“I’m going to go to the kitchen, look over the supplies, find a blender and make myself a pina colada.” She dropped her hand to her belly and added, “Non-alcoholic, of course. Then I’m going to find a paperback and head to the pool where I will sit on a chair and read. Then, if I’m feeling it, I’ll swim in the pool.” As she shampooed her hair, she continued her one-sided conversation. “I’ll swim naked since there’s no one around to see me. After, I’ll eat every piece of chocolate I can find in the house, then I’ll watch all the movies in what’s probably a magnificent home theatre.”

What good was a deserted island if she couldn’t find the time for leisure activities?

She convinced herself that she was going to be okay. Even looked forward to some alone time in an enormous house with every possible convenience at her disposal. She dressed and headed out of the bedroom. The touchscreen panel on the wall caught her attention, and she backtracked to stare at it.

In big bold red letters, it said, “3 MISSED CALLS.”

That was weird. She touched the button, but it refused to show her who had called without the proper passcode. She wondered if it was Volkan trying to get hold of her, or someone maybe trying to get hold of Volkan. Either way, it didn’t matter since she couldn’t access the messages.

She skipped down the stairs to the kitchen and began going through the cupboards, fridge, and pantry. “Well, it appears we’ll be eating for the next several apocalypses, so that’s good news.”

The calibre of food ingredients suggested that the family brought in a chef when they were visiting their island residence. Everything looked amazing, but she settled for making herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She took a big bite out of it as she wandered the bottom floor of the mansion, checking everything out.

Sure enough, there was a media room with a screen that covered an entire wall. The room was filled with reclining leather chairs in rows, like in the theatre. Still munching on her sandwich, Yasmin picked up the nearest remote control and turned the TV on. The sound that came through the speakers was so intense she immediately shut it off.

“Okay, we’ll try that again when I’m in the mood to be blown out of my seat.”

She left the media room and was on her way to the pool deck when a ringing sound caught her attention. Recalling the three missed calls, she found the nearest panel. Sure enough, there was a picture on the screen of a vibrating green phone and Volkan’s name above it.