Page 23 of 3013: Wonderland

In the center of the island was a large lake filled with crystal-clear water. A massive park surrounded the lake with areas set up for picnics and outdoor concerts. There were a few docks where visitors could rent paddleboats or sign up for other water activities. There were cabins for people who wanted to stay on the island, and rental cabanas for anyone who wanted a private resting area.

Raek and Juliet were spending the day on Festival Island as a favor to Brielle and the Artane brothers. The new island wasn’t open to the public yet, and they wanted the opinion of a few people who didn’t normally play video games. After spending some time there, they were to report back on their likes, dislikes, and if anything was missing or should be changed.

Festival Island was large enough that it would take days to explore all of the areas, so they were only focusing on thesummer section for the day. Since it was warm out, he was dressed in a black tank and cargo pants, while she had on a pale yellow sundress with thick straps and a sparkly white belt. She had paired her outfit with white flats while he wore a pair of black sneakers.

He loved that her dress allowed him to see the new tattoo Fenris had done for her. At first, he’d been surprised that it was so big, but he relaxed once he saw how much she loved it.

He was well aware that she had slept in his brother’s bedroom last night. While Raek was jealous, it wasn’t a destructive feeling. He was simply eager for his turn to be with her. Raek and Fenris always knew they would share her since they both loved her and she loved them.

But they had to be careful not to push her too fast after all she’d been through.

As they walked toward the carnival, Raek noticed that Juliet glanced around at the crowd of people warily. “Too crowded?”

“Why are there so many people here? I didn’t think this place was open to the public yet.”

“It’s not.” He raised his arm up and tapped his wrist unit. “Evo, can you get rid of some of the holos in the carnival area?”

“Of course, Alpha Barra. Would you like me to remove a portion of all the holos, or just the visitors?”

“Just the visitors. All of the holo staff members can stay so we can interact with them.”

Instead of responding, the holos walking around the grounds simply disappeared so it wasn’t nearly as crowded.

He squeezed her hand. “Better.”

“Much. I didn’t realize they were all holos. Now, where should we begin?”

“Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat first?”

“I’m not sure my stomach could handle that. We should probably do the rides first before we eat.”

“Rides first, then I can win you a prize or two.”

Juliet flashed him a brilliant smile. “Let’s do it.”

They started out ambitiously, going on the highest rollercoaster first. When Juliet screamed the entire time, he’d been worried about her. Then, she’d dragged him on three more rides. After she complained about feeling a little queasy, they switched to playing some games at the booths that were set up. He won her a giant, pink stuffed rabbit throwing darts at a board, and she won him a sparkly blue butterfly keychain by winning a race through an obstacle course.

When her stomach rumbled, she laughed. “I guess I’m hungry. Should we try some of the food stands?”

“I made us a picnic lunch. We can eat down by the lake.”

“That sounds perfect.”

Juliet wasn’t surprised to see that there was a checkered blanket already spread out on the grass and a large cooler beside it. She sat on the blanket and watched with wide eyes as he unpacked a dozen food containers.

“Did you think you were feeding an army?”

He grinned. “I didn’t know what you would be in the mood for, so I brought options.”

“You sure did. I love everything you make.”

“And I love feeding you,” he said sincerely. “Now, should we open the champagne I packed or would you like juice?”

“Champagne, please.” As he opened the bottle, she glanced around. “I didn’t realize we were here so long. It’s getting dark already.”

He poured them both a glass of sparkling liquid, then they tapped the flutes together in a toast before taking a sip.

“It’s around midday back on the main island, but we were transported to a different part of the planetoid, so it’s almost night here. I can ask Evo to alter the image on the shield around the island if you want more daylight,” he explained.