I enjoyed writing this one. It turned out to be a little more epic than i originally anticipated, but i just went with it. It does have some supernatural elements which i usually try to avoid, but I've kept them pretty light so the reader can draw their own conclusions. Enjoy.
*****
It was the 3
rd
day of vacation and the four friends were making the most of their time in the Greek Islands. Feeling young, healthy and beautiful, the girls had accomplished much already, racking up glowing tans under a golden Mediterranean sun, flirting with boys and enjoying fun islands activities. The four girls humorously dubbed themselves the awesome foursome when they became friends' years earlier at rowing practice and the name stuck. Most of the girls had eager boyfriend's back home but it was Alice who received the most attention, due to a fortunate combination of her natural beauty and youthful allure.
Just weeks out of high school, the trip was a reward from the girls' parents for getting good grades in their final exams and to celebrate Alice's 18
th
Birthday. Everything was booked for them so all the girls had to do was board a plane and have fun. Lorena turned eighteen at the beginning of the year and considered herself the unofficial group leader, since parent's considered her to be the most mature. Lorena had a perfectly tall rowing physique with the straightest strawberry blonde hair imaginable, incredibly attractive.
Today's activity was a hiking trip that explored some ancient Greek ruins on the other side of the small island. The girl's signed up to the tour last night in the resort's beachside bar. The local girl who worked at the resort's front desk came over while they were having drinks and recommended it them. The four friend's, slightly tipsy signed up without hesitation. The local girl's English was poor, but she was very friendly and kind. Yet they never caught her name. A few minutes later after the girl left, Alice blushed as her holiday romance approached and announced he would be driving the girls to the tour and arranged the time to collect them.
In the morning, Alice was first up sorting clothes and making herself look good for Adonis. Ahh Adonis...The attractive young island local who's smile would simply whip the girls into frenzy. Whenever she saw him, she felt an involuntary flush that gave in to a girlish indulgence. The other three girls in the room thought it was hilarious but were also slightly jealous, for it was definitely Alice who was the prized specimen amongst them. Young and virginal, Alice had flawless white skin, the cutest face with matching blonde hair with a perfect and wholesome body. Alice fancied Adonis, and the feeling was reciprocal.
After enough preparing, it was time to leave. The four girls were driven in the hotel jeep along a winding road that snaked its way up the rocky coastal cliffs. On their left, the Ageon sea sparkled blue against the sunny white rock of the island, whilst on their right, lush green Mediterranean Forrest whipped by. Adonis drove them and insisted the girls call him by his preferred nickname, Adon.
Alice pointed out the setting was like something from a post card, while Adon just proudly acknowledged her and grinned, looking very cool in his aviators. The three girls in the open back seat threw their hands up and cheered for their so far amazing holiday. Further ahead were trees where the jeep turned inland, and continued for a few more minutes through the lush greenery till they reached the end of a remote dirt road. Ahead in a clearing, their tour guide was waiting for them. They could see the guide was a tall woman dressed in a white short sleeved shirt along with little khaki shorts and hiking boots. She looked of Greek origin because of her olive coloured skin and dark black hair that was pulled back into a bun. Her dark features made her age incredibly hard to guess. She looked old but young at the same time.
She was sitting on a tree stump and stood to greet the girls with a wave and a smile. The area she was standing in was a small clearing amongst dense green trees, where the road ended. The girls studied their surroundings but noticed there were no visible road signs or other tourists, it looked very remote. They thought it was a popular walking tour of some old Greek ruins, but they were the only people around.
Despite this, the girls excitedly jumped out of the jeep and took in their beautiful surroundings, snapping pictures in awe of the ancient Greek forest. The area looked untouched by man, with no clearings or paths to be seen. The air was still and the girls had a feeling this place was very old.
"Hello girls, my name is Diane". Exclaimed the woman, her accent was unrecognisable.
"Hi, I'm Lorena! This is Samantha, Chloe and Alice" stated Lorena as the group's elder, as she introduced the friendly faced girls to their tour guide.
Diane stared at Alice "It's lovely to meet you... I look forward to showing you all the divine history of this island" Diane declared, mainly focusing her words toward Alice before acknowledging the rest of the group.
Lorena thought the focus on Alice was a bit odd, but this tour guide was an exotic European lady and she probably just hadn't seen too many perky white blonde teenagers in her time. She was most probably intrigued, so Lorena quickly dismissed this concern. After all, she was only looking out for the group's youngest and naive member. Alice was not very worldly and still acted very much like the silly teenager she was.
An awkward silence followed the introductions when Diane began giving offensive glances towards Adon, making him feel like he outstayed his welcome or that there was bad blood between them. The girls attempted to avoid the odd tension between the two by looking around, contemplating which way they were headed as there didn't seem to be any trails or paths.
"Okay, I'll be here at 4pm to pick you all up!" said Adon as he shifted gears and hastily reversed, back up the dirt road. He completed a u-turn and sped off back to the coast. He made his exit in a way that almost seemed like he was frightened off by Diane's stare. The girls watched him drive out of sight as they waved goodbye. Alice fretted knowing her island crush wouldn't be joining them.
"So are you girls ready to have a look around" Diane said, acting friendly again and breaking the uneasy silence.
As the girls turned in response, they suddenly noticed a clear forest path lay directly behind where Diane was standing. They seem perplexed.
"I didn't even see that path there before" exclaimed Chloe. The other girls murmured in agreement.
"It wasn't there before was it? It's like it appeared out of nowhere!!" replied Samantha.
Diane just smiled and politely gestured for the girls to follow her down the jungle path. The girls clenched their cameras and water bottles and began their hike along the trail. After a few steps, Lorena looked back and couldn't see the clearing anymore, just dense bush, it was gone. It confused her, like the land was playing tricks on her, but she was with a guide so she wasn't too fussed and decided she should just relax, so she walked on.
The group hiked for about 15 minutes before coming to a stop on a small rocky outcrop that overlooked a stunning vista. There, far below them, drenched in sunlight sparkled a small lagoon surrounded by white rocky cliffs. Further inland from the lagoon, noticeable Greek ruins protruded from the lush green forest shrub. This valley looked majestic, it was an awesome sight to behold.
"Welcome, this is my home" Diane stated proudly.
As she said this, the four friends gasped at the beauty of the scene. They had only ever seen anything like this on instagram or in movies with islands set in tropical locations. Diane revelled at the girl's reactions by giving them warm smiles. She lovingly admired the girl's pretty faces and expressions of wonder and amazement.
"It's beautiful" one of the girls said.
The group sat down on the edge of the rocky overhang that overlooked the small valley and took it all in. The tour guide started explaining the islands history and historical timelines, interestingly she described it in a way that sounded like a first person recount, but this could be easily overlooked as simple language mistakes. But there was something about this woman, something odd and they felt it from their first introductions.
