Delirium alternate ending
This is the end for our brave adventurers, the happy ending where they sail off into the rainforest sunset together.
But it doesn’t have to be. Do you dare continue the journey down the river with them? If you so choose, you can turn the page to read the alternate ending to Delirium.
Be warned before you turn the page. I’ve heard there’s rapids up ahead.
Not everything that’s lost is meant to be found.
xo, Torri
Part Four
Daybreak
Chapter Thirty
Scarlett
Wake up.
Wake up.
Wake up.
I jolted awake, sunlight streaming in through the slatted blinds. The residual taste of a dream lingered on my tongue, and I tried my best to grasp onto it. I was forgetting something. Something important. But sleep was intoxicating, lulling me back to my dream. Except…
The cruise. Shit.
One look at the old clock on the wall told me I was late—very late. I was supposed to be at the docks for my riverboat cruise at nine. The glaring digits screamed at me that it was just after eight. Swatting at the mosquito hovering over my head, I tossed on the clothes I’d laid out the night before, cramming anything that wasn’t already packed into my bags. The alluring scent of orchids filled the thick, humid air. The heat already made itself known, clinging to my skin even as I dressed. Cicadas kept time with their never-ending song, calling out to the world in the pale orange light of the rainforest morning.
I hated being late. My bags were heavier than they probably needed to be, but I wasn’t about to leave anything behind.
Heading to the front desk, I tossed the key for the small hostel I’d been staying at on the counter, pointing outside. “The docks are that way, right?”
The tiny dark-haired clerk nodded. “Take a right, head through the market, and it’ll be at the far side. Only a short trip, I hope? The rainy season is soon. I’m surprised a boat is even leaving at this time.”
“Short trip! You’ll see me again in a couple weeks!” I called over my shoulder, paying little attention to her warning. I knew rainy season was creeping closer and closer, but a chartered cruise operation wouldn’t take on passengers unless it was completely safe. Two weeks free of responsibility. No emails. No cell phones. Nothing, except me and nature.
I followed my nose toward the market, trying to not get distracted by the crazy beauty that surrounded me. The soft golds of the morning had already given way to the most beautiful robin’s egg sky, sunny, with not even a hint of foreboding, rainy-season clouds. Tiny purple flowers dotted the deep green foliage surrounding the clearing. Kids ran through without a care, dogs of all sizes nipping at their heels as they laughed.
The market was bustling already, filled with vendors selling anything from produce I’d never seen before to small, handcrafted, wooden statues at tiny stalls, and even more people trying to haggle with them. The more I watched, the more it all seemed to be a game. Everyone knew their bottom price going into the interaction—did that make it a game or the entire haggle a lie?
At the end of the stalls, I could just make out the river, where a few covered boats bobbed. The electric yellows and oranges were a welcoming contrast to the dark river they sat upon. I breathed a sigh of relief. I made it. My stomach chose that moment to grumble angrily, reminding me I’d yet to eat today.
I looked around at the stalls, trying to find something quick and easy. The sheer number of options overwhelmed me, the smells of fresh fruit conflicting with the thick scents of something cooking over a fire. I looked in every direction, unsure of where to even start.
“Hungry?”
An older woman greeted me, her bright pink dress a shock of color, even amongst the shades of the market. I smiled. “How’d you know?”
“Call it a good guess.” She smiled back at me, inviting me over. “Lots of fresh produce this morning.”
Her booth housed every kind of fruit imaginable. “Anything I can eat easily on the go?”
“Ah, you young ones are always in a rush. Might be best to stay still for a while. A lot of life happens in a few moments.”
Her gentle warning didn’t bother me any more than the hostel clerk’s had. The old woman could’ve been my grandmother, looking out for me. “Maybe when I get back, I’ll have a chance to do just that. I’m on my way to a riverboat cruise.”
“In that case, I can cut this papaya open for you.” I nodded, and she proceeded to use a sharp knife to slice it open. “I hope you aren’t going too close to the lost city. It’s not meant to be found. It’s been cursed for a long time.”
I took the prepared papaya she offered, my smile wavering only slightly. I’d read a bit about the lost city in my research, and while it sounded incredibly interesting, I wasn’t sure about the scientific probability of curses. “Not this time, I don’t think.”
“Lots of things aren’t meant to be found are found anyway. Such is the circle of life. Tell me, does a pretty girl like you have a boyfriend?”
I handed her some money, taking a bite out of the fruit. It really was sweet. “Not right now. It seems impossible to think about being stuck with one person forever.”
Her smile widened, taking decades off her life, until we could’ve been the same age, girls sharing secrets at a slumber party. “There’s a lot worse things than being stuck with your soulmates forever. Besides, falling is the best part. I often wish I could relive those moments of falling in love with my husband.”
I wasn’t sure how to even respond to that, so I thanked her and turned back toward the dock, thoughtfully munching on my breakfast. Soulmates, she had said, as in more than one. What a funny thing to say. Never say never, I guessed.
I did my best to shake off the weird vibes the old woman gave me. She was just being nice, and I was being odd about it. Besides, today was going to be a good day. I knew it. I had a feeling nothing could stop.
Today, I was going to have an adventure. A real one.
Today, I was going treasure hunting.
Besides, she was right.
There were a lot worse things than being stuck with your soulmates forever.