Escape From Reality (3 page)

“Stranger than
fiction.” Leila held up her empty glass, taking a moment to consider how it had
gotten that way. Before she really had an answer, Stephanie was there, filling
the flute and then gliding silently away. Leila took another sip, leaned her
head back, and closed her eyes.

“Leila…Leila.”

A gentle shake
of her shoulder brought her awake. She sat up, her head a bit fuzzy, slightly
disoriented. A cashmere blanket slid from her lap, pooling on the floor at her
feet.

“Leila. We’re
going to be landing in about twenty minutes. I thought you’d want a moment
to…regroup.” Stephanie bent and retrieved the blanket.

Leila watched
as Stephanie folded the blanket and placed it in an overhead storage bin. The
champagne glass and food were gone, and the cabin was now restored to its
former immaculate order.

“Thank you,
Stephanie. I’m sorry…I must have dozed off.”

“It’s
understandable. You’ve had a long day. But it’s almost over. I’m sure wherever
you’re going, it’s going to be unforgettable.”

“I’m certainly
hoping so.”

The chime she’d
heard earlier sounded again and Stephanie took her seat behind the closed cabin
door. Leila fastened her seat belt as the plane began to descend. Her grip on
the seat was less intense than earlier and she managed to keep her eyes open.
Out of the window, she saw trees and sand flashing by and then the wheels of
the plane touched solid ground. An involuntary sigh of relief left Leila’s
lips.

The plane
taxied for a moment and then came to a stop. Stephanie rose and there was noise
and movement, a brightening at the front of the cabin as the stairs were
lowered. Leila retrieved her bags and stood, walking toward the front of the
plane.

“Enjoy your
adventure, Leila. It’s been a pleasure.” Stephanie, her smile undimmed,
graciously indicated the stairs.

“Thank you,
Stephanie.” She reached into her purse and located her passport.

Leila stepped
out onto the top step and into the balmy warmth of a beautiful sunny day. It
had been hot and sticky in Austin that morning, cool and cloudy in New York,
but here in Miami the weather was perfect. She lifted her head, drew a deep
breath, and blew out a long sigh. And smiled.

“Ms. Connors?”

Leila looked
down at the man who spoke, standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was trim
and neat looking in a blue suit, his hand folded in front of him. The accent
was British, with a hint of something she couldn’t quite place.

“Yes.”

“Splendid. I
trust you had a good flight from New York?” He extended his hand as she
descended. She took it and he guided her to the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m Mr.
Hayward. This way, please. I know it’s been a rather long day, but you’ll be at
your destination in just under two hours.”

“Two hours? And
do you know where I’m going?” Leila asked out of habit, not expecting any sort
of helpful reply.

“Of course.
It’s a privately owned island off the coast of Bermuda. Quite secluded, completely
private.”

Leila stopped,
eyes widening. “You’re the first person who has had any idea where I’m going.”

Mr. Hayward
laughed, a rich sound that floated on the soft early evening air. “Not
surprising. The owner of the island goes to great lengths to maintain
his—and his guests’—privacy.”

“What’s this
mystery gentleman’s name?”

Mr. Hayward
laughed again, this time shaking his head. “That, I’m afraid, is the end of
what I can tell you. The island, however, is called Eden. Aside from that…” He
spread his hands, palms upward, in an elegant shrug. His cufflinks caught the
sun, winking gold at his wrists. “I can assure you that in all my years here,
anyone who has traveled to this island has returned no worse for wear, and in
most cases, quite altered, and always for the best.”

They’d been
walking at a steady pace across the tarmac towards a black limo. As they
approached, he opened the door and Leila hesitated briefly before slipping in,
surprised to see a handful of other people seated on the plush leather seats.
Six other people, to be exact, four men and two women, and they certainly didn’t
look like vacationers. Leila wondered if they, too, were headed to the same
mysterious island.

She made eye
contact and one of the women, a curvy blonde, smiled at her warmly before
introducing herself.

“I’m Darla,”
she said.

Leila dipped
her eyes nervously before sweeping up to meet Darla’s gaze. She was very pretty
and very curvy with sparkling green eyes.

“Leila. Leila
Connors.” She smiled in return. “And you’re headed to the island as well?”

“Yeah,” she
replied. “We’re in a rock band.”

Leila took in
the group, lingering on the gorgeous blonde that sat on the opposite side, and
she couldn’t help but think about what a great hero he’d make for a romance
novel.

“And you?”
Darla’s question brought Leila back down to earth.

“Romance
novelist.”

“You write
romances? Contemporary or historical? Or some sub niche? Maybe I’ve read you!” The
other woman, a plus size brunette, exclaimed excitedly.

Before Leila
could answer, the limo halted and suddenly the door opened.  Mr. Hayward
was there to greet her once again.

“Right this
way, Ms. Connors.” He guided her to a small building and held the door open,
ushering her inside. The building faced the water, the entire wall before her made
of glass. Mr. Hayward stopped and extended his hand. “This will bring you to
the island.”

Leila followed
where Mr. Hayward pointed. It was a rather small seaplane, bobbing slightly on
the azure water.

“You’re
kidding.” A laugh burbled up and she clamped a hand across her mouth, closing
her eyes as she swallowed an errant giggle. She drew a deep breath, coughed
lightly, and turned to face Mr. Hayward.

“I’m sorry.
It’s just…it’s been a very unusual day. I shouldn’t really be surprised but,
well, I guess I’m lucky it’s not a camel.”

Mr. Hayward
placed his hand on her arm. “Ms. Connors, I completely understand. Now, let
introduce your pilot and you’ll be on your way. It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Connors.”

Leila suddenly
noticed a pretty young woman with wavy light brown hair wearing khaki shorts
and a black polo shirt standing a discreet distance away. At Mr. Hayward’s
words, she stepped forward, extending her hand.

“Nice to meet
you, Ms. Connors. My name is Joely.”

Her voice was warm
and friendly and Leila took the extended hand, received a firm handshake, and
couldn’t help but smile.

“Follow me
then, if you’re ready, and we’ll be on our way.”

Leila fell into
step with Joely as she led her out of the building and into the warm evening.
The sun was low in the sky, not far off sunset.

 “We’ll
arrive just at sunset, the best time to see the island.”

They walked
down a small pier and quickly boarded the small plane. The rock and sway of the
aircraft gave her a moment of panic; in her world, airplanes weren’t supposed
to do that. She stashed her bags beneath the seat and knew by now to look for
the seat belt. Pulling it across her body, she fastened herself securely to the
seat.

Joely climbed
in behind her, moved to the pilot’s seat, and fastened her seat belt. She then
began the complicated-looking procedure of starting the plane, flicking
switches and knobs. The propeller began to spin, slowly at first, then faster. Leila
was far less anxious than she’d been during the helicopter flight. Whether it
was the aftereffects of the champagne or if she was finally becoming accustomed
to being in some sort of craft that took to the air, she wasn’t sure, but she
was relieved not to have her heart in her throat or her fingers dug into the
airplane seat.

Joely turned to
Leila, a wide smile on her face. “Ready?”

Before she
could reply, they began a slow taxi across the water. The plane moved parallel
to the shore for a few moments, then made a turn. Leila saw the open ocean
ahead of them. The props rotated faster and the craft picked up speed, but she
could feel the drag and pull of water on the floats beneath the plane, the
noise of rushing water filling the cabin.

Suddenly they
were free of the water, the plane lifting from the surface. Leila looked down,
watching as they pulled away from the indigo water. They flew over a thin
strand of golden beach, the buildings below them growing smaller. And then they
were out over the open ocean.

The voice that
had been Leila’s traveling companion since she’d left home, the one that had
questioned everything imaginable, from her apparent loss of sanity in embarking
on this adventure to whether she was being kidnapped or whether she’d ever
reach her destination, was finally silent. Her spirits lifted with the airplane
and she settled back against the leather seat. With something like amazement,
she realized she was smiling.

The flight was
remarkably smooth and felt surprisingly short considering they were in the air
just under two hours. It seemed no time had passed before Joely pointed toward
the near horizon. Leila looked out the window to her right and gasped.

Rising out of
the crystal blue water was a beautiful island, dark gray against the indigo
twilight sky. As they drew closer, her eyes widened.

“Oh my. It’s
amazing.” She leaned forward, lips parted as the plane dropped lower, as more
of the island was revealed.

From the deep
blue
water
, the island rose almost
straight out of the water. What appeared to be a solid mass of gray stone
differentiated itself into a series of cliffs and plateaus dotted with
precarious growths of lush tropical foliage. The cliffs plunged into the ocean,
the waves crashing white at their base.

Joely dropped the
plane lower, swinging around the far side of the island. The cliffs dropped
away, revealing a small beach with a pier extending into a beautiful half-moon
shaped bay. A large bronze plaque protruded from the water, fixed to a large
flat rock, and she caught the words “Welcome To Eden”. Squinting, she read the
smaller words etched on the sign, “Where reality is whatever you wish it to
be…”.

Leila began
readying herself, all trepidation suddenly gone, and reached beneath her seat
for her bags. But the touch of Joely’s hand on her arm brought her head up
sharply. She pointed to the left, and this time Leila’s astonishment was
almost
too much for her to even make a sound.
overwhelming.

“Oh my God… a
castle!”

Appearing to be
carved from the very stone of the island, a castle perched on the side of a
perpendicular cliff. Parapets and towers, topped with crenellations that looked
like teeth, rose from the elegantly proportioned main body of the building, the
castle climbing high into the sky, a series of terraces adorning all sides.

The fading
evening light caught the mullioned windows, seeming to set the castle aglow
like some magical child’s toy.

Joely banked
and for a moment they hung, suspended above the island in the darkening sky,
the castle appearing like an apparition against the jungle that grew around its
base.

“That’s where
I’m going?” Leila’s voice was lost in the drone of the engines as Joely brought
the plane down toward the ocean, leveling out as the island loomed larger. Leila
found that she was pushing herself back in the seat, bracing her feet on the
floor of the cockpit. As the ocean rose to meet them, the island blocked the
last rays of the setting sun and they slid into the deep shadow cast across the
water.

The floats
touched the water and the drag against the floats slowed the plane. With a
graceful turn, Joely taxied toward the pier and for the first time, Leila could
make out the figure of someone standing on the dock.

The pilot
flicked several switches and the propeller stopped spinning, the quiet sudden
and all encompassing. Silently, the plane drifted toward the dock. The figure
resolved into a man wearing a white shirt open at the throat and dark pants.

With an ease
that made it clear he’d done this before, the man grabbed the wing strut,
guiding the plane alongside the dock. Leila watched as he braced his feet, the
plane bumping gently to a halt.

“We’re here,
safe and sound.” Joely announced. “Enjoy your adventure, Ms. Connors.”

Suddenly the
door opened, cool night air filling the cabin. Leila turned. The man on the
dock held out his hand, smiling up at her. She turned back to Joely.

“Thank you.
It’s a spectacular place.”

“My pleasure.
And, from what I’ve heard, it only gets better from here.”

Leila released
a long-held breath, sliding from her seat as she took the hand offered to her.
Her feet landed on the deck with a small thud, the motion of the platform
reminding her that she was still on the ocean. Reaching back, she took her
purse and bag from beneath the seat.