My God, I never thought I would miss the cramped space of our house, my room where I usually banged my head on the lamp. Standing in this luxurious and vast corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows, golden-beige walls adorned with paintings, and tall trees in marble pots, I feel incredibly uncomfortable and restless. Nolan locks the door and activates the alarm. I wonder who would come to our rescue if it goes off. We are on a remote island, far from any cities; what's the use of it?

Nolan proceeds down the hallway to the right, his footsteps echoing through the house, and we follow him.

"Perhaps we should look around the house first?" I suggest, catching up with Nolan.

"We will," he replies. He turns a corner and opens an inconspicuous door, revealing a room filled with monitors. After a glance, he exits the room, and we follow him once more. Ascending to the second floor, we find ourselves in another corridor with numerous closed doors. Nolan approaches one of them, a portrait of a beautiful woman hanging to the right of it. He gives her a brief look before opening the door.

The room is, as expected, huge. In the back, nestled in a niche, there's a bed. Opposite the bed, near the window, sits a sofa and armchairs, all facing a grand fireplace. Above the fireplace hangs a painting - an abstract piece in shades of blue, reminiscent of ocean waves. To the right, there's another door.

"Bathroom," Nolan says, nodding toward it. "In case anyone needs it."

Everyone continues further into the room. Todd settles into a chair and places the stone he had carried from the dock at his feet. Mel approaches the window, but due to the thick fog, we can only see the lawn below and the fountain. The pier and even the sea remain obscured.

"I need to take a hot shower," Nolan declares. "Alex, come with me."

My ears flare up, but before I can answer, Mel's voice chimes in, filled with surprise. "Why do you need Alex there?" she asks suspiciously.

"To rub my back!" Nolan replies through clenched teeth. "What do you think?! I've been through a lot of stress. I need to unwind!"

Mel flushes, whether from anger, awkwardness, or indignation isn't clear. "Great timing!" she says angrily. "Your manners are certainly something!"

She then looks at me, and I can feel my embarrassment growing by the second. "Stress can really scramble your thoughts," I mutter, my face turning even redder.

Mel shakes her head as if in disbelief and, with a dismissive wave of her hand, joins Todd. Still burning with embarrassment and shame, I follow Nolan into the bathroom. After locking the door, Nolan heads energetically to the shower stall and turns on the water.

"Are you seriously planning to take a shower?" I ask incredulously.

"Why not?" Nolan turns to me.

"Because we have more urgent matters at hand than your hygiene routine, don't we?" I twist my mouth, frowning. "Didn't you tell me we were heading to the wedding? This place doesn't exactly scream celebration; it's more like something out of a horror movie, if you ask me. So..."

"Shh," Nolan brings his finger to his lips, and I lower my voice, but not my indignation.

"You asked me to trust you, and now I'm lying to my brother and sister because of you, so you owe me an explanation!" I whisper.

Nolan licks his lips and rubs his chin. "I don't have an explanation right now," he says. "I can't be certain why the house is empty or why the yacht isn't here. I have my suspicions, but I don't want to talk about them unless I'm sure. I need to buy more time, Alex. I need to contact Felix."

I meet his earnest gaze, which stirs something within me, something I try to resist. Why do I want to trust him? My mom and sister might be in danger, and Nolan is withholding the truth.

"Just a little more time," he adds, his expression almost pleading. I turn away hastily, muttering, "Fine. But you won't get away from Mel that easily..."

Nolan sighs heavily, "At least you don't want me skinned... Though I'm surprised you don't think that I lured you to this island to make you part of my diabolical experiments or something..."

"Well," I smirk. "It'd be a too complicated plan with too many pitfalls. You could've just kidnapped us in the city and taken us anywhere on a yacht. Besides, you didn't strike me as a nutcase," I say, thoughtfully pursing my lips. "And I can say that... you're afraid, too."

Nolan doesn't answer, but the air seems to change. I can feel his gaze on the back of my head. Strange feelings wash over me - a little unsettling, yet strangely exciting.

Or maybe it was just my imagination because the next moment, I hear water splashing. I shake my head slightly and take a half-step back.

"Where are you going?" Nolan asks.

"Out. Or you wanted to say something else?" I inquire.

"Could you fetch me a towel?"

"Where? Where is it?" I look around, slightly flustered.

"Under the sink in the cabinet."

I walk to the sink, retrieve a soft towel, and step back, extending it toward Nolan, hoping he'll take it himself.

"What are you doing?" he asks, a hint of mock surprise in his tone.

"I'm handing you a towel. Isn't that obvious?"

"What's the problem? You've already seen me naked! Come on, hand it over."

"Well, I don't remember anything!" I reply, embarrassed.

"But I remember everything," Nolan says, his tone devoid of mockery this time. It confuses me even more, but I gather my resolve. I won't let anyone embarrass me. So I turn around and, wearing my most indifferent expression, give Nolan the towel, making sure to look only into his eyes. He seems to deliberately linger for a moment, with a faint half-smile that's barely noticeable on his lips but visible in his eyes. He dries off, wraps the towel around his waist, and steps out. I shift toward the door.

"Go and take a shower, too," he says seriously.

"Are you sure now is the right time?"

"How long have you been wearing those clothes?"

"And what, do I stink?"

Nolan smiles, and then his expression turns serious. "Listen, I don't know what awaits us next. But trust me, after everything we've been through, nobody will complain about a hot shower."

Nolan's words convince me. Besides, I found myself envying him while he stood there under the water; I, too, longed to feel its soothing warmth.

"Then turn away," I demand. Nolan chuckles and turns his bare back to me.

I quickly strip off my clothes and step into the shower.

"Why isn't there a curtain?" I grumble, the water splashing on me.

"Why? This is my shower! Who should I be hiding from?" Nolan laughs.

Hot water cascades over my body, and I can feel my stiff muscles gradually loosening. However, I can't completely relax; I keep nervously glancing at Nolan's back.

"Why are you so quiet?" He speaks up as if sensing my gaze.

"Am I?"

I swiftly lather up and rinse off the suds. Damn... now all I want is to eat and crawl into bed... It feels like I haven't slept or eaten in days. But now is definitely not the time to rest. We need to figure out how to find mom, Stacey, and Richard. I hope Felix and Nolan know what to do.

"Can you give me a towel?" I say, trying to conceal my embarrassment. Nolan hands me a towel, and I quickly wrap it around myself like a cocoon.

"So, how was it? Was I right?" he asks. I simply nod. "Alright, let's go."

Damn...

Nolan exits first, and I find myself rooted to the spot... I'm overwhelmed by such shame as if we actually did something... Damn it, Nolan, thanks for putting me in this situation!

But... if we were actually a couple, I probably wouldn't be this embarrassed... What a strange paradox.

Nolan notices that I didn't come out and gives me a questioning look.

"I'll get dressed first," I say, turning to reach for my clothes. However, Nolan grabs my arm and pulls me out of the tub. He ushers me to the wardrobe. Sorting through the clothing, he eventually assembles an outfit for me. I blush deeply, too embarrassed to argue with him, and quickly dress. Nolan's clothes are a bit loose on me; I had to roll up my jeans, but the jacket seemed to fit just fine. Wearing Nolan's clothes feels a little strange, but changing into clean attire is quite welcome. I hesitate, not daring to approach Mel and Todd, but being near dressing-up Nolan is even more awkward. So, I muster up the courage.

"Alex, I'm shocked! How could you... at a time like this?" Mel exclaims indignantly.

"We didn't do anything! I really only rubbed his back!" I retort. "I'm not a pervert!"

Mel shakes her head, but it looks like my answer reassured her a little.

"I think you should freshen up as well, and you too, Todd. I have a feeling it might be a while before we get another chance," I suggest.

"What? Did Nolan tell you something?" Mel inquires anxiously. "Is it about mom and Stacey? I knew you went there to whisper behind our backs! Enough secrets, Alex! This is our family, remember? We," she points at me, herself, and Todd in succession, "are family! We need to stick together, not trade secrets in the shower with some..." She shoots a glare at Nolan still getting dressed. I feel a pang of bitterness, believing he heard everything perfectly.

But Nolan doesn't react to this, approaching us. "We need to contact Felix as soon as possible," he says. He changed into jeans with patch pockets and a thick jacket with a zipper.

"Alright, let's go!" Mel exclaims.

And suddenly, there is a sound reverberating throughout the house. We exchange wary glances so it's clear we all heard it. It sounded like a door slamming shut.