Yay it showed up!

Yay!!!

Ok. First order of business. Introduction, Names, Guests, Murderer Determination.

Names. I figure we should be the hosts, guides, etc., so we need good names. Agent Winter and Jwyn is too obvious in my opinion, plus, it's a Hawaii getaway, so we need authentic names. 

My Idea: Ka Ho'oilo(Winter) and Uliuli(Blue Jay). Maybe it's a mouthful, but it may work. Thoughts?

Guests/Murderer Determination. I'm thinking one of us should write down all the names of the guests and randomly draw one from a hat (or in the case of the first ski lodges, a Sugarbowl). If we're not happy with the result, we can draw again, but that way it will be more fair.

Also, we both signed up to go to the ski lodge, so we should probably put ourselves in too as guests, but should we make it so that we and the hosts are different people, or us being technically the same people? As in, secretly not being there when the hosts are, or switching places being guides? It might make it more interesting, but I want your opinion.

Introduction/Attributes. Bear with me, this could get long.

To start the ski lodge, we need to figure out what kind of transportation the guests take to the resort. Something Hawaii-ish and cool. Like giant flying surfboards. Ok, maybe not. Ideas?

—Day 1— 

A crack sounded, and a small slip of paper appeared out of the blue and floated down into the CBer’s lap. All it said was, Tomorrow, 8:30, front lawn.

Fireburst frowned. They had said it was delayed, but she hadn’t expected it to be this soon. Ah, well. It is what it is. Better pack then.

Fireburst yawned and stretched, glancing at the clock. It read 7:15. Since she still hadn’t remembered to set it to Daylight Savings, it was really 8:15, which meant that they were leaving in.... oh no. Fireburst hastily scrambled around to dress and pack, wishing she had remembered to the night before. “Byann!!!” She yelled as she zipped around grabbing waffles and whatever random fruit was sitting around. 

“What?” Replied Byann irritably as he sat impatiently by the door on his fully packed suitcase, a piece of toast in hand. Ugh Fireburst thought. AEs could be so annoying sometimes. She dashed out the door, just as a giant flying canoe driven by a man in a Hawaiian shirt came to an abrupt stop in front of her. Wait, canoe? The host had said a private jet, right? She shook her head. These ski lodges just got weirder and weirder. Darkfeather hissed as Fireburst and Byann grabbed the side of the canoe and attempted to lift themselves into it... and failed miserably. 

“‘At’s ‘is?!” The large, elderly man inside growled, pulling his canoe aside, “This ‘ere’s private property, and I ain’t takin’ no ‘itch’ikers.” The man flew his canoe off, muttering as Darkfeather shot them a look that said, I told you so. Fireburst and Byann looked at each other quizzically. Finally, another larger, much larger, flying canoe appeared, this time with pineapples and coconuts painted along the edge, and “Coconut Beach And Co. Resorts” written in bold letters across the side. Ukulele music played serenely from it, and already a group of other CBers chatted happily from within. At the head of the boat was a tall, skinny, buzz-cut young man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, a cheap pair of sunglasses, and a wild-colored lei. The man flipped a lever, and a section of the side of the boat folded down into steps. 

“Hop aboard dudes” He droned, not entirely unenthusiastically. Fireburst, Byann, and Darkfeather gingerly boarded the boat. In the very back of the canoe Jwyn and Agent Winter were chatting casually, their AEs beside them. In front of them sat Levana, Soren, Arrietty S., and Catsclaw, debating about some book they had read. Sitting ahead of them were Dewy, Tric, and Midnight chatting mischievously. Byann climbed over to join them. Fireburst and Darkfeather took seats at the front with Epic Fangirl and LilyPad who were braiding friendship bracelets and talking about the weather.

“What do you think the resort will look like?” Fireburst hissed to LilyPad. 

“I don’t know,” LilyPad shrugged, “I’ve never been to Hawaii.” 

“Big surprise there.” The driver dude muttered loudly, making them jump, “Flying a canoe to Australia and back is no picnic.”

LilyPad shot the back of his head a dirty look, then turned back to Epic Fangirl. Fireburst walked over to the side of the boat and peeked over the edge... and nearly fell over. They were now gliding high over the Pacific Ocean with no land in sight. She staggered dazedly back to her seat. Meanwhile, farther back in the canoe, the CBers were still talking. Levana and Alex had taken to their books, and Sam gazed hazily over the side of the boat as the ocean swept beneath them. A loud crack brought everyone back to reality as all their thoughts suddenly synced to wondering how on earth the AEs had gotten ahold of fireworks. Alex, Sam, and Levana crawled underneath a canoe bench as deafening sparks of light erupted in the sky. By the time the CBers had finally confiscated all of the fireworks and thrown them over the side of the boat (earning lots of protests from the AEs), the sun was descending the sky, and so was the canoe. Eventually the canoe lowered itself into the water and glided into a sandy beach that the CBers hadn’t noticed until now. As the sun disappeared beneath the waves (or so it seemed, the vacationers ventured up to a tall glittering hotel surrounded by palm trees. It appeared to be made out of marble inlaid with tiny shards of stained glass, so that it sparkled in rainbow colors in the moonlight. Fireburst’s voice rose above the indistinct chatter of the group. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but one of us is going to be the murderer, right?” The other guests stared at her for a moment, then fell into an uncomfortable silence. Fireburst couldn’t understand why nobody ever thought of these things at the beginning of a ski lodge, but she simply shrugged and followed the rest into the magnificent hotel. 

The lobby of the hotel looked like a picture out of a magazine. White furniture, crystal chandeliers, and immensely thick beige carpets made it extremely lavish-looking, and extremely boring (in the Alter Egos’ opinion). The CBers weren’t impressed either, as they had been to many ski lodges like this before, but they had to admit, it was comfortable. There were potted palm trees, pineapple decals on the walls, and perfectly sliced coconut arranged on a ukulele-shaped platter set on the glass coffee table. LilyPad found the bathroom sign and dashed off, having been on the canoe all day. Soon, Agent Winter, Jwyn, and all of the AEs (including Byann and Levana) dashed off to the restrooms as well. The remaining CBers plopped down on the lush sofas and chairs.

“There you guys are!”

Kate-the-Great was just coming in through the front door. She sat down next to Catsclaw and pushed back a loose wisp of hair.

“I’d been waiting for you almost all day in the private runway. Didn’t you come by jet?” She looked at them quizzically.

“Er... not exactly, we-“ started Arrietty S.

“-got picked up in a freaky giant hovering canoe.” Finished Byann, who had returned from the bathroom the fastest.

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened to the jet.” Soren commented, shrugging. 

“Huh.” Kate murmured, obviously annoyed that she had wasted her day staring into the same sky she saw every day.

Just as LilyPad, Tric, Alex, and Midnight rejoined them, a door opened on the opposite side of the lobby, and two tall young women entered. The taller of the two had coppery hair swept up in a messy bun, a light complexion, and bespectacled eyes the color of the ocean. The other had dark brown hair ponytailed high up on her head, a slightly tanned smiling face, and twinkling light blue eyes. They both wore matching navy blue t-shirts and shorts with the same half-coconut with a palm tree growing out of it graphic. The two strolled to where the CBers were sitting and smiled. The CBers smiled back at them uncertainly. After a long silence, the brown-haired lady coughed. 

“Oh, uh. Right.” Started the one with glasses in a slightly hoarse tone, “My name is Uliuli-“

“And I’m Ka Ho’oilo-“

“And on behalf of the entire Coconut Beach Resort Staff, we welcome you to, well, Coconut Beach.”

The guests glanced at each other. Dewy and Sam who had just rejoined the rest stifled their giggles. Uliuli looked uncomfortably at Ka Ho’oilo who whispered back. 

“If it’s more convenient,” Uliuli added, “you can call us Kaho and Uli.” Soren and Catsclaw and virtually all of the Alter Egos silently (and in some cases, not so silently), sighed in relief. Uli nudged Kaho.

“I will show you to your rooms if you’ll follow me,” Kaho said, “And Uli will take you down to dinner when you’re ready.” Uli nodded and waved them towards the door the two had entered from, and the group started to follow. Sam stopped abruptly and turned to Kaho.

“What about Jwyn and Agent Winter?” Sam said worriedly, They’re still in the bathrooms.” Fireburst frowned. Kaho smiled.

“Always a couple.” She said thoughtfully. “Uli will round them up when they’re done.” 

“With what?” Sam mouthed to Fireburst, who shrugged. Kaho led the CBers up the stairs, as Uli took off in the opposite direction. After several flights of stairs and turning a few corridors, Kaho steered the vacationers to a door at the end of the hall and led them inside. This room was like a miniature of the lobby below. Lush furniture, crystal chandelier, thick beige carpet, pineapple walls, palm tree accents, sliced coconuts. Along the walls were nine doors, each hung with a colorful ribbon. Ten, if you counted the one they had just come through. 

“The rooms are named after colors.” Kaho pointed to the first door on the very left, 

“Scarlet- Arrietty S., Catsclaw, Epic Fangirl.”

“Amber- Fireburst, Kate-the-Great.”

“Goldenrod- Soren Infinity, LilyPad.”

“Evergreen- Levana, Darkfeather.”

“The Aqua Room is vacant, just in case we need a spare room.”

“Sapphire- Midnight, Byann.”

“Midnight- Dewy, Tric.”

“Eggplant- Sam, Alex.”

“Lavender- Agent Winter, Jwyn, when they come along.”

Just as she said that, Jwyn walked in. 

“Where’s Agent Winter?” Sam questioned automatically.

“She got stuck in one of the toilets.” Jwyn grimaced. “Uli’s trying to get her out.” The AEs snickered. Kaho suppressed a smile.

“I suppose I’ll go see if I can be of assistance.” Kaho said, careful not to laugh. “In the meantime, you all can make yourself at home.” She clapped her hands. The guests whipped around. Their luggage lay in neat stacks by the left glass wall. When they turned around, Kaho was gone.

The group grabbed their suitcases and entered their respective rooms. 

The entire Scarlet Room was red. The walls, the ceiling, the curtains, the carpet, the beds. The only thing that wasn’t red was the glass wall on one side. 

“A murder could happen in here, and no one would know!” Joked Epic Fangirl. Her roommates glared at her.

The Amber Room was painted a glorious shade of orange, with large glass flowers hung here and there. The bedspreads were citrus-patterned, and there was a garland of orange paper flowers hung across the glass wall. Fireburst and Kate basked in the beauty of it. 

The Goldenrod Room was painted mustard yellow, with a slight metallic touch. The carpets were thin and cream-colored, and the beds matched the walls. LilyPad shrugged, but Soren simply stared out their glass wall at the ocean.

The Evergreen Room looked like a forest with its shady green walls, and chandeliers of vines. The glass wall was draped with translucent green curtains, giving the room an eerie jungle light. A low, leafy loft came out of the wall on one side, and a soft, mossy nest lay on a ledge slightly higher up on the other. Darkfeather flew up to her ledge and napped. Levana stretched out in her loft and resumed reading her book.

The Sapphire Room boasted aquamarine walls glittering with shards of ocean-colored glass. Two slim beds fashioned in wooden canoes on either side accented the blue carpeting, and the closet door was painted to look like a boathouse. Byann was ecstatic. 

“This is so COOL.” He yelled to no one in particular. 

“Shouldn’t I have been in the Midnight Room?” Midnight harrumphed. “Where is their sense of humor?”

The Midnight Room was completely black, with stars spattered everywhere, and swirls of indigo and fuchsia. The glass wall was hidden behind solid black curtains also covered in stars and galaxies. Icicle lights hung spiraled across the walls. Dewy and Tric took turns with a telescope in the corner.  

In the Eggplant Room—the only room with a food name, Sam noted disapprovingly—everything was a deep shade of purple, excepting the carpets, which were magenta. Alex and Sam goggled at the bright colors and collapsed into their beds, burying their heads into their pillows. Unfortunately, those were purple too.

The Lavender Room was, well, lavender. Bed, drapes, canopy, carpet-you get the idea. There were two large (lavender) trunks in the corners. The only apparently strange thing about this room was that one of the canopied beds wasn’t lavender. It was blue. Jwyn sat on the lavender bed, swinging her legs cheerily, thinking of all the fun things she would do tomorrow. There was a knock on the door, and Agent Winter entered. 

“Hey” Jwyn greeted, grinning. “How was the toilet?” Agent Winter playfully scowled. 

“Not pleasant, but Uli wasn’t much help. I wish they’d pay more attention to those killer bathrooms.” They both burst out laughing. 

“This is the best hotel I’ve ever been to.” Jwyn noted happily.

“‘Ame.” Agent Winter had stuffed a pillow to her face to blockade another round of giggles.

“I better look at those bathrooms again. They seem interesting.” 

“Oo-oo-ah.” Agent Winter attempted, muffled by the pillow. Jwyn stopped and turned at the door. 

“Fireburst made a good point, though. You aren’t the murderer, are you?” Agent Winter removed the pillow and gave her an evil grin. 

“Yeah. Got a problem with that?” She wiggled her eyebrows. Jwyn rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. 

Back in the Sapphire Room, Byann and Midnight (who had gotten over her disappointment) were investigating. 

“I wonder if this glass comes off?” Midnight mused, tugging on a piece stuck to the wall. 

“Nah,” scoffed Byann, “too easy for the-the-“ 

“-Murderer” Midnight agreed. Byann nodded and walked curiously to the boathouse-closet. He opened the door slightly. Inside hung multiple sets of navy blue t-shirts and shorts with the CB logo on them, identical to the ones the hosts were wearing. 

“Are we supposed to wear these?”

“No idea.”

Byann and Midnight each put a set on anyway and joined everyone else in the common room. A little while later, Uli popped her head in, and the chatter immediately died down. She cleared her throat.

“Dinner’s served.” Soren shot Agent Winter a grin as the Alter Egoes lined up in a split second. They all followed Uli down to the lavish dining room table laden with seafood, salads, sweets, and the works. She informed them that Kaho would not be joining them that day, as she was planning the next day’s events, but they would usually be present at mealtimes. By the time she had finished speaking, the guests had long dug in. As the late hours passed, the CBers and their companions dragged their full stomachs to their rooms. The moon was full on the ocean. The guests slowly drifted to sleep. Except one.