This bikini looks perfect on me—it highlights my curves and it's black, a color that goes well with everything. Since I don't have sunglasses, I'll just pretend I have them and wear my flip flops before heading to the backyard for the fun.

I'm happy to have missed most of the prep—setting the barbecue, making sure the pool is clean and opening the umbrellas must've all been long and tedious tasks. However, Lindsey has one task for me. "Silla, love, since you have such good taste for music, can you help me pick a playlist?"

"Cool. Let me go through my favorites. I'm sure there's something you'll appreciate, as well." I check my fifty playlists on Spotify and start assembling one specifically for a pool party in a context of total and absolute freedom.

I manage to select approximately a hundred songs. That's a number high enough to cover the entirety of the party and, possibly, a little more. "Any objections?" I ask Lindsey, to which she answers no. "Fine. I'll plug the speakers; then... we can start!"

We go all in, between a creative dive contest, which Anton wins to no surprise from us, and a dance showdown making Kat's wildest side emerge. Meanwhile, the music pumps in the backyard as Lindsey and Brianna are busy gossiping.

I jump in. "What are both of you talking about?"

"Oh, we're just trying to predict if Anton will make his move with Kat," is Lindsey's candid reply.

"Why would he, though? She isn't into him at all!"

Lindsey insists. "Silla, trust me. There's something in the air between the two of them."

"Okay, if you say so... By the way, there's a feeling I can't shake about this house." It takes me two minutes to realize I've switched my focus to something a lot heavier and more mysterious, definitely not fitting for a party. However, I have to get this burden off my chest or I won't be able to be truly free.

"What is it?"

"Well, I think there's a suspicious presence in the house, but I can't make out what it is," I say, trying to keep myself vague not to scare Lindsey.

"Have you talked to anyone else about it yet?" she asks back.

"Just to Brianna. I think she shares my opinion. She thinks someone, or something, is watching us." I don't know if I should've told Lindsey what Brianna said in turn. Maybe her confession was meant to be secret all along.

Fortunately, Lindsey seems to have her own theory. "Maybe there are cameras in the mansion. I mean, for a matter of safety." She might have a point. After all, it's not a house like others; therefore, security has to be reinforced more strictly.

I don't reply straight away. I let Lindsey talk again. "I'm sure you're here to take a journey of personal growth, like me."

"Well..." My motives behind my participation in this project are far different from hers, but I don't think a pool party is the right context to talk about them, so I just go along with her reasoning. "I do think you're right a little bit. We search for freedom because we're unsure of what to do in our future."

"So, we're supposed to find our own path here. This is what you're saying, right?"

I nod. "Yeah, kind of. Let'rs rejoin the others, okay?" Lindsey dashes back to the pool, reaching the others. I'm about to join them, when a shiny item hanging on a tree captures my attention. I approach it, believing it has nothing to do with party decor, and pick it up. A key.

I wonder what it opens. For now, I have to find a safe place where to keep it—and an excuse for the others for the time being. Bingo! I have one. "Guys, I'm off to the toilet. I'll be back in ten!" It's the lamest excuse I can come up with, but it works fine. The rest of the gang is busy jamming to the music.

My original intention is to just hide the key in my room, stall a couple of minutes and then return inside. However, it turns out I do need to use the toilet. As a result, I spend five minutes doing my stuff in the bathroom before taking care of the mysterious item.

In my room, I open the drawer where still lies the prize from my scavenger hunt, inside a small brown duffle bag. Curiosity at this point kills me, so I open the bag. There's a tiny matte black casket that has a hole for a key to open it.

I take a close look at the key. I casually try to use it to open the casket, which does. So, it works, after all. The little box contains a golden necklace with rubies. For a minute, I wonder who it belongs to; however, I feel like wearing it to make an even better impression at the party.

Wanting to inspect the casket, I take a look underneath its filling. Oh, there's a small note inside. It reads, 'Enjoy the prize as much as you can—when the twenty days are over, you can't be too sure if you can keep it.' Now, this sounds suspicious. I'm supposed to fully enjoy my prize, it has to be mine forever. What's the catch?

That's not what matters now. I have a party to rejoin. So, I tidy up a little bit, wear the necklace, and return to the backyard where an impromptu "waterpolo" game among the others awaits me.

Everyone notices my new piece of jewelry, with Anton asking, "Are you sure it's a good idea to wear such an expensive item at a pool party?" His snicker is so out of place; yet it makes sense. I'll show off a little more before taking it back upstairs.

I jokingly reply, "Well, I'm royalty here. So, I can do what I want." Everyone laughs, then I sit on the grass. "Seriously, is it okay if I stay here and just watch for now? I'll join you later, I promise." Well, I don't know if I can keep it. I mean, the necklace is stunning and I'd like to wear it as long as I can. At the same time, though, I'm supposed to have fun with the others.

I watch the improvised waterpolo match, which ends in a surprising win for Brianna and Lindsey, then decide it's time to go back into action. So, I take the precious piece of jewelry off and store it back in my room, using a second bathroom break as an excuse. How my friends eat it up comes as a shock to me since I'm not very good at lying.

When I'm back, Anton is ready to launch another dive challenge. Whoever performs the best will win a special prize, or this is what he says. Given that he's the most competitive in the bunch, he'll do anything to dive in the flashiest way possible. I, on the other hand, mainly aim not to break my spine. I'll keep it simple but elegant.

I accept the challenge. "Bring it on!" The other girls quickly join us. No-one is going down without a fight.