The Island

Where would he have gone?

“His bed is made,” I say, frowning at the neat corners of the sheets and plump pillows. “It’s never made in his videos.”

“So?” Camilla says.

“So maybe he never slept here last night.”

Camilla and Liam exchange a glance as if I’m not here and can’t see it.

Then Liam chuckles under his breath and turns to me. He shakes his head to clear away his amusement.

Camilla’s thin lips pinch and she frowns. She looks stressed.

“I’m glad I get to see the detective’s live show. Even more impressive than a vlog. Maybe he changed rooms,” Liam says.

I glance into the bathroom. There are two large green toiletry bags sitting by the sink. “And left all his stuff here?”

Liam shrugs again and follows me into the bathroom. “He might be exploring the hotel, getting footage. We’ve all done that.”

“Possible, but all his products and makeup are still zipped in those bags. He’s either a total neat freak and put away all his stuff completely before leaving the room or he’s not wearing makeup.” I meet Liam’s gaze in the large bathroom mirror. “There was this video he posted a couple days ago when he said the only time he’d leave his house without a ‘full face on’ is in an ambulance.”

He could have been exaggerating, but somehow I don’t think so.

“Perhaps he doesn’t feel the need to wear it here,” Camilla says as Liam and I walk back into the room.

“No, Paisley’s right. It’s unlikely.” Liam looks around Will’s room again, searching with fresh, now suspicious eyes. He pokes around inside the closets. I’m glad he’s backing me up, because I know that something is wrong here.

I crouch and peer under the bed. Nothing. Of course.

“I’ll try his cell before we start to worry,” Camilla says, sounding an awful lot like my mom. Her words don’t match her slightly panicked expression.

It’s too late for that. I’m already stressing.

“That’s not going to work,” I say, getting up from my knees.

“Why?”

“Because his cell is charging over here on the nightstand.”

I tap the screen. There are a lot of notifications, starting from last night. He hasn’t checked his phone at all today.

Camilla’s face falls. Liam frowns. We’re now on the same page, believing Will is missing.

She can explain the bed and even the makeup, but no one leaves their phone behind. Especially not an influencer about to explore an exclusive, invite-only weekend on a new amusement park island.

None of us wants to miss a thing. We all have our phones on, ready to capture something cool at any second. A quick TikTok or an Insta post. My battery is already half drained from today.

Will is super active online. He’s not leaving his room without his phone. He wouldn’t even go to the bathroom without it.

“I’m going to radio the team,” Camilla says, her voice wavering as she walks out of the room to speak privately.

The fact that she’s worried makes me more nervous.

“You think he’s hurt or sick?” Liam asks.

“I don’t know. I can’t see any other reason why he would leave his room and everything in it.”

Liam blocks me as I try to pass. “Hey, do you think he went out after you did? We would’ve seen him.” He swallows. “God, what if he fell into the sea.”

I shake my head. “Don’t go there. I don’t think that he would’ve gone past the fences. We have to find him, Liam. He could be hurt.”

Liam and I walk out of Will’s room and follow Camilla, who beckons us with a wave.

“We’ll find him, don’t worry.” Liam wraps his arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. I dip my head so he doesn’t see the blush sweep across my cheeks.

I appreciate that he’s trying to comfort me but it’s not working. He doesn’t sound very confident. We really shouldn’t panic, though. We have no idea what could have happened.

“Will could’ve slept in late, then woken up and decided to go to the gym or the pool for a workout. Though that doesn’t explain the phone or that he’s suddenly very neat,” I say, desperately trying to make sense of this.

“He might not want Kenna or Camilla to see a mess,” Liam offers.

The two female employees are the ones who have to clean the rooms. That fact made my eye twitch and had me being extra neat. Will might have thought the same.

We take the elevator down to the lobby.

My heart thumps harder, and there’s no sign that it’s going to calm down anytime soon. “Where could he be? We’re supposed to be riding roller coasters and posting videos.”

When we reach the lobby, everyone has congregated by the doors, a buzz of conversation and theories. Ava and James are whispering, Reeve and Gibson are looking at something on a phone, and Malcolm is being questioned by Harper.

The speed of her questions almost makes me smile.

Malcolm has changed his outfit since this morning at breakfast. He’s dressed from head to toe in black, with a thick red ring on his pinkie finger.

“All right,” Gibson says. “We did a quick sweep of the spa and basement. We’re going to split into groups and search the hotel and park. Will probably just wants to check things out for himself, but we need to make sure he’s okay. I don’t like that we don’t know where he is.”

“The island is surrounded by water,” James says. “He easily could have fallen in.”

That’s the second time drowning has been mentioned, but I don’t think he could have fallen in.

I bite my fingernail and then stop myself. I’m not supposed to do that anymore.

Malcolm holds his hands up. “Whoa. Let’s not talk like that, James. This place is secure. I made sure of it. You’ve seen the fences separating the park and the cliff edge. No one needs to be saying that Jagged Island is dangerous.”

Liam scowls at James and then Malcolm. Unimpressed with them both.

James and Liam look as if they’d be best friends. Both play football, dress impeccably, and are popular. Real-life popular, not only online like me.

“All right,” Reeve says. “Liam, Harper, and Paisley, you’re with me. Keep in touch.”

My mind spins as I try to catch up with the current events. I should be eating lunch soon and then swimming. Will should have caught up with us and screamed all the way through every ride.

I step outside and the loss of air-conditioning makes me want to turn straight back around again. The sun is almost directly over us now.

“We’re starting from the jetty,” Reeve says.

I catch up with him. “Which one?”

His reply is a smirk.

That was a genuine question. But he walks us closer to the main entrance to the island.

He punches in the code for the gate and takes two more steps before stopping dead and making me almost walk straight into him.

“The boat’s gone,” he says.

My jaw almost hits the stone beneath my feet. “What the…”

The boat stays here. Gibson needs to take us back to the mainland on Monday. Was it there earlier this morning? I didn’t notice.

Harper scoffs. “Oh my god, is he for real? Will took the boat! What a jackass…Kind of a cool one too.” She adds the last part as an afterthought.

“That doesn’t make sense. If he wanted off the island, why wouldn’t he just say so? Why wouldn’t he take his things?” I ask.

“Maybe he’s playing a prank. Taking it out for a joyride,” she offers. “Wasting all our time while he’s at it.”

Reeve is on the radio telling them what we’ve found. He sounds angry, calling Will “the damn kid.” Will is only a couple years younger than him and Gibson.

Malcolm’s and Gibson’s responses are a long string of curse words that overlap each other. Malcolm sounds furious. Their voices crackle a little through the speaker that Reeve has to his mouth. Malcolm barks something again that gets lost with Ava and James shouting in the background.

“How would he have got through the gate? Unless he climbed the fence…,” Liam says.

“Or memorized the code. But I just know he didn’t take the boat,” I say.

“Paisley, I know you want to see the best in him, but—”

“No, Liam. Think about it for a minute. Would you leave without your things? Without your phone? If you took a boat for a ride as a prank or just because you wanted to, you’d take your phone. That’s the exact sort of material he would want for his channel.”

Liam frowns, but Harper nods like I’ve got a point—because I do.

“Even if he wanted to mess with us, which doesn’t seem like him—”

“You don’t know him,” Liam reminds me, cutting me off.

“I get that, but is there anything you’ve seen from him, in his videos and since we met him, that makes you think he’d do this?” I ask. “That he’d think it’s amusing?”

“Well, no, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t. I say we get on with our day and leave him to his boat trip.”

I gesture toward the water. “Remember the waves yesterday?”

“She’s right,” Reeve says, taking charge. “No one would have taken a boat out in those conditions. We even thought about doing three trips to get you all here with the helicopter, but Gibson said the water would hold until after you arrived.”

“Back up. You have a helicopter?” Harper asks.

“Two of them. Anyway, point is, it’s more likely the boat sunk than that Will took it out for a joyride.”

“What the hell is going on?” Malcolm shouts as his and Gibson’s group runs toward us. “Where is this punk and where is my boat?”

Reeve takes a deep breath and explains what he’s found. “Did the boat sink? Possibly. In any case, I think that’s a lot more likely than this kid committing grand theft on the sea.”

The boat isn’t massive, and it’s certainly not a yacht, but it is big enough to fit sixty people on at a time and probably crazy-expensive. They expect to use it throughout the day, taking people to and from the island. It will always be kept here overnight in case of any emergencies.

Except now it might be at the bottom of the ocean, and someone is missing.

“Did you find any sign of Will?” I ask.

“Nothing, but we haven’t searched very far,” Malcolm replies, looking over his shoulder as if he’s expecting someone.

Does he think Will is going to stroll over and tell us he’s parked the boat back at the jetty?

“I don’t like this at all,” I murmur.

Liam is the only one who hears me. “We’re not panicking yet, Paisley. Okay. This is probably his strange idea of fun. He’s not a prankster, so he clearly didn’t think it through. He might have a second phone. Recording us freaking out right now.”

His voice is low and soothing and his eyes stare deep into mine. A similar look has passed between Reeve and me. I don’t know if either one of them is serious or if they just like a bit of flirting while away.

Last night I thought I sensed someone else outside. But if it was Will, why would he let it go on for this long? If he’s playing a game, he’s been doing it since midnight. And I’m the only person who knows that.

Malcolm might let me into the security room to watch the CCTV if I tell him what I saw last night. The rules on sneaking into the park were very clear. It’s a safety breach, and if we’re caught doing it, we’ll be on the next boat home.

Plus, it might have been him. He was the only person I saw or heard when I was out.

There currently is no boat, so they can’t kick me off the island just yet. I haven’t seen a helicopter either. I’d assume they’re not easy to hide away, but they could be here somewhere. On top of the hotel, maybe.

That’s a point: why haven’t they checked the video footage yet?

As if he’s reading my mind, Malcolm instructs Reeve to go check.

“See, Paisley, Reeve is about to find out where he’s hiding,” Liam says.

I clear my throat and smile. At least I think I’m smiling. For all I know I could look as worried as I feel. My heart is beating too fast.

“I could come with you,” I say, trying to sound casual. “I mean, two sets of eyes are better than one, right?”

Malcolm waves his hand, but the rest of him is frozen. He doesn’t even move his head or look at me with those dark, vacant eyes. “Take the crime girl.”

He knows my name. Robotic asshole.

He’s not allowing me to go out of the kindness of his heart. This is a tactical move. I’m a crime vlogger, and although there is no crime, he knows that searching CCTV for a “missing” person is exciting for me.

Little does he know, I have an ulterior motive too. Reeve is an employee, and I’m hoping giving a crap about me sneaking around at night is above his pay grade.

I figure the best way to get him to keep my secret is to explain and plead. He’s been a little flirty, so I think I have a solid chance at getting him to agree.

Reeve leads me into the hotel and punches in a code for a staff-only door. I turn my head so he thinks I’m being polite, but my eyes dart in the direction of the keypad. I store the code in my head for another time, just in case.

Maybe they’re all the same.

“Will this be on a podcast? I’m surprised Malcolm let you come down here.”

I laugh but don’t commit because this probably will end up on one of my platforms. “I assume he’s going to ask me to twist the truth a little. Like, tell my subscribers and followers that it was part of my tour.”

Reeve chuckles. “Now, that sounds like Malcolm.”

“Is he always like that?”

“Like what?”

“I’m not sure how to say it without being rude.”

Reeve grins and gives me a wink. “Go for it, Paisley. You’re not going to offend me.”

“Intense. Creepy. Like he’s constantly thinking and plotting. When he’s around it’s like his mind is half with you and half elsewhere.”

“Well, I don’t know about all that other stuff, but I see what you mean about the creepy thing. The dark clothing and the stare don’t help. That’s just him.”

“How long have you worked here?” I ask as we walk along a corridor.

“I’ve been on board since the hotel was up. I’ve known Gibson since we were kids. He was recruited to drive the boat.”

“Where did Malcolm find you guys?”

“Gibson at the docks in LA. Gibson said he took him out on a day trip and by the end of the day Malcolm offered him the position. He told him he’d only accept if I could get a job too.”

“That was nice of him.”

Weird of him is my first thought. Was Reeve finding it hard to get a job? I understand wanting to help your friend out, but for that to be a condition of employment is strange.

“He’s a good friend.”

“Were you working on the boats with him?”

Reeve hesitates, his hand gripping the handle to the security door. “Not exactly. You don’t touch anything in there. Got it? I don’t want to lose my job.”

“Yes, boss.” I smile, but he doesn’t.

“I’m serious, Paisley.”

Raising my palms, I nod. “I won’t touch anything, I promise.”

I mean, I might another time if I have to come back. The code to the door is stored nicely in my mind. But I’ll be good for now, not wanting to be the reason Reeve loses his job.

“Good.” He opens the door and I follow him inside.

It’s relatively large in here for a security room, not the poky little things you see on TV. There are two chairs, a small sofa, a vending machine, and a large desk with six screens and other equipment.

Reeve sits down and types away on a keyboard. I take the other chair. The screens are currently live. I can see the two groups have now formed into one and are currently in the game room. They move quickly through the basement level since it’s already been checked.

It won’t take them long to finish there and get outside.

“What time are you rewinding back to?” I ask. “He went to bed at the same time as me. There was only Malcolm, Camilla, Ava, you, and James up past that.”

“Yeah, I went up at two a.m. and was the last.”

What?

My heart skips a full beat.

Two in the morning. That means he was up when I was sneaking around.