#and second place that time was kidnapping weekend which isn’t in the cards

[hold-him-down]

tagged to do this by @flowersarefreetherapy and here it issss

[reminiscing-writer]

Off The Deep End

-

4

Warnings: violence, harsh language, fainting, miscarriage, and lots and lots of crying.

-

Derek Morgan, if you go over to those curtains one more time, I swear on all my plushies back at Quantico, I will beat your ass myself.” Penelope threatens for the fourth time in the past few hours. She receives a smile from Emily who’s seated beside a napping JJ.

“Babygirl. I’m just trying to open a window, it’s too hot here.” He squints at her, with sweat beads on his forehead.

“I don’t care!” She snaps, placing her laptop aside a little rougher than she'd like. She gets up from her spot on the couch, and shoves Derek aside from the open window, “You’re going to sweat through your clothes, you are going to make a puddle on this floor. I don’t care! But, we are not opening these, because if these open, then my internet fades away, and if my internet goes away, then I can't do any digging to find Spencer. So, no, Derek, you may not open the window!” She snaps.

He stares at her for a moment with wide eyes silently. As she returns back to her spot he follows her and sits at her feet.

“What?” She growls frustratedly. He softly takes her glasses off her face and folds them, putting them aside. “I can't see without those, Derek.” She huffs, going to take them back. He stops her hands, and brings them to his mouth and gives her knuckles soft kisses.

“Sweetie, I know this is stressful. It’s hard on all of us,” He speaks to her with love, “but, it's important we don't lose our temper with each other.” She looks at him dearly with teary eyes.

“I just wish I could do more.” She sniffles quite like a mouse, tears dripping from her eyes, “I feel like we’re not doing enough to help him.”

The team is all at wits end. It’s very clear. Earlier, Hotch had lost his temper with JJ because she hadn’t ‘talked to the local police about the case yet’. Even he knew that was a ridiculous thing to argue over, because, the local PD had nothing to do with this case. But, nonetheless, he had yelled at her, and she had argued back, causing the both to walk away from each other heated.

“Well, then talk to me. Tell me, what is it that can help you work better.” Derek wipes his dear friends cheeks, “Want me to help set the internet a little better?” He asks, stroking her cheeks with his large hands.

Her lips perk up at the corners, “Now you're talking my language, Baby.” She nods like a little child. The two continue back and forth for a bit. They don't realize they have a watcher from afar.

From the dining table in the kitchen, Amelia sat watching the two agents longingly. She knew they didn't have a romantic relationship, but she envied the way they were touching each other and smiling and loving. She envied them and she hated herself for it. Because, with every hour that passed without Spencers being found, was another hour that she was growing angrier.

Not at the team, she knew they were trying their best. But, at herself? She didn't really know; she just needed to be angry at something, or someone.

“How are you feeling?” A hand on Amelia's back startles her. She looks up to see Aaron.

He was older than her by a good decade or so, but Spencer always spoke with such respect to his name. Not so much as a father figure, but more so an older brother. So, eventually that's the role Amelia gave him in her life also.

“Alright,” She lied, taking a sip of her unintended cold coffee.

He takes a seat beside her. He’s about to say something when Derek and Penelope both call for Amelia.

Both of the two seated in the kitchen come into the living room. Hearing their call startles JJ awake, as she was napping on the love seat opposite to them. Emily places a hand on her thigh to reassure her nothing has happened.

“Ameilia,” Garcia starts off just above a whisper, “did you ever have anyone come and check your internet?”

All eyes are on her, “Yeah,” she's confused. She already said the internet was slow. Why does it matter? “I called someone a couple months back, but he didn't really help. In fact, I think it just got worse after he checked it.” She half shrugs. “Spencer thought I was crazy when I told him that.” She gives a ghost of a smile.

“What exactly did he do? The man you called for the wi-fi?” Penelope pries.

“Why does it matter?” Hotch asks.

“Just give me a second to figure this out,” Penelope stalls, looking back to Amelia, “What did he do when he came?”

Amelia licks her dry lips, starting to get anxious, “Um- he checked our router and our modem. Said it was old school, and he would give us a new one free of cost.” She takes a shaky breath in, “Why?”

“Where’s the new system he set up?” Derek asks, standing up from the couch he was seated on.

After Amelia points to the closet in her room, she comes back to Penelope. “Pen, what is it?”

“I have a hunch,” Garcia says, typing on her laptop, “I don't want to be right about it.” Derek comes out of the room with a tiny black box with flashing red lights. He hands it to Garcia, who without a beat says, “But, I'm afraid I am.”

“Sweatpea, this isn’t a new modem. This is a blocker.” Penelope says, turning it around and switching off numerous buttons on it. “The guy, whoever he was, came in here, and planted this on purpose.” She speaks directly to Ameila, though the whole team is watching her with wide eyes.

“Why would - why would someone do that?” Amelia stutters.

“It all makes so much more sense now!” Penelope's brain switches a flip and she tosses the blocker onto the floor, and starts typing hard on her computer. She laughs, “My internet is back! And I got something else too!” JJ gets up to stretch her legs and is instructed by Pen to go and open the curtains.

She's confused, but follows orders as told.

“Derek Morgan, I could kiss you.” Peneople is in her own world.

“I would love that, I really would. But, if we could know why…?” He snaps in front of her screen but she shoos his fingers away. She's in a trance. Maybe it's just because her internet is back up and running, but Amelia begins to get impatient.

She finally turns the screen around to show the team what she's looking at. She's panting as though she ran a mile in under a minute.

The whole team looks at her screen in confusion. “Is that-?” Emily starts.

“Is that us?” Amelia finishes.

“That's us.” Morgan confirms as he raises his arm just to watch his arm raise on the screen.

“What is going on?” Aaron looks at Penelope.

Penelope waits for a dramatic pause, and then she says with complete confidence, “Amelia, someone has been watching you and Spencer for a while now. That same someone was the one who had that blocker planted in your apartment, so they could block any interruptions in and out of here. My bet is,” She turns her laptop back around, “they’re the ones in charge of Spencer's kidnapping.”

Amelia takes in all the information one by one. “But, I called the internet guy just out of chance.” She recalls her memory.

“Where did you find his number?” Emily asks.

“Spencer gave it to me. Actually, he’s the one who called him.” She remembers, “I had complained to him that I was having trouble working on my kindergarteners report cards, so he said he had found someones number on a bulletin board. He’d spoken to him himself, and said the guy would come over the weekend.”

“This is good,” Hotch says, “this is the closest thing to a lead we’ve had since Spencer has gone missing. Emily and Derek, you two go and check out the bulletin boards back at the office, and check if you can see what number Spencer had gotten in contact with.”

The two agents nod, and head out of the apartment, “Penelope,” Hotch says. As she looks up, he replies, “great work.” She beams a smile.

Amelia feels something deep in her stomach. Maybe it's the baby she never forgets about. Or, maybe it's the sense of guilt taking over her. Because, if she hadn't complained to Spencer about the crappy wi-fi, then the man wouldn't have come over. If he didnt come over, he wouldn't have planted the blocker which would mean they wouldn't have surveillance on them. Which would mean Spencer wouldn't have gotten kidnapped, and then he’d still be here today holding her close and-

She begins to feel lightheaded and loses her footing slightly staggering in place. Aaron quickly catches eye of her losing balance and runs up to her. He quickly places a hand on her back and seats on the nearest couch.

“Amelia, we will find him, you have to take it easy..” He reassures her. Most, if not all, of the team knew about her pregnancy. Only the females had made it verbal, but the males also showed just a little extra care towards her in the past 24 hours

-

-

Emily and Derek roll up to their Quanatico office half an hour after the conversation back at the Doctors apartment. They both step out of the car. “So, what are we looking for?” Derek asks, taking off his sunglasses, tucking them into his back pocket.

“Well, Amelia said Spencer had found the electricians number on the bulletin board. Our first best bet is probably the one in the kitchen.”

“But,” Derek opens the door for Emily, “is it really like him to just call a random stranger over to his apartment? I mean, the guy doesn't sound like he worked for a big company.”

The two file into the elevator and start heading up, “Well, he's not really one for technology, is he? He wouldn't really care as long as the problem got solved. Amelia said herself, the problem wasn't bothering him, it was bothering her.” Emily walks out of the elevator first after it stops.

“And, he would do anything in his power to help her be happy.” Derek says as they walk into the bullpen and head for the kitchen. “Even if that meant calling up a stranger and asking for help.”

When they walk into the kitchen nothing stands out to them. Coffee is brewing for other agents, sing has a few dirty mugs, and the bulletin board is just filled with papers they'd seen before.

Derek skims the pages and doesn't seem satisfied, “This is all the regular stuff. Flyers for newbies, orientation timings, and lectures by older agents. Nothing about electricians.”

“Well, there has to be something somewhere.” Emily grunts as she goes to fill herself a mug of hot caffeine. She offers to make Derek a cup, but he declines politely.

“Okay, so I’m Pretty Boy, okay?” He looks at Prentiss, “My wife needs help with the internet at home. I don't know jack squat about that stuff, so what do I do?”

“Ask someone else for help?”

“But, I'm also too shy to ask someone myself. I don't see any flyers here at work, so…” he trails for a second before continuing, “maybe, i see a flyer at my regular cafe.” He lifts an eyebrow suggestively.

Emliy hums in agreement, “Could be.” She nods, “He does get to work with coffee in hand, so he has a regular spot. Someone was already watching him, so they probably knew that. Could’ve planted a trap for him there.”

Derek takes out his phone and dials a memorized number on speaker, “Speak to me, Chocolate Thunder.” Penelope answers.

“Hey, Mama. I need you to look up the route from Spencer's apartment to work. Tell me what coffee shops you see between us.”

Typing begins on the other side before the hear Amelia's shy voice.

“Is this regarding Spencer?”

“Yeah,” Emily answers, “would you happen to know where he got his morning coffee from, Amelia?”

“Uh, yes,,” she replies, “it’s this small cafe like ten minutes from here.” She pauses, “I think it's called The Corner Brewery.”

“Already sent you the address to your cells.” Garcia adds.

“Of course The Genius marries a Genius.” Derek smiles, “You're a lifesaver, Amelia. You too, PC. Get back to you two soon.” He hangs up.

“To the The Corner Brewery we go.” Emily jangles the keys.

-

-

Amelia is in the kitchen making some pasta. No one is hungry, including her. But no one stops her, because she needs something to keep herself busy or she goes back into overthinking mode. Unhealthy for her and the baby.

Penelope sits clacking away at her computer. She had a router backtracking number from the camera she had gotten connected to (the surveillance footage one), so she was hoping she could find the location it was coming from.

Hotch sat across from her, on the phone with Strauss because she was on his ass about his entire team being absent from work with no notice. Hotch was winning the argument, he usually is.

JJ walks into the kitchen, “Can I help?” She offers.

“No, thank you.” Amelia says quietly and politely.

“Amelia,” JJ calls for her attention, “Em and Derek are so close to getting more information. We’ll find him. I promise.”

“Aren't you not allowed to give empty promises like that?” Amelia locks eyes with JJ for the first time all day. It knocks the breath out of Jennifer because she sees just how broken Amelia looks. Her eyes are puffy and rimmed red from constant crying. Her nose is red, and her lips are trembling.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s okay, I just-,” Amelia turns back to the pot she was stirring, “I really want him to come back home, but please stop giving me false hope.”

It breaks JJ’s heart seeing Amelia so broken. They were never super close, but Amelia was Spencer's wife. And, Spencer was her best friend, and that was enough for her to love Amelia.

A knock on the front door breaks the girl's attention away from their brief conversation.

Hotch stands up immediately, and JJ protectively stands in front of Amelia, with her hand immediately on the gun on her waist. Hotch takes a slow step towards the door, and calls out loudly, “Who is it?”

No answer.

Hotch looks back at JJ, and when she nods, indicating she's ready to fire on command, he swiftly opens the door, pulling out his own gun simultaneously. There's no one at the door, which makes Amelia exhale a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Theres a small package on the welcome mat outside, and just as the previous package, in messy handwriting, it has Mrs. Reid scribbled on it.

Hotch quickly looks outside the door left, right, then left again, and brings the package inside. After shutting and locking the door, he places it on the center table.

Amelia, still traumatized from the last thing they received slowly approaches it, “What is it?”

Aaron shrugs, “Light,” he lowers himself to inspect the package before opening it, “doesn't seem like there's much in it.”

“Maybe you should go inside,” Penelope offers, “since last time-”

“No,” Amelia quickly interjects, “I can handle it. I can do it, I have to. This is about my husband.” She inhales deeply, “I can be strong for him. Open it, Aaron,” She encourages him with the fakest face of courage she can muster up.

He waits a moment, but realizes she's not going anywhere. He begins opening the packing cautiously, just to realize it's a cardboard box. Inside is just a disk. A CD. No label, no tag, no writing. Just a CD.

All heads turn to Garcia, and she nods and holds out a palm to Hotch, “Pass it, I’ll check what it is.”

He hands it to her and she inserts into her laptop. Amelia is seated beside her watching her work away on her laptop.

“There’s a single file on here. A video.” She squints at her screen.

Without another movement made by Garcia, a video opens up on her computer. Her and Amelia gasp in unison. It’s Spencer. Tied to a chair, bloody rag covering his now four-fingered hand.

He looks scared, and bloodied and bruised. His hair is matted down to his forehead and one of his eyes is so swollen that it’s shut. Breathing labored, he tilts his up towards the camera slightly, his messy hair moving with him.

Amelias eyes water and her lips tremble. She covers her mouth with a shaky hand to stop herself from crying. Be brave, she reminds herself, be brave and strong for Spencer.

Penelope places her equally shaking hand on her friends thigh, just as to remind her, we’re here for you.

“Whenever you’re ready, Spencie.” A voice says from off camera. Garcia places the laptop front and center on the living room coffee table.

Spencer takes a deep breath, “Amelia,” his bottom lip quivers, “I am so sorry, Sweetheart.” At the mention of the nickname Amelia whimpers. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, and I would never have hoped you would be involved in this also.” He shut both his eyes and looked down at his lap. “We’ll figure this out, Buttercup.” This nickname causes Amelia's eyes to water and start streaming silent tears. “Just you and me, against the world.” A small smile from him earns him an identical one from his wife.

“And, Amelia, I promise you,” he swallows hard, looking back up once again. His face almost unrecognizable, this time JJ looks away with her eyes shut, “once I get out of here, you and me, we’ll go on that date to Griffith Park observatory you’ve always wanted to go to. But, maybe we’ll skip the ending, I don’t like the end of the observatory.” Amelia furrows her brows, her heart beating a mile a minute. “And, then, maybe we could watch a movie. Like that one Jim Carrey film. What was it? Something, Ventura? It was top class acting, I know you said that.” Amelia can sense something off, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. She messily wipes her tears, sniffling. She stands up catching the eye of JJ.

“Please, Amelia.” Spencer pleaded desperately, “I love you.” He was crying too. His voice was shaking. He was at his breaking point.

“Hey, Lover Boy!” The same voice from before came loudly. A man walked from behind the camera, keeping in mind of not showing his face. He walks towards Spencer, his back to the viewers, “Would you like to give us the password now?”

Amelias breathing shallowes, and she unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach. As she stares at Spencer with wide eyes, the man swings a punch straight to his gut. “Couldn’t hear you, dear.” He chuckles evilly.

Amelia watches in horror as the man cracks his knuckles, “Speak up for me.'' Another punch gets delivered to her husband's chest.

“Please stop.” Spencer pleaded, spitting blood. The sight made Amelia cry loudly, and Aaron tries to move her from in front of the screen.

“Garcia, turn it off.” He orders, equally shaken up.

“I’m trying,” she cries, tapping at herkeyboard, “it won’t go away.” She sniffles desperately.

“You know what I want. Give it to me, and I’ll stop.” The man threatens. He walks away for a second just to return back into the screen with a large metal rod.

“Garcia!” Aaron scolds loudly.

“It won’t turn off!” She yells back, scared.

Spencer squeezes his eyes shut, and as if Amelia's body couldn’t handle seeing her husband get hurt any longer, her eyes shut on her, and she falls straight to the floor.

“I’ll tell you!” The team hears Spencer plead on camera. But, no one is watching the screen anymore. Instead, they all quickly huddle around Amelia, who lay on the floor. Eyes shut with tears streaking her cheeks. The commotion of the apartment is loud for the next few moments.

Spencer in the video giving a password to his captor. Garcia is on the phone with the police, telling them to send an ambulance to her current address. JJ is trying to wake up Amelia, her head being softly placed onto the agents lap.

JJ strokes Amelia's hair softly, “Amelia, please. Please wake up.” She whispers, her eyes ready to leak tears.

Aaron, in the midst of the chaos, turns his attention to Spencer just to hear him say the last few letters.

“That’s not right.” He mumbles, grabbing JJ’s attention.

“What?” She looks up.

“That’s not the code. If the code they want is the Integrity Files one, he gave them a faulty password.”

“Why would he do that?” She asks.

A few moments later, paramedics rush into the apartment. After Garcia argues her way into the ambulance also, JJ and Aaron agree to meet at the hospital.

“I’ll let Derek and Emily know.” JJ says to Garcia as she sits next to a still unconscious Amelia. Penelope nods and the medics shut the ambulance doors.

-

-

Back at The Corner Brewery, Derek and Emily walk with purpose. The barista asks them for their orders.

“No coffee, although, we were wondering if you guys had a bulletin board of any sort?” Emily asks as Derek takes a look around.

The cafe was very large. It was busy, and the amount of customers made Derek nervous if they would find any information they seeked.

“Yes,” the man behind the counter replied bored, “we allow paying customers to post any advertisements they want over there.” He points to a cork board that hung at the end of the store.

Very big, and very much covered in papers, and stickers and flyers.

They nod, and before heading to the board, Derek feels the need to flash his badge. Just to show that he has a reason to be here.

“Where do we start?” Emily gawks at the board. There’s at least 50 different papers layered on top of one another.

The two agents start to remove paper by paper to see if they can see any ads that may stand out. After half an hour of unsuccessful searching, Derek excused himself.

“I gotta take a bathroom break, Prentiss.” He walks away as she nods. He walks up to the barista and asks for the men’s room. As he’s about to walk away, he catches glimpse of a page hanging behind the wall the barista stood in front of. “Hey, my man.” He grabs the servers attention, “What’s that?” He points to the page.

The barista comes by. He tears the paper off the wall and hands it to him. “An ad, probably hung up by one of the other servers here. Customers aren’t allowed back here.” He gives a half shrug before walking away.

Need help with bad internet? Call us today!

Derek rushes back to Em to show her what he found.

“Hey, check this out.” He hands it to her.

She reads it over. It looks simple, like it was printed at home. A stock photo image of a computer with a large red cross over it. The heading was big and bold. Loud enough to catch attention.

At the bottom of the page, there was a name and number.

“Leonel Cassum.” Emily reads the name at the bottom.

“I think we should give him a call,” Derek looks over at the number, “after that bathroom break.” He turns back around to where he was before.

-

“So, Leonel,” Derek starts, sitting opposite of the male they called in for questioning, “tell me, how’s business?”

He’s confused. The freckles on his nose move as he scrunches his nose, “It’s alright, going decent enough.” He looks from Derek to Emily and back. “Am I allowed to ask why I’m here?”

Derek gives a large smile, almost condescendingly, “Of course you are,” he pauses, waving over Emily. She hands him a folder. “now, do you know who Dr. Spencer Reid is?”

The young blonde shakes his head. “No, why am I here?” There’s a shake in his voice.

“Because,” Emily takes a seat next to Derek, “Dr. Reid is missing. And you’re our only lead. The whole case is sitting on your shoulders.” She points her index to him.

He stares back, mouth agape, “W-what? No, no that’s not possible.” He leans forward, “Look, you guys have the wrong guy. I didn’t do anything. I don’t even know who that is!” He looks desperately from one agent to the other.

“Really?” Emily raises an eyebrow, “Well, it says in your call records,” she opens her folder, “that you spoke to Dr. Reid exactly three months ago. It was a five minute long call. He had called you, at,” she squints at her page, “8 in the morning. Early, huh?” She looks to Morgan.

“Well, maybe Leonel here isn’t an early riser. That’s why he doesn’t remember who he spoke with. Right, Leonel?” Derek looks to their guest.

He stares back, “I- I may have spoken to him.” He shrugs, “But, I speak to a lot of people everyday. It’s nothing significant.”

“Well, it must’ve been. Because, you spoke to him on a Friday, and agreed the very next day. Fast service for such a busy company.” Emily counters.

Leonel looks to the dark haired agent, “It must’ve been a slow weekend, I really don’t know what you guys are intending.” He continues his innocence.

Emily stands up slamming the table with her palms, scaring the kid, “We’re intending you spoke to the Doctor, came to his house, placed a blocker in his home,” she inches close to Leonel's face, “and have been watching him like a stalker since then. Now he’s gone missing! So, who’s head is that on? Yours!” She yells in his face.

Leonel scoots back, “I didn’t do any of that!” He cries.

“We have footage of you walking into his apartment, Leonel!” Emily walks around the table so she’s next to his chair, “How much are you going to lie before you break?” She stares at him menacingly. Derek quietly watches, playing the good cop between them.

Leonel's shoulders start to shake.

“I’m real tight on money.” He squeaks. “Some guy came up to me at a cafe and told me he’d pay me hefty if I just go along with a few things he wanted.” He looks to Derek, almost ignoring Emily.

“It started off small, like just making a flyer. Then he told me I'd receive a call,” he wipes his nose with his sleeve, “and after a few days, I did. I was told what to say, and I did exactly that.” He wipes his tears quickly, “All I did was set up a small blocker in his apartment.” His breathing gets shaky again, “But, that’s all! That’s all I did! I didn’t kidnap anyone! I didn’t hurt anyone! I swear!” He cries.

Emily goes back around next to Derek, “If he’s saying the truth, then there’s another surveillance guy.”

“I don’t know who he is,” Leonel speaks quietly, “but,” he swallows hard, “I can tell you where he’s at. I heard the guys who hired me talk about it once.”

Leonel gets sat with a facial artist first, to hopefully get a rough sketch of the man who hired him. And then he gives the address of what he thinks should be the place the creep who was watching Spencer is set up.

-

Derek drives to the given address, which happens to be just a street opposite of Spencer and Amelia's abode.

“Makes sense, seeing as how close this is to Amelia's place,” Emily gets out of the passenger seat and looks up at a tall building, squinting as the sun hits her eyes.

“Well, this is the address blondie gave us, so let's give it a look.” Derek starts to walk into the apartment complex before them.

They walk in and quickly come to realize that anything could happen in this building, and no one would know. The place was empty. Maybe there were residents living there, but whoever they were, they were very much to themselves.

The two agents make sure their badges are on display on their belts, and start to inspect the building. Slowly making their way up each floor, they finally stop at the 7th floor. As the elevator doors open, Derek stops the doors from closing with his hands, “Well, this looks promising.”

The floor seemed to be under construction. Paint buckets laid everywhere, and plastic sheets hung from the walls.

As the two stepped out of the elevator, they hear a paint can fall in the distance. Instantly whipping their head in that direction, Emily calls out loudly, “Federal Agents! Who's there?”

When instead of a reply they hear footsteps running, both of them grab a hold of their weapons and start running towards the sound. Derek gives a quick and quiet hand motion, telling Emily to split up to over more ground.

It a large floor and the place is split into different sections just by plaster or lanky wood. Once the footsteps stop, the only sound they hear is wind and their own breathing. Neither of the agents say a word.

Then, a sound behind Morgan, something sounding like a rustling makes him whip his entire body around and instinctively tackle. And rightfully so, because down goes the man they’re supposedly looking for.

Emily comes running up next to the two men who are wrestling, (although Morgan is most definitely winning). She hands Derek a pair of handcuffs and pulls out her vibrating cell to see JJs caller ID.

“Great time, JJ,” She breathes into the phone catching her breath. “We’ve got good news.”

“I’ve got some bad news.” JJ says at the same time on the other end. When Emily doesn’t say anything else, she continues, “What’s the good news?”

Emily walks a few feet away from Derek as he forces his handcuffed man up forcefully. She walks towards a set up right by an open window. A camera, a laptop, a few other boxes that are beeping green and red, and something that she didn’t expect; a large sniper rifle. All aiming straight at the dear doctors apartment.

“We found our peeping Tom. Well, he seems more like sniping Tom, but you know what I mean.” Emily says, “What’s the bad news?” She furrows her brows.

“Amelia fainted at the apartment.” JJ says, “We received a video of Spencer and she passed out while watching it. We’re headed to the hospital now.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you there.” Em replies, following Derek into the elevator.

“Oh, yeah, and Em?”

“Yeah?”

“This is about the Integrity Case. The kidnappers were torturing Reid for the password on camera.”

-

-

We’re so sorry. Sorry. So sorry. We tried. Our deepest condolences.

It doesn’t make any sense to Amelia. Sorry about what? She can barely remember what’s happened, and here doctors and nurses apologizing to her.

She continues to stay silent as a male doctor stands before her speaking of something that doesn’t register in her brain.

She’s in a hospital. She knows that. She’s been changed into a gown, she knows that also. Her mind feels woozy, that’s something also.

A nurse steps in front of her, “Is there anything I can do for you, Darling? Before we leave you for a bit.”

Amelia licks her lips before speaking, “I’m just a little lost,” as she speaks, she realizes she’s slurring her words slightly, “what’s happened?” She blinks hard.

“Oh,” the nurses blinks, “well, you’re friends out there say you had a fainting episode. And, well, sometimes if the body is undergoing a lot of stress, it can put a lot of stress on the baby also.” She's speaking slowly and clearly- unlike the doctor before her. “Sometimes, that can cause the fetus to get over worked,” she tilts her head slightly, “and, in your case, unfortunately, the fetus was far too young to try and save.”

The words slowly start to settle into Amelia's already foggy brain. Her hand goes onto her stomach.

Sorry. So sorry. We’re so sorry.

“We did try our best, but there was only so little we could do.” The nurse says sympathetically.

“The baby,” Amelia's voice is quiet, “the baby… is gone?” She asks in utter disbelief.

“We are so terribly sorry for your loss, hun.”

And before another word can leave anyone else’s mouth, Amelia's shoulders start to tremble as she breaks down. Loud cries leave her room as she cries over the loss of her unborn child.

A nurse comes outside and informs the team of what happened. Some shed a tear, others conceal their feelings till they’re in private. But they all hear the cries from Amelias room. Loud and clear.

It’s all pent up feelings.

Grief, because even if the baby wasn’t in her arms, it was still inside her. She was still talking to the baby. Telling them about what a great father Spencer is. Talking to them about how wonderful a mother she will be also. How much she’s looking forward to them growing everyday. Telling them just how much they’re loved, even before they’ve entered the world.

Anger, because Spencer isn’t here with Amelia. He didn’t know she was pregnant, much less know she’s lost the baby. She knows it’s ridiculous to be angry, but she is upset. He should’ve been here. If he was here, she wouldn’t have lost the baby.

She knows it’s not his fault. He wanted a family just as much Amelia did. They’d been trying for years, and when they did finally succeed-

Amelia screams. Again, and again, and again.

Some words. Some just incoherent screams. Her voice is not nearly loud enough to express all the emotions she’s feeling. Her screams boom through the whole maternity ward. While some mothers are cradling their newborns, this mother is mourning the loss of hers.

JJ decides to stay back with Amelia, even if it does mean just waiting in the waiting room. Garcia and Derek team together to go back to the apartment to gather all their belongings to head back to the office. Hotch and Emily agree to head into question their newfound suspect.

Amelia is left alone in the room.

Missing her husband.

Missing her child.

Losing everyone she loves, one by one.

-

Tag team!

(Drop a comment if you also want to be tagged when the next part goes up!)

@twentysomethingloser92 @spencerreidsthings @mbowles23-blog @andiebeaword @dontshootmespence @notdisneychannel @wiitchxbiitch @manchildstagram @lagirl112

[mocha-sim]

i feel like writing out more headcanons so here goes

(long post warning)

Megami

She’s struggling to find something she’s not naturally good at just to feel the sense of learning and improving

She enjoys the respect and admiration of other students but wishes they wouldn’t fear her so much

Aoi has been her best friend since they were little and is very protective of her

Initially she isn’t attracted to Taro and just wants to protect him from Ayano, but starts to fall for him both over shared interests and over the fact that he’s one of the only people to see her as a person instead of some higher being

That one friend who’s always ready for the camera, even when she’s not

She has an interest in engineering and likes to study it in what little free time she gets

After she becomes CEO she makes an attempt to repair her relationship with her brother by offering him a position in the company. He refuses, runs off with his share of the inheritance money and then sends multiple assassins after her

Taro

He reads all kinds of books but his favourite genre is psychological horror

He also likes cheesy romance novels. Hanako and Taeko like to tease him about it

Taeko is his twin sister who didn’t make it into Akademi and attends a different school. He and Hanako are much closer and though she’s never spoken up about it, she always feels left out

He has suspicions that someone is stalking him but doesn’t have any evidence and doesn’t want to sound crazy/paranoid

By the time week 10 rolls around he’s 100% sure that he’s being stalked and sits awake in his bed at night, watching the window, chugging caffeine to stay awake with a baseball bat by his side

If the weather is bad he’ll go and read in the library. He’s good friends with Kuu

Budo is like a brother to him and is usually the first person he talks to about his problems. (Hanako is very important to him but she always overreacts)

Shiromi

Her family is the most important thing to her and insulting them is one of the few things that can genuinely piss her off

She had an occult phase and got super into doing tarot cards/palm readings. She’s still interested in it but not enough to consider joining the occult club

Being Kaga’s half-sister means that she spends a lot of time around the science club members. She hangs out with Homu and Meka on weekends

The three of them grow the closest in their third year after the other science club and student council members have graduated

Her whole mentality is “life’s too short”, which is why she acts the way she does and is always looking for something new or interesting. She got it from her parents

She loves candy and is always on the hunt for a type she hasn’t tried before

She’s good with kids, partially because she babysits for families in her area a lot

Very very social and extroverted, but she has a hard time reading social cues sometimes and her lack of expression is off-putting to a lot of people

One of the shortest students in school, but she doesn’t let it get to her

Aoi

She places a lot of her self-worth on her physical ability, which is why someone beating her in a fight would leave scars not only physically but emotionally as well

She sees people who are aggressive or willing to do amoral things as a necessity to stopping troublemakers and criminals

She’s into heavy metal

Last year she spent pretty much all her time around Megami or by herself. She almost joined the sports club but couldn’t stand any of the other club members

She has trouble making friends and feels sort of lost and alone after Megami goes away for nine weeks

Shiromi is the only council member who made an effort to talk to her and one of the few students who was never afraid of her

One day Budo just came up and started talking to her. Now they’re friends. When anyone asks how they became friends Aoi replies with “he just kinda never went away”

Secretly afraid of heights but would never admit it

She can’t flirt at all but Megami is always trying to act as her wingman when she shows interest in a girl

Akane

She squints because she can’t stand the cheap fluorescent lights and who can blame her

Still has stuffed animals and isn’t ashamed of it

i’m just going to say it: i hate the idea of her secretly being an “eeevil” edgelord character but i do want her to have more depth than just “the cute nice one”

She’s a genuinely good person who struggles with bad/violent thoughts but pushes back against them. She sometimes worries that these thoughts make her irredeemably evil and feels guilty for them

Kuroko and Shiromi are both protective of her and she thinks it’s the sweetest. Kuroko has noodle arms and Shiromi weighs maybe 90 pounds soaking wet, but it’s the thought that counts

She’s afraid of Aoi and tries to avoid her

She likes to make jewelry and made friendship bracelets for the other council members. Shiromi wears hers openly and proudly, and Kuroko wears hers under her sleeve

She won’t outright say that she has a favourite among her admirers, but it’s Daku simply because he doesn’t get into fights over her like the others

Kuroko

She’s extremely focused on living up to her rich and successful parents

Her family puts a lot of pressure on her to be constantly working or studying, which left her with little to no social life before Akane and Shiromi came into the picture

She thinks that the only reason Aoi made it onto the council is because of her close relationship with Megami

Akane got her into a band she likes and now Kuroko listens to their music when studying

She likes reptiles and has a pet snake

Her sleep schedule is fucked beyond repair

She has trouble outwardly expressing emotions because of her upbringing and sees it as a sign of weakness

After finding out that Shiromi’s parents give her so much independence, she took it upon herself to watch over Shiromi and keep her out of trouble. She sees Shiromi’s parents as failures who can’t care for their child properly

Akane is the only other member of the council she really respects as a fellow adult. She’s also the only one Kuroko will confide in

Info

Her real name is Ayame Yoshida

Outwardly she thinks of her father (the journalist) as a loser who can’t support his daughter or himself, and doesn’t deserve a thing from her

Inwardly she still loves him and leaves him a share of her money for food and to pay the bills, but since she feels she can’t rely on him she’s built up walls and doesn’t really communicate with him

She used to be friends/partners in crime with Shiromi in middle school, until Info “disappeared” sometime during her last year

When she found out Shiromi was attending Akademi she offered money if she would lend her skills to Info’s work, but Shiromi refused

She has some anger issues

Also sort of a god complex

She secretly likes to play video games on the computers when she’s not doing her work

Outside of mission mode she still operates an assassination business which extends far outside of Akademi and even outside of Buraza. Ayano just isn’t one of her assassins

Kaga

He does want to take over Saikou Corp, but he also has genuine feelings for Megami and wants to impress her

He just doesn’t understand exactly how to go about pursuing her and messes it up a lot

Yaku and Horo are good friends of his, Homu is ok with him, and Meka straight-up hates him

His mother re-married after divorcing his father and had a daughter with her new husband. He sometimes feels like he’s not really part of the family and that his parents love his half-sister more

He used to have pet rats. Now he has pet mutant rats that his parents made him promise to never ever show to the public

Sometimes he takes apart others’ stuff without asking them first. He once dismantled Akane’s bike while she was over for a sleepover with Shiromi. Akane cried and Kuroko yelled at him

He hates cats because of a past experiment involving a cat gone wrong. It looked something like the Cats movie

Yaku and Horo respect his dedication to science but really want to get him outside more

The Aishi Twins

Ayano joined the student council and Yanagi (Yan-kun) joined the art club

The two of them haven’t exactly gotten along since they were kids, but they tolerate each other

Ayano can’t stand Megami or Aoi and treats both of them with a sort of cold faux-politeness. Megami does the same to her. Aoi will snap at her any chance she gets

Yanagi, being the second child born, doesn’t suffer from the Aishi curse but being brought up in a house with Ayano and Ryoba still fucks him up. He doesn’t really see any value in the lives or well-being of others

Ayano kills, kidnaps, and tortures to meet her goals. Yanagi does it for the thrill

While Ayano is interested in Taro, Yanagi doesn’t have a specific person as his goal and does whatever he feels like at the time

Neither one of them ever meets Taeko face-to-face, but if they did Ayano would take an interest in her as well since she’s Taro’s twin

Outside of using the art club as a front for his “hobbies”, Yanagi is genuinely a pretty good painter. He has a similar vision to Borupen and is the only one he really gets along with

[espbee]

i wasn’t originally going to post this since i’ve seen several other (perfectly valid) mob psycho timelines out there but you all wanted to see it so here it is!

this does not include pre-canon or the reigen spin off. the first b/c i didn’t really care lol and the second b/c i haven’t read the spin off for reasons i’m sure you already know.

almost every single one of these dates is based on canon evidence (see notes below) but a few are speculation. i go into depth under the cut so if you want to know, say, exactly what day mob buys the monkey shirt you can find out. if you want to see a specific panel hmu!

feel free to use as reference when writing fanfics or meta or whatever else you might want to use it for :D just please don’t repost 

Spring of Youth Arc

it’s not super important how many days pass in ep 1 but i think it’s all within a week. might be some overlap with ep 2 (tunnel exorcism on same day takenaka quits club? according to the manga it happens later anyway)

going by anime here: takenaka quits the club monday or tuesday, tome asks mob to join the club wednesday if i remember right (also the day he goes to the girl’s high school) and he joins the body improvement club friday)

(LOL) Cult Arc

not much to say. it’s literally an afternoon and the teru arc starts the very next day

Teruki Hanazawa Arc

happens basically immediately after the cult. like mob knows dimple for like 3 days before he’s “exorcised”

fight on a friday bc it’s on weekend news

aftermath: mob in pink hoodie probably on saturday, mezato interrogates him monday

Big Cleanup Arc

shigeo mentions in the divine tree arc that student council meetings are on mondays. however only having weekly meetings would make this arc take a really long time so i’m guessing it’s semiweekly. i’m guessing the other day is thursday because ritsu says he has a meeting on the thursday that mob confesses

same monday as end of teru arc: student council meeting where ritsu suggests a big cleanup, mitsuura gives ritsu his card

thursday: big cleanup plan submitted, mezato and onigawara look for mob (for totally different reasons), ritsu in the street w/ tokugawa

next monday: student council plans to get rid of onigawara

awakening lab might be on the same day as above but i’m not sure, mob also goes on a “date” with tome that day and sees koyama for the first time. that night is when shinji’s family gets after him for not being perfect and he decides to go apeshit

i’m guessing the recorder scandal happens the next morning (wednesday?). it doesn’t actually say if ritsu awakens that exact day but i’m just going to say it does

a little bit of time goes by (about a week?) ritsu’s becoming popular and he develops his psychic power. teru vs ritsu happens somewhere here. people are complaining about the big clean up

the day that ritsu and kamuro confront onigawara in the body improvement club room is the same day that ritsu first attacks the delinquents from the other schools (monday)

im guessing a day goes by before kamuro is beaten up (tuesday), then another day before he’s beaten up again (wednesday)

kamuro is absent from the student council meeting the next thursday

ritsu only has his powers for 9 days before announcing that he’s obtained loss

7th Division Arc

one month before touichirou arrives in japan. this makes sense because it’s not like the day he arrives he’s going to attack. touichirou probably arrives in late september or early october, prepares things for a couple weeks

mob goes to shinji’s house on sunday, ritsu and mob talk on the swings monday, shinji apologizes to onigawara tuesday. the kageyama parents know about ritsu’s power by tuesday night (what was that conversation like)

Mob’s Girlfriend Mini-Arc

2 weeks long: one for the elections and one for the dating

sidenote: psycho helmet cult has gained 700 followers by now and it’s been about a month according to mezato (and the timeline!)

mob works the monday after his brother’s kidnapped jeez reigen give the kid a break

going to say it’s wednesday when shinji resigns

mezato talks to mob about running on thursday

one week later: elections! (going to say they’re on a friday). emi asks him out that afternoon

mob and emi “date” for a week. im guessing she “breaks up” with him friday and he fixes her torn up story on monday since there’s enough time for everyone to react. i think the anime has all that happen on the same day though. either way is good

Urban Legend Arc

reigen complains about four days without customers

kuchisake-onna: it’s the weekend b/c mob’s wearing a sweater instead of his uniform and also b/c i doubt mob skipped school

reigen makes his website overnight and mob’s wearing his uniform the next day which means the trip to the urban legend town has to be on sunday

the first trip to the ghost house is on a sunday (what a busy day!), and the second trip is on monday

Keiji Mogami Arc

literally the day after the ghost house wtf (so… tuesday?)

if it feels like 6 months for mob would that mean he’s almost a third year in the dream world? or already is a third year? oh no…

uh technically there’s an aftermath the next day but really the arc is one day

Separate Ways Arc

kumagawa’s birthday is in late september btw. idk if there’s any kumagawa stans out there but now you know he’s a libra

kijibayashi’s birthday: 10/5? (also the day mob finally cant take reigen’s bs anymore)

mob doesn’t show up to work for at least four days pre-birthday (probably five days since kijibayashi’s birthday needs to be on a school day)

reigen’s birthday: 10/10 (also i’m assuming this is either the day of or the day after he defeats the video game thing)

he has to have enough time to offer classes and become a local celebrity… i’d assume he offers that course at his office that friday night (10/12). he’s interviewed that day too. a few days later he goes on tv (i’m going to say 10/15)

goes to bar 3 days after the tv show (wednesday 10/17)

thursday 10/18: reporterless-day

friday 10/19: press conference, “my master… he is a good person” *sobs*)

World Domination Arc

mob has 10 days to prepare for the marathon

marathon on friday (11/2)

teru fights shimazaki for the first time saturday morning, mob doesn’t wake up until sometime in the afternoon, and rei-gun is in the evening

mob sleeps like 18 hours… oof

the kageyama parents return home monday evening

Yokai Hunter Mini-Arc

this isn’t listed as seperate from the Divine Tree Arc according to the wiki but i’m calling it a mini-arc because the broccoli isn’t really the focus

mob mentions the future prospects assignment is due in a week

seri starts working at spirits and such a few days after the wd arc ends

going to guess there’s some overlap with the future prospects assignment and that it’s due sometime during culture festival preparations because otherwise the timeline breaks

okay everyone i know culture festivals are usually on or around november 3rd but according to all canon evidence there is absolutely no way that can happen on time. there’s literally no time. it has to take place at least 2 weeks after the wd arc

going to say the culture festival is nov. 18 because that’s all that makes sense (the previous weekend is too soon, and the next weekend is after the divine tree arc

Divine Tree Arc

Friday: Tsubomi sneezes — why dont u stop doing bad things

Saturday: buys The Shirt

Sunday: Psycho Helmet

Monday: Teru, Ritsu, and Reigen all brainwashed, Mob vs Dimple part 2

Telepathy Mini-Arc

finally a nice long break :D

find out about takenaka about one month after Divine Tree Arc

aliens on New Year’s Eve/Day

inukawa’s abducted by aliens for 10 days

???% Arc

inukawa has to be back by the time school starts

Mob finds out Tsubomi’s leaving the day he gets back from winter break (monday) :(

i think he calls her two days later?

the day after that mob is hit by a fucking car (also student council day so… thursday)

Epilogue + Omakes

we all know the epilogue is on 10/10/2013

the summer omake has to be after the ???% arc but i’m not sure what day. probably july

idk what else to say other than i can’t believe i spent so much time on this

[secretlystephaniebrown]

It’s a Rescue Fic, Kaikaina Grif!

Kai and Donut undertake a rescue mission to save their friends. People always underestimate the two of them, so they're in for a surprise.

More Reverse Big Bang Fic? Heck yeah!

This one's for the amazing @ivorytrenchcoat, who drew this amazing art for me to write around. It was super exciting to write some more Kai and Donut!

Also shout out to @eclaire-de-lune for betaing this for me!

Of all the dumb shit Dex and his friends have pulled on Kai, getting captured is probably at the top of the list. And she’s counting the time that Caboose set the base on fire, and then Sarge set the fire extinguisher on fire.

“Honestly, there are so many better ways for them to get chained up!” Donut says at her elbow. Despite the light-hearted tone, he’s as worried as she is, and she sees him tossing the grenade back and forth between his hands.

Kai nods in agreement absently, craning her neck to try to see around the corner.

She guesses it kind of makes sense that the place where her friends are imprisoned is a creepy abandoned base, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. She and Donut already took out two guards outside and hid them in the bushes. They’re not sure how many more there are in the base, but they need to be careful. Whoever did this has a lot of guns, and they’re dangerous.

“Lopez’s radio signal said he was coming through here!” Donut says, looking at the instructions he’d written on his armor in sharpie.

“Yep.” Kai nods again. Donut had translated it wrong the first time, but after she’d helped him with some verb conjugation and shit they’d figured out where their family was being held.

She isn’t entirely sure who it is that did the kidnapping this time; Lopez didn’t specify, and Kai had been busy at the convention while Donut had been on a spa weekend.

They’d come home on the same ship; ship-pooling is the new rage these days, and besides, Donut’s good company. He’s good at helping Kai coordinate her colors, and he doesn’t yell when she tells stories about having sex. And he doesn’t want to have sex with her, which is sometimes a relief, because then she can just have fun and not need to decide if she wants to bone him back or not.

And then they’d walked into a nightmare.

It couldn’t have been long between the guys getting taken and them getting back to the moon; Donut had only been away three days, and the signs all looked recent. And then, halfway through their exploration, they’d received Lopez’s SOS.

There’s been no sign of Wash and Carolina either, so Kai guesses it’s up to them to fucking save the guys. Which is dumb, because what’s the point in everybody taking levels in badass if they still need to be rescued? Honestly.

She hopes that Wash and Carolina are okay; they’re supposed to be at this weird physical group therapy thing that Doctor Grey’s been trying to get them to go to for months now, something about trying to help the spasms that they both get in the legs sometimes. The goddamn Murder Fridge is coming back to haunt them again; and the two Freelancers aren’t answering their phones for some reason. So Kai had settled for leaving them a very colorful message telling them exactly what she thinks about Freelancers who don’t pick up when she calls, and then grabbed Donut and the two of them had gotten right back in the ship and gone right for the place where Lopez had told them where to go.

She refuses to think that the bad guys might have gotten to them too. She can’t handle that kind of thinking. Right now, she needs to focus on what’s ahead. Getting to their friends and saving them from... whatever this all is.

Prisa. Prisa. Lopez had said. There had been a sense of urgency in his voice, one that was unusual for the robot.

Hurry. Hurry.

“We’re getting close,” she says, as they turn another corner, into yet another corridor. She freezes as she realizes that there are guards outside of the door, right where Lopez had directed them to. This must be it! They’re so close Kai can almost taste it.  

She and Donut look at each other, and nod. Donut takes out his pistols, while Kai pulls out her rifle. It’s noisy, sure, but she prefers bigger weapons nonetheless.

She pauses, going over that line in her head, and makes a note to tell that joke around Tucker later, when everyone is all right and safe, and preferably where Dex can hear, so he’ll yell at her while Tucker can high-five her.

Of course, to be able to do that, they need everyone to still be alive first.

She and Donut throw themselves around the corner. The guards are in that fucking tacky Bungie armor; all bright blue and shit. She slams the butt of her rifle against one of their helmets; the gun itself is too loud to risk going off, not when they don’t know where the other guards are. Donut lets out a warning noise, letting her know that he’s dropping a flash bang. She closes her eyes and pivots, hitting the second guard right in the visor. There. They’re both down.

“Nice throw,” she says, kicking her guard’s rifle away. It clatters against the wall, and Kai winces, realizing she probably should have unloaded it first or something.

“Double Oh Donut always gets his man,” he says, divesting his guard of his weapons.

They find a closet, partway down the hall to stash the guards in. Kai carefully rips the radios out of their helmets and makes sure that the door is jammed shut. There. That part is taken care of at least; that’s two less people they’ll risk running into when it’s time to leave.

“You think this is the right place?” Donut asks as they get to the door that the men had been guarding. There’s a lock on the door, with a keypad and a card swiping-thing.

“What else would it be?” Kai scoffs, as if she’s not doubting it herself. She has no idea what they’re going to find on the other side of the door. It could be a trap, it could just be Lopez, it could be--

Well. It could be a lot of things. Most of them really unpleasant.

Kai tugs on the door handle, but it’s locked. She tries one of the keycards they’d grabbed off the guards, but apparently those don’t work without the code. Scowling, she turns to Donut and props her hands on her hips.”Can you take care of this?” The fact that it’s locked makes her feel slightly better about the others being behind the door. What else would they lock up so effectively?

“Sure, I’ll blow it for you!” Donut’s voice is light and cheery, but Kai knows better. He’s just as worried about what they’re going to find on the other side of that door as she is.

The scene back on the moon hadn’t been pretty. There had been blood, and bullets in the walls, and...

She pushes aside those thoughts. Lopez hadn’t mentioned anyone being hurt too badly, but... Pulling herself back to the present, Kai refocuses on Donut setting explosives on the door, and checks the hallway for signs of oncoming enemies.

Kai is angry, her hands practically shaking as she checks her gun again. They’re supposed to be retired, they’re supposed to be safe. Kai’s been relocating her business to the moon, spending time with Dex and the guys. She’s been settling in, learning all the new quirks, all the new ways that they’re fucked up, all the new faces. Washington, who’s not a cop anymore, Carolina who is super hot and sucks at singing, Locus who lurks in corners and they all pretend doesn’t come to visit. Dex has new nightmares, Tucker has new scars. Church is gone now, and Tex is too, and Kai’s almost stopped looking over her shoulder for them whenever she walks into a room.

Wash can almost talk normally again, and Carolina can stand still for more than five minutes with only minor fidgeting. Dex hasn’t brought out the volleyballs in a whole week, and Tucker is smiling again.

And these people came into their home and hurt them. Things are going to be hard again, just like those first few weeks, and Kai hates it, hates that they’re being dragged into this again, whatever it is. They were supposed to be done. They’re supposed to be safe. The bad guys are dead or in prison. What could anyone possibly want with them at this point?

“Step back!” Donut says. Kai does so, ducking behind the wall alongside him.

“Woo!” Kai grins. “This is gonna blow harder than the one time I went to the football and cheerleader orgy!”

“Wait, what?”

The explosion shakes the building. Donut apparently hadn’t exaggerated when he’d been bragging about his skills at blowing things. But it does have one downside; if the bad guys hadn’t known they were here, they certainly know now.

In the distance, alarms start to blare, and she knows they don’t have too much time. They need to get moving, need to get the others out of there now.

Kai rushes forward, with Donut behind her as they move into the cell. “You’re okay!” she says, as she counts.

Dex, Simmons, Sarge, Tucker, Caboose, Doc. Lopez’s head lies in Doc’s lap. They’re not chained up, but they don’t really need to be, not in the shape they’re in. Caboose is slumped against Tucker’s side, half his face covered in blood. Sarge is on the floor, and Dex is hovering, trying to stem the bleeding. Simmons is slumped against the wall in pain, his mechanical arm ripped clean off and still sparking. Kai had found the missing limb back at base. Doc’s got blood all over his armor, and none of them look good. Their weapons are gone, even Tucker’s sword, but they’re mostly still in armor. Their helmets are nowhere to be seen, which Kai knows will be a worry for later.

Everybody’s accounted for. She wonders what the bad guys had been thinking, shoving them all into one room and just locking the doors in this state. What if they’d died? Sarge looks like he’s pretty close; he looks even older like this, especially without his helmet.

Kai rushes to check on them, moving to Sarge first. The old guy is out as hell, but his chest is still rising and falling with loud, shallow breaths, so at least he’s not dead. Dex’s hands are on the wound, and he looks grim as she’s ever seen him.

“Kai?” Dex croaks. His voice sounds awful, and she thinks there are tears in his eyes. They all look awful, but there’s something worse about Dex looking like that. He’s not supposed to look like that. He’s her big brother, it’s wrong to see him so...

Like this.

“I can’t leave you guys alone for five minutes, can I?” Kai tries to make her voice light, but she’s not sure how well she succeeds. What can they do? How are they going to get them out of here? None of them look in great shape; Dex is probably in the best shape, but she has no idea how much of the blood is even his.  They can’t walk them out of here.

Donut is checking on Doc, frowning as he pokes at the injury. The tilt of his helmet tells Kai that he’s thinking the exact same thing she is. They’re in bad shape. Kai had hoped they’d be able to just take the guys and run for the warthog they’d stashed not too far from base, but it’s looking less and less likely.

Tucker finally seems to notice they’re here. His eyes are glazed with pain, and when he speaks, it’s in short gasps. Caboose is stirring, muttering things too quietly for Kai to hear as she moves closer to check on both of them.

“Thank god,” Tucker groans. There’s a nasty looking cut on his face, and now that she’s closer, she thinks his leg might be broken. It’s sticking out at an odd angle at least. Caboose is curled up against his side, and Tucker’s arm is around his shoulders, keeping Caboose close. “Where’s Wash? Where’s Carolina?”

Kai swallows as she tries to examine Caboose’s face. It’s a mess of blood. She thinks someone broke his helmet against his face. Caboose won’t be happy about that, she thinks distantly, as she checks him over. He loves that helmet, and it’s a pain to get them in that model these days. There’s no sign of Freckles either, which isn’t good. Kai could really use a helping hand right now. “Couldn’t find them. It’s just us.”

“Great,” Simmons groans, not opening his eyes. She tries not to be mad at him because it looks like his missing arm really hurts, but still! “We’re screwed. Still.”

“Hey!” Kai snaps, pointing at him. “You shut your mouth! Just cuz Dex likes it doesn’t mean I don’t!”

“Kai!” Dex protests. Yeah, okay, he’s probably mostly fine. There’s blood on his face, but it’s dried. She thinks he touched it with his hands, which are coated in blood. It’s not a good look on him. It’s not a good look on any of them.

“No offense, Kai,” Doc says. At least he sounds like him, not the douchebag from Blood Gulch. If that guy showed up, Kai would have some words, because he’s a dick, and they don’t really need that kind of bullshit. “But we really could use some Freelancers right now.”

Kai wants to scream. “Well, you’re stuck with us,” she snaps. “I don’t know where they are!” She wants to be offended, the implication that they’re not enough, not good enough for a rescue. Dex had rescued them last time with only the help of an awkward bug man! She tries to swallow down her frustration, her rage.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Dex mutters, eyes flickering between her, Sarge, and Simmons. He’s worried, she knows, for all of them, but that doesn’t make her feel much better.“Now they’ll get you too.”

Kai’s hand clenches into a fist as she checks Tucker’s leg. He hisses in pain as she touches it; probably broken. Caboose’s ribs aren’t in great shape either. His eyelashes flutter as she touches them, muttering something softly about Church and not wanting to have to go to school.

“Who are these guys?” she asks, instead of yelling at them. Dex for still treating her like a kid, the others for not getting it, that she and Donut can handle this. Kai’s been a goddamn soldier for years now, and so has Donut. They can do this. She’s not some dumb, sex-crazed eighteen year old like they all seem to think, and Donut’s not just some airhead who just makes innuendos.They’re soldiers, both of them, and more than that they’re goddamn badasses.

“Don’t know,” Tucker mutters. “Fuck, that hurts!” Kai had just tried to move his leg. She grits her teeth; it’s definitely broken, and she has no clue how to set it, and they don’t have anything they could possibly use as a crutch. She has no idea how they’re supposed to carry him out of here, especially not with Caboose out cold. If Caboose was awake, this might be easier. She’d seen him destroy doors and crash through walls before, he could carry Tucker easy. She wonders if they’d done all this on purpose. Maybe they’d done this just so, to make sure that they were all helpless. “They took our helmets.”

“I don’t think this is about us,” Simmons adds, sounding slightly more coherent now that he has something to focus on. “They didn’t--they didn’t care.” He sounds vaguely offended by this. She can’t really blame him; it’s been awhile since they were just collateral damage for whatever grand conspiracy had fallen into their laps. Even when they were collateral, at least they were usually important collateral. Not the kind of collateral you lock in one room to succumb to injuries.

“Están buscando al mercenario insano que se ha estado escondiendo en nuestra base los fines de semana alternos,” Lopez drones. He somehow manages to sound even more irritated when he’s just a head. Poor guy, Kai thinks. Giving head is fun, but she can’t imagine it’s very enjoyable to be one. Especially when the rest of the body has so many advantages. “Están revisando los datos en los cascos para determinar si pueden encontrar dónde está.”

Kai scowls, mentally planning to see if she can get an oversized flyswatter to get rid of that guy next time he shows up. She’s willing to put up with a lot of bullshit, but if Locus’s awkward bullshit law-evasion means her family gets hurt...

Well, Kai’s not going to tolerate that. His ass is grass. She’d spank him, but he’s probably into that, he’s so self-flagellating.

Donut’s head snaps up, and he scrambles to his feet, away from Doc. “Guys, I hate to thrust some bad news on you, but it looks like they're about to surge through our backdoors!”

Kai curses and spins, raising her weapon. The rifle pulses reassuringly in her hands. “You guys stay back! Donut, c’mon!”

The two of them take their positions as the guards stumble in. They’re shouting commands, yelling about taking them down.

“We don’t need them alive!” one of them shouts. Kai shoots him first, seeing red.

She hates being treated like she’s... unimportant. And she hates seeing her friends, her family being treated that way even more. They could at least pretend to be upset that they had to do this. That the Reds and Blues aren’t just some sort of annoying footnote that they need to get rid of to get to the prize that they really care about.

After that, things become a blur. There’s a lot of them; more than Kai would have thought they’d be able to keep in this tiny base. The doorway helps, making sure not too many of them can show up at a time. Kai’s just glad she brought a lot of bullets, because she’s burning through them.

One of them gets close, but Kai body checks him, steps on his neck, shoots him, and keeps going. If they get past her and Donut, they get to the others. And that’s not going to happen. She’s not going to let it happen.

Donut’s by her side, fighting just as hard. She can hear his heavy breathing through the radio as he spins around, throwing grenades, firing his pistols. Is it her imagination, or are the bad guys slowing down? She hopes so. Her arms are getting tired, and there’s so much blood that she feels sick.

Every now and then, the bad guys throw a grenade in. But Donut moves fast, always scooping them up and throwing them back out before anything bad can happen. Every time that happens, there’s a lot of screaming, and then it’s usually a long time before they try that trick again. Kai tries to feel satisfied about that, but there’s not time, not with everything else that’s going on.

She doesn’t dare turn around and look at the guys. None of the assholes have managed to hit her and Donut yet (at least not in any seriousness), but a few shots have gone wide. It could be all too easy for one of them to hit the guys.

But she can’t check on them. She can’t even hear them over the gunshots, over the chaos, over the yelling.

At one point, she thinks she hears Dex calling her name, but she’s probably imagining it. The alarms in the base are blaring, and it’s fucking awful, loud and obnoxious and ridiculous. Why can’t they turn that goddamn thing off?

Finally, finally, they stop coming. Finally, Kai can lower her gun, her heart still pounding in her ears. There are bodies. There are so many bodies. Kai doesn’t want to even start counting them all, doesn’t want to have to look at them. Instead, she turns around to face the others, afraid of what she’s going to see.

They’re all okay, that’s the first thing she realizes. Or well, at least as okay as they were when Donut had blown open the door. But something is wrong, and she can’t figure out what it is for a few moments, as she stands there, letting her gun drop towards the floor. It feels so much heavier now than it had, and she wants so badly just to let it drop, to just collapse.

But she can’t do that, because this could be a trick. There could be more of them on their way. This could be just a break, for them to regather forces and to lure them into a false sense of security.

She tries to focus on the others, to see what it is that’s striking her as so wrong that it’s pushing aside the comfort that they’re okay. She keeps her gun in hand, just in case the bad guys try to take advantage of this, to rush them, to do something suitably evil and dick-like.

It’s awe, she realizes, after a moment of staring right back at them. There’s sheer awe on their faces as they stare at her and Donut, as they look at them. Kai doesn’t know what to do with that. The moment hangs in the air, bizarre in ways that Kai doesn’t know how to classify as she stands there, her armor splattered in blood, still holding her gun, staring at her injured friends.

“Well,” Doc says, sounding faint. “I guess we don’t need Freelancers after all!”

Kai rolls her eyes. “Duh,” she says. She wants to feel proud, wants to feel smug that she showed them, but all she feels is tired, and happy that they’re all okay.

Donut laughs. “Oh, stop it, you’re making me rosy and perky!”

“That,” Tucker says. He’s got the same voice that he got whenever Kai did something hot during Blood Gulch.

“Santa mierda. Ellos son competentes. ¿Cuando esto pasó?”

“Siempre,” Kai can’t help but smirk. There’s something warm and soft uncurling in her stomach; maybe it’s relief that they’re all okay, maybe it’s warmth at the praise, maybe it’s something else entirely. But there’s no time to get out the couch and fuck a therapist, because they’re really got to try to get the others moving.

She kneels down to check on Sarge. He’s still okay, but his face is all screwed up and his breathing is faster, and Kai doesn’t know if that’s a good or a bad sign. “Doc!” she yells. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“How should I know?” he whines.

“You’re a doc, Doc!”

“I’m a medic!” Doc complains, but he puts Lopez’s head to one side, and awkwardly shuffles over, hissing in pain the whole time.

“I’m going to find an infirmary,” Kai decides, not liking how unsure Doc looks as he hovers over Sarge. “Donut, you stay with them.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Donut says, and Kai starts to take off, before she collides with Wash and Carolina as they enter the room, guns drawn.

“Oh, thank God,” Carolina says, and then she’s a blur of speed until she’s hovering over Sarge.

Kai wants to sag in relief, but Wash is there, holding her by the shoulders.

“Are you all right?” he asks. His voice is still that too-soft, too-ragged thing that it’s been ever since he got shot in the goddamn throat, but it’s a comfort to hear, nevertheless. Also, the sexy rasp thing kind of works for him. “We got your message.”

She wants to scream at him for being late. She wants to demand what took him so long, wants to sob, because she’s surrounded by dead bodies, because if he’d have been here, maybe she wouldn’t want to be screaming and crying and generally being a mess on the floor.

But instead she grips his arms tightly and does her best to nod. “Yeah,” she says. “We handled it okay.” Don’t throw up, don’t throw up, don’t throw up.

Wash tugs her in for a hug, and she clings to him, doing her best to swallow back tears. Maybe she holds on a bit tighter than she should, but the adrenaline is fading away, leaving Kai with just the leftovers; the panic, the fear, the knowledge that there’s so many dead bodies and Sarge is still hurt, even as Carolina takes off her healing unit and slaps it on his chest.

Wash gives good hugs, all things considered. Those things being the fact that he’s awkward as hell, the fact that he’s so jumpy that he rarely hugs anyone, and the fact that he’s a cop. Sure, he’s a former cop, but once a cop, always a cop.

“You did good,” Wash says. “I knew you could. Both of you,” he adds to Donut, who’s standing there, hovering over Sarge with the rest of Red Team.

Finally, Kai pulls away, still breathing heavily. “Of course we did good,” she snorts. “You Freelancers think you have to do everything, but we managed fine without you for ages before you showed up!”

“Right,” Wash drawls, and she wants to laugh, but instead she drags him over to check on Caboose and Tucker.

“Wash!” Tucker says, stirring slightly. He winces as the movement jostles his leg, and settles down again, but he’s still sitting upright, Caboose still curled against his shoulder, chin tucked against his chest. “You guys are okay!”

“They sent a team after us. Unfortunately for them, Grey had the whole place booby-trapped in case Carolina tried to escape,” Wash says. “It took us a while to get out after that, though. So we missed Kai and Donut’s call for help. We came as fast as we could.”

“What were they after?” Carolina asks. There’s a tension in her voice, a fury. It’s super hot, but it also kind of makes Kai scared, and she’s one of the good guys here. She’d feel bad for whoever Carolina’s going to go after, when she finds out, but... well, they hurt the guys. And that’s just not acceptable. “Who did this?”

“El gobierno, por el amor de dios. Todos son corruptos, y quieren que Locus muera. Obviamente.”

“Locus?” Carolina demands, voice sharp. Of course she understands that part. Why the fuck does no one ever learn Spanish? What century is this, people? Get with the times!

“Nope!” Donut says. “People who want Locus, and not for his chiseled abs and dreamy voice either!”

“You’ve seen his abs?” Kai asks, curious.

“Focus,” Carolina says, but there’s a laugh in her voice. Sarge must be doing okay, Kai thinks, slumping with relief. She brushes Caboose’s hair out of his eyes. His eyes flutter open, and he gives her a small, loopy grin.

“Sister!” He says. “You are here! Tucker said you would come and then he said hey-chicka-bump-bump and then Grif yelled at him and then I felt very sleepy and Tucker yelled at me and now you’re here!”

“Sure am,” Kai nods, grinning at him. “How are you feeling, Caboose?”

Caboose makes a face. “They broke my helmet,” he whines.

“We’ll get you a new one, Caboose,” Wash promises.

“Good,” Caboose mutters. “I like that helmet.”

“We know,” Kai says, at the same time as Wash and Tucker. The three of them grin at each other.

“We need to get moving,” Carolina says. “I think Sarge is stable enough to move.” She gets to her feet, and Kai has never appreciated how tall Carolina is before.

“How can we move them all?” Wash demands, sounding tired. “We’re going to have to take trips.”

“Then we’ll take trips,” Carolina says. “One of us stays here to guard them, two of us move them to the ship while one of us watches our backs, then one of us stays with the ship to guard them while the other two come back.”

“Three trips?” Kai says.

Carolina nods. There’s a grim determination coming from her, and Kai can’t help but appreciate it.

“I’ll stay with them here,” Kai volunteers. It’s definitely not because she wants to lean against the wall for a bit, definitely not because she’s not sure she can walk out into the hallway and see more of what she and Donut have done, not just yet at least.

“Sounds good,” Carolina says. She and Wash move towards Caboose and Tucker. “We’ll take Sarge last,” she says. “He could use a little more time with the healing unit.”

“Treason!” Sarge coughs. “I’m perfectly--”

“Yes, Sarge, of course,” she says, picking up Caboose while Wash helps Tucker. Donut has picked up more pistols from the fallen guards, and grimly escorts them out. She’s never seen him so serious. He must have realized the same thing that Kai had, about the bodies in the hall.

The moment they’re gone, Kai sits down on the ground next to the Reds and Doc.

She tries to keep her breathing even and steady. She should move the bodies. At least all to one side or something, but the idea makes her stomach rebel. She doesn’t want to look at them, to touch them, to see if any of them are actually alive and have to decide what to do with them. It had been so much easier when she could just shove them in a closet.

Suddenly, a warm hand falls on her shoulders, and Kai is pulled into a warm, familiar embrace. Dex. Simmons has taken his place, hovering over Sarge, he and Doc both pretending they’re not watching them. But they’re pretty obvious about it. But she’s pretty sure Simmons is just watching to see if Dex is okay, so she doesn’t really mind. It’s kind of cute how much they worry about each other, sometimes.

She hugs him back, burying her face in his shoulder.

“You’re a fucking badass!” Dex says. “Holy shit, Kai, that was awesome, never do that again!”

“Then you don’t disappear on me, you jerk!” Kai snaps, but she doesn’t let go of him.

“Promises, promises,” he says. And Kai breathes deeply, and knows that everything is going to be okay.

[asecretsummer-rpgpromo]

WANTED! FC can be changed!

♠ Malina Stowe is 48 years old and is often confused with Monica Bellucci. She is Open.

“I worry so much about my girls. I want us all to move away from this horrible town.”

→ Background

Cousin to Jenna Baker (born Meyers), on her mother’s side, though the Stowe side of the family have never really been close or involved with the rest. Her mother kind of cut ties with the Meyers when she got married to John Stowe and they made their own little family. Malina’s mother was the rebel and the black sheep and she’d had enough of the Meyer’s family. So Malina was never all that close with Jenna or the rest of that side of the family, she was quite disconnected and detached from it. They never knew what was going on with the Meyers, or later the Baker’s, and honestly she didn’t entirely care either. It was like they weren’t family at all, they didn’t even see each other for holidays, but Malina had her own family. The Stowe’s were a large family, lots of cousins due to her father’s large amount of siblings, and Malina was pretty happy. She had a wonderful childhood and wanted for practically nothing.

She met her first love when she was around sixteen. They fell for each other instantly though young love rarely works out. They were on and off until college, when they broke up for good, and he moved out of town. It was then, around the age of twenty one, that Malina found out she was pregnant. Her first daughter, Lara, was born and while she wished the girl could have a father, she knew that it would be okay. They had enough family to more than make up for it. She had lots of cousins and uncles and grandparents to stand in. Two years later, history repeated itself, and her second daughter, Belinda, was born. Her boyfriend skipped out on them when he found out she was pregnant and Malina had to, once again, go through it all alone. It was a little hard to keep up the faith and she ended up swearing off relationships altogether. She’d wanted a love like her parents had, one that would last and be real, but that never seemed to be on the cards for her.

→ Back to Baberton

Malina currently works at the local high school, in the Geography department. She loves her job and, through it, she did get a little better acquainted with Jenna, through her husband Charlie who also worked there. Then, of course, Charlie had to leave the school after he was arrested for Annie’s murder (though he was cleared of this), and his affair with a student came out. She keeps in touch with him sometimes but it’s not like they’re friends or anything, and she still doesn’t make much effort with Jenna despite the woman perhaps needing someone to talk to. It’s not that she’s being rude, it’s more of a habit at this point, one that Malina cannot shake. It’s hard to think of Jenna as family when she never really was, though her heart ached for poor Jenna and Charlie when their daughter Sophie was murdered by Sasha Miller. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her daughters like that.

Malina doesn’t really enjoy living in Baberton any longer. The place has become dangerous. Though she likes the people (her closest friends being Delia Lane, Brendan Matthews, and Robert Henderson), but all the murder just really tarnishes this place. She feels unsafe simply walking out to her car most mornings. Which is absurd. You should not feel unsafe simply existing, or she thinks so anyway. But she doesn’t have the money to move and her daughters are too old by now to really drag out of town. Except perhaps Belinda, who still lives at home with Malina, though she would never leave Lara behind. Malina just tries as hard as she can to get through it all. Ignore the murders and let the police do their thing. They’ll catch the guy eventually… they have to.

→ What’s Her Secret?

Has put a software on her daughters’ phones that lets her know exactly where they are at any given moment. She can track them and find out their location to make sure they haven’t gone missing or been kidnapped or even worse. It seems like every time she looks up, another kid has died, and she’s so stressed about her own children that this seemed like the only way she knew to keep them extra safe. She’ll still look up where they are sometimes even though they’re grown up and she likes being able to keep tabs on them, though she knows they’d probably be angry or upset if they found out and she might end up in trouble, but who’s going to find out?

Has an on the side, weekend job as a way of getting some extra cash. Things have always been tough in the money department and, when she was younger, she took to prostitution. She isn’t ashamed of it and it got her through college and she’s always been careful. As she got older and got her teaching degree, she stopped for a while, but eventually she picked it up for most weekends, taking outcalls with regular men. She’s a bit older now but it seems she still looks good enough and, while she might not care much about relationships, this ensures and makes her feel totally in control of the situation and keeps it so the arrangement doesn’t go further than it needs to. No emotions, just money.

Main | Plot | Most Wanted | Ask

[jnlletrry]

Kidnapped (Part 1?)

Requested by @jensmithin

Cameron walked into the lab on Tuesday morning whistling a song that had just been playing on his car radio. He was earlier than usual; the rest of the crew had yet to arrive, but Linus and Maggie were in the break room brewing a pot of coffee.

“Morning, Dr. Goodkin,” said Maggie with a nod.

“What’s up, dude?” said Linus at the same time.

Cameron smiled as he walked over to grab himself a cup. “Hey, hey. How are you guys doing this morning?”

“Ehh,” Linus shrugged.

“I’m doing well, thank you for asking,” replied Maggie. Walking towards the door, she said, “Cameron, once you’re fully caffeinated, meet me in my office, please.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Cameron saluted to Maggie’s back, listening to her heels click down the hall.

Linus leaned against the counter as Cameron pulled a mug down from one of the upper cabinets.

Hitting him on the arm with the back of his hand, Linus asked, “Soooo, how was your date with Kirsten, man?!”

Cameron could feel the heat rise in his cheeks as he rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a date; it was just dinner, but I think it went well. I definitely got some genuine smiles out of her, and she gave me a kiss goodnight.” Gesturing to his face, he continued, “It was slightly cheek, slightly lips. She was a little tipsy, so I’m not sure what she was aiming for, but she wanted to kiss me for sure. I’d say that’s progress!”

Linus chuckled, a smile spreading across his face. He held his hand up for a fist bump which Cameron returned in kind. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course. You and Kirsten were meant for each other.” Throwing his head towards the door, Linus said, “I’m gonna head to my station. See you out there.”

A few minutes later, Cameron walked into Maggie’s office, mug in hand. Looking up from her computer screen, Maggie motioned to the seat in front of her.

“I just wanted to give you a quick briefing on our sample. Fisher specifically referred this one over because they have no leads. No one’s really sure what happened, whether it was foul play or just an accident. Nineteen-year-old Stephanie Caldwell. She went missing after a long weekend with some friends down at Santa Monica Beach. Her body was found early this morning in the dumpster behind a Ralph’s. There doesn’t seem to be any signs of her being physically harmed, no points of entry, no strangulation marks. No cuts, no bumps, no bruises. The body has been dead for a little under seventy-two hours. We’ve tried our best to preserve what we could, but we may only be able to get one good stitch out of her. Ayo has more details,” she said in a tone that indicated she was finished.

Cameron held his hands with his palms facing up and wiggled his long, slender fingers. He said in a low tone, “One stitch to determine it all!”

Maggie responded with a raised an eyebrow, staring him down until he buckled. Standing up, he hung his head low and said, “I’ll go talk to Ayo now.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” she said, turning her attention back towards her computer.

Cameron stopped to chat with Ayo at her station, gathering more details on Stephanie’s physical state, before making his way over to his own. Checking the time on his phone, it read 8:16AM. He felt his eyebrows furrow. Camille and Kirsten had yet to arrive and it was unlike them to be late.

“Hey,” Cameron addressed his co-workers, “Has anyone heard from Camille and/or Kirsten?”

“Camille just text me; they’re almost here,” Linus said.

Seconds later, the elevator dinged. The doors slid open and Camille rushed into the lab, long brown hair trailing behind her. Her signature heels clicked on the floor as she made her way over to Linus.

“Sorry, I’m late! My Uber driver took a left instead of a right; we ran into some road work, and you can figure out the rest!”

Camille kicked her bag under Linus’s desk and skipped over to the computer bank to grab her tablet and her com from their charging docks. When Kirsten didn’t come rushing into the lab behind or beside her, Cameron didn’t know what he expected - for her to jump out and scare them or for the elevator to come back down, Kirsten spilling out when the doors opened again. But neither happened. There was no “SURPRISE!” and the elevator shaft remained quiet. An unsettling, icy lump of dread settled in his stomach. The last time Kirsten didn’t show up to work on time was when she’d been mind controlled. Cameron couldn’t help but think something equally as horrible had happened.

But before he jumped to any more conclusions, he took a deep breath and asked, “Where’s Kirsten?”

Camille looked up from her tablet, confusion written across her face. Pushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, she said, “I thought she stayed with you last night?”

The lump in his stomach suddenly felt heavier. Shaking his head, he said, “No. We had dinner together. We were at a restaurant a few blocks away from my apartment, so I didn’t drive. She had a few glasses of wine; I requested an Uber. I walked her to the car, said hello to the driver, and then she headed home. Or so I thought.”

Shaking her head, Camille said, “Kirsten never came in last night.”

“Then where the hell is she?!”

Camille opened her mouth to speak but no words left her lips.

Linus held up his hands and said, “Let’s not freak out. We are talking about Kirsten here. She’s always been independent. Maybe she’s tracking down a lead on her mom or something. I mean, has anyone talked to Fisher?”

As if she’d been listening to their conversation, Maggie emerged from her office. “Fisher is on his way down. He’s got new information on Stephanie’s case.”

“Did he say anything about Kirsten?” Cameron asked.

“No. Should he have?”

“Well, unless she’s with him, Kirsten seems to be missing again, but,” Cameron pointed towards the ceiling. “Elevator’s coming back down.” Walking over to the doors, he said over his shoulder, “Let’s give it a sec and see.”

When the doors opened, Cameron searched every inch of the stall with his eyes, looking for the tall, beautiful blonde he’d come to adore. Realizing she wasn’t there, he turned his attention to Fisher. “When was the last time you saw or spoke to Kirsten?”

Looking down at Cameron with an annoyed smirk, he said, “Here. Yesterday. Why?”

“No one has seen or heard from her in the last ten hours.”

“I’m not going to be any help in my current position. Will you let me out of the elevator, please?”

“Sorry,” Cameron said sheepishly before backing up.

“Thank you.”

Falling into step beside Fisher, they walked into the lab. The detective pulled a white envelope from his inner suit pocket and handed it to Cameron. “It can’t be a coincidence that Kirsten is suddenly missing and this shows up on my doorstep this morning.”

Flipping the envelope over, Cameron asked, “What is this?”

Fisher shrugged, “Dunno. Since it wasn’t addressed to me, I thought it best not to open it.”

The package looked to be about five by seven inches. Nothing indicated where the envelope may have been manufactured, no embossings or engravings. ‘Stitchers’ in neat, unfamiliar print adorned the front. Inside was a card made of the same material as the sleeve it came in, same font. All that was listed was a website: https://wheresblondie.com.

The lump in Cameron’s stomach felt like it had taken up permanent residence. He tried to think and speak around his fear, but thankfully, before he had to ask, Camille said, “On it!” her fingers flying over the keyboard as she pulled up the URL.

A livestream popped up on the mission clock screen. Kirsten, in the same black blazer and designer jeans she was wearing yesterday, was bound to a chair in a nondescript room with concrete walls. Her mouth was taped shut, but she was clearly alive; her eyes burned with an intensity that could have seared holes through solid metal.

“Can you trace the IP, Camille?” Maggie asked.

“I started as soon as I pulled up the site, but there are walls upon walls upon walls! It’s like a fortress! I can eventually knock them down but I’m gonna need some time, and-”

“Ahh!” came a digitally modified voice over the speaker system. “It looks like our invitation finally reached its destination. Hello, Stitchers!”

A figure dressed in black from head to toe appeared on the screen, black boots and leather gloves, black sweats and a ski mask. There was nothing to denote whether the figure was a man or woman, average height and build, not too skinny or heavy set. Their clothing hid any curves or broadness the individual may have had.

Dark and Creepy walked over to stand behind Kirsten, placing his or her hands on her shoulders. Kirsten flinched and tried to lean away, but her restraints didn’t allow her any moving room.

Cameron tried to swallow around the dryness and the lump that had overtaken his stomach and was now growing up into his throat. Everything around him had dulled. All that mattered was Kirsten, on this screen, in front of him, straining to get away from this monster that had taken her from him.

He could feel the sharp metal of his keys in his back pocket. Though he remained still, his feet were aching to move. To run up all one hundred plus flights of stairs, out the door, to his car, to Kirsten. But where? Where would he go? Where is she??

Feeling a sharp sting in the palm of his hands, Cameron realized he’d been digging his nails into his skin. Turning his head to Camille, he said, “Anything?!”

Before she could answer, the voice started again. “Now that I’ve got your attention, I don’t want to waste time with the whole ‘is she or isn’t she alive’ thing. You can see she clearly is, and she’s unharmed. I know Camille is over there working her fingers to the bone trying to find my location, and I’m sure she’s already told you about the precautions I took. So, let’s just cut to the chase: You have something I want - access to your quantum computer. I know it’s a big favor to ask, so I’m going to give you twenty-four hours to think about it. Kirsten will remain unharmed, but if after twenty-fours, you decide to say no, more packages will start showing up on Detective Fisher’s doorstep, each containing a piece of Kirsten’s body. The choice seems simple, but I’ll leave the decision up to you. I’ll be in touch, same time tomorrow. Toodles!”

The screen went blank.

“Dammit!” A crash came from behind Cameron. “I almost had them!” He didn’t have to turn around to know that Camille had smacked her hands, hard, against the keyboard. Plus, he was having a difficult time trying to turn his attention away from the screen. Even though the video had ended, he kept running over the picture in his head - Kirsten and the masked maniac, searching for any small detail that would give a hint as to where she might be, but there was nothing. No indicators or markers, no window that may have given away their location. Nothing!

Turning to face Camille, he pleaded, “Tell me you at least got something.”

“A general location, but nothing definitive. Whoever this is, though, is smart and they somehow know a whole lot about us. I have no doubt that whoever they are, they’re already on the move. Even if we tried to scope the area, I don’t think we’d find much, if anything.”

Cameron threw his arms up in the air. “We can’t just do nothing!” he said with a little more force than intended.

Camille gave Cameron a pointed look, one that he flinched back from. “I’m not suggesting that we do … do nothing,” she said with a flourish of her hand. “I’m saying that I think the best place to start is with what we know.”

“Which is what exactly?” Linus questioned.

Raking his fingers through his hair, Cameron tried replaying the video in his head once again, but it was doing little good. He was too frazzled, too scatter-brained. In that moment,  he wished he had a photographic memory like Kirsten.

Kirsten. Oh God. How could this happen? How could he have let this happen? Why didn’t he ride home with her? Make sure she got there safely? She undeniably would have protested, but at least she would have been safe!

Just twelve hours ago, they were dining together, drinking together, laughing together at Festa Fiesta. She had laughed an earthy and hearty laugh, one where she threw her head back and placed her hands over her stomach, wiping tears away from her sparkling eyes when they settled back on him. She had been so natural and authentic, so beautiful. Just the thought that this stranger would touch a hair on her perfect head was driving Cameron insane!

Kirsten wasn’t just precious to him because of his feelings for her. She was precious to everyone in the lab. It had taken some time, but since she had become a part of the team, she’d created a unique and special bond with every individual in the program. She had offered to help everyone with their taxes this year. Just last week, she had helped Chelsea create a budget so she could save for a new car. Kirsten was too vital to the program; nothing could happen to her … so why not do the one thing that guaranteed her safety?

“Crazy idea,” Cameron started. “I know we’re a secret government agency and what not, but our secret doesn’t seem to be so secret anymore. What if we just let this stranger use our computer?”

“You want to let some unidentified psycho do God only knows what with our quantum computer? No questions asked?” asked Maggie incredulously.

“I have to agree with Maggie on this one,” Camille said. “The damage that someone could do with much power and freedom is … I mean, the possibilities are literally infinite.”

Grabbing two fistfulls of his hair, he said, “It’s Kirsten! No offense to anyone else because I’m including myself when I say this, but she is the only one of us that is irreplaceable. I could understand deliberating if it was one of us because someone could be trained to fill any of our positions, but not Kirsten. We have to do whatever it takes to get her back!”

Maggie took a few paces towards her office, hands on her hips. Shaking her head, she walked back towards them. “If and only if after the twenty-four hours is up, we haven’t come up with another option, I will agree to the kidnapper’s terms. I’m hoping that’s last case scenario, which means you guys have roughly twenty-four hours to come up with some alternative. I don’t care if you have to work through the night. Just give me something!”

Before anyone could object, Maggie had already turned her back to her staff, fingers flying over the keypad of her cellphone as she quickly made her way back to her office.

“Okay,” Cameron said, clapping his hands to bring everyone’s attention back to him. “You heard the woman: we’ve got just about twenty-fours. Let’s get to work! We have a princess to save!”

Crappy ending, I know. I have problems with finding good stopping points. May get around to doing something more with this later.

[socialjusticeartshare]

She fled a violent Honduran gang to seek asylum in Texas. Now she might be deported because she didn't file paperwork in Mexico.

The Trump administration's policy to deny asylum to migrants who didn't seek protections elsewhere is now being enforced. Immigration attorneys warn the new rule could forever diminish U.S. asylum policy.

BY JULIÁN AGUILAR AND ACACIA CORONADO OCT. 18, 2019

EL PASO — It wasn’t the first time men with guns showed up at Elizabeth's door. But this time, they were coming for her.

Six years after gangsters arrived at her house and took her brother away and killed him, Elizabeth, who as a young girl was teased for liking other girls, was running for her life from the same Honduran gang in April.

“We heard their footsteps and saw that they were armed, and they said, ‘This time we get the lesbian,’” she told an asylum officer, according to a transcript of her credible fear interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer. (Elizabeth is being used as a pseudonym for the woman to protect her safety.)

Elizabeth’s journey from her native Honduras led her and her mother through Guatemala and Mexico on their way to the U.S. In Mexico, they were confronted by members of a cartel, who Elizabeth said kidnapped and sexually assaulted her for days because she and her mother didn’t have any money or any relatives in the United States who could send them cash. After five days, she said, they were abandoned near a U.S. port of entry.

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Elizabeth is now detained in the U.S., but her previous journey through Mexico could spell more trouble for her because of the latest Trump administration policy targeting asylum protections for migrants who didn’t seek asylum in another country before arriving in the U.S.

The rule, announced in July, is the latest salvo in the White House’s efforts to deter asylum seekers from coming into the country, whether they enter the country at ports of entry or illegally by crossing the Rio Grande. It was halted and restarted again after several court battles. When Elizabeth was interviewed by asylum officers in early September, she was told how the rule will affect her.

Elizabeth gave a sworn statement to asylum officers that in 2013, gangsters and corrupt police officers killed her brother because he declined to be part of their group in Honduras, according to the interview transcript. But an asylum officer told Elizabeth that because of the new regulation, she can't apply for asylum in the U.S.

Immigration attorneys argue the rule could forever diminish U.S. asylum policy. Before the rule, the asylum process was still difficult for migrants who didn't receive previous permission to be in the country. But there was a process in place allowing applicants to argue their case and have a chance at an appeal should they be denied. But with the third-country rule, those opportunities are eliminated, attorneys say.

"Our laws require we offer a meaningful chance to seek asylum. This rule denies people that chance," Jeremy McKinney, second vice president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said when the rule was announced. "If the administration truly wanted to make our asylum system more efficient, maximize the chances that bona fide asylum seekers are protected, and live up to our values, then the steps they should take are clear. This rule isn't one of them."

The regulation was put in place after the controversial Migrant Protection Protocols were implemented late last year. That policy requires migrants to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court dates and has affected more than 50,000 asylum seekers. The combined effects of both policies could lead to the erosion of pathways for asylum seekers, said Linda Corchado, the director of El Paso-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.

“This has been a hard rule for me to stomach because it really has been the gutting of our asylum laws,” she said.

Both regulations have been challenged in federal courts but remain in effect. During a news conference last week, acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said the agency was intent on expanding the third-country rule.

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People like Elizabeth can still obtain relief from deportation if an immigration judge issues an order known as a "withholding of removal." That's applied when migrants prove there is more than a 50% chance they will be persecuted in their home country. But Corchado said that even if that order is granted, it doesn't include a pathway to legal residency and applies only to the migrant, not his or her family. And the relief can always be revoked.

"It feels like if the U.S. [government] feels there’s a change in that person’s country, they can always reopen proceedings and deport them," Corchado said.

The third-country rule is being implemented alongside the Trump administration's metering requirement, which mandates that asylum seekers add their names to a list of thousands of people waiting in Mexico before applying for asylum.

State officials in the Mexican state of Chihuahua said that there are 4,000 to 5,000 people on the waiting list in Ciudad Juárez, though only half of them are still waiting. Hundreds have either gone home or tried to cross the river illegally instead. It’s one sign that the MPP and metering policies are having some effect, Corchado said.

“I think, as a whole, all of these [policies] are compelling asylum seekers to go back,” she said.

Jodi Goodwin, a Brownsville-based immigration attorney, said lawyers expect the third-country rule will be brought up during the merit-hearing stage of the asylum proceedings along the border later this month, and attorneys will have a better idea of how the rule is affecting asylum applications.

But the Trump administration is seeing signs that its policies have had the intended effect.

The number of people who were apprehended by or surrendered to federal immigration officials dipped by nearly 20% last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week. After about 64,000 apprehensions in August, the agency reported a September total of about 52,500. That figure is about 40% of July’s estimated 82,000 and is the lowest monthly total of the 2019 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, according to government statistics.

Last week, Morgan, the acting CBP chief, touted the four-month decline of apprehensions of migrants on the country’s southern border. Federal officials see the figure as a barometer of how many fewer migrants are attempting to enter the United States.

“While Congress has failed to put forth a single piece of legislation — even be able to introduce it to the floor to address this crisis — we have addressed this crisis,” Morgan said.

The administration has also praised the Mexican government’s efforts to stop migrants from crossing through that country. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador deployed thousands of federal troops to his country’s southern border to stem the number of people arriving from Central America. The order came after Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on Mexican imports if Mexico didn’t secure its border to Trump’s liking. Over the weekend, the show of force from the Mexicans was on full display when National Guard troops detainedabout 1,000 asylum seekers from moving northward.

But unrest is mounting as more migrants who did make the trip north are forced to wait. In the Mexican city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, makeshift tents have sprouted in camps full of migrants with nowhere else to go.

Andrea Rudnik, co-founder of the nonprofit Team Brownsville, which aids migrants across the Gateway International Bridge, said conditions in a refugee camp there are quickly deteriorating. She said the growing number of migrants is causing tension, leading people to grow desperate.

This week, hundreds of migrants protested at the entrance of the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, causing it to close for several hours early Thursday morning. Rudnik said the asylum seekers were asking to enter and complaining about the camp conditions. She said they don’t have access to clean water or medical care. She said in the last few weeks she has been visiting the camp, the river in which people bathe has had dead animals, and the lack of hygiene has caused a lice epidemic. Some migrants told her they were turned away at their hearings and told to return when they are clean of lice.

Scenes from the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Mexico: Teenagers seeking asylum learn about factors with playing cards during a class taught by volunteers from the U.S.; memorial crosses on the banks of the Rio Grande honor those who lost their lives this year trying to cross into the U.S. from Matamoros; migrants wait in line to get meals provided by Team Brownsville, an organization that helps people seeking asylum.  Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune

There has also been an increase in the number of Mexicans who are lining up just beyond the international ports of entry in Texas to try to seek asylum in the United States. The majority, from southern Mexican states including Michoacán and Guerrero, are fleeing violence they say the government can’t or isn’t willing to stop. Both states are under a “do not travel” alert from the U.S. State Department.

M.Q., a woman from Honduras, said she and her 17-year-old son have been living in a makeshift tent in Matamoros since August. She and her son left when local organized crime threatened her son. They rode on a train commonly referred to as "La Bestia" across Central America, crossed into the U.S. illegally, and were caught and told to remain in Mexico as they sought asylum. She said her tent has fallen to shreds, and she fears the upcoming cold and rain. Her son has been sick for a week and can no longer eat.

"It is hard to be here without my family," said M.Q., who asked not to use her full name to protect her family's safety. "They are asking me for a lot of proof that I don't have the money to have sent over, and my mom is too old to gather. I just hope we get a judge with a good heart."

Julián Aguilar reported from El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and Acacia Coronado reported from Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico.

Article Source

[swipestream]

Sensor Sweep: Tower of the Elephant, Leigh Brackett, Kenneth Morris, D&D Survey

Writers (Tellers of Weird Tales): Harold S. Farnese didn’t write any stories, poems, or articles for Weird Tales, nor was he a cover artist or illustrator. His eight letters published in “The Eyrie,” the letters column of Weird Tales, failed to land him in the top twenty contributors in that category. You might say that he was a pretty minor figure in the history of the magazine and its contributors. Except for that part where he was so central to a certain understanding of what we call the Cthulhu Mythos. Beyond that, Farnese may have been the first person to adapt a work by H.P. Lovecraft to a form other than verse or prose.

Fiction (John C. Wright): Conan is young here. The internal chronology of the stories is subject to some guesswork. But it is fair to say that this is the second or third tale in Conan’s career, taking place after Frost Giant’s Daughter (1934). We see him for the first time in what will be his signature costume: “naked except for a loin-cloth and his high-strapped sandals.”

I found, as I often do, that not only is Robert E. Howard a better writer than I was able, as a callow youth, to see he was. He also easily surpasses the modern writers attempting to climb his particular dark mountain. From the high peak, brooding, he glares down at inferior writers mocking him, and, coldly, he laughs.

Particularly when Howard is compared with the modern trash that pretends to be fantasy while deconstructing and destroying everything for which the genre stands, he is right to laugh.

Let us list the ways.

Fiction (DMR Books): After covering Barbarian Book Club’s Pre-Tolkien challenge the other day, I figured there’s no reason not to join in. Dunsany and Merritt have been pretty well covered so far, so I wanted to review something lesser known. Nictzin Dyalhis or Clifford Ball would have been perfect, but it would feel too self-serving if I reviewed one of those. So instead I selected “The Regent of the North” by Kenneth Morris, which I first read, appropriately enough, in the anthology Tales Before Tolkien. It’s the best story in the book besides Merritt’s “Woman of the Wood.” Interestingly, editor Douglas A. Anderson doesn’t believe Tolkien ever read either story, but he included them anyway.

  Fiction (Rough Edges): SCARRED FACES is the second novella by Stephen D. Frances featuring Hank Janson (which is also the by-line, of course). In this early tale, Hank is still a traveling cosmetics salesman who just happens to wind up in the middle of violent crimes. This time it’s an acid attack on a beautiful young woman that leaves her dead. Shortly after that, two thugs kidnap Hank and try to take him for a ride because they think he may have seen too much. Of course he escapes, and from there it’s not long until he’s mixed up in a dangerous racket that involves several more beautiful young women, at least one of whom wants Hank dead.

  Fiction (Ringer Files): I read this book while the temperatures outside were pushing the 110 degree mark. The acceptance of global warming, or at least, climate change has most of us wondering what happens to a planet that heats up. This book, written in 1963, takes a look at the flip-side of that theory and sees the world under another ice-age. I picked this up a couple years ago along with several other science fiction novels by Silverberg. I’ve come late to the game in appreciating Robert Silverberg’s science fiction novels. I don’t know how I didn’t read his books when I was in my teens and enjoying Asimov and Clarke and others.

  Fiction (Black Gate): Although Leigh Brackett (1915–1978) wrote planetary adventures during the Golden Age of Science Fiction and was married to Edmond Hamilton, one of the Golden Age’s most praised masters, she seems to, well, bracket the era rather than belong to it. Her stories set on fantastical versions of Mars and Venus are indebted to Edgar Rice Burroughs, while her dark emotional intensity looked forward to New Wave SF of the ‘60s. In his introduction to Martian Quest: The Early Brackett, Michael Moorcock wrote that “It’s readily arguable that without her you would not have gotten anything like the same New Wave … echoes of Leigh can be heard in Delany, Zelazny and that whole school of writers who expanded sf’s limits and left us with some visionary

extravaganzas.”

  Fiction (Lawrence Person): Here’s a book I picked up more for the state and the publisher than the author. Dark Harvest was a very active small press from the early 1980s into the early 1990s. They published primarily horror and science fiction, and did very well with it, but managed to kill themselves off by branching out in mystery.

      Conventions (Western Fictioneers): If there was ever a time when I was especially proud to a member of Western Fictioneers, it was the weekend of our convention in Oklahoma City. Old friends did some catching up, and new friends were made. I lost count of the states represented. (Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Colorado, California, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, New Mexico, etc.) The discussions were intimate and open, and the session topics were deeply informative, thanks to our many knowledgeable presenters.

Fiction (Paperback Warrior): It’s hard to guess why William Crawford adopted the pseudonym of W.C. Rawford for his 1974 stand-alone western, “Ranger Kirk.” The copyright page says it’s by William Crawford and the book is dedicated to “Robert Gene Crawford, my brother.” Moreover, the pen name of W.C. Rawford isn’t really throwing pseudonym sleuths off the scent. Who was he fooling?

Fiction (Walker’s Retreat): The RPG Pundit put out a video about the survey that Wizards of the Coast recently put out about Dungeons & Dragons. He wasn’t the only one suspecting this. I did too, and seeing that the survey’s cooked to push this meme disease is sufficient confirmation for me to decide to cut WOTC off entirely (and with it, all versions of D&D after Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition).

Gaming (Niche Gamer): Square Enix has shared the first gameplay for the recently announced Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition.

Featured above, the first gameplay of the game was shown off during this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is launching for both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch sometime next year.

Comic Books (Injustice Gamer): I know there’s the GenCon bit everybody has seen and written about. I just didn’t expect the con to deal itself a deathblow this fast, and that’s all I’ll write here for now.

DC co-publishers Dan Didio and Jim Lee recently did an interview on ICV2 regarding DC’s sales year to year and the industry. Bounding into comics provided a little commentary via numbers, but didn’t go into analysis, instead asking for opinions in the comments section. Didio seems to think the biggest problem is over-saturation of the comics market, while Lee is pointing to declining traffic at Barnes and Noble and waning interest in The Walking Dead.

  Gaming (Table Top Gaming News): I know some of my friends are down at AWA downtown. I’m currently safely at home, grooving to some Sims 4 while I wait for this evening’s D&D session. Gotta go take care of that Strahd murder house, y’all! But I know what you are here for are the reviews I know you so desperately desire. So let’s get to it.

Today we have: Super Mario Bros. Party Card Game, Snow Time, D100 Dungeon, Tower of Madness, The Deck of Many Animated Spells, Kariba, Deities Domination, Seal Team Flix, Nanty Narking, Brass, Yellow & Yangtze, Menara, and Quests of Valeria.

  Sensor Sweep: Tower of the Elephant, Leigh Brackett, Kenneth Morris, D&D Survey published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[storytimewithtina-blog]

MY FIRST TREK (MANANG)

This past weekend we took a trip to Manang and it was AMAZING. I have a bad memory and will forget everything soon so I’m writing down every last detail, in case anyone wants to go to Manang (or read about it from the safety of not being on the edge of a cliff haha). Here goes:

Season: We went mid June (June 15-19) which is the off-season because it is so close to the monsoon season. We didn’t have any rain because Manang is in the “mountain desert” region that doesn’t get much rain, but it did mean that we had a lot of clouds (nice white fluffy ones) but the views of the Annapurnas are much more clear between November and April. Wouldn’t recommend during monsoon, simply because the roads to get there might have landslides and the small waterfalls that you have to drive through get more dangerous.

Length: 5 days (starting and ending in Kathmandu)

Altitude: Kathmandu (~1,500m)                Besisahar (~700m)                Tal (around ~1,800 <— couldn’t find official altitude, so this is an estimate)               Chame (~2,600m)               Pisang (~3,200m)              Manang (~3,500m)

Cost: Total cost for me was about 15,000NPR (~$180-190CAD) but I’ve highlighted prices for individual things along the way

Prices: The prices are tricky to estimate, there were 5 of us (3 foreigners, 2 locals) and we split the price on a lot of things. The prices I’ve outlined are for me alone.

^ The prices for hotels tend to be very cheap, around 300NPR-800NPR (~$4-12CAD), and then the price for food is more expensive than Kathmandu, because its hard to bring food up to the locations, but most meals are anywhere between 400NPR-800NPR (~$6-16CAD)

Day 0: Getting permits

We went to the Tourist Information Office in Kathmandu next to Ratna Park to get our permits. You need a permit for the Annapurna Conservation Area and a TIMS card (Tourist Information Management System). You need to fill out a form for each and you need two passport photos for each (4 photos total) as well as your passport. The offices close at 3pm or 4pm (punctuality isn’t really a thing, so I would recommend going in the morning or around lunch just in case)

Cost: Annapurna Conservation Area Permit: 2,260NPR (~$28CAD) TIMS card: 2,000NPR (~$25CAD)

Day 1: 7hr bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar, 4hr Jeep from Besisahar to Tal

(The photo above is our 6am wake up in Tal)

We went to the Balaju bus stop in north Kathmandu and caught a bus to Besisahar at 6:45am. We just showed up and asked at the ticket counter for bus tickets, we didn’t buy them in advance.

The bus goes along the same route as the bus to Pokhara, we reached Besisahar around 2pm. In Besisahar there are a bunch of jeeps near the bus stop, and you negotiate a price and location with them.

We were trying to reach Chame, and then we were going to trek from Chame to Manang. It’s a long Jeep ride, so we drove 4 hours from Besisahar to Tal, stayed the night there, and then continued with the drivers to Chame the next day.

Costs: Taxi to bus station: 500NPR (~$7CAD) Bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar: 360NPR (~$5CAD) You can buy snacks/water along the way but it is cheaper to bring your own

Transportation sidenote: You CAN fly to the Manang airport but it isn’t a regular route and the plane is small and it’s a very risky trip, so despite the  bumpy roads, it is MUCH safer to drive. The jeep, however, is EXTREMELY bumpy the ENTIRE WAY. There are no sections of smooth paved road. It is like those Jeep Wrangler commercials where the car is off roading with its 4-wheel drive over rocks except these jeeps have little to no suspension so you enjoy every single bump (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYiqk6J2uuo). As much as I highly recommend this trip to anyone and everyone because of the amazing experience, you spend a total of ~16hours (there and back) in a jeep on these roads, so just plan for that and take it with a sense of humour :)

Day 2: 2.5hr Jeep from Tal to Chame, 4hr Trek from Chame to Pisang

(The photo above us our trek from Chame to Pisang)

We woke up bright and early and left at 7am for the drive to Chame (about 2.5hrs) with the same drivers. We got off in Chame around 11:30 and hiked for about 3 hours, stopped for lunch, then hiked another 1.5hrs to Pisang.

The first day of trekking was the hardest, for me, because of the change in altitude from Chame at 2,600m to Pisang at 3,200m. I did take altitude medication that I had brought with me and I know it was doing something because I had the tingly face and hands (common side effects) but I had a lot of trouble breathing. There is also a lot of uphill walking on this stretch, and me and one of my other friends had backpacks of about 12kg each (around 28lb). I wasn’t the best at packing, but I will mention later what you think you might need but really don’t haha

Costs: Dinner, Hotel, Breakfast: ~1,000NPR (~$13CAD) Jeep ride: 1,400NPR (~$18CAD) Lunch: 500NPR (~$7CAD) You can also buy snacks along the way

^The jeep ride was a total of 7,000NPR and it is customary to tip - the drivers slept at a hotel as well and were great company- and that was for the whole jeep (we were 5 people with the 2 drivers so we filled up the whole car). If you are travelling alone or in a pair, you will pay for yourself and will most likely travel with other people, or locals. It is also common for locals to ride in the trunk for part/all of the way.

Day 3: 6 hrs trekking from Pisang to Manang (with a stop for lunch)

(The photo above is of a small part of the beautiful Annapurna mountain range)

The second day of trekking was much easier, I think my body gave up on trying to convince me to stop and nap every 5 minutes. This was also the most beautiful stretch of the hike. The entire trip was breathtaking and I did cry here and there at how beautiful it was. It honestly felt surreal to be there and so close to the mountains. We did have white fluffy clouds, but it was so cool to see the clouds move in and out and the peaks of the Annapurna range came in and out of view. It was absolutely beautiful.

On the way back, we drove this stretch, and it is so much more beautiful on foot, I would highly recommend hiking this stretch either on the way there or on the way back. I’m glad we didn’t end up driving the whole way to Manang.

When we reached Manang, there is an option to continue straight to the town, or take a road that goes left and down to the stream, if you take this path, it is about a 20min walk to a beautiful lake with an amazing view of the mountains, would highly recommend. We made it there after a really long day of hiking and it was so worth it

Costs: Dinner, Hotel, Breakfast: ~1,000NPR (~$13CAD) Lunch: 500NPR (~$7CAD)

Hotel and food sidenote: the accommodations are very cheap to stay the night and the food is a bit pricier than in cities like Kathmandu. So it is customary to eat dinner and breakfast at the place where you are staying, so that the room and the food even themselves out. No matter where you stay, all you will be eating is dhal bhat so eat your dhal bhat at your hotel :) As we were told by an American trekker before we left; “If you don’t like dhal bhat, don’t go trekking”.

Day 4: Mountain Sunrise in Manang, 7.5hr Jeep to Besisahar

(The photo above is the cloudy mountain sunrise that we woke up for, and it was amazing)

You can have a mountain sunrise in any of the places you stay, you just need to be up at 5, and pray that there are no clouds. We had quite a lot of clouds but the mornings were beautiful nonetheless. Some of our group went for a short walk to the temple in the morning, some of stayed behind to catch up on some sleep before heading back.

We had arranged for a jeep the day before (this is where planning ahead is actually necessary haha) to leave at 11:30 and arrived in Besisahar at 7pm. Our local friend had the contact for a driver, but what you can also do is on your way through Besisahar the first time, get the phone numbers of some drivers, or ask the drivers that are taking you there if they are going back from Manang to Besisahar on the day that you are leaving, or ask around, the locals are very helpful.

We stayed in Besisahar for dinner and hotel for the night and set alarms to catch the 7am bus back to Kathmandu the next morning.

Costs: Dinner, Hotel, Breakfast: ~1,400NPR (~$18CAD) Stop for food and dinner: ~700NPR (~$10CAD) Jeep: 2,000NPR (~$25CAD)

Jeep sidenote: If you are going the entire way from Manang to Besisahar or vice versa, the typical price is 1,500NPR for a local or 3,000NPR for a foreigner, so keep that in mind if you are negotiating prices and tip your drivers!!!

Bathroom/Shower/Hotel Sidenote: Ok so don’t let this discourage you because it is quite the amazing and humbling experience; most hotels will have common showers instead of showers in each room, but you should have your own toilet/latrine in your room. Bring your own toilet paper, a lot of places won’t have it. And there should be hotels with hot water (all of ours did) and you will NEED hot showers after all the trekking. Sometimes you might have to stand in the communal shower with just a towel on while the hotel lady comes in to show you how to turn on the water, but it all adds to the experience :P

Day 5: Bus from Besisahar to Kathmandu

Nothing too exciting, just a 7hour bus that didn’t have A/C for the first 5 hours, but open windows and fans are available! They also played some Bollywood movies for everyone, which I unfortunately couldn’t follow along with because there weren’t subtitles but it was something about a woman being artificially inseminated and then a gang trying to kidnap her or something.

We got back to Kathmandu around 2pm but actually got off the bus at 2:30 because of the traffic on Ring Road, and took a taxi home the rest of the way and were home safely by 3pm.

Costs: Hotel, Breakfast: ~1000 NPR (~$13CAD) Bus from Besisahar to Kathmandu: 500NPR (~$7CAD)

Overall: 20/10, would definitely do this trip again :) 

More pictures are on their way, just haven’t gone through them properly yet :)

PACKING - I was really bad at this so here are some tips I learned the hard way:

What you definitely need:

- Clothing - It is quite doable to use the same outfit for the whole trek with a pair of PJs, you can rinse and dry your clothes at your accommodation. I, however, brought an outfit for everyday which maybe wasn’t the smartest idea but it wasn’t really the clothes that were taking up space in my bag. I would recommend one warm sweater (if you are coming from a place like Canada where you are used to cold winters, a regular sweater should do, if not, bring a really thick warm sweater). Also try your best to pack lightweight clothing, and something that is good for sweating (moisture wicking material, stay away from cotton) - your trekking gear doesn’t need to be top notch brands; I have knock off trekking pants that worked just fine, but I would also recommend the Nike Dri-FIT leggings (you are paying for quality, but it won’t break the bank)

- Toiletries - very SMALL shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, sunscreen and aloe gel (I got sunburn on my forearms haha), face moisturizer, lip balm

- Swiss Army Knife (or something like that) - not really something you will die without but comes in pretty handy

- Baby wipes and hand sanitizer

- Towel - Hotels don’t always provide towels, I highly recommend a microfibre towel because they are lightweight, super absorbent and dry fast

- First aid things: we didn’t need them (thank God) but it is always good to have some bandages and alcohol wipes just in case

- Reusable water bottle

- Cameras (I brought my go pro and DSLR camera because my phone is awful)

- Bug Spray - The closer you get to Manang, the colder it is and so less bugs, but you will definitely want some for Besisahar and the lower altitude regions, I would recommend a small travel size bottle

- Medication - this depends on the person, I brought tylenol with me just in case and some of us used it for headaches and I took altitude medication just in case, not making any recommendations here except just do whatever the travel nurse says hahaha

What you think you need but probably really don’t:

- 20 Cliff Bars for 5 people - I mean this depends on who you’re with I guess but we ate maybe 7 over the entire trip. I thought we would need a lot of snacks, but we only really stopped for lunch and dinner and didn’t eat much in between

- Unnecessary snacks - if you’re going to pack snacks, pack a few healthy snacks (like trail mix and stuff) and if you are still hungry between lunch and dinner you can buy snacks at the little shops along the way, it’s really not worth carrying a bunch of stuff with you

- Water filtration bottles/tablets: you can buy water along the way (I feel guilty saying that because of all the plastic waste) and you can also fill up your reusable bottle in taps at most places which I would highly recommend if you have been able to adjust to Nepal food. We have been here a month and a half and our bodies are used to the food and water here. The mountain water is clean, so if you ask to fill up your bottle, the water should be good, but if you’ve just arrived, maybe go for the bottled water just in case (and carry your trash back down with you)

[lovethefinalseason-blog]

PLL 7B, Ep 6: The Glove that Rocks the Cradle

There’s only a few more episodes left until the “big reveal” finale on June 27th so of course the writers need to stretch out every twist, throw in every red herring and vaguely mention the liars parents just to reassure us they are not all still trapped in a basement somewhere drinking wine. Tonight’s episode featured Lucas’ big reveal and just like my last sexual encounter it was quite anticlimactic.  While it was mildly surprising to find out that Lucas was friends with Charles growing up a few episodes back, that reveal happened too early so it was obvious that he’s not AD. Plus letting Hanna live rent free in his giant apartment isn’t really much torture - even if they found out he only did that so that he could bug the whole thing and listen to their conversations.  Most of their convos seem to happen at Ali’s house or Spencer’s barnyard apartment. As far as I’m concerned there was never a big mystery surrounding Lucas. The biggest mystery on the show right now is why, after years of harassment and at least two kidnappings, do none of the liars own a security system, lock their doors and windows or even close their curtains. Even Neve Campbell moved to a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere after Scream 2. Then again in scream 4. Of course, if you’ve yet to watch tonight’s episode, then everything I’m saying right now makes no sense, so let’s get on with this recap. 

Spencer is in an interrogation room with a cop that is shockingly not Marco. He’s asking her about Archer Dunhill and the night she met Marco in the bar - and the joke about her saying she just finished “burying a body”.  Spencer dodges all his questions then the cop leaves and Marco comes in, sitting down slowly. He tells her she’s standing in quicksand and he’s offering her a rope.  She holds her water, looks at him then drinks it, knowing shes leaving her DNA. Then asks, can I go home now? Anyone who’s ever watched an episode of Law and Order knows that she was free to leave at any time since she wasn’t under arrest.  Marco suggest she gets a lawyer.  I can suggest two right of the top of my head - Mr. Hastings and Mrs. Hastings. 

In happier news, Emily surprises Ali by setting up a nursery in Ali’s old bedroom.  Ali basically asks her to move in then notices the box of stuff and slowly takes out an item from the box.  Emily says she found all the stuff in her attic, Ali’s mom saved everything there, all wrapped in tissue paper. 

Aria opens a face time message from Paria who tells her to “never send her to voicemail again”. She ends the message just as Ezra walks in and makes a remarks about Aria’s nightmares the night before.  She says she was just restless.  He says he has the perfect solution for her and hands her flyers for ballroom dance lessons.  I’d be like..

Aria says shes not sure about her schedule right now so says she can’t commit. Then a message comes in from Spencer telling her to go to Ali’s house right away, so she takes her jacket and leaves Ezra.  Important side note: Aria’s jacket says Aria across the back, in case you are confused. 

Spencer tells the girls that she accidentally used Rollin’s (Archer Dunhill’s) credit card the night they killed him.  At first they are mad that she was drunk but they quickly get over it and Emily suggests she gets the receipts. Hanna quickly interrupts her and says she can get them - lest we forget her mother owns the Radley.  She knows how to get in without the security cameras seeing her and she knows there’s a big Radley staff meeting the next night so no one will be around. 

Ezra meets with his publisher at the Brew to go over his press packet for the new book that he cowrote with Aria. He’s concerned that the entire press packet is about Nicole. His publisher says well that’s what the book is about and the story is still big in the press, people want to know if it works out between them.  Ezra says that Aria wrote half the book and he’s engaged to Aria now and his agent is like, well I didn’t tell you to get engaged.

Hanna’s secret weapon for shutting down the Radley security sytem? Caleb of course because he created it. Unfortunately he created it too well. He tells Hanna the system can only be shut down for 10 minutes at a time otherwise it automatically calls the police.  Suddenly the game lights up, the message on the phone says  “Pick up my homework or go to detention, remember prison food makes you fat”. #HeftyHanna.  At the same time Aria gets a message saying “Hanna thinks its her turn but yours isn’t up yet and you’re playing for me” - AD.   Hanna’s AD mission is to go to a computer repair shop to pick up a flash drive then drop it off at the locker at Rosewood High (the same locker that Aria dropped the comic book in last time). Caleb wants to go with Hanna but she refuses. She doesn’t want him to end up in the ER again. Hanna also reveals that she blames them for Spencer’s mistake. Hanna promised her that she was over Caleb, and let Spencer fall in love with him. Then Caleb broke up with her that night because he kissed Hanna, which led to Spencer drinking too much in a bar and making out with the cop who’s now investigating them for murder. 

Speaking of Spencer, she is now helping Emily assemble some more baby furniture. Spencer thinks she can convince Marco that she’s innocent or to give up on the Archer Dunhill case but Emily warns her not to overestimate someone’s feelings, its risky.  Spencer says arent you doing the same thing with Ali with this baby? How do they know it will work out? It’s not a puppy it’s a baby.  Emily tells her to stop judging her and Ali.  

Ezra tells Aria about his publishers plan to make the press tour all about Ezra and Nicole. She doesn’t even want Aria involved at all.  Ezra says he won’t do it but Aria tells him she wants him too.  Selling the book will help them build a better future and she doesn’t want to be in the spotlight right now (being investigated for murder does have a way of messing things up).  She says she also doesn’t feel comfortable answering questions about Nicole but she’ll be there in the audience at every event. 

Hanna picks up the flash drive from the computer repair shop.  Caleb plugs it into his computer and it brings up one music file. It’s Patsy Cline singing “you belong to me.” Hanna says that A only played Patsy Cline in the dollhouse. 

Marco is going over his notes in his apartment when theres a knock on the door.  Of course it’s Spencer. She asks him to talk to her and tells him she’s the same person she was 3 days ago when they were sleeping together.  He says that might be true but it turns out that he didn’t know that person that much.  Spencer, who once again should consider talking to a lawyer before she speaks, tells him that Dunhill was a monster, he preyed on people, why shouldnt he die in the same way he lived?  Marco says its his job to found out who broke the law not why.  It’s actually kind of also his job to find out why.  Motive I believe is the number one thing police are supposed to find out in interrogation rooms.  Spencer begs him to let this slip through the cracks. He just stares at her, then hands her a tissue and says no.   His phone starts ringing and he asks spencer to leave.  When he’s in the other room talking on his phone she sees a pile of flash drives on his counter. One is labeled Lucas and she slips it into her pocket before she leaves.  

The liars gather at Spencer’s and watch as she plugs the flash drive into her computer. It’s a video of the police interrogating Lucas after Charlotte (CeCe/Charles) was murdered. He tells the police that he lied about Hanna’s whereabouts that night because she asked him to cover it up.  He says he wouldn’t be surprised if her friends were involved in the murder. The girls are now convinced that Lucas is involved with AD but Hanna still doesn’t believe it because he’s her friend.  Hanna says she knows in her heart her friends will never hurt her - but Aria cuts her off saying that’s not true. Is Aria about to confess to helping AD?  Nope! She just points out that Hanna was once so afraid of Lucas she pushed him out of a rowboat. Aria suggests staking out the locker where Hanna is supposed to drop off the hard drive. Hanna asks her how she knew about the locker, and Aria plays it off saying oh she just thought she mentioned that once.   

 Emily comes into Ali’s house, saying that her mom is away for the weekend (and basically forever) so she ran home and to get a mobile for the crib. What I’m understanding from that is - 1. Emily is not planning to tell her mom that Ali is pregnant with her baby and 2. her mom keeps random baby items in her house.   Emily says she’ll make breakfast but Ali says shes running late. Emily notices that Ali hasnt taken her vitamins yet and gets pissed. She says Ali always says they’ll do things together and then bails on her all the time.  Ali angrily takes the vitamins and then leaves.  When she’s gone Emily gets a text from Hanna that says “got the game instructions.”  Hanna has to drop off the drive at the school at the same time the staff meeting is on at the Radley so she has to be in two places at once. Emily says they will hide out at the high school so they can catch AD picking up the drive from the locker.  Aria innocently says she promised Ezra she would go to a press event tonight with him so she can’t go. After they all leave, Spencer and Caleb stay behind.  Spencer is looking at her phone annoyed and tells Caleb that it’s Rosewood PD wanting to schedule her second interview.  Caleb says he’s sorry.  She says its not his fault but he says isnt it?

As Hanna is leaving Lucas’ she opens the door to Mona.  Mona asks where shes going and Hanna’s about to lie but Mona cuts her off and asks why she’s not letting her in on the game.  Hanna tells her the others can’t know she’s involved.   Mona realizes that Hanna didn’t tell the other liars that she showed her the game.  She can’t believe they still don’t trust her and asks what does she have to do to be part of the group! 

Aria doesn’t show up to Ezra’s press event that night. He texts her a few times where are you but she doesn’t answer. 

At Rosewood High, Hanna drops the flash drive in the locker then looks over at Ali and Emily who are “hiding” behind a door wearing bright colors and talking loudly to each other about their earlier fight.  Unbeknownst to them, back at Ali’s house someone is breaking into the apartment and replacing Emily’s precious mobile with a creepy one made of slashed up Barbie dolls. And that someone is...ARIA.   She watches it spin around, then proceeds to rip up pillows and smear blood on the walls.  Oblivious to it all, Emily apologizes to Ali for earlier saying she’s just scared she wont be able to do this with the baby. Ali says she feels like Emily is testing her.  Before she can respond, they hear a noise and know that they missed AD because they are the worst spies ever. They run after the perp, splitting up in the process but Emily stops when she hears Ali yell in pain.  She finds Ali on the stairs, shaken up but OK. They decide to call it a night and go home.  

Unfortunately, Aria is still not done trashing their baby room when she hears the door open and realize shes about to get caught.  She trips over some boxes, which Ali and Emily hear.  Then she runs into a crib and knocks down some more things. 

Emily takes a candlestick and slowly starts to creep around the house.  Aria hides in a corner hoping not to get caught.  While she’s stuck in the house, Ezra is at the press event by himself, fielding questions from the audience. Someone asks if there’s another book in the works and will he continue his journey with Nicole. He tells her no, he’s moved on and is engaged to his co-author Aria. 

Somehow Aria got out and is now acting innocent as all the liars stand around surveying the AD damage to the nursery.  Ali thinks the hard drive thing was a set up.  Emily says whoever it was had a helper because there’s no way whoever was at the school could’ve beaten them back there in time to do all this damage. As Spencer helps Emily clean up some of the damage, she sees an earring on the floor. She picks it up and looks at Aria asking if it’s hers (knowing that it is).  Aria says ooh I thought I heard that drop when we came in here and takes the earring back from Spencer.  

Hanna is now in the Radley storage room looking through boxes of receipts to find Spencer’s.  Keep in mind she only has 10 minutes to find this one receipt, and her mom apparently keeps every single receipt in giant evidence boxes for no reason. Caleb comes in to remind her they only have a few minutes before the police are called but she’s freaking out. He takes all the boxes and dumps them on the floor, then uses a metal pole to burst a pipe in the room before pulling Hanna out. Caleb then frantically tries to turn the security system back on. He tells Hanna he needs to run downstairs to reboot the security system.  As he leaves she receives a voicemail from Mona who says she’s still at the high school alone.  Emison mistook her for the real AD and chased her which must’ve scared off real AD because no one has come for the drive.  As the security cameras load back up, Hanna sees Lucas at the Radley looking around, waiting. 

Spencer is at her house watching tv under a blanket when Marco calls. He knows she took the drive and tells her to give it back “or else”.  Turning into evil  Spencer, her voices changes and she says “if i did take the drive that would mean i was in your apartment alone. At night. With you. I wonder if people would think that was strange.”  He hangs up, then immediately Spencer gets a call from Hanna. 

Lucas is frantically rifling through all his drawers in his apartment when he realizes people are watching him and looks up to see all of the liars (sans Mona) standing there.  They ask why he’s freaking out and he says he can’t find the book. He then confesses that he didn’t know that Charles was Charlotte.  He only communicated through email. He used to email Charles stories of how Ali tortured him throughout high school and all her friends just stood around doing nothing. He thinks he’s the reason that all of them were tortured by Charlotte. He says the comic they found was sent to him with a note that says if you “want to keep our friendship a secret, meet at the Radley tonight.”  He did but no one showed up.  Then Lucas reveals that there’s another unfinished comic called “end game” and that’s what he was looking for but it’s not longer here. It details torture and secrets that he doesn’t want AD to know about but he doesn’t know how the book ends because it was never finished. I’m literally watching this scene like:

After everyone leaves, Hanna offers Lucas a glass of whiskey. He drinks it, thanks her then goes to leave. Hanna tells him that she believes that he wasn’t part of AD but then asks why her factory is for sale. He looks at her sadly and says he thinks she’s really talented but he had trouble getting other people to believe him. He was the only investor and he didn’t have the money to invest anymore. She is like wait I tortured you in high school and now I lost all your money and you’re still letting me live in your apartment. but why though, what’s worth losing everything.  He looks at her and says “you.” She smiles and says thank you, then he leaves.  

At Spencer’s second interview, Marco tells her that the storage room at the Radley was deliberately flooded and the security cameras went down at the exact same time.  She doesn’t react just says, that must make your life very difficult.  Marco says he won’t stop investigating her then leaves.

As Ali and Emily clean up Aria’s mess they joke about how brave they were facing down AD (who we know was really Mona).   Ali remarks that Emily has always protected her and Emily asks so why do you always push me away.  Ali says she doesn’t know but shes ready to stop.  She wants to do this, together. She wants to be a family.  Ali says she finally realized that the reason she’s been in so many failed relationships is because she loves Emily.  Then she kisses her. 

Aria finally gets back to her apartment, takes out her phone and sees a note from Ezra saying “you didn’t miss much, be home soon”.  She looks down at her arm and sees a giant scratch. Holding the scratch she sits on the couch and starts crying. 

As suspected, in the last scene we see AD holding the second comic “end game”.  They turn to a blank page and begin to drawer a tree, then next to a tree a gravestone.  On it they write “Here Lies...”

[jch0w-travels]

ECUADOR + GALÁPAGOS

¡Bienvenidos! Once again, I’m late to post -  it’s been almost a year since our first trip to Ecuador, but to be fair, I did actually start writing during the trip this time. Since then, I’ve returned to the Galápagos twice (and will be heading there again in two days!). By the end of the year, I plan to earn my certification in teaching English as a second language and move to Isla Santa Cruz to teach.

Update 12/2017: I have now been to Ecuador 5 times (4 of those times in Galápagos), and will be returning in two weeks to study in Montañita with the CELTA program at International House Montañita. New post on the other locations I’ve visited in Ecuador coming soon, right after my delayed post on Costa Rica!

7/22, Friday: DAY 1: QUITO

I have to admit, before we left for our trip to Ecuador, I was nervous. I had done most of the planning for us with looking into hostels, places to visit, and the time and cost of bus transportation between cities for months in advance, but I still felt unprepared the week before my departure. My Spanish was limited at best (4% fluent according to DuoLingo), and I had been reading way too much into safety precautions for traveling on public transportation and exploring the cities after dark. Add to the list that I somehow saved getting my vaccinations and securing my bank account arrangements to just the weekend before my departure, the realization that I would never catch up on PokémonGo upon my return, and suddenly I was freaking out.

Now that I’m beginning to write this during our last weekend in Ecuador, I realize how absurd I was being, but I’m grateful for some of the tips I learned (and for the most part, ignored) during that panic. One of the most important to remember is that while traveling in Ecuador, although US currency is standard (since 2008), big bills are not common and rarely accepted at vendors or casual restaurants. You can most likely exchange 20s or higher at banks, bigger supermarkets (SuperMaxi), or break for change at fancier restaurants, but you’re better off carrying 1s, 5s, and 10s. Single dollars will usually be given back to you in coin form, and there are also 50 cent coins in addition to the mix of US and Ecuadorian 25, 10, and 5 cent coins. I also learned that Banco de Pacifico charges the least for ATM fees ($1.58) as opposed to our unfortunate first choice of Bank Pichincha - which charged an unbelievable 20% of the withdrawal amount. Can you blame me for choosing the bank with a black/yellow logo and name like Pikachu?

Update 12/2017: After multiple visits to Ecuador, I now realize that Banco Pichincha does not charge any ATM fees at all. I’m not sure whether this was also true when I originally wrote this post, or if I made a mistake and misread my ATM receipt! Either way - Banco Pichincha is the way to go! (I use a bank-issued Visa debit card from Investors Savings, which allows me 4 free foreign ATM transactions per billing cycle).

The other precaution I read was to only take taxis with orange license plates, and to ask the driver for the fare price or to start the meter before the ride. I honestly didn’t follow the latter at all, because even in instances when we were likely charged “more than average,” the fare never exceeded $10 (except for long drives to/from the airport in Quito) and I always tipped an extra dollar or two anyway, which isn’t standard either but everyone is so damn nice I wanted to tip them all. More on the former rule later, when we maybe almost get kidnapped because I trust people too easily (sorry mom!).

The fact is, I’ll talk to anyone. Most people will tell me that I’m not careful enough, but you won’t believe the amazing people I’ve met, secret places and deals I’ve found, and stories I’ve heard because of that. In this trip alone, I’ve met some of who I think are the best people in the world, and I’m constantly reminded in my travels how much love and light truly exists in this sometimes very scary world. Just remember that despite the negativity we have to sift through daily, there are always incredible friends just waiting to meet you in every corner of the Earth.

We started our trip in Quito, where we arrived to Mariscal Sucre International Airport late at night. We were picked up by Guillermo, who met us at the terminal and drove us through quiet streets to our first hostel, El Hostelito (~$14/pp per night for individual pods). When we arrived, we entered through a giant steel gate door lined with barbed wire above, then walked up the stairs to get to another door leading into the hostel. As we checked in, we asked our hostel hosts if there were any places to eat nearby, but she said she doubted anything was open. She offered to call us a taxi, but when we said we would walk instead, she cautioned us to watch our belongings when we went out. I’m not sure if it was just because it was late, or that she was so adamant about not walking around, but we felt immediately insecure and made it only a few blocks, passing a closed Pizza Hut and a closed Domino’s (on the same block, I swear) before deciding to turn back around. We ended up finishing Will’s bag of Cheez-Its while watching some really terrible TV.

The next morning, we woke up to the breathtaking views and altitude of the mountains surrounding us, and headed to the bus station for our first destination. Of course, one of our first meals was a quick one at the station, but definitely worth it. For $1.50, I tried my first humita, a steamed fresh corn cake wrapped in corn husk - like the most magical cornbread ever. Will shelled out a little more cash ($4) for a full plate of steak, rice, salad, avocado, and papas fritas.

7/23, Saturday: DAY 2: BAÑOS

The bus ride to Baños ($4.50 from the Terminal Terrestre Quitembe, about 3 hours) was unbelievably beautiful. I watched in awe as we carved through the mountains, clouds floating just above the green peaks of trees and land.

Baños de Agua Santa (“Baths of Holy Water”), commonly referred to as Baños, is a city in eastern Tungurahua Province in central Ecuador, named after the hot springs located around the city which have a reputation of having healing properties due to their content of various minerals. It is known as the “Gateway to the Amazon,” as it is the last big city still located in the mountains before reaching the jungle and other towns that are located in the Amazon River basin. Baños is located on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua Volcano, at an elevation of 1,820 metres (5,971 feet) whose activity has been characterized by frequent powerful ash explosions and lava flows can be seen from the town. The last time the volcano erupted in October 1999, all 17,000+ residents were forced to evacuate the city for weeks.

(source: Wikipedia)

When we arrived, it was late afternoon so right after we checked in to Hostel Chimenea (~$14/pp per night for a 3-bed room), we headed out to catch the last of the slivers of sunlight spilling onto the nearby waterfalls and setting behind the cathedral square. Foolishly, we took the advice of our guidebook to eat at a local café called Café Hood, which despite its delicious meals, offered no authentic local cuisine. At least we got to taste some of the handmade sweets on our way back, including a taffy candy spun on wood, unique to Baños. We actually had stopped to buy some colorful hard candies ($1 per bag) but the woman who owned the cart was so friendly that she kept slipping in taffy into our bags for each bag of candy we bought.

That evening, we headed out to the square to check out the bar scene. At the time, it was only around 7pm so all of the bars lining the streets in the center of town were still pretty empty. We settled down at a spot blasting rock music from its open front, where we met the only other bar patron, Mike.

Mike is a United States Navy veteran, who fought in the Vietnam War and has been living in Baños for just about a year, after spending eight years living in Argentina. Like my brother Nathan, he has a deep admiration for Latin America, and like my brother Jordon, was an engineer (mechanical) before retiring. Despite his practicality, Mike is an empathetic man, with a love for the arts; especially music, which he “can’t listen to for too long otherwise I start to become real emotional.”

Immediately upon beginning our conversation, I knew I was meant to meet this person. I don’t mean that in any religious connotation, because like Mike, I don’t quite believe that religion is anything more than “the oldest form of government; they tell you what you can and can’t do, and then they say - by the way, we want your money.”

I just knew that conversation had to happen, then and there. In two hours, Mike gave me answers and asked me questions that I had been searching for and yearning to discover, but simply needed to hear from the right person to truly understand. He had lived a lifetime of wanderlust, with 52 countries and every state in the US of A in all their glory under his belt, which he traveled through on his motorcycle (like my roomie Ethan!). Mike had been through it all, and he was still living for more. I listened to his stories intently, hoping to gain some knowledge from his experiences as he recanted years of his life and all the wisdom that came with that.

He was so unabashedly honest, and I admired that. He didn’t hesitate to admit that because of his time in the war, he often had to come face to face with discrimination against Asians that spurred from that, and he hated that part of himself. As a first generation Chinese American, who has had my fair share of negative encounters with shallow-minded people, I had never heard this side of the story before. It was interesting to hear someone speak about a quality of themselves they hated, and has failed to change at his deepest core, to a person who could very well take offense by it. After Mike returned from the little boys’ room, he said that he wanted to clarify what he meant; that the bad memories create bad expectations of the associated culture he fought as he defended our country, but that he absolutely respects each and every individual and will never allow anything trump that. He then confessed, “I’m a human being and I’m not perfect, but I’ll always be honest.” That commitment to honesty brought up some curiosity from my end, including asking how he managed to live a life so full of travel. While he admitted the Navy funded a good chunk of the start, he told me of the two businesses he successfully built and ran, one of which he sold to an employee for $1 after his wife passed away. In his words, “your ability to adapt is your strongest quality. If you fear nothing, you can do anything.”

It sounds cliche, but that motivation was everything I needed to hear at this point in my life. I’ve never pictured myself settling into contentment, and yet I fear change just as much as anyone else. Mike reminded me that as long as I’m breathing, it’s never too late to learn anything - even how to love. Mike lost the love of his life 21 years ago to breast cancer, and even as he spoke of her to me, his eyes began to well up with tears. She was his second wife, after being divorced for 12 years “with a different girlfriend on my arm each week.” And yet, six months after their first blind date, they were married.

I asked him how - how he knew she was the one, how he could make such a drastic change, and how he made all those years work. The first two questions, he didn’t have much of an answer to. It was the same old spiel of “you just know,” but his answer to the third really stuck. He said that each month, both of them would sit down and tell each other what they had been annoyed with that past month and hoped to improve, and the other wouldn’t be able to respond until a week later, “because time allows you to discover a response, not a reaction.”

There was so much more that I learned from our talk, and I’m so grateful to have met an individual who impacted my perspective and encouraged my aspirations so genuinely. Every time I feel shy about practicing my Spanish, I hear Mike saying, “you can’t fear being judged when you’re making an effort to share someone’s culture, and if anyone wants to judge you for it, fuck ‘em.”

By the time I turned around from the bar, the streets were teeming with people of all ages, but mostly kids looking to party. Mike had recommended The Leprechaun, so we headed there and arrived to a line of people anxious to dance and a crowd just socializing in the street out front. As the obvious foreigners, we got pulled through the line and crowd right upstairs to complimentary shots - yellow, blue and red like the Ecuadorian flag, and lit on fire. It was, very literally, LIT.

By my next drink, I was ready to navigate the crowds to dance to some good ol’ reggaeton music (because the Salsa Room was still too intimidating) and by my last drink, I had an Ecuadorian dance partner. Lucky for me, he spoke English well, skateboards, has a tattoo of a pizza slice and partly owns a cool little pizza place down the street, has style for days, and to top it all off loves Kanye West and Big Pun. I thought of everything Mike told me earlier at the bar, but as classic Jasmine would do, I wrote it off as too good to be true and let him drive me back to my hostel on his motorcycle before letting it go. Don’t even think about saying anything to me about “this is why we worry you’ll be kidnapped some day” because I’ve already heard it.

7/24, Sunday: DAY 3: BAÑOS // CUENCA

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to head to our ziplining adventure, which we had set to depart at 8am. Still half-drunk, we stumbled into town to find the tour’s storefront closed, so we crossed the street for breakfast. Luckily, the friendly woman who booked our tour (and gave us a sweet discount for $20 per person) spotted us and walked in to ask if we wouldn’t mind waiting another half hour for departure to give the drivers more time to prepare. We welcomed the delay to take our time eating breakfast.

It was about a half hour drive up the mountains to our destination, Puntzan Canopy ($20/pp). When we arrived, our guide Jon simply strapped on our equipment for us and showed us the map of the 6 lines we would be going to that morning. There was no extensive safety training or waiver signing, which was a refreshing change from any kind of “adrenaline sport” that we have in the U.S. Once we hiked up to the first line, Jon explained where to put our hands on the line and how to slow down or speed up, then clipped one person in and we were off. I was super nervous for my first zipline but once I made it to the other side I realized it wasn’t so scary.. until our next line. The next line was a bit longer and a lot higher, and we were given the option to do this one in the regular “seated” position or upside down with legs crossed above our heads. Of course, I went with upside down. About halfway through, I started to slow down a little and for some reason thought I might fall and freaked out, repeatedly saying “holy shit holy shit holy shit” to myself - which I later realized would have been a terrible choice for last words. By the third line, I was feeling much more comfortable and got to experience the “superman” position which actually felt the most natural and gave me a sense of what it might feel like to be able to fly. The next few lines were much higher up and required a decent amount of hiking to get to, which was probably terrible idea for the morning after drinking heavily but also super rewarding. I wonder if I would have had the balls to do any of this had we not conquered Fuji last year. Pretty sure there are still remnants of my fear of heights lurking in my gut, though.

When we returned from ziplining (they call it canopying), we had just enough time to pack and check out of our hostel. Our next destination was Cuenca, (~$8 from the Baños bus terminal, 6 hours). Although I had looked into the bus terminal locations, cost, and time from city to city, I didn’t have the time for detailed schedules, so when we arrived at the terminal, we were surprised that there were no direct buses to Cuenca on Sundays. Instead, we could either take a bus to Riobamba or Ambato and then transfer. The problem was, when we arrived to Ambato, we had no idea how to get to the next bus. Since we were the last ones off the bus, I asked the driver where to go, and understood only the direction to walk towards. When we turned the corner and didn’t see any stations or bus stops, we decided to take a break for food. Right outside of the restaurant sat an elderly man, who although seemed like he might be homeless, made no gesture towards us for anything. But while we ate, I noticed one of the employees step outside with a bowl of food and a cup of juice, handing it over gingerly to the man. I thought about how rare this act of kindness would be in NYC and admired the respect the employee emulated. I figured this would be a good opportunity to ask him how to get to Cuenca too, and sure enough - not only did he type out in Google Translate that we needed to take a taxi to a bus terminal; he walked us outside, hailed a cab for us, and told the driver our destination before bidding us good luck.

When we got to the terminal, we were told it would be another 3 hours before the next bus to Cuenca. By the time we would arrive, it would be past midnight. Since I barely slept the night before, I didn’t mind the long bus ride ahead to catch up on some rest before checking in at La Cigale (~$13/pp per night for a 3-bed room) for real sleep. I was so tired when we arrived that when the concierge asked (in Spanish) if I spoke English, I answered (in Spanish) “only a little” and ended up carrying the rest of that conversation in Spanish. He was probably really confused at how slowly I was speaking but whatever, it was good practice.

The city of Cuenca — in full, Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca — is the capital of the Azuay Province. It’s widely known as the most European city in the country of Ecuador due to its highly 16th and 17th century era Spanish colonial architecture resembling cities and architecture throughout Spain. Located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) above sea level, the centre of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site due to its many historical buildings.

At least three cultures have left their imprint on Cuenca. When the Spanish arrived in the 1540s, they encountered the ruins of a great but short-lived Incan city called Tomebamba (“Valley of the Sun”). The Spanish eagerly dismantled what was left of it, incorporating the elegantly carved Inca stones into their own structures. Before the Inca, the indigenous Cañari people had lived in the area for perhaps 3,000 years. They, too, had a city here, called Quanpondelig (“Plain as Big as the Sky”).

(source: Wikipedia & Lonely Planet)

7/25, Monday: DAY 4: CUENCA // GUAYAQUIL

When we woke up, we figured we could squeeze in a few hours of exploring the beautiful colonial streets of Cuenca before having to take another bus to Guayaquil to catch our flight out to the Galápagos. We only had about 4 hours to walk around before having to check out of the hostel, so we gave ourselves two missions and decided we would just take photos of whatever we could along the way. Our first stop was food (duh), and we wandered into an inviting little place where one of the hostesses spoke English and welcomed us in. It was here that I ordered the first of many ceviches, none of which were disappointing despite their differences. The one here was ceviche de camarones, a little bowl filled with an abundance of sweet little shrimp in a savory, tangy vinegar with cubes of tomato, garnished simply with tiny slices of red onion and cilantro, accompanied by lime and a classic bowl of roasted corn kernels.

After we had lunch, we went on a mission to search for the best coffee in Cuenca. We didn’t do much research, but once we spotted Cacao y Canela, we knew we found something special. An adorable little café adorned halfway with cocoa beans and cinnamon (appropriate), halfway with kitschy Wisconsin license plates and random signage, we sat down as the only patrons and were quickly served by the attentive waitress. We each ordered a coffee, and Will tried the strawberry cheesecake. After our coffee fix, we walked back to the hostel to pack and check out before embarking on our next bus ride to Guayaquil (~$8 from the Cuenca Terminal Terrestre, about 4 hours).

Once we got onto the bus at the Terminal Terreste de Cuenca, the ticket collector stood up to begin speaking to the bus. At first, we figured it would be the standard, 2-minute protocol of general safety precautions, maybe a spiel about how long the ride would be and when we would stop at a rest area. Nope. That speech turned out to be a solid 20 minutes (at least) about - from what I could understand - the dangers of Guayaquil and foodborne illnesses that could be contracted from certain food and drink there. I was baffled, but the 20-something guy sitting next to Will reassured him he didn’t need to pay attention to any of it. I suppose it made some sense, since Guayaquil is considerably more notorious for street crimes than colonial, picturesque Cuenca. But when we arrived, it didn’t feel too different from my experience living in Cebu - granted, the vibe was not like it was in Cuenca, but I felt at home amongst all the gated homes with glass-topped walls surrounding them, the bustle of people and busses in the busy streets, and the occasional stray dog roaming curiously about.

The difference between the weather in cool, breezy Cuenca to hot, humid Guayaquil was a welcome change for me since I prefer to sweat than shiver, but I guess so do mosquitos. Once we arrived in Guayaquil, it immediately felt more crowded and intense than the calm streets of Cuenca. We hailed a cab and shortly after realized that the driver couldn’t figure out how to get to our hostel, La Casa Tangara ($10/pp per night for a 3-bed room), when he stopped to ask local pedestrians for directions. It took a few stops and wrong turns for us to arrive to the metal gate door that our host slid open, which he locked once we stepped inside. This was probably our favorite hostel of the trip, because despite its metal gate doors and glass-topped concrete walls, the interior was decorated by beautiful botanical murals and equally as welcoming live plants lining the corridors and blooming around the outdoor dining patio. It was a small place, with only 3 bedrooms and a shared kitchen, living room, and laundry service, but the host was kind (and exceptionally friendly to Will), the WiFi was poppin, and the room was comfortable.

When we settled in, we asked the host if there was any place nearby for dinner, at which point he offered to call us a cab. We asked if we could walk there, but he cautioned that since the sun was setting soon, we should probably take the cab either to the mall, or a few local restaurants. Will asked him if it was safe to leave the hostel, and his response was, “Well, since today is a holiday, it should be safer” (it was Simon Bolivar’s birthday) - as if criminals need to be home with their families on national holidays, too.

We ended up taking a cab to the San Marino Shopping Mall, and made a full lap around to explore each floor and the food court before deciding to cross the street down the block to McDonald’s. Will and X have a tradition of trying the McDonald’s in foreign countries, and I guess I’m not completely opposed; I just refuse to have it more than once during a trip abroad. All I have to say is that the McDonald’s in Ecuador is on another level - as in, they have a separate dessert bar inside, and their fries taste at least 5x better.

Once we left McDonald’s, the most reasonable thing to do next was go to the nearest convenience store for snacks. Of course, being SnackGurl, I had to get a wide variety of snacks to try. I wasn’t very impressed - most of the chip snacks tasted kind of stale, and they were pale in comparison to the freshly fried bags of papas fritas you could get from the snack peddlers who boarded the busses with homemade local snacks (chips, peanuts, sliced fruit, etc).

7/26, Tuesday: DAY 5: GUAYAQUIL // SAN CRISTÓBAL

The next morning, we awoke to breakfast made by our host - the most delicious scrambled eggs ever, buttered toast, watermelon, and coffee.

Once we packed, it was time to head to the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport to depart for the Galápagos. It’s important to note that the process for checking into a flight headed to the protected archipelago is much more extensive than most flights, despite that it is technically domestic. First of all, there are no direct flights to the Galápagos from outside of Ecuador. Flights depart from Guayaquil, Quito, and Cuenca to either of the two airports in the Galápagos - Seymour Airport (GPS) in Isla Baltra (also known as South Seymour), connected by ferry to Isla Santa Cruz, and San Cristóbal Airport (SCY) in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristóbal (also known as Chatham). There are only four flight times during the day, too - one in the early morning, and one in the early afternoon. I would highly suggest planning for at least 2 hours prior to departure time, since check-in requires applying for a tourist transit card ($20), then a preliminary baggage screening before you even step into the airport’s regular security and bag check.

Right before boarding the flight, to my pleasant surprise, I turned around and spotted Giselle, one of my brother Nathan’s best friends. Giss was with her cousin, Claudia, who lived in Cuenca. It was such an awesome moment of serendipity to realize we were on the same flight into Isla San Cristóbal together, and would be traveling to Isla Santa Cruz on the same date as well.

San Cristóbal (also known as Chatham) is the fifth largest and easternmost island in the Galápagos. It is the site of El Junco, the only permanent stream and source of fresh water in the islands, and is also where Darwin first went ashore in 1835. San Cristóbal is also the site of the oldest surviving settlement in the Galápagos, El Progresso, established in 1869. It has since been overshadowed by a second town, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, located on the southeast coast.

(source: Cornell and Galapagos Conservancy)

When we arrived to San Cristóbal, it was actually a gloomy day with not much sunshine. Once the plane landed, we stepped off the stairs into the windy runway to walk towards the airport, where we were required to pay a $100 entrance fee (cash only!) to the Galápagos National Park. This money goes towards the conservation efforts made to protect the islands’ precious archipelago, where 95% of the land area is designated as protected by the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD). In fact, tourists are permitted to explore specific visitor sites only with Park-certified naturalist guides. The GNPD coordinates group visits to these 60+ sites and carefully monitors ecological conditions.

(source: galapagos.org)

Once we exited the airport, a line of white pick-up trucks were ready to depart from the curb - these are the standard Galápagos taxis that can be found on any of the 5 inhabited islands (Santa Cruz, Baltra, San Cristóbal, Isabela, and Floreana). Of the 21 total islands, there are 18 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets - for a total human population of roughly 25,000. Since most of the islands and islets of the archipelago are not inhabited by humans, they do not permit any overnight stays. In fact, the visiting sites, even on the inhabited islands, are only accessible from 6 am to 6 pm. Since we landed in the afternoon, we only had a little bit of time to visit one of the beaches that day.

(source: Wikipedia)

First, we settled into our hostel Casa de Laura (~$45/pp per night), where unfortunately they had mixed up our reservation. Rather than one room with three beds, we were separated into two rooms, but at least Will and X were directly above my room, despite that we ended up paying more than we expected to for our stay here. They also did not have laundry available here, the bathroom reeked of mildew, and breakfast was not offered, so overall it was not our favorite hostel.

We decided to wander to Playa La Loberia, a beach I had read about that promised an abundance of lazy sea lions, and committed to the long walk down a wide dirt paved road that lead to a rocky beach. I was ecstatic when we finally approached the soft sand after more than a mile of gravel, and saw the first few sea lions lying by the water, basking in the cloudy daylight. Underneath the nearby shrubbery, a few other sea lions hid beneath the branches, resting on each other’s butts. I can’t remember how much time we spent on that beach admiring those beautiful lazy creatures, but by the time we left, the sun was just beginning to set and we were hungry. We headed to a little place decorated with lots of plantlife and trinkets, with flags from all over the world hung from the ceiling. Of course, I had ceviche again.

That night, we met with Giselle and Claudia for drinks and to book a tour with one of the local tour groups that they had spoken with earlier. This is where we met Javier, the absolute friendliest man I have ever met in my entire life. Words can’t do this man justice, so I highly recommend that you visit Pacifictour in San Cristobal to meet him. I guarantee that you will smile immediately upon seeing him, because he glows with a rare genuine joy. Our tour experience with Pacifictour was perfect from start to finish, and I’d like to at least credit Javier for getting us off on the right foot. Besides giving us a discount (we each paid around $120, as I recall - as opposed to the usual $180 for day tours), he was so patient with each of us as we tried on our snorkeling gear and wetsuits to prepare individual snorkel bags for the next morning.

After we settled our tour arrangements, we headed over to El Barquero, one of the few bars in the small surf town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. When we first arrived, they looked like they might still be closed, but once we gingerly entered the gate, an older man stepped out of the house to greet us and lead us to the bar that was in the back. Before we could walk in, though, a younger surfer-looking dude asked us for our passports, but some of us were only carrying our driver’s licenses as ID. He made a fuss about this and almost refused to let us in, but Giselle insisted that his demands were ridiculous. By the time we entered the bar, hidden in a small corner beyond the pool table on gravel ground, the tension in the air was already stiff. So when I ordered two shots of whiskey to celebrate Giselle’s birthday and the man arrived from behind the bar with two low-ball glasses for $15 each (beers are usually around $1-3, cocktails don’t normally exceed $10), we weren’t ecstatic. We finished our game of pool quietly before heading out of there, since we had to wake up early the next morning anyway.

7/27, Wednesday: DAY 6: SAN CRISTÓBAL

By the crack of dawn the next day, we sleepily headed over to Casa Mabell where Giselle and Claudia were staying to meet up and walk over to Pacific Tours together. When we arrived, Javier was already ready to go, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with all of our snorkeling gear in tow. I wish I could say that he spent the rest of the day with us, but after he walked us over to the pier, he bid us a good trip and headed back to the tourism office. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we were greeted by a very friendly crew of a captain, first-mate, and our tour guide, John Zúñiga. Our group of friends was joined by one more friend when we met Inês on the tour, who was traveling solo in the Galápagos before and after meeting with friends on the mainland. It felt like fate that we all found each other in these magical islands.

Our first stop on the tour was to León Dormido (“Kicker Rock”), two monolithic rock formations that jut out from the sea, towering over 500 feet out of the Pacific Ocean. When viewed from the south, it looks like a sleeping lion, hence its Spanish name; from the other side, it looks more like a boot, hence the English name. Split with a channel between that reaches 62 feet deep to the sea bed, this iconic landmark of the Galápagos was formed by natural sea erosion to the remains of a volcanic stone. The natural erosion of this ancient cone has created a channel between the rocks that provides the ideal habitat to view a variety of sharks and rays including Spotted Eagle Rays, White-tip Reef sharks, the elusive Galápagos Shark, and Hammerheads. This was a true test to Will’s first time swimming in the open ocean, let alone his biggest fear - sharks.

When we first dove in, the water was so cold we all screamed. First we swam from the boat towards the channel, where most of the shark spottings usually are. It was pretty dark in the channel, so visibility wasn’t the best, but once I spotted the shadow of a gigantic Galápagos shark lurking on the ocean floor, my heart began to pound. I’m pretty sure Will had a panic attack because he started choking on water and swam back to the boat to fix his mask. Although I was nervous at first, once I settled into the movement of the waves, I felt at home. The ocean is by far my favorite place to be, and every part of it is so magical to me - except for the jellyfish that kept stinging me. I couldn’t figure out what the sharp pricks were until later that day, when little trails of swollen skin appeared in all the areas I was zapped, itching uncontrollably. Thankfully these stings weren’t deadly and were sort of like intensified mosquito bites. They ended up leaving scars that lasted a few weeks.

After we exited the tunnel, we swam around Kicker Rock for a while, admiring different specifies of beautiful, vibrantly colored fish. But nothing was as majestic as the gigantic sea turtle, gliding past us playfully with his peaceful vibes, allowing the barnacle growth on his shell to just chill there as if a testament to his absolute chillness.

Our next stop was literally paradise - Bahía Sardina is a soft white sand beach located on the northwest coast of San Cristóbal Island. Made of coral and volcanic ash, the sand here is known for being as soft and white as powdered sugar. While we were here, John advised us to step carefully by the dunes and only walk in the areas that he led us through, so as to not disturb potential sea turtle eggs buried in the sand. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the same beach that they were born, sometimes searching from beach to beach until they find the right one.

While we walked along the crystal clear turquoise waters, a few baby egrets and great blue herons swooped about, pecking at the water for vulnerable fish. Above, a frigate bird circled around menacingly, its swift black tail swirling behind each of its graceful dips. The frigate bird is the largest avian species in the Galápagos, and known as the “pirate bird” because of its second-hand feeding habits. Since the frigate bird doesn’t have any oil glands to oil its feathers, it can only hunt outside of the water, pirating the food straight out of other birds’ mouths!

(source: our awesome guide, John Zúñiga - I learned so much!)

They say that your favorite animal is one that your personality emulates most, and I don’t disagree. I have a lot of favorite animals, but the sea lion is definitely in my top ten. I can’t believe how incredibly lucky I’ve been to be able to see some of my favorite animals in their natural habitats, gleefully living their lives the way the universe intended. I thought that I had reached my pinnacle of happiness last summer when I visited Fox Village in Japan, but seeing these glorious animals basking in the sunlight in their fully natural habitats filled my heart with unbelievable joy.

My brother had forewarned Giselle that she would have a hard time separating me from the sea lions, and I surely didn’t disappoint. As soon as this little guy swam up to me, I was enamored. Sunbathing alongside this spectacular sea lion has got to be one of my favorite memories, and I will always cherish this moment that made me feel so connected with the earth and all of its beautiful creatures.

The next destination was equally as breathtaking, but in a slightly different way. We made a wet landing to the soft sands of Bahía Rosa Blanca, and headed towards shore to reapply sunscreen before embarking on a rocky hike through the trail of lava rocks to a small inlet, where dozens of white tip reef sharks were gliding, weaving seamlessly around each other in perfect synchronicity. We all admired their grace in awe when suddenly John asked, “so who is ready to swim?” Given that sharks usually swim to inlets to feed, where they can trap their prey in the corners of the inlet, we glanced nervously at each other as a few of us hesitated to gear up. Sensing our fear, John explained to us that generally, white tip reef sharks are friendly. They’re curious, and will swim up to humans very closely, but rarely attack unless provoked. They’re also kind of kinky. White tip reef shark’s mating is initiated when up to five males follow closely behind a female and bite at her fins and body, possibly cued by pheromones indicating the female’s readiness. Each male attempts to seize the female by engulfing one of her pectoral fins; at times two males might grasp a female on both sides simultaneously.

(source: John Zúñiga)

Claudia and Will were the first to dive in as I struggled to adjust my mask, and as soon as they entered the water, the sharks began to circle menacingly beneath them. I opted out of fins, as I feel more comfortable swimming without them, but neglected to notice the sharp edges of the rocks and barnacles leading into the inlet until I cut my foot. The cut was minor, so I decided to continue in and swam towards the sharks, who were now slightly less visible as they darted around a bit more urgently, kicking up dusty clouds of the sea floor sand. I nervously made my way towards John, Claudia, and Will, until my mask began to leak. I headed back towards the edge to grab hold of land while fixing my mask, but as soon as I reached for footing, a razor sharp rock sliced my foot, which immediately began gushing blood.

When I asked John if the sharks could smell my blood, he responded, “well yes, of course they can smell it - but I think they know you have human blood, not fish blood.” He seemed unsure, so I asked if he thought it would be safe to get back in the water with them. Again, he hesitated, “welllll, I think it will be okay, if you are brave enough.” You know me well enough to know that I took that as a challenge, so back in the water I went. Unfortunately for me, by the time I got back in, the rest of the group had gotten out for a break. Now I was alone in the inlet, bleeding, swimming above hungry sharks. My heart was pounding with fear and adrenaline at every movement below me. I decided it would be best to keep my bleeding foot out of the water, so I bent my knee and lifted it up - swimming with one leg only. Later, Ines showed me pictures she took as she laughed at me, swimming around with one foot out of the water like a shark fin. Now I was one of them.

After our shark adventure, John took us for a short tour around the bay as he pointed out the different species that he spotted. One of my favorites was the San Cristóbal lava lizard, endemic to the island and super frickin’ cute. The microlophus bivittatus species are small reptiles with long, tapering tails, slim bodies and rather pointed heads. Their toes are long and pointed, and unlike geckos, they are active during the day. Highly territorial, both males and females defend territories against intruders of the same sex. Both sexes challenge intruders initially by performing 'push-ups’ with their front legs, although this behavior is more vigorous in males. Often times, the males will use their tails in defense against each other or predators, which if bitten off, is not fatal but will not grow back. Female lava lizards prefer male mating partners with longer tails, so if you’re a male who is prone to lose in fights, don’t expect to get any.

(source: John & Quasarex)

John also explained to us that the reason why the sand on the beaches of Bahía Rosa Blanca are so soft is because it is composed of fine particles of coral. In fact, the sand is so soft that you can slowly sink yourself into it by shifting and twisting without lifting your feet. Once you’ve embedded yourself ankle-deep, if you try to tug upwards without shaking your feet, you’ll find yourself stuck.

Alas, it was time to leave paradise and board the boat again, where we were served fried fish, rice, and salad for lunch. Like Inês said, it was the most beautiful place we’ve ever eaten lunch. As we started to head back to port, dark clouds began to form. The timing was perfect, because we weren’t scheduled to dock at another stop until we made it back to port, so we were just racing against the clouds to make it ashore. By the time the rain caught up to us, the waves were so rocky that the boat ride turned into a rollercoaster ride. I’m glad no one in our group is prone to seasickness - I love rough boat rides! Along the way, we spotted a humpback whale in the midst of swimming in the storm. The humpback whale, which can weigh up forty-five tons, is perhaps the easiest whale to identify and one of the most fun to watch. Their dark-blue or black bodies are covered in barnacles and they like to “spy hop” by raising their heads out of the water to look around.

(source: About Galapagos)

Once we made it back to port, we felt the wave of exhaustion settle in, so we decided to part ways to shower and rest before meeting together for dinner. Giselle and Claudia had to catch up on homework, so Will, X, and I set out to meet up with Ines. We took Giselle’s advice to “just follow the smells” when we were deciding where to eat, and so we followed the same smell I had been mesmerized by the night before. Let me tell you, that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, because the food tasted even better than it smelled. It was just a little local spot, called Picanteria “Sapita” with two tables inside, and a few tables outside along with a grill where the delicious smells were emanating from. The choices on the grill were chorizo, porkchop, or chicken - all equally as tempting, but the chorizo looked so pretty that I had to go with that. It was served with a side of colorful pasta salad and a full plate of white rice and beans, almost too much food for me to eat! I can’t remember the exact price, but it was definitely not more than a few dollars, and well worth every cent.

We decided to spend our last evening in San Cristóbal at Bar Iguana Rock, a local bar/lounge with a pool table and dance floor. They were so much more welcoming and friendly than the nasty encounter we had our first night at El Barquero. In fact, I still follow them on Instagram and it looks like they’ve expanded into a restaurant specializing in artful displays of sushi too! I can’t wait to go back to try some, because every photo looks delicious. Coincidentally, while we were there, the first mate from our boat tour showed up to play pool as well! We all knew he had a crush on Claudia so we kept teasing her as he begged her to dance salsa with him.

As the night wound down, the girls left to get some rest before our day of upcoming travel. Will, X, and I, on the other hand, were hungry again. We thought we were hopeless as we started to trek back to the hostel through the sleepy surf town that turned into a ghost town at night, when suddenly, I smelled something. Lo and behold, my nose led me to J&J Restaurante, where burgers and hot dogs were being taken fresh off the grill by Mr. JJ himself (I’m not sure if his name was JJ, we just kept calling him that). Bless you, Mr. JJ. Bless you for your contributions to mankind and late-night snackers.

7/28, Thursday: DAY 7: SAN CRISTÓBAL // SANTA CRUZ

The next morning, we had a lazy start as we packed up and got ready to check out of Casa de Laura. For the first time since we arrived, we decided to turn left instead of right to get into the town. Turns out, there was a beach to the left of our hostel all along - literally teeming with sea lions. I was so disappointed in myself for not spending every night sleeping on this beach, when suddenly I was struck with the pungent smell of sea lion poop. Yes, sea lions poop too. Everyone poops. Either way, it was worth it just to see more of these majestic creatures up close in their home.

Before heading to the pier for departure, we stopped for a quick snack at Patagonia, where I had my first and definitely not my last bolon experience. Let me tell you a little something about bolon. Bolon is an Ecuadorian dish that is made of fried green plantains that are mashed up and mixed with different ingredients - usually with crumbled white cheese - and then formed into a ball and fried again until it is crispy on the outside and soft and crumbly on the inside. Bolon is a slang term that means large ball, so you could translate the name of this dish as green plantain balls, but I just call them heavenly.

On the way to the pier, I decided to pick up some aloe vera for my unexpected (and painful) sunburn that I must have gotten during our boat tour the day before. Since resources on the islands are limited and there are strict restrictions on incoming cargo to limit the amount of pollution, most tourist items like this, sunblock, and other bath necessities are priced double or triple their original cost. It might seem like a rip-off, but if the price tag was the same as it was in your home country’s grocery store, then tourists would likely start to take advantage of the availability and create more waste and need for cargo traffic in and around the islands. So while $28 was not a pleasant price to pay, I respect the cause and took this as a lesson not to forget to apply sunscreen before falling asleep in the open sun on a boat.

So, I know a lot of people have complaints about how tedious airport security check-in can be, but if you ever plan to travel between islands in the Galápagos, be prepared to have your belongings thoroughly inspected and then tag-locked before you board the inter-island boats. Generally, no food is allowed (bottled water is okay), no plants or flowers, no rocks/shells/coral, and shoes with dirt or mud must be cleaned. This is all in an effort to protect the fragile archipelago and the unique species of each island that could be threatened by outside contaminants or harmful species.

The boat ride from San Cristóbal to Santa Cruz was about 3 hours, and we each paid $30 for our tickets. Despite being slightly over-crowded, the boat was pretty comfortable. I don’t get motion sickness, so I can’t speak on this, but Will did not enjoy the ride whatsoever. The rest of us slept pretty much the entire way, though it seemed like Giss had the best nap of all. When she woke up, she shared her theory that being on a boat is a lot like being inside of a womb - just floating and swaying to the motion of the waves like a little fetus - hence why it feels so comforting!

By the time we woke from our naps, our necks were sore and we were docking into the town of Puerto Ayora, the capital of Santa Cruz located on the southern coast of the island in Academy Bay. Although the island of Santa Cruz (also known as Indefatigable) is the second largest in the Galápagos, it is the most populated, including the town of Puerto Ayora as well as the agricultural villages of Bellavista and Santa Rosa. The island itself is actually a large dormant volcano, which last erupted about a million and a half years ago, leaving behind the remnants of its activity in beautiful visitor sites like Los Gemelos, two large pit craters along the road from Puerto Ayora to Baltra that were caused by the collapse of empty magma chambers.

Santa Cruz is also situated next to Isla Baltra, a small island (also known as South Seymour) where the Seymour Airport is located. The longest paved road in the Galápagos runs north-south across the island of Santa Cruz, which leads from the airport ferry at Itabaca Canal on the north coast through the highlands on its way down to Puerto Ayora.

(source: Wikitravel & Galapagos Conservancy)

Have you ever taken a nap that made you feel more exhausted after you woke up? That’s exactly what happened to all of us, because once we docked, we groggily made our way through the bustling port to the line of white pick-up trucks waiting for the throngs of incoming tourists and decided to part ways to rest before meeting again for dinner.

When we arrived to our hostel, Galapagos Native (~$38/pp per night, for a 3-bed room), we were greeted at the receptionist desk by Joffre, who I had been emailing to coordinate our stay before our trip. Joffre is super friendly and helpful, and is a native resident of the Galapagos (could you have guessed by the name of his hostel?), so he has lots of local knowledge and runs his hostel with amazing conservation practices. The only downside to our room was that the window faced the street, and since the top panels only had a screen and no glass closure, the sound came right through. Other than that, it was clean, roomy, and had plenty of outlets for us to charge all of our phones and cameras. At first, we thought the WiFi was shady but after spending more time on the island, we realized that it was the island itself and not the hostel in particular that received spotty service. After all, we were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

That night, we all met for dinner at The Rock, where they were having a cocktail special (2 for $10, I think?). Either way, their drinks and food were delicious. After dinner, we headed over to one of the local bars along the main street of Avenue Darwin, which was surprisingly crowded. This was my first time at Bongo Bar, so I had no idea what to expect when we first walked up the stairs that lead to the rooftop bar, which has beautiful and intimate outdoor seating area, indoor pool table (free!), and both an indoor and outdoor bar. We sat down at a table closest to the bar and immediately were served a tray full of free shots. Of course, this was before I found out that every Thursday at Bongo is ladies’ night, so I just felt all extra special when I took my very first shot of Coco Loco.

After a few drinks at Bongo, we all decided to go downstairs to La Panga, the dance club below Bongo. Now, I have no idea how to dance salsa but Clau and Giss are pros so we all just joined in for fun. As the night got later, it was time to wind down and say goodbye to Inês, who was leaving the next day. It was so sad to see her go, because it felt like we had found such a beautiful travel tribe that lasted only for a perfect few days. 

7/29, Friday: DAY 8: SANTA CRUZ

The next morning, Will and I woke up particularly hungry, so decided to walk down the block. Before we could even make it to the corner, the little bodega a few doors down stopped us in our tracks with its enticing scent of freshly baked empanadas. A small group of tourists were clamoring at the cart to place their orders, and we decided to join in. Before we could even sit down at one of the two plastic tables inside, one of the tourists suggested, “try the salsa.. it’s crack.” It was, indeed, crack. We immediately ordered two more empanadas before walking back to the hostel. From that day on, we woke up every morning and headed straight to the Abra K’Dabra empanada cart at MiniMart Merka 7 before starting the day.

Later that morning, we met up with Clau and Giss at the benches across from The Rock to head out for a day of exploring. Our first stop was to Las Grietas (“The Cracks”), a series of volcanic crevices that were formed during the cooling of molten lava. The porous lava stone of the island allows fresh water to filter down from the highlands into Las Grietas where it mixes with sea water filtering in through the mangroves from the ocean, resulting in a crystalline and refreshing natural swimming pool. To get to this magical sanctuary, we took a panga (water taxi) for about $1 from Puerto Ayora to the otro lado (the “other side”) of the main pier. Once we docked, we followed the signs for the Finch Bay hotel, where the path connects to a short boardwalk along a small beach called Playa de las Alemanes, which leads to another pathway to the beautiful pink salt flats that welcomes visitors onto a cacti-lined trail towards the reward of Las Grietas’ cool waters.

When we arrived, the staircases were already bustling with tourists and locals alike, the wooden coat racks spilling over with clothes onto the hot lava stones surrounding the platform that divers were bravely launching themselves off of into chilly cerulean water. I hesitated to jump in, but the hike leading up had warmed me enough that the cold waters were a welcome refresher, so as soon as the rush of water embraced me, I felt at home again, floating with a perfect view of the sky framed by the towering walls of the crevice.

By the time we hiked back down through the cacti trails, past the vast pink salted waters, and back to the panga pier, we were all exhausted and hungry, so once we docked at the port we headed down Avenida Darwin for food. After a short stroll through some of the smaller streets off the main avenue, we came across the Galapagos Deli, where we stopped for freshly made personal pizzas and ice cream. Since there were some flavors I never tried before, I decided to with the guanabana, and mixed it with some fruta (strawberry) for a delicious combination.

Now that we were full, we walked over to Laguna de las Ninfas (“Lagoon of the Nymphs”), a peaceful lagoon with plenty of shade and a great little dock for napping. By the time I woke up, I realized I had been drooling through a crack in the dock I was laying on - literally, drooling. I haven’t drooled in my sleep since I was a kid, so if that isn’t a testament to how good of a nap it was, I don’t know what is.

Since it was still early in the afternoon, we decided to take a walk through Puerto Ayora towards Baltra, with the goal of reaching a high vista to watch the sunset. The walk was a long climb uphill, and we never did make it to a vista, but we did witness the beautiful palette of pink hues dancing across the horizon while we explored the terrain.

Later that night, we met up with Claudia at Los Kioscos (“The Kiosks”) for some fresh seafood. At the corner of Avenida Baltra and Charles Binford, you’ll find a street lined with local restaurants, framing the cobbled road filled with plastic tables and chairs crowded with tourists and locals picking out their dinner to be cooked right on the grill in front of them. For most dishes, you can choose how you want your dinner cooked - a la parilla (roasted over charcoal grill), al ajillo (pan fried with garlic), frito (deep fried), a la diabla (with spicy red creole sauce), or encocado (in a rich coconut sauce). I opted for shrimp that night, which came with a side of rice, cole slaw, and papas fritas.

7/30, Saturday: DAY 9: SANTA CRUZ

On Saturday morning, we woke up early to head to Tortuga Bay, the gem of Santa Cruz on the southern coast, famous for its expansive and pristine shoreline that gradually descends into the sparkling Pacific Ocean. Visitors have to sign in before trekking on the 1.55 mile path surrounded by cacti, palo santo trees, and matasarno trees that leads to the beach. In the sun, the journey feels exhausting, but once we arrived, the view was breathtaking - a picturesque soft white sand beach that greeted us with gentle breezes.

Since this beach tends to have strong currents, we walked another twenty minutes towards a smaller beach adjacent to lagoons, where the waters are much more calm and ideal for snorkeling or kayaking. On the way there, we passed dozens of black marine iguanas hanging out under the shade of the mangroves. Claudia and I decided to snorkel and sunbathe for a bit while X and Will rented a kayak from a guy with an eight-pack. Unfortunately, Giss had homework that morning so she arrived a bit later and only got to enjoy the shade where plenty of little Galápagos finches were delicately hopping around in search for crumbs around visitors.

Even though we could have spent the entire day basking in the sun right there in paradise, we had one more visitor site in mind for the day, since Clau and Giss would be leaving for Isabela the next morning and only returning to Santa Cruz for one last night on my birthday that coming Monday. We headed back through the flawless horizon of Tortuga Bay and down the cobbled path between the cacti into town again.

Once we got to town, we hailed a pick-up taxi to negotiate a price to visit El Chato. The El Chato Tortoise Reserve is privately owned land, and located just south of Santa Rosa in the highlands. Apparently, admission is $3 but I honestly don’t remember paying, although we were greeted by the owners of the café on the reserve, who offered us complimentary cups of coffee and tea after we had hiked the grounds. I’m not sure if it was because we arrived late in the afternoon and that the reserve is only open to visitors from 8am to 5pm, but it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

We only had about an hour there, roaming the open spaces coming face to face with these majestic prehistoric creatures. The Galápagos tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise, and native to seven of of the islands, with a life expectancy of over 100 years. Within the archipelago, at least 14 species of Galápagos tortoises have been identified, although only 11 survive to this day, living on 10 of the largest islands. Several of the surviving species are seriously endangered. One of the species, C. abingdonii from Pinta Island, is considered extinct. The last known specimen, named Lonesome George, died in Isla Santa Cruz on June 24, 2012. George had been mated with female tortoises of several other species, but none of the eggs from these pairings hatched. Charles Darwin’s observations of the differences in characteristics of Galápagos tortoises in 1835 contributed to the development of his theory of evolution.

(source: Wikipedia & Galapagos Conservancy)

As we walked around, we noticed that some of the tortoises were munching on the abundant fruits scattered under trees, so we picked them up and instantly recognized their fragrant smell. Guayaba, or guava, grows all around El Chato and leaves their delicious little fruits for tortoises (or in our case, visitors) to eat. All it took was a little brushing dirt off, and there we had an instant snack!

If you’re reading this, you probably know me well enough to know that Jurassic Park is my favorite movie. Of. All. Time. Because of this, I’ve always kept a special place in my heart for dinosaurs, so coming this close to the unique endangered species of dinosaur-like animals was a lot like that scene where Lex and Tim are sitting in a tree with Alan admiring the brachiasaurus grazing from the trees around them.

It’s important to note that while we were able to enjoy the fruits of the earth (get it? lol), there are certain fruits in the Galápagos that should be avoided at all costs. Manzanitas (little apples) grow from the endemic Manzanillo tree, also known as the Poison Apple Tree due to their highly toxic fruit and leaves. In fact, even just skin contact with the milky white sap that the leaves contain can cause blistering and burning on the skin. Eating the fruit can be fatal too, although only the Galápagos tortoises are able to digest these poisonous apples. It’s a good thing we didn’t mistake manzanitas for guayaba!

(source: Red Mangrove)

As the sun began to set, we realized we only had enough time to quickly explore some of the underground lava tubes that span throughout the volcanic belly of the island. At El Chato, there are several entrances to these tunnels that formed when surface lava cooled and solidified, while the underground molten hot lava continued to flow, eventually leaving an emptied cave.

(source: Galapagos Conservancy)

Since we were the last visitors on the property, the hosts at the café generously offered us as much coffee and tea as we wanted as we posed with real tortoise shells and collected as many guayaba as we could hold. On the way back, our taxi driver suggested that we stop in Santa Rosa for a road-side snack. At first my eyes darted to the empanadas that were huge and crispy, but the real prize were the potato balls that Will still dreams of to this day.

When we made it back into town, we headed to the Kiosks again so Giselle could experience the divine fresh seafood we tried the night before. This time, I opted for the whole brujo (mottled scorpionfish) fish wrapped in foil and grilled right over a charcoal grill in front of our table. As a kid, my favorite part of the fish was always the eyeball, so I had no shame stripping this delicious masterpiece to its bare bones. I just wish I remembered to take an “after” picture for dad, the king of eating whole fishes and cleaning bones.

After we ate, we parted ways to get ready for what we expected to be our last night out together, since Clau and Giss would be leaving for Isla Isabela the next morning, and they weren’t sure how much time they would have upon their return to Santa Cruz before heading back to the mainland. Giss ended up having a lot of homework to get done, so Clau joined me, Will, and X at Bongo to share some drinks and celebrate the beautiful bond of friendship that bloomed from our time together. It had only been a few days, but in less than a week, I felt like Claudia knew me at my core, and that in some past life, we had been sisters bound by the light of our souls. There is really nothing more amazing than the realization of how many incredible, loving beings there are roaming this earth waiting to meet you, and who are meant to change you on your journey through this life. Seven months after this trip, Clau and I still keep in touch almost every day and share our magic moments with each other, because I know that she truly understands me.

When we got there, it was so crowded that we had to hunt for a table to free up in the corner of the terrace before we could sit. Once we did, we took turns going to the bar since we didn’t want to give up our spot, but since my birthday was two days away, Will and X kept buying my drinks for me. We were content with just sipping on our drinks and people watching until Clau leaned in to ask, “So, are there any boys here you think are cute?” to which I shook my head at once I scanned the terrace again. Clau wasn’t convinced, “Really?! But it’s your birthday, we should dance! Are you sure?” Doubtfully, I looked around again, but no one caught my eye except for the bartender, who was so busy I never even saw him look up once, so I told Clau, “Well, the bartender.. but he’s the bartender.” I kept glancing at him, glowing under the bright overhead lights behind the bar, an angelic contrast to the dark and humid air hovering over the crowd, but his eyes stayed low, focused on the swift movements of his hands, pouring, mixing, pouring, mixing. Regardless, a lack of cute boys to dance with was not going to stop me from dancing.. especially not when I had my friend Jack Daniels to keep me company.

By the end of the night, I had taken back an unknown number of Jack & Cokes, and an even more mysterious number of Jack on the Rocks. Clau claims that I was speaking Spanish to her flawlessly, and X claims that I was demanding pizza [in Spanish], but somehow they managed to tuck me into bed that night.

7/31, Sunday: DAY 10: SANTA CRUZ

The next morning, we all woke up far too late. After grabbing a quick empanada to start us off, we headed through the small streets in search of a good place to sit down for breakfast and ended up at a lovely little place called Lo & Lo, which was right next to the Galapagos Deli. Still reeking of whiskey and too ashamed to take my sunglasses off just yet, I struggled to figure out what to order while X and Will revelled in making fun of me from the night before. Apparently, after I demanded pizza, X had set out on foot in search of late night snacks, and had been stopped in the street by a man looking for me. Immediately, I pictured the bartender from the night before and secretly hoped it would be him when I asked, “What did he look like?” but when X started describing him, I knew it wasn’t him. Disappointed, I broke into my bolon reluctantly, unable to enjoy its perfection. Suddenly, X exclaimed, “Wait, that’s him!” as a tall, tan, handsome man took a seat at a table with friends. But it wasn’t him. I needed a nap.

After we ate, we headed back to Galapagos Native to pack and check out before heading to Galapagos Dreams to check in. You may be wondering why, silly Jasmine, would you book two separate hostels within a few blocks’ walking distance of each other? Loyalty, that’s why. I had booked our second location first, knowing that I’d want to go on a tour in search for fur seals. The Galapagos Dreams hostel offered a room and tour package, so we booked this early in the year. Later, when we planned our itinerary and realized we’d be staying in Santa Cruz for longer, we decided that if one of the two hostels turned out to be less than accommodating, at least we would only be staying for a few days at either. Weird logic? Kind of, but the more experiences, the better, right? Change is good! Don’t judge me. Anyway, we had to switch hostels.

Once we settled into Galapagos Dreams (~$30/pp per night for a 3-bed room), which offered a bit more privacy since it’s on a quiet road, we just spent that Sunday afternoon relaxing. Later that day, Will and X were craving pasta, so we headed out for dinner at Café Hernán and some snack & souvenir shopping before calling it a night. Usually, I’m awake when midnight strikes and it’s officially my birthday, but this time, I was knocked out with an open bag of Dorito’s by 10pm.

8/1, Monday: DAY 11: SANTA CRUZ

My 25th birthday started off low-key, with ice cream for breakfast (of course) at il Giardino, one of the cafés on Ave Darwin. After that, X wasn’t feeling very well, so Will and I decided to rent bicycles. In case you don’t know, I never learned how to ride a bike. In fact, both of my brothers and I were never taught, although Jordon has recently learned (yay!). Will took this big brother duty seriously, and decided he wasn’t going to let his lil sis get left out of activities anymore. Unfortunately, after about an hour of learning how to balance in motion, I crashed right into a curb and broke the chain off the rental bike :(

We spent the rest of the day relaxing while X recovered, until dinner when Clau and Giss surprisingly arrived back to Santa Cruz early and were able to meet with us! I was so happy to see them again, and this time they had brought friends! Clau and Giss met Ivan, a Filipino Australian who was traveling solo while visiting Isla Isabela, and then ran into Giss’ cousin with her friend upon returning to Santa Cruz. Suddenly, our little trio turned into a party of eight! Once we all met, we walked around Ave Darwin drinking beers for a bit to decide where to eat. Eventually, we ended up at La Garrapata, the al fresco restaurant right below Bongo, next to La Panga. Ironically, the tall handsome man who had asked X about me was our waiter that night.

I can’t tell you how lucky I felt that night, surrounded by old and new friends, as if the universe was reminding me that the world is full of loving people just waiting to be met. And just as I was relishing in the sweet company surrounding me, the bartender from Bongo came hopping down the stairs, straight to the bar of La Garrapata to pick up a plate of food before disappearing upstairs again. I don’t think anyone else caught me in that moment of delightful surprise other than Clau.

I’m not sure who told the waiter it was my birthday, but after I devoured my delicious ceviche dinner, I was surprised with a slice of chocolate cake and candles. Giss and Clau even got me a present so that I had something to unwrap - and it was the most perfect gift - a stuffed animal sea lion that doubled as a backpack.

After dinner, we decided the only proper way to end the night would be to return to our beloved Bongo. By the time we got upstairs, I was so nervous that I couldn’t even bring myself to the bar to order drinks, let alone look the bartender in the eyes. Instead, I played it off as being tipsy and stole glances of him every now and then. Somehow, news had spread from La Garrapata to Bongo that it was my birthday, as one of the servers brought over a flaming shot for me. Soon, we were taking group shots and I was d-r-u-n-k. We were pretty much the only patrons at the bar since it was a Monday night, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time. I think everyone started to catch on to my crush, because as we were dancing inside, Giss nudged me and nodded behind me as a signal to turn around. Of course, who else would be standing there watching us dance but the dreamy bartender. Still nervous, I quickly turned back around without so much as eye contact.

By the time we were ready to leave, literally every person in our party had offered some kind of encouragement to talk to the bartender. My secret crush was now public news. Too drunk to compose myself, too nervous to strategize a plan, I decided to just walk away. But just as we were descending the stairs, Ivan asked us to wait for him. “Be right back!” he said, and I thought nothing of it, assuming he was running to the bathroom before the walk back to our hostels. A minute later, he returned. With the bartender.

Suddenly, I was face to face with this stranger, but somehow when I looked into his eyes, I felt like I had known him for lifetimes before. “It’s her birthday, and she thinks you’re cute,” someone said - I don’t know who, everything around me was now a blur - “Really? Thank you,” he said with a sweet smile before he asked my name. “Jasmine,” I whispered, as he took my hand, kissed it, and said, “Raúl.” My heart was beating out of my chest.

Pretty soon, we realized that we could hardly speak each other’s languages as we scrambled to find a way to stay in touch. I tried to explain that I was traveling with a phone that didn’t have service on it, so I couldn’t do much. He took his phone out, and I nervously chose Facebook, typing my name in. Never in my life have I ever been more frustrated at how many other Jasmine Chows exist on this planet. Once he realized I was having a hard time finding myself, he just pulled up his phone pad and asked me to put my number in. Foolishly, I did this, and left with a kiss on the cheek… only to realize a block down the road that there would be no way for him to contact me with that number until I returned back to the US. Jasmine, you idiot.

8/2, Tuesday: DAY 12: SANTA CRUZ

A few hours later, we were waking up at the crack of dawn for our last tour in the Galápagos, and my final chance to spot the elusive Galápagos fur seal. Ever since we began planning this trip, I had been on a mission to find the fur seals. I had even coined a jingle called Fur Seal Island with a catchy tune that I caught Will humming along to once. In fact, when we booked this particular tour to Isla Bartolomé with Galapagos Dreams Tours ($175/pp), I had specifically asked if there was a chance we would see fur seals.

I suppose you could say that Pacific Tours in San Cristobal had spoiled us, because we certainly weren’t expecting the large group that joined us on this tour. At exactly 6:00am sharp, a mid-sized bus pulled up in front of our hostel to pick us up, as Jonathan (who owns Galapagos Dreams), handed us our snorkeling gear to take aboard. Not much was explained to us about the tour beforehand, so we were completely unaware that we’d be spending our day with the same people on the crowded bus, which we were last to board onto.

When the bus arrived to the port at Baltra an hour later, we groggily made our way out to join our group at the dock. Soon, we realized that the tour was catered for Spanish-speakers, and we were the only ones who needed the tour guide to translate to English for us. Somehow, I felt like our version was trimmed down a bit, and lacked the jokes and anecdotes that we enjoyed as a group on our San Cristobal tour. Regardless, it was a beautiful sunny day, and I was ready to enjoy the spectacular views from Bartolomé. Will and X, on the other hand, were still exhausted from celebrating the night before and both slept through the entire boat ride.

Isla Bartolomé is a volcanic islet just off the east coast Isla Santiago. Although is one of the “younger” islands in the Galápagos archipelago, it is the most visited and photographed of all the islands. With a total land area of just 1.2 square kilometres (0.5 square miles), this island offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago, consisting of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations. Bartolomé is famous for its Pinnacle Rock, a volcanic cone, that was formed when magma was expelled from an underwater volcano; the sea cooled the hot lava, which then exploded, only to come together and form this huge rock made up of many thin layers of basalt. When we arrived, we docked at a small bay opposite Pinnacle Rock and began to climb the 600 meter trail to the 114 meter summit to enjoy views of Pinnacle Rock, the immense black lava flows at Sullivan Bay and the rest of Santiago Island, and Daphne Major and Minor.

(source: Wikipedia & Galapagos Conservancy)

Along the way, I began to talk with a woman who works for IBM and was traveling solo from Venezuela. She was really sweet, and we bonded over our opinions on enjoying life and the little time we have on this earth. After our hike, we headed back down to the boat, which took us to the north beach adjacent to Pinnacle Rock. Here, we were able to snorkel around a particularly active reef, where tons of colorful fish were swimming around. Since it was an overcast day, the water was too cold for most people. X and Will had pretty much determined they were going to spend the entire tour day napping whenever they could, so they took this opportunity to lay on the beach. But for me, it was my last afternoon in the beautiful paradise of the Galápagos Islands, and I wasn’t going to waste any chance I had to jump into the ocean.

I’m not going to lie and say that I wasn’t disappointed when the tour guide told me that fur seals are hardly ever spotted during the day, but I was still glad to swim around the magnificent sea life I was feeling particularly grateful to be surrounded by that day. So there I was, minding my own business, drifting along with the currents and marveling at the beautiful fish, when suddenly a playful sea lion swam out of nowhere and started twirling all around me. Now, I was perfectly aware of the rules - humans are not allowed to touch any animals in the Galápagos, especially sea lions, whose mothers abandon them if they smell the scent of a stranger on their babies. I did my best to avoid bumping straight into this little guy, but he literally bopped his nose right onto the GoPro I was holding onto and proceeded to swim circles around me! By now, the other tourists that had been relaxing on the beach were clamoring to get into the ocean to get a closer look, but once the crowds got in, my playful friend disappeared back into the waves. I like to think that he was a messenger sent by the fur seals to wish me a happy birthday and apologize for their absence.

After snorkeling, we boarded the boat again for lunch before embarking back to Santa Cruz. Since this was a much larger tour group, the boat was larger too, and was equipped with a kitchen and dining area below deck. We enjoyed a nice hot meal prepared by the crew before heading back to shore. This time along the way, I chatted with Javier, who was traveling with his wife, parents, and two daughters and their boyfriends from Puerto Rico.

By the time we arrived back to Puerto Ayora, it was late in the afternoon and we were exhausted. We headed back to the hotel, but I realized I didn’t have any more shampoo left, so Will and I set out to walk to the supermarket by the pier. It wasn’t a long walk - only about 10 minutes, but the entire time, I felt like people were looking at me. I get paranoid all the time, so I tried to brush it off, but I couldn’t help but notice eyes from shops and cafes all along Ave Darwin glancing at me, some turning their heads to look. Feeling self conscious, I asked Will if he noticed, but he was busy on his phone. He started to reassure me, “No one is looking at you,” when suddenly, as we passed La Garrapata, he said, “Oh wait, our waiter from your beeday just pointed at you.” I thought this was strange, but had no explanation, so by the time we got to the supermarket, I forgot about it all. That is, until we started on our way back. Hands now full with shampoo and nail polish remover, and the sun already set, we walked along Ave Darwin back towards our hostel. Again, I felt eyes on me, and thought I even caught someone chuckling at me. Now it felt like the Twilight Zone and everyone knew a secret that I wasn’t aware of yet. Then, as if the stars themselves had done this for me, there he was.

I’ll never forget that image of Raúl, with a teal tank top and a backwards burgundy hat on, smiling that dreamy grin that could melt the skin right off of me. He was standing with friends, eating out of a granola foil or candy wrapper. “Hello,” he said. I was literally speechless. All I could do was smile and keep walking. A few strides away, an American couple behind us were giggling. The woman said to me, “Those guys were definitely checking you out.” I couldn’t even bring myself to glance back. Jasmine, you idiot.. after giving him your number, which he can’t even use to contact you, and realizing that you hadn’t activated WhatsApp on your travel phone so you couldn’t even use that with WiFi, you just walked past him? Idiot.

Now we were back at the hostel, and I was baffled at myself. I was desperately trying to connect to WiFi to ask Kellie for advice, but nothing was going through. Feeling defeated again, I took a shower, and we decided to head back to il Giardino for dinner. At dinner, I could hardly eat. I was suddenly feeling so nervous again, and I didn’t know what to do. Will and X insisted that the only thing I could do was to go back to the bar that night. They weren’t going to come with me, but it was the only way I’d get to see Raúl again. So after dinner, I packed all my bags, knowing we would have to leave the next morning at 5:30am to take a taxi to the airport. I didn’t know what time I would be out until, but I wasn’t going to take any chances.

My heart was beating like a drum again as I walked down Ave Darwin. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat as I tried to swallow every breath. I climbed the stairs to Bongo slowly, nervously. When I got to the last step, I stopped. There he was, glowing under the overhead lights just like the first night I saw him, and suddenly a wave of calm washed over me. I took a seat at the bar and asked for a Cuba Libre, and then I watched him - pouring, mixing, like that first night. But this time, he looked up, and there I was - falling in love with him.

I spent the rest of the night sitting on that bar stool until closing, mostly just chatting with the few other patrons, including a frequenter named Chino, and a scuba instructor named Victor who tried to earn a quick $40 to split with me by bringing me over to a table that told him they’d pay him to get my attention (I refused). At one point, Raúl asked to take a photo with me, which I’m pretty sure he then sent to his friends. Coincidentally, shortly after we took the photo, the tall waiter who had served us on my birthday came running up the stairs laughing, to playfully punch Raúl in the arm. They had been friends all along - the guy who, at the beginning of our trip to Santa Cruz, was looking for me, and the guy who, by the end of our trip, I had been looking for.

After he closed the bar, Raúl took me for a walk around Puerto Ayora, and asked me if I was hungry. Instinctively, I said yes (because I’m usually always hungry) but I was still too nervous to eat, so when we sat down and he ordered two enormous identical plates, I’m sure he got the wrong impression of my appetite - after all, he scarfed down his entire plate of chicken, rice, beans, salad, and fries in a few minutes, and all I did was pick at my fries. When he got up to pay, I offered some money, but he refused. Feeling guilty about all the food I was wasting, I asked him if we should wrap it, and he just assured me that it was okay. He was so genuine in the way he said, “it’s ok, you’re full” - all I wanted to do was kiss him.

By the time Raúl walked me back to the hostel, the sun was just about to begin rising, and our taxi truck was already waiting outside. When he hugged me and asked me not to go, something in my heart told me I knew I would be back, so I promised - I’ll be back.

8/3, Wednesday: DAY 13: SANTA CRUZ // QUITO

Still sleepless when we landed in Quito, we stopped for a quick bite inside the airport before hailing a cab to our hostel, Hotel Cuba Vieja (~$25/pp per night for a room with 2 beds & a cot), a beautiful and cozy little place with colonial vibes and the most amazing complimentary breakfast. When we arrived, I immediately fell onto the bed to take a nap. By the time I woke up, it dawned on me the huge difference in WiFi connectivity here in Quito versus in the Galápagos, as messages started spilling in. I was surprised that the boy I met at Leprechaun in Baños had found me on Facebook and messaged me to let me know he had taken a bus to Quito and would be here for a few days with friends.

We met up at the Juan Váldez Café at Plaza Foch in La Mariscal Sucre, where he was hanging out with a friend named Iris, a beautiful blonde Russian who spoke perfect Spanish and English too. Little did I know in that short encounter with Iris that she would become one of my closest and dearest friends, who I would return to Ecuador with a few months later.

Later, we met up with Will and X at Azucar Beach just across the street for some drinks. I was feeling extremely tired and congested from the elevation of Quito, so I could barely finish my beer before needing to call it a night.

8/4, Thursday: DAY 14: QUITO

The next morning, we set out early to take a taxi to the TelefériQo ($8.50 round-trip for foreigners), a gondola lift running from the edge of the city centre up the east side of Volcán Pichincha to the Cruz Lom lookout at 4,100 m (13,451 feet). There’s also a path from the Cruz Lom lookout that leads to the summit of Rucu Pichincha, but there have been many reports of robbery and assault at all times of the day, so it isn’t recommended.

It’s actually suggested that visitors spend a few days in Quito to become more acclimated with the altitude before even visiting the TelefériQo, but we were eager to spend the day exploring, since we had initially planned our itinerary to only spend 3 days in Quito and the last 2 days in Otavalo. After we rode the TelefériQo to the top, we took some photos at the lookout and rode it back down. When we were done browsing the souvenir stands at the bottom, we started to head back towards the main road to catch a taxi when I started chatting with a man also headed that way. When he asked us where our next destination was, and I told him we wanted to see the center of the world and visit the Intiñan Solar Museum, he offered to drive us to both, and two additional destinations, for $30 total.

This is the part where I broke the “only take taxis with orange license plates” rule, since his taxi was actually a van. I know what you’re thinking, but it gets even weirder.. because once we got to the end of the winding road that leads up to the TelefériQo, he stopped the van, and opened the door. Then he explained that his brother Jesús would take us from here - his brother was parked in a burgundy 4-door, with his son in the back seat. Then he asked us, “is it ok if his son goes with you too?” Baffled, I nodded, and got into the front seat of the car. I know what you’re thinking. X and Will were thinking it too, as they reluctantly got into the back seat with this boy who couldn’t have been more than 10 years old. As we started to drive, X passed me a note on his phone that read, “this feels sketchy,” but for some reason, I trusted that everything was going to be just fine.

It was a silent hour-long ride to the Museo Solar Inti Ñan (Intiñan Solar Museum), but once we arrived, I think Will and X felt more relieved. Admission to the museum is only $4 for adults, and includes a guided tour in English or Spanish. Our guide was fantastic, as she took us throughout the museum grounds to teach us about the indigenous tribes of the Amazon, the dangerous animals and insects of the jungle, fun physics experiments to prove that we were standing at the center of the earth, and even live guinea pigs. Although the equator line has been remeasured, many people still consider this the true Mitad del Mundo (“Middle of the World”). In fact, if you bring your passport to the Intiñan Museum, you can have it stamped with a Mitad del Mundo stamp.

At the end of our tour, we got to learn about the origins of the cacao tree, the cocoa bean, and go through the process of making chocolate - including tasting a fresh cocoa bean taken out of a cocoa pod, and the end product of the dried cocoa bean that results in cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Then, we got to browse the wide assortment of Pacari chocolate, the first single-origin organic chocolate entirely made in Ecuador. The word Pacari means “nature” in Quechua, an indigenous language of the Andean region. I’m usually not a big fan of chocolate (I prefer salty snacks over sweets) but Pacari’s Café Cubierto con Chocolate (chocolate covered espresso beans) has made it into my top 5 favorite treats.

Our next stop was Volcán Pululahua, an inactive volcano in the Pomaqui Valley of the Pichincha Province that erupted 2,500 years ago, leaving a huge volcanic crater that has since grown green and lush. At 34 square kilometers, the volcanic crater is one of the largest in the world, with a lava dome in the middle that rises around 500 meters above the crater floor and is covered in cloud forest vegetation. Believed to be first settled by the Incas, Pululahua is one of the only two inhabited volcanic caldera in the world, and the only one cultivated by its inhabitants. Pululahua is Quichua for “Smoke of Water” or “Cloud of Water” which probably refers to the neblina (fog) which rolls in around midday every day and fills the crater. Because it virtually never rains at Pululahua, the fog is the only real source of water for the crops cultivated here, supporting cloud forests and many species of orchids and fertile farmland. For this reason, Pululahua was declared a Geobotanical Reserve in 1966 and is regulated by Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment.

(source: ecuadortravelsite.org)

Visitors can descend into the actual crater of Pululahua but we decided to take in the view at El Mirador, the observation terrace near the south west side of the calder, before stopping into the gift shop where we picked up some souvenirs from a nice woman who tied matching woven bracelets onto our wrists (I haven’t taken it off since then). Afterwards, we headed to our last destination of the tour.

When Jesús pulled up to the curb of Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (“Middle of the World City”), he mentioned to me that since there is a fee ($3 admission) to enter the monument grounds, he and his son would wait for us at the curb. Mind you, I was only 4% fluent in Spanish at best, so most of the time, I could understand the general point of something but miss details. We got out of the car and walked up the steps to the monument entrance, towards the 30-meter-tall polished stone trapezoidal monument topped with a brass globe. The tower was constructed between 1979 and 1982 by Pichincha’s Province Council to replace an older, smaller monument built by Government of Ecuador under the direction of the geographer Luis Tufiño in 1936.

(source: Wikipedia)

Exhausted from the long day, we headed back quickly after just few photos and a quick lap around the windy grounds, without even bothering to visit the ethnographic museum. But when we returned to the corner of the curb we had been dropped off, we couldn’t find Jesús. X and Will started to panic, thinking that he had driven off with our souvenirs and abandoned us. That didn’t make sense to me, since we hadn’t even paid him the tour fee yet, and we had all of our valuables with us. So we waited, as time crept by. The guys started looking around the parking lot, thinking maybe he decided to park and take his son inside, but the car was nowhere to be found. I started to worry a little too, but then I remembered we only spent about 10 minutes exploring the grounds, which he probably didn’t expect. I reasoned that maybe he took his son to get something to eat, or maybe the kid had to pee (I know I did). Just as the sun began lowering, and we were debating hailing another cab, there he was, pulling around the curb.. the boxy burgundy 4-door that reminded me so much of our old-school Toyota family car from my childhood. When he pulled up, I was ecstatic. I felt like I had just successfully proven that my gut feeling was right all along. When Jesús dropped us off at our hostel, we handed him $40 and some Pacari chocolate for his son. In return, he handed over his business card for Transporte Turistico - turns out he was legit all along. We highly recommend Jesús Guamán (WhatsApp: 0988 178 109, Email: jesusillicachi@hotmail.com).

That evening, we met up with Nathan’s friend Sophie, who was born and raised in Quito and studied abroad in Boston where she met my brother on a salsa dance cruise. Luckily, Sophie shared the Chow family affinity for international cuisine and recommended that we try Hasta la Vuelta Señor, a classy sit-down restaurant with amazing authentic dishes from the highlands. We tried the festival de empanaditas, which was like a sampler that included a selection of small corn pancakes stuffed with cheese, two small puff pastries with cheese filling and two small meat filled maize pastries, which were all delicious. We also had the mote con chicharrón, which is boiled white corn with fried pork rind, and a few different drinks including jugo de naranjilla (my favorite) and chicha, a maize beer originating from the Andes.

Luckily, our hostel was just a few blocks away from the restaurant, because by the time we left, we were all sleepy and cold. Sophie explained to us that in Quito, a range of seasons happen each day - from a hot sunny day in the afternoon to a chilly autumn night after sunset. Because of its elevation, Quito receives some of the greatest solar radiation in the world, meaning that even though it doesn’t necessarily feel overwhelmingly hot, the sun can easily burn during the day. Like its weather, the city of Quito offers a wide range of culture, from the club district of La Mariscal where we were staying, to the foothills of the Andes mountains. Sophie was born and raised in Quito, and by talking to her, I could tell how much love and pride she has for her city. We were lucky enough to share our experience with a native of the city. In fact, Sophie’s love for Quito was what inspired us to cancel our last leg of the trip to Otavalo and extend our stay in Quito instead.

Quito, formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador, and at an elevation of 2,850 metres (9,350 ft) above sea level, it is the highest official capital city in the world and the one which is closest to the equator. It is located in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains. With a population of 2,671,191 according to the last census (2014), Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. In 2008, the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations. The historic center of Quito has one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas. Quito and Kraków, Poland, were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, in 1978.

(source: Wikipedia)

8/5, Friday: DAY 15: QUITO

The next morning, I met with Ivan at the Juan Váldez Café at Plaza Foch again to explore the cathedrals of Quito. We took a taxi to the northeastern part of the Old Town, where Basílica del Voto Nacional (“Basilica of the National Vow”) looms high on the San Juan hill as the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas. Rather than gargoyles, Ecuadorian animals like tortoises, iguanas, and armadillos protrude from the church’s side, decorating the high towers that visitors can climb after walking a wooden plank inside the main roof. Admission into the church is $1.50, and an additional $2 to access the towers. Inside the sanctuary, beautiful stained glass spills sunlight onto the cold concrete in soft pink hues that also graze fourteen bronze statues that represent eleven apostles and three evangelists. The real prize, however, is seen from the balcony and the rooftops, where we took in spectacular aerial views of the Old City and La Virgen de Quito in the distance.

The basilica was proposed in 1883 by Father Julio Matovelle as a monument as a perpetual reminder of the consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart, and by 1884 the president had begun budgeting for the construction. It wasn’t until 1892 that the first stone was placed, and finally by 1909, the Heart of Mary Cathedral was constructed as a religious commitment in the name of the country. The basilica was blessed by Pope John Paul II on January 30, 1985, and it was consecrated and inaugurated on July 12, 1988. The basilica remains technically "unfinished,” sunlight basking on the bare tresses that lead to the rooftop. Local legend says that when the Basílica is completed, the end of the world will come.

(source: Lonely Planet, Frommers & Wikipedia)

Our next stop was La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (“The Church of the Society of Jesus”), better known as La Compañía ($4 admission). The Jesuit church is one of the most significant works of Spanish Baroque architecture in South America, known for its large central nave, decorated with gold leaf, gilded plaster and wood carvings after 160 years of construction from 1605 to 1765. The floor plan of this beautiful church forms a Latin Cross, creating perfect symmetry with its walls that drip with gold. Photography isn’t permitted, but rules are made to be broken, right? :)

(source: Wikipedia)

After our day tour around Old Town, we headed back to La Mariscal, where we split ways, and I went to meet Will and X for dinner plans with Sophie and her boyfriend. At first, we planned to meet at the food trucks at the corner of Avenue Mariana de Jesús & Av. Río Amazonas, which was just a short walk away from our hotel. But when we arrived, it was so crowded that there was barely any room to walk between the throngs of people, sitting on the pavement, on the curbs, standing around, framed by a perimeter of food trucks in a dark parking lot lit only by the fluorescent bulbs inside of the trucks. For a moment, I felt nostalgic - like I was in highschool again, going to the Grease Trucks in New Brunswick for the first time.

Once we spotted Sophie and she introduced us to her boyfriend Miguel, they suggested we head to another location with seating. We hopped into their car and headed over to La Platea, a beautiful little food truck stop at Avenue La Coruna. The area was decorated by recycled materials, crafted into adorable crate seating and unique artwork all around. Designed with a great use of space and much better lit than the previous location we tried, this spot felt more like Smorgasburg on a summer night in Coney Island, and it was just as crowded. Long lines stemmed from every single one of the trucks, leading into the central lounge where every seat was taken, whether it was a wooden crate, a bundle of hay, or a vintage stool. After browsing all of the delicious options, Sophie and I placed our orders at Cleto’s Burgers while we scanned the crowds for parties nearing the end of their meals, hoping to eventually poach their table. Finally, we were able to sit down and enjoy our dinner together before Miguel and Sophie drove us back to our hotel.

8/6, Saturday: DAY 16: QUITO

The next morning, we woke up just as the sun began to rise for a road trip to Cayambe with Miguel and Sophie. Since Miguel and Sophie live on opposite ends of Quito, Miguel must have woken up in the middle of the night to pick up Sophie before heading over to us. The drive to Cayambe was about an hour and a half northeast from Quito, towards Volcán Cayambe. Sophie and Miguel wanted to share one of their favorite restaurants with us: a place called Café de la Vaca that is well known in Quito for its delicious food, sunny ambiance, and fresh milk. Unfortunately since it was a weekend, it was extremely crowded, so rather than wait hours for a table, we enjoyed the beautiful green landscape surrounding the restaurant, played on the swings, and then headed out on our way to another local restaurant.

On the way through Cayambe, we stopped at Quitsato Sundial, a giant circular platform of a mosaic with light and dark pebbles drawing an eight-pointed star that indicates the solstices, equinoxes, and intermediate lines pointing to the cardinal directions. In the center of this platform there is a cylindrical orange tube which serves as a gnomon, pointing to the corresponding hours and months of the year in the platform according to the shadow cast by the sun. From here, we could see Volcán Cayambe, the only place where the Equator passes through a glacier and the highest point on the Equator in the world.

(source: Wikipedia)

When we got into town, we stopped at Platos A La Carta for breakfast, where we shared queso de hoja and bizcochos (cheese and biscuits), a delicious Cayambe local favorite. We also ordered some other breakfast dishes, which came with drinks. I was so hungry and thirsty that I didn’t even think to smell the drink or ask what it was before taking a sip - which I would soon admit as a mistake when I realized it was pineapple juice. Turns out I’m still allergic to pineapples.

After getting sick, I was feeling exhausted, so we started to head back to Quito. On our way back, though, we spotted a restaurant called Guarango Zero advertising cuy, which Will, X, and I had not tried yet. Cuy is a delicacy in the Andean region where it was first domesticated as early as 5000 BC for food by tribes. The name cuy comes from the the indigenous language of Kichwa, because of the high-pitched bird-like sound the animal makes. In Ecuador, cuy was the main source of meat before cattle were introduced to the country, and became a status symbol because it meant you had enough money to eat meat as a luxury. Later, the animals were brought over to Europe by Spanish, Dutch and English traders in the 16th century and introduced as exotic pets because of their docile nature. Since then, the animals have adopted the name guinea pig, though the exact origin of the name is unclear.

(source: Wikipedia)

I know what you’re thinking - I’m a monster for eating an adorable little guinea pig. But to be honest, I feel like if you eat any kind of meat, that’s an unfair judgement. To me, all animals are adorable, but I also enjoy the idea of embracing all cultures, including native delicacies. I must admit that I struggled with the idea of dining on our first pet (R.I.P. Guinea) even before I left for our trip, and I still had my hesitations when the whole roasted cuy was placed on the table after an hour of preparation. But when you think about how cute baby chicks or piglets are and then devour nuggets and ribs without guilt, it seems silly to draw the line at an equally cute/edible animal. Anyway, I didn’t really enjoy the taste or texture - it was quite gamey and tough to chew, like dry jerky with a crispy skin. Apparently, the age of the cuy and preparation process plays a big factor into the taste, so I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again, especially in colonial Cuenca, known as one of the best places for cuy.

Stuffed and sleepy, we headed back to Quito. After Miguel dropped us off, it seemed like we were all thinking the same thing - how incredibly grateful we were to have met Sophie and Miguel, and what amazing human beings they both were. It was so inspiring to explore their city with them, especially because because they love living there so much. We hope to share our home with them when they visit us in Jersey and NYC!

Suddenly it was our last night of the trip, and I was still on the hunt for my ultimate souvenir - a tattoo. I try to commemorate my experience in every country I visit with a tattoo, and if possible, I like to get them done in those places before I leave. Ivan had a friend who worked at Santería Tattoo Shop in Quito, so we headed there from La Foch to see if anyone was available. Leon, who was from Colombia and had been tattooing in Ecuador for years, gave me the most beautiful rose - the national flower of Ecuador - to keep with me as a reminder of my love for this magical place.

We spent our last night in Ecuador partying through the clubs Mariscal Sucre is known for, hopping from bar to clubs. It was during this evening that I began to talk to Iris more, and we realized how strongly connected we felt to each other, like we had been friends for years already. To this day, Irina is one of my closest friends, my soul sister, and my confidante. It is this feeling, of finding people who seem to be born from the same soul, that makes life so incredibly beautiful.

8/7, Sunday: DAY 17: QUITO

The next morning, we headed to the Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal for souvenir shopping/haggling before checking out of Hotel Cuba Vieja, where the receptionist called a taxi to take us to the airport. It was the end of our adventure in Ecuador, but somehow, I knew I would return soon..

[asecretsummer-rpgpromo]

WANTED! FC can be changed!

♠ Malina Stowe is 48 years old and is often confused with Monica Bellucci. She is Open.

“I worry so much about my girls. I want us all to move away from this horrible town.”

→ Background

Cousin to Jenna Baker (born Meyers), on her mother’s side, though the Stowe side of the family have never really been close or involved with the rest. Her mother kind of cut ties with the Meyers when she got married to John Stowe and they made their own little family. Malina’s mother was the rebel and the black sheep and she’d had enough of the Meyer’s family. So Malina was never all that close with Jenna or the rest of that side of the family, she was quite disconnected and detached from it. They never knew what was going on with the Meyers, or later the Baker’s, and honestly she didn’t entirely care either. It was like they weren’t family at all, they didn’t even see each other for holidays, but Malina had her own family. The Stowe’s were a large family, lots of cousins due to her father’s large amount of siblings, and Malina was pretty happy. She had a wonderful childhood and wanted for practically nothing.

She met her first love when she was around sixteen. They fell for each other instantly though young love rarely works out. They were on and off until college, when they broke up for good, and he moved out of town. It was then, around the age of twenty one, that Malina found out she was pregnant. Her first daughter, Lara, was born and while she wished the girl could have a father, she knew that it would be okay. They had enough family to more than make up for it. She had lots of cousins and uncles and grandparents to stand in. Two years later, history repeated itself, and her second daughter, Belinda, was born. Her boyfriend skipped out on them when he found out she was pregnant and Malina had to, once again, go through it all alone. It was a little hard to keep up the faith and she ended up swearing off relationships altogether. She’d wanted a love like her parents had, one that would last and be real, but that never seemed to be on the cards for her.

→ Back to Baberton

Malina currently works at the local high school, in the Geography department. She loves her job and, through it, she did get a little better acquainted with Jenna, through her husband Charlie who also worked there. Then, of course, Charlie had to leave the school after he was arrested for Annie’s murder (though he was cleared of this), and his affair with a student came out. She keeps in touch with him sometimes but it’s not like they’re friends or anything, and she still doesn’t make much effort with Jenna despite the woman perhaps needing someone to talk to. It’s not that she’s being rude, it’s more of a habit at this point, one that Malina cannot shake. It’s hard to think of Jenna as family when she never really was, though her heart ached for poor Jenna and Charlie when their daughter Sophie was murdered by Sasha Miller. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her daughters like that.

Malina doesn’t really enjoy living in Baberton any longer. The place has become dangerous. Though she likes the people (her closest friends being Delia Lane, Brendan Matthews, and Robert Henderson), but all the murder just really tarnishes this place. She feels unsafe simply walking out to her car most mornings. Which is absurd. You should not feel unsafe simply existing, or she thinks so anyway. But she doesn’t have the money to move and her daughters are too old by now to really drag out of town. Except perhaps Belinda, who still lives at home with Malina, though she would never leave Lara behind. Malina just tries as hard as she can to get through it all. Ignore the murders and let the police do their thing. They’ll catch the guy eventually… they have to.

→ What’s Her Secret?

Has put a software on her daughters’ phones that lets her know exactly where they are at any given moment. She can track them and find out their location to make sure they haven’t gone missing or been kidnapped or even worse. It seems like every time she looks up, another kid has died, and she’s so stressed about her own children that this seemed like the only way she knew to keep them extra safe. She’ll still look up where they are sometimes even though they’re grown up and she likes being able to keep tabs on them, though she knows they’d probably be angry or upset if they found out and she might end up in trouble, but who’s going to find out?

Has an on the side, weekend job as a way of getting some extra cash. Things have always been tough in the money department and, when she was younger, she took to prostitution. She isn’t ashamed of it and it got her through college and she’s always been careful. As she got older and got her teaching degree, she stopped for a while, but eventually she picked it up for most weekends, taking outcalls with regular men. She’s a bit older now but it seems she still looks good enough and, while she might not care much about relationships, this ensures and makes her feel totally in control of the situation and keeps it so the arrangement doesn’t go further than it needs to. No emotions, just money.

Main | Plot | Most Wanted | Ask

[asecretsummer-rpgpromo]

WANTED! FC can be changed!

♠ Malina Stowe is 48 years old and is often confused with Monica Bellucci. She is Open.

“I worry so much about my girls. I want us all to move away from this horrible town.”

→ Background

Cousin to Jenna Baker (born Meyers), on her mother’s side, though the Stowe side of the family have never really been close or involved with the rest. Her mother kind of cut ties with the Meyers when she got married to John Stowe and they made their own little family. Malina’s mother was the rebel and the black sheep and she’d had enough of the Meyer’s family. So Malina was never all that close with Jenna or the rest of that side of the family, she was quite disconnected and detached from it. They never knew what was going on with the Meyers, or later the Baker’s, and honestly she didn’t entirely care either. It was like they weren’t family at all, they didn’t even see each other for holidays, but Malina had her own family. The Stowe’s were a large family, lots of cousins due to her father’s large amount of siblings, and Malina was pretty happy. She had a wonderful childhood and wanted for practically nothing.

She met her first love when she was around sixteen. They fell for each other instantly though young love rarely works out. They were on and off until college, when they broke up for good, and he moved out of town. It was then, around the age of twenty one, that Malina found out she was pregnant. Her first daughter, Lara, was born and while she wished the girl could have a father, she knew that it would be okay. They had enough family to more than make up for it. She had lots of cousins and uncles and grandparents to stand in. Two years later, history repeated itself, and her second daughter, Belinda, was born. Her boyfriend skipped out on them when he found out she was pregnant and Malina had to, once again, go through it all alone. It was a little hard to keep up the faith and she ended up swearing off relationships altogether. She’d wanted a love like her parents had, one that would last and be real, but that never seemed to be on the cards for her.

→ Back to Baberton

Malina currently works at the local high school, in the Geography department. She loves her job and, through it, she did get a little better acquainted with Jenna, through her husband Charlie who also worked there. Then, of course, Charlie had to leave the school after he was arrested for Annie’s murder (though he was cleared of this), and his affair with a student came out. She keeps in touch with him sometimes but it’s not like they’re friends or anything, and she still doesn’t make much effort with Jenna despite the woman perhaps needing someone to talk to. It’s not that she’s being rude, it’s more of a habit at this point, one that Malina cannot shake. It’s hard to think of Jenna as family when she never really was, though her heart ached for poor Jenna and Charlie when their daughter Sophie was murdered by Sasha Miller. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her daughters like that.

Malina doesn’t really enjoy living in Baberton any longer. The place has become dangerous. Though she likes the people (her closest friends being Delia Lane, Brendan Matthews, and Robert Henderson), but all the murder just really tarnishes this place. She feels unsafe simply walking out to her car most mornings. Which is absurd. You should not feel unsafe simply existing, or she thinks so anyway. But she doesn’t have the money to move and her daughters are too old by now to really drag out of town. Except perhaps Belinda, who still lives at home with Malina, though she would never leave Lara behind. Malina just tries as hard as she can to get through it all. Ignore the murders and let the police do their thing. They’ll catch the guy eventually… they have to.

→ What’s Her Secret?

Has put a software on her daughters’ phones that lets her know exactly where they are at any given moment. She can track them and find out their location to make sure they haven’t gone missing or been kidnapped or even worse. It seems like every time she looks up, another kid has died, and she’s so stressed about her own children that this seemed like the only way she knew to keep them extra safe. She’ll still look up where they are sometimes even though they’re grown up and she likes being able to keep tabs on them, though she knows they’d probably be angry or upset if they found out and she might end up in trouble, but who’s going to find out?

Has an on the side, weekend job as a way of getting some extra cash. Things have always been tough in the money department and, when she was younger, she took to prostitution. She isn’t ashamed of it and it got her through college and she’s always been careful. As she got older and got her teaching degree, she stopped for a while, but eventually she picked it up for most weekends, taking outcalls with regular men. She’s a bit older now but it seems she still looks good enough and, while she might not care much about relationships, this ensures and makes her feel totally in control of the situation and keeps it so the arrangement doesn’t go further than it needs to. No emotions, just money.

Main | Plot | Most Wanted | Ask

[asecretsummer-rpgpromo]

WANTED! FC can be changed!

♠ Malina Stowe is 48 years old and is often confused with Monica Bellucci. She is Open.

“I worry so much about my girls. I want us all to move away from this horrible town.”

→ Background

Cousin to Jenna Baker (born Meyers), on her mother’s side, though the Stowe side of the family have never really been close or involved with the rest. Her mother kind of cut ties with the Meyers when she got married to John Stowe and they made their own little family. Malina’s mother was the rebel and the black sheep and she’d had enough of the Meyer’s family. So Malina was never all that close with Jenna or the rest of that side of the family, she was quite disconnected and detached from it. They never knew what was going on with the Meyers, or later the Baker’s, and honestly she didn’t entirely care either. It was like they weren’t family at all, they didn’t even see each other for holidays, but Malina had her own family. The Stowe’s were a large family, lots of cousins due to her father’s large amount of siblings, and Malina was pretty happy. She had a wonderful childhood and wanted for practically nothing.

She met her first love when she was around sixteen. They fell for each other instantly though young love rarely works out. They were on and off until college, when they broke up for good, and he moved out of town. It was then, around the age of twenty one, that Malina found out she was pregnant. Her first daughter, Lara, was born and while she wished the girl could have a father, she knew that it would be okay. They had enough family to more than make up for it. She had lots of cousins and uncles and grandparents to stand in. Two years later, history repeated itself, and her second daughter, Belinda, was born. Her boyfriend skipped out on them when he found out she was pregnant and Malina had to, once again, go through it all alone. It was a little hard to keep up the faith and she ended up swearing off relationships altogether. She’d wanted a love like her parents had, one that would last and be real, but that never seemed to be on the cards for her.

→ Back to Baberton

Malina currently works at the local high school, in the Geography department. She loves her job and, through it, she did get a little better acquainted with Jenna, through her husband Charlie who also worked there. Then, of course, Charlie had to leave the school after he was arrested for Annie’s murder (though he was cleared of this), and his affair with a student came out. She keeps in touch with him sometimes but it’s not like they’re friends or anything, and she still doesn’t make much effort with Jenna despite the woman perhaps needing someone to talk to. It’s not that she’s being rude, it’s more of a habit at this point, one that Malina cannot shake. It’s hard to think of Jenna as family when she never really was, though her heart ached for poor Jenna and Charlie when their daughter Sophie was murdered by Sasha Miller. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her daughters like that.

Malina doesn’t really enjoy living in Baberton any longer. The place has become dangerous. Though she likes the people (her closest friends being Delia Lane, Brendan Matthews, and Robert Henderson), but all the murder just really tarnishes this place. She feels unsafe simply walking out to her car most mornings. Which is absurd. You should not feel unsafe simply existing, or she thinks so anyway. But she doesn’t have the money to move and her daughters are too old by now to really drag out of town. Except perhaps Belinda, who still lives at home with Malina, though she would never leave Lara behind. Malina just tries as hard as she can to get through it all. Ignore the murders and let the police do their thing. They’ll catch the guy eventually… they have to.

→ What’s Her Secret?

Has put a software on her daughters’ phones that lets her know exactly where they are at any given moment. She can track them and find out their location to make sure they haven’t gone missing or been kidnapped or even worse. It seems like every time she looks up, another kid has died, and she’s so stressed about her own children that this seemed like the only way she knew to keep them extra safe. She’ll still look up where they are sometimes even though they’re grown up and she likes being able to keep tabs on them, though she knows they’d probably be angry or upset if they found out and she might end up in trouble, but who’s going to find out?

Has an on the side, weekend job as a way of getting some extra cash. Things have always been tough in the money department and, when she was younger, she took to prostitution. She isn’t ashamed of it and it got her through college and she’s always been careful. As she got older and got her teaching degree, she stopped for a while, but eventually she picked it up for most weekends, taking outcalls with regular men. She’s a bit older now but it seems she still looks good enough and, while she might not care much about relationships, this ensures and makes her feel totally in control of the situation and keeps it so the arrangement doesn’t go further than it needs to. No emotions, just money.

Main | Plot | Most Wanted | Ask

[asecretsummer-rpgpromo]

WANTED! FC can be changed!

♠ Malina Stowe is 48 years old and is often confused with Monica Bellucci. She is Open.

“I worry so much about my girls. I want us all to move away from this horrible town.”

→ Background

Cousin to Jenna Baker (born Meyers), on her mother’s side, though the Stowe side of the family have never really been close or involved with the rest. Her mother kind of cut ties with the Meyers when she got married to John Stowe and they made their own little family. Malina’s mother was the rebel and the black sheep and she’d had enough of the Meyer’s family. So Malina was never all that close with Jenna or the rest of that side of the family, she was quite disconnected and detached from it. They never knew what was going on with the Meyers, or later the Baker’s, and honestly she didn’t entirely care either. It was like they weren’t family at all, they didn’t even see each other for holidays, but Malina had her own family. The Stowe’s were a large family, lots of cousins due to her father’s large amount of siblings, and Malina was pretty happy. She had a wonderful childhood and wanted for practically nothing.

She met her first love when she was around sixteen. They fell for each other instantly though young love rarely works out. They were on and off until college, when they broke up for good, and he moved out of town. It was then, around the age of twenty one, that Malina found out she was pregnant. Her first daughter, Lara, was born and while she wished the girl could have a father, she knew that it would be okay. They had enough family to more than make up for it. She had lots of cousins and uncles and grandparents to stand in. Two years later, history repeated itself, and her second daughter, Belinda, was born. Her boyfriend skipped out on them when he found out she was pregnant and Malina had to, once again, go through it all alone. It was a little hard to keep up the faith and she ended up swearing off relationships altogether. She’d wanted a love like her parents had, one that would last and be real, but that never seemed to be on the cards for her.

→ Back to Baberton

Malina currently works at the local high school, in the Geography department. She loves her job and, through it, she did get a little better acquainted with Jenna, through her husband Charlie who also worked there. Then, of course, Charlie had to leave the school after he was arrested for Annie’s murder (though he was cleared of this), and his affair with a student came out. She keeps in touch with him sometimes but it’s not like they’re friends or anything, and she still doesn’t make much effort with Jenna despite the woman perhaps needing someone to talk to. It’s not that she’s being rude, it’s more of a habit at this point, one that Malina cannot shake. It’s hard to think of Jenna as family when she never really was, though her heart ached for poor Jenna and Charlie when their daughter Sophie was murdered by Sasha Miller. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her daughters like that.

Malina doesn’t really enjoy living in Baberton any longer. The place has become dangerous. Though she likes the people (her closest friends being Delia Lane, Brendan Matthews, and Robert Henderson), but all the murder just really tarnishes this place. She feels unsafe simply walking out to her car most mornings. Which is absurd. You should not feel unsafe simply existing, or she thinks so anyway. But she doesn’t have the money to move and her daughters are too old by now to really drag out of town. Except perhaps Belinda, who still lives at home with Malina, though she would never leave Lara behind. Malina just tries as hard as she can to get through it all. Ignore the murders and let the police do their thing. They’ll catch the guy eventually… they have to.

→ What’s Her Secret?

Has put a software on her daughters’ phones that lets her know exactly where they are at any given moment. She can track them and find out their location to make sure they haven’t gone missing or been kidnapped or even worse. It seems like every time she looks up, another kid has died, and she’s so stressed about her own children that this seemed like the only way she knew to keep them extra safe. She’ll still look up where they are sometimes even though they’re grown up and she likes being able to keep tabs on them, though she knows they’d probably be angry or upset if they found out and she might end up in trouble, but who’s going to find out?

Has an on the side, weekend job as a way of getting some extra cash. Things have always been tough in the money department and, when she was younger, she took to prostitution. She isn’t ashamed of it and it got her through college and she’s always been careful. As she got older and got her teaching degree, she stopped for a while, but eventually she picked it up for most weekends, taking outcalls with regular men. She’s a bit older now but it seems she still looks good enough and, while she might not care much about relationships, this ensures and makes her feel totally in control of the situation and keeps it so the arrangement doesn’t go further than it needs to. No emotions, just money.

Main | Plot | Most Wanted | Ask