the history of previously predicted end times, that I hadn't even seen him approach.

“Oh,” I started before remembering that people might be listening in. “Sure.”

Mitch sent me a wide grin before saying, “I'm going to bring a bag, just in case we decide to sneak onto that big island there! I feel like we’ll be able to see so much more without a tour guide stopping us from going everywhere. I've even been reading up and researching the island. It would be pretty cool to break in, right?”

My heart started to race. I knew that it was just an act, he was just doing it so that if anyone was listening, it would be more convincing or it would seem more innocent, but I still had to fight not to clamour to go. I wanted to shout yes and immediately rushed to the back of the boat where the jet ski was but I hesitated, knowing that Alice wouldn’t just agree.

“Do we have to?” I forced myself to ask, the words paining me. “I mean, we've already gone there once do we really need to go again?”

Mitch’s shoulders sagged disappointedly.

“There is so much on that island that we didn't get a chance to see! I've learnt so much more and I can't wait to show you everything.” There was a pause before he quietly said, “You don't need to come if you don't want to.”

The disappointment in his voice almost broke my heart. I knew that it wasn't real but still, I was so saddened by the idea of disappointing him.

I was kind of scared of going out on the jet ski too. It was getting dark out and the idea of zipping across the waves without being able to see what was in front of us with horrifying to me.

But I couldn't let it show.

Alice wouldn't show fear and I was genuinely scared that, if I did, Mitch would tell me to stay on the boat.

“I’ll come,” I said with a heavy sigh. “As long as you bring some food or something.”

I was trying to give him an excuse to bring his bag, knowing that we would need it, and judging by the way his face lit up, I had done well. I fought not to beam as pride washed through me. It was silly, he was a figment of my imagination, and yet it still felt so good to have someone be proud of me rather than disappointed for a change.

I was glad that I’d given him a reason though. I knew he wouldn’t have just left it but all his gear and my trainers were in the bag. I’d already changed into the spare set of clothes he’d insisted I packed and even though it was warm out, the long-sleeved t-shirt and leggings weren’t actually too suffocating. The fabric was surprisingly breathable but I would have put up with overheating a little bit if it meant I’d be harder for the Sterlings to spot.

“Of course!” Mitch said, jumping up with a huge smile. “I already have some food in the bag in case we get hungry but let me just grab a few more bottles of water!”

He raced towards the mini fridge, fumbling with the bottles inside, before returning and tucking them into his duffel bag. He sent me another grin before fiddling with the straps and somehow slipping them onto his shoulders like a backpack.

“Oh, wait, no! Silly me, we need life jackets!” he cried before placing the bag back on the sofa and racing down the stairs at the back of the boat.

I waited, trying not to seem too excited or enthusiastic, for him to return. I have been looking forward to what we are about to do for so long now that it was approaching I wasn't sure how to feel. I was so excited but also nervous and scared. I hoped the mission or whatever Mitch had called it was going to go smoothly and we wouldn't even run into the Sterlings but something told me that we would.

“Here you go!” Mitch cried, thrusting a lifejacket into my arms and smiling again.

I started to put it on before pausing.

“Do you not need one?” I asked.

“No, no,” he replied. “I’ll be fine.”

His tone was too light, too easy. It felt wrong. I continued strapping the lifejacket into place, considering it.

My eyes fell on his bag and suddenly it made a lot of sense. I wasn't sure if he would be able to have the backpack on if he also had to wear a life jacket. It felt like it would be too bulky, it wouldn’t fit.

I chewed my lip anxiously. It felt dangerous to go out on a jet ski in the dusk, with the Sterlings potentially watching every move, and for Mitch not to be wearing a life jacket. If we were to fall into the water and he had his bag on, would he be dragged down to his death?

“Let’s go!” he cried excitedly, before rushing back down the stairs.

I followed him slightly hesitantly, taking my time and glancing back at the rest of the boat. It felt strangely final to be walking away from it. Like we wouldn’t be coming back.

I hated the idea of that. It had been so lovely and relaxing and the table under the canopy was still laden down with food. But… I did want to go explore Spinalonga. I wanted to find treasure and do everything else that Mitch normally did on assignments.

A splash caught my attention and I looked back at Mitch, to see him standing and gripping the handlebar of the jet ski which was somehow now in the water. I wasn't sure how he had got it from the back of the boat to the water but I didn't want to ask questions, just in case someone was listening in.

“Do you want to get on first, Alice? That way my bag won't be digging into you and I can reach around you to steer,” Mitch asked.

Somehow, I knew there was more to it than just that. It was the same reason that he had given me the bedroom whilst he had taken the sofa. He was protecting me. If someone were to start shooting at us, they would hit Mitch first.

I hate that.

I wanted to argue, to let Mitch know that I knew his reason and I did not agree, but I forced myself to simply nod and climb onto the jet ski. It was just a fantasy, I reassured myself, even if he were to get injured he would be okay.

The jet ski bobbed under my weight, feeling a lot less stable than the boat had. I wasn't sure if it was just because of how small it was so the waves felt bigger or if it actually was a lot less secure. Relief shot through me as Mitch climbed onto the seat behind me.

My hands had instinctively gone to the handlebars but now that Mitch was there, I wasn't sure where to put them. I stared down at the vehicle uncertainly before just deciding to rest them in front of me.

“Okay, ready to go?” Mitch asked.

“Yeah,” I said, not sounding ready at all.

I heard him chuckle softly before he reached forwards and gripped the handlebars around me. It felt really weird to have him so close to me, he was almost like a father to me and it would have been weird for my dad to be so close to me too, but the jet ski jump to life before I could think about it any further.

I jolted back against him, not expecting how suddenly it would move, before forcing myself to lean forwards again. We cut through the waves, bouncing and bobbing, causing water to splash me in the face. I was grateful that I was still wearing my sunglasses, despite the slowly setting sun, because otherwise, it would have really stung my eyes.

It felt weird being on the jet ski. It gave me a sense of almost déjà vu. It felt like… I knew that it was silly but it reminded me of the first time I’d met Mitch. Not in the bar, before that. I’d gone to some other world or some other fantasy where I have been on a boat, surrounded by dark cliffs and lightly buffeted by a warm breeze.

But it wasn’t the same. We weren’t on a speedboat and the weather might have been similar but there were no dark cliffs around us. Mitch looked kind of different too. He smiled more and he was more scarred.

It did remind me of that fantasy though.

Mitch took us on a meandering route towards the island, cutting backwards and forwards before finally bringing us close to the pier. I breathed a sigh of relief as we approached. Fear had started to sneak into my heart, causing my muscles to tense, as the sun slowly sunk lower and lower. It was getting harder to see but I didn’t dare take off my sunglasses, just in case the salty water blinded me even momentarily and the Sterlings attacked.

“We’ll be going towards the target a slightly different way,” he muttered into my ear. “I have jackets for us to put on once we get there too so we look more official and you’ll need to change into your trainers.”

I nodded slightly, wanting to say something in response but anxiety was stopping me from being able to speak.

It was all happening so fast and I was so excited but also worried.

“When we get there, act like Alice still. We're going to walk towards an archway and once we’re hidden by it, I'll give you the jacket to put on,” Mitch explained.

I nodded again, my hands becoming slick.

Far too soon, Mitch pulled us to stop at the stone pier. He climbed off the jet ski and hold it close so that I could get off easier. It felt a little strange to be standing on solid ground after being on the boat and then the jet ski for so long, despite not actually being there. I found myself swaying, feeling unsteady, even though it should've been easier.

I stumbled slightly and Mitch’s hand shot out to catch me.

“You alright there, Alice? Still got your sea legs?” he joked.

I wanted to grin at him and thank him for steadying me but instead, I settled for snatching my hand away.

“I guess.”

Mitch looked away from me, glancing around the area.

“Normally, I like to beach a jet ski but,” he shrugged, “this one ain't mine. Give me a minute to tidy it up and we can go exploring. Are you excited?”

“Sure,” I said flatly despite being genuinely excited.

I stepped away from the water slightly as I watched him tie the jet ski to one of the metal posts.

“There we go! That should do it. I wouldn't want this thing to get swept away to sea and leave us stranded here. Can you imagine the embarrassment of having to call a helicopter to rescue us when we're not even meant to be here?” he said, glancing up at the sky, as if looking for a helicopter.

I glanced up too, trying to keep my expression as bored and neutral as possible even though that idea made my stomach hurt. There was something so horrifying about the idea of not only being caught being somewhere we weren't meant to be but also having to call someone to come and save us.

I knew that Mitch was just joking, most likely, but I still hated the idea so much that I couldn't think of an appropriate response to him.

“Alright, that should do it! Shall we get this way?” Mitch gestured towards a path that we hadn't gone down when we had come to the island before.

“Sure,” I said with a shrug.

“Awesome! Let’s go!” he said, taking off across the mostly flat stone area at a fast pace.

I knew that Alice would have dawdled or fallen behind but I couldn’t bring myself to. I wanted to get further into the island as quickly as possible. I knew that I would feel safer once we were enclosed on all sides by stone walls.

We started through a tunnel which was so dark that Mitch muttered, “Grab my arm, kid. I can just about see where we are going.”

I reached out semi-blindly, my hand slapping into his arm.

I gripped it as we edged further along the tunnel, letting go when I started being able to see the other end.

“Okay, stop here a second,” Mitch said quietly.

I did as he said, waiting as he slung his bag from his shoulder and rooted around in it. He thrusted a folded wad of material at me and quickly slipped into a sleeveless vest himself.

I hastened to put mine on, my fingers finding a patch of embroidery on the chest but it was too dark to read what it said. I took the trainers he held out to me, slipping out of my flip-flops and leaning against the wall as I pulled the socks out of them and slipped them on.

Mitch waited for me to hand him the flip-flops back before holding his arm out to me and turning forwards.

“Okay, let’s go. Follow my lead and keep your eyes peeled. If you see movement or anything suspicious, tap my arm and hide,” he said in a hushed tone.

“Okay,” I breathed.

He nodded and edged forward cautiously. I continued to follow him, my eyes fixed on the end of the tunnel but I occasionally peered over my shoulder into the darkness behind us. The island was silent, only the sounds of our footsteps and the gentle whisper of the sea could be heard. It felt like a trap though. The Sterlings could be hiding just out of the tunnel, ready to strike.

We emerged from the tunnel, coming out onto a surprisingly normal looking street with a towering tree in the centre. Anxiety flared within me as I eyed the shuttered windows and balconies on every strangely square house.

Some of them appeared to be abandoned, half-built. One even had a metal grate over the doorway and an unfinished roof but most of the others looked fine. Unlit lamps hung over the central path and I glanced up at them uneasily as we walked.

Part of me was scared that they could turn on at any moment, exposing us to anyone who happened to be looking. I mean, no one would be able to see us without a telescope but I wasn’t sure how many people would be looking out for us. It was possible that Sterling’s people were watching us, even then, but that might have also been no one.

As we continued into the island, passing more and more buildings, things started to look a little different. It was obvious that the houses had had more work done on them. They looked more cheerful. The doors and shutters were painted bright colours, so vibrant they could be seen even in the dim light. The yellows, reds, greens and blues stood out so clearly from the clean white houses.

There were maps scattered around too. They were simple, made of a dark plastic, and drilled into the sides of the buildings but Mitch passed them all without hesitation. He walked slowly, carefully, but with purpose.

Next to him, I felt like a newborn elephant. My steps were clumsy, loud and stomping, no matter how hard I tried to be silent. I knew he could hear them too. Every so often, when I stepped on a dried twig that I hadn’t even seen, he winced, his head whipping from side to side as he checked to make sure no one else had heard us.

Me.

I was the problem. He was silent, making no more sound than a shadow.

Mitch stopped suddenly as we reached a fork in the path and I looked around, fearful that I hadn’t been quiet enough and they’d found us, before he muttered, “This way.”

He gestured towards the outer path, the one closer to the giant wall that surrounded the island.

I nodded and followed him, trying my best not to make any noise as we picked slowly over a rubble-covered path.

It kept surprising me. The island was such a strange mishmash of perfectly preserved, clean and clearly well cared for homes, covered in information posters about notable residents, and mostly decrepit buildings on the verge of collapse.

It worried me.

The semi-collapsed walls provided too many spaces for Sterling’s people to duck behind.

“Have you seen your mother?” a voice asked, ripping me from my fantasy.

I turned, spotting my grandmother in the doorway and had to reach out for the edge of the pool as dizziness threatened to drown me.

“Yes, I think she went out for a walk,” I replied, griping the tile so tightly it hurt.

My grandmother sighed loudly.

“Of course, she did. The one time I actually need something from her, she decides to wander off!” she complained loudly.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked politely, fighting an almost overwhelming wave of nausea.

She regarded me, the expression on her face somewhere between doubt and suspicion.

“No,” she said shortly.

“Okay, well… she said she has her phone on her. You could try calling it?”

“No. I guess I’ll just wait until she gets back. If she ever comes back,” she sighed loudly, turning and leaving the room.

I wanted to retort, to say something back like that my mom wouldn’t just leave me there, but I felt like if I opened my mouth again, I’d vomit. I knew that if I threw up in the pool and they need to call someone out to clean it, I’d never hear the end of it.

I pulled myself along the wall, not wanting to risk swimming or trying to pull myself out, before reaching the ladder and climbing it. I flopped onto the surprisingly warm tiles, gasping in air and trying to keep the contents of my breakfast in my stomach.

I wasn't sure why the dizziness was hitting me quite so hard. It didn't normally. Generally, when I went into or out of fantasies, I did feel some level of dizziness but it was never that bad. I wasn't really sure what to do about it except just to stay lying on the tiles and hope it went away.

It did after a while. Eventually, the world stopped spinning at such a dizzying rate and I was able to sit up. I looked around the pool area, not sure what to do now. I could go back in the water and risk feeling that sick and dizzy again or I could go back to my room and get changed. I couldn't exactly sneak out to the roof whilst my mom was on a walk, she might see me and then my safe space would be revealed.

I didn't think that she would look at the house but I didn't want to risk it, even if I was pretty certain that she already knew about it and just lied to avoid spending more time with me.

Plus, I'd only been swimming for about forty minutes so I couldn't exactly stop then. It wasn’t enough time. I already knew that, if I did decide to stop something and go to my room instead, I would hear about it later. My grandmother would have something to say about it. Probably some comment about how lazy young people are these days.

No. Despite the near miss of vomiting into the pool, I knew I had to return to Mitch. We were so close to our goal, I had to go back. Even if it meant that I would spend the rest of the day feeling sick and nauseous, it was worth it.

Even if it were to get so bad that I did throw up in the pool, it would still be worth it to find whatever treasure we were looking for.

“Careful, kid,” Mitch said softly as I returned to the world.

I froze immediately.

He pointed down at a string, just a step in front of me and almost hidden by the tall dry grass.

“What is it?” I asked, feeling fear grip my heart immediately.

I tried to follow the string, to work out what it was connected to but I couldn't see fair enough in the dark.

“It’s okay,” Mitch told me softly. “It’s probably just an alarm or something.”

I knew that was a lie but I wasn’t sure how I knew that. It was a bomb. If I made one false move, we’d both die.

“Here, take my hand and step over it. It’ll be fine,” he continued in a soft and reassuring voice. “It’s just like hopping over a crack in the pavement, you’ve done that before, right?”

I nodded, unable to take my eyes off the string that could kill us both, and reached out blindly. His hand found mine, so reassuringly steady under my trembling grasp.

My knees felt weak. I felt like they could collapse at any second and send me staggering into the wire, but I managed to lift my foot and carefully step over it.

“Good job, kid!” Mitch cried softly, letting go of my hand once we were a few paces away. “You just successfully avoided your first bomb! How do you feel?

I knew that it was but still I found myself asking, “That was a bomb?”

He laughed softly.

“A little tiny one! Barely even worth worrying about.”

My eyes darted around the island.

“Does that mean they’re here?”