Fast Life by Cassandra Carter Read Free Book Online Page A

over. I’ve been on this plane long enough. Got me sittin’ next to a woman I despise with every fiber of my goddamn being right now. I could just choke the shit out of her for doin’ this! For makin’ me go through this shit! For makin’ me miserable! For makin’ everythin’ change! This is by far the worst day of my life!

CHAPTER 5
    K yra and her mother spilled out of the plane in the middle of the crowd of passengers. They had reached Nassau, Bahamas. The island was captivating. The sun was shining bright, the air was warm, and there were rows upon rows of palm trees. Yeah, Florida had these things, too, but Nassau had a much more exotic appeal.
    They made their way outside with their baggage, trying to catch a ride to the ferry that would take them to the island of Prince Paul. Kyra stepped outside into the heat, which forced her to take off her leather jacket. It didn’t take long to hail a cab.
    Their cabdriver was kind, maybe a little too kind. He got lost driving to the dock, all the while engaging in friendly conversation with her mother as though nothing were wrong or out of the ordinary. He had that thick West Indian accent Kyra had imagined, and the looks to match. This is goin’ to be a long two years , she thought. She sighed and leaned her head against the window.
    Â 
    Vomit floated in the water as Kyra hung over the side of the boat. She had gotten seasick on the ferry. Her face was pale and her stomach did more flips than a gymnast. She had ridden in small tour boats in Chicago before for fun, but that was a long time ago. Her body wasn’t used to the swaying of a boat anymore.
    She sat down on a bench on the top deck. She was tired and nauseated but refused to close her eyes. Her body was tense and aching. She stared out at the light blue water and the islands in the distance. She even thought she spotted a dolphin fin at one point. Her head tipped back and she looked up at the sky as birds glided through the air. She didn’t like the new place, but she couldn’t deny its beauty. She kept her comments to herself, while her mother was the complete opposite. “It’s so beautiful!” she said to Kyra nearly a thousand times, and that was no exaggeration.
    At around one o’clock in the afternoon, they pulled into a dock with a sign that read W ELCOME TO P RINCE P AUL , P OPU -
    LATION : 5,078. Kyra couldn’t believe it. There were probably more people in her old high school than on the entire island.
    â€œOkay now, we’re up the road a mile or two,” said Geneva Jones as she read aloud from the directions to their new address. “I can’t wait to see the house up close. I bet it’s gorgeous!”
    â€œYou want me to go find a cab?” Kyra asked, sipping her now warm Pepsi to ease her stomach as she stood on the dock.
    â€œNo. There aren’t any. The island is only a few miles long. No need for one, really. We’re just going to have to walk.”
    â€œWalk! In this heat? For a few miles? I don’t think so.”
    â€œDon’t start acting up already. You don’t have a choice, so let’s go.” By the tone of her voice, it was clear that she wouldn’t tolerate her daughter’s attitude. Kyra huffed in exasperation but didn’t say another word.
    They strolled side by side down the dusty dirt road, passing what seemed like hundreds of palm trees and other plants whose names were unfamiliar. They passed by dozens of one-story homes and little shacks that served as tiny shops.
    The homes were well kept and painted bright and lively colors. They were not run-down like Kyra had thought they’d be, and their colors blew the dull grays and browns of Chicago away. They had porches and green, grassy yards where, in some, children played as they were watched over by their elders.
    As Kyra and her mother passed, heads turned. It was as if everyone knew they were foreigners. With a