Chapter 56

Felix brought me to town the following day. This place was right in the thick of it, with the sun blazing overhead and the heat almost unbearable. Right before we left, he handed me a bottle of sunscreen. "This one's good for preventing sunburns, but it won't keep you from tanning. You'd better use the one we brought from home." I leaned forward while he applied it to every bit of my exposed skin. His hands moved gently, carefully. The speedboat cut through the water toward shore. Felix wasn't kidding. There was a full-blown local festival happening. Even before we docked, I could hear the music and cheering. At the dock, he helped me down, holding my hand. The streets were packed. People were dancing and singing everywhere. Vendors swarmed the sidewalks, shouting pitches in a language I couldn't understand, trying to sell us stuff. Out of nowhere, a teenage girl placed a flower crown on my head, smiling as she spoke a string of foreign words. I turned to look at Felix. He smil