Chapter 1 - The Thousandth Guest
The air at the Oakhaven Resort smelled of expensive sunscreen and misplaced entitlement.
I was trying to hold my daughter, Lily, who was still fragile from her final round of chemotherapy.
When we returned to our reserved cabana, it was occupied.
A woman in a designer swimsuit was sprawled across my seat, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.
Lily's signature-covered graduation bear was floating face-down in a puddle of muddy coffee.
"Excuse me," I said, my voice barely holding together. "Those chairs were reserved for us."
The woman didn't even sit up.
She lowered her glasses and scanned Lily’s bald head, her lip curling in disgust.
"Maybe take her to a clinic," she sneered. "She’s ruining the aesthetic."
I asked the manager for help, but he only scoffed at me.
"She’s a Platinum Elite member," he whispered coldly. "Move or I call security."
I wiped Lily’s tears and walked away, choosing dignity over a fight.
Twenty minutes later, a man in a sharp navy suit walked past our plastic chairs.
He caught my eye, winked, and walked straight to the woman's cabana.
"Congratulations!" he boomed, drawing every eye on the pool deck. "You're our 1,000th elite guest! The ownership has a gift for you."
The woman beamed, demanding I watch her claim her prize.
May you like
She sat up, chest puffed with arrogance, and lifted the lid of the velvet-lined blue box.
The concussive BANG and the horrific, blood-curdling scream that exploded from her mouth silenced the entire pool deck.
