Chapter 36 – Finally, the Adventure Begins
Loona crosses her arms, watching Razan pace the hotel room like a strategist planning a war.
"All right, genius," she says, "since you decided we're doing this whole adventure without using our powers, what's the first step?"
Razan stops, puts a hand on his chin, and starts thinking out loud.
"First rule: no powers. That means we need real human jungle-survival gear. Flashlights, tents, non-perishable food, water purifiers, bug spray, machetes, first-aid kits… the full package."
Charlie's eyes light up like fireworks. She throws both fists in the air.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go buy everything right now!"
Razan scratches the back of his head, sheepish.
"Small problem: we have zero clue where to find any of that stuff here."
Loona watches the two of them sit on the edge of the bed, chins in hands, deep in concentration, and rolls her eyes so hard it hurts.
"You two are unbelievable. We just… ask someone who actually lives here. Like, a local."
Charlie snaps her fingers.
"The receptionist! She's from here! She'll know exactly where to go!"
Razan shrugs.
"Worth a shot. Let's do it."
They march downstairs to the front desk.
The receptionist greets them with a bright, professional smile.
"Looking for jungle survival and camping gear?" she guesses instantly. "Follow the main street outside, turn right after the fountain, walk past two blue buildings, and you'll hit the biggest mall on the island. They have an entire outdoor section."
Razan blinks, then turns to the girls.
"Okay… did either of you memorize that route?"
Charlie salutes like a soldier.
"Every single word, captain!"
Razan exhales in relief.
"Perfect. Charlie, you're officially our navigator. Move out!"
Loona barely manages to keep up as the two idiots sprint out of the hotel, already buzzing with excitement.
At the mall, Razan stops in the middle of the entrance, scanning the directory.
"Survival gear store, survival gear store…"
He spots a sales assistant and walks over.
"Excuse me, ma'am, could you point us to the store that sells camping and wilderness equipment?"
The woman beams, steps way too close for comfort, and answers sweetly:
"Of course! Two floors up, turn right, third shop on the left. You can't miss it; they have tents hanging right in the doorway."
She scribbles something on a small note and hands it to him with a wink.
"If you get lost, just follow the directions I wrote for you."
Razan takes the paper with a polite smile.
"Thank you so much!"
Before he can even fold the note, two pairs of hands clamp onto his shoulders like iron claws. Loona and Charlie yank him backward and drag him away at warp speed.
Loona hisses through clenched teeth:
"What exactly did that woman just give you?"
Razan, confused, holds up the little paper.
"Directions?"
Charlie snatches it with an angelic smile… notices a phone number scrawled in the corner. The smile vanishes. She tears the note into confetti in 0.2 seconds.
Razan:
"Hey! That had the directions on it!"
Charlie, with an innocent smile, like someone who wouldn't hurt a fly.:
"I already memorized everything. Paper's useless now."
Razan sighs in defeat.
"Fine. Lead the way, navigator."
Charlie happily loops her arm through his and practically skips toward the escalator. Loona glances at the shredded remains on the floor, connects the dots, shoots the saleswoman a glare that could melt steel, and follows.
An hour later, arms full of bags (tents, sleeping bags, water bottles, machetes, headlamps, a ridiculous amount of bug spray), they collapse in the food court with well-deserved ice cream.
Loona licks her vanilla cone and asks:
"Next step?"
Razan guards his chocolate ice cream like it's the One Ring while answering:
"We've got the gear. Now we need a human crazy enough to fly us to a place literally no sane person wants to go. After this, we hit the pier and look for our fearless (or reckless) pilot."
He finishes the sentence, lowers his guard for one single second, and his entire ice-cream scoop disappears into Charlie's mouth.
Razan stares at the empty cone, then at Charlie.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS STEAL MINE?!"
Charlie, mouth full of chocolate:
"Mine was strawberry! Yours is better!"
He lunges. A legendary cheek-pulling war begins.
Loona facepalms so hard she nearly concusses herself.
What did I do in a past life to deserve these two?
Eventually the ice-cream battle ends (Charlie victorious), and the trio heads straight to the pier.
The moment they arrive, they hear shouting.
It's them. Sean Anderson and Hank Parsons, arguing with Gabato, the exact helicopter pilot from the movie.
Hank:
"One thousand dollars, take it or leave it!"
Gabato opens his mouth to accept when Kailani steps in front of her dad:
"Two thousand."
Hank:
"No chance."
Razan whispers to the girls:
"Jackpot. Found our lunatic."
Kailani is still negotiating when a calm, friendly voice cuts in:
"Excuse me… I'd like to hire your services too. Same destination as these gentlemen."
Everyone turns.
A tanned guy with electric-blue hair and golden eyes smiles politely. On his left stands a gothic girl with white-and-black streaked hair. On his right, a hyper blonde bouncing on her toes.
Razan steps forward confidently.
"Name's Razan. This is Loona on my left, Charlie on my right. Sorry to interrupt, but we're headed to the exact same place. Mind if we book seats on the same ride?"
Hank frowns.
"Sorry, kid, we're already taking this chopper."
Kailani smirks.
"No, you're not. You refused two thousand. New price: three thousand."
Hank groans loudly.
Razan just grins and pulls out a black credit card.
"Three thousand? Done. Card okay?"
Kailani's eyes widen; she wasn't expecting someone to actually accept.
"Y-yeah, card works."
While the transaction goes through, Sean tugs Hank's sleeve and whispers:
"Please, Hank…"
Hank throws his hands up.
"Fine me too."
Minutes later, everyone is strapped into the rickety helicopter.
Charlie stares out the window, eyes sparkling at the rotors spinning. Hank notices and asks Razan:
"First time flying for her?"
Razan chuckles softly.
"Nah. It's just… some normal human stuff is insanely cool when you're not used to being normal."
Hank has zero clue what that means, but shrugs it off.
Gabato jumps into the cockpit, slams on his headset, and announces with dramatic flair:
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome aboard Gabato's Luxury Tours! Hold on tight, because here… we… GO!"
The helicopter roars, lifts off the pad, and banks toward the open ocean, heading straight for the heart of the mystery.