Paradise Scaled

By R.B. Ashton

Six friends. A luxury resort with a deadly secret. Who will survive the Marinsol?

 

Ashley doesn't come from money, but she has friends who do. Lorna has invited them all to the mysterious, remote, Marinsol Resort. At first glance it seems like a once-in-a-lifetime dream.

 

Then the friends wake to a terrible surprise.

 

Guests at the Marinsol enjoy different kinds of luxuries. The greatest excesses are reserved for the wealthiest. The biggest risks await the poorer guests. Ashley sits in the second camp, and finds the resort – and Lorna – growing all the more grotesque the longer she spends there.

 

Growing in a literal sense. She and her friends are shrinking, and soon discover the Marinsol has a wicked set of rules.

 

How long will they last in this hostile hotel?

 

Dive into the latest size-warping adventure from R.B. Ashton, where heaven and hell lie side-by-side and friends can quickly turn to enemies. Start reading today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Neringa Press
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215685808

Book preview

Paradise

SCALED

R.B. Ashton

MMXXII

1

Seeing Marinsol Resort finally lifted Ashley’s spirits, even late at night with the hotel basking in shadow. It’d been a long day of travelling, spent with her least favourite friend while the others took a different flight. Ashley and Lorna couldn’t be much more different, it was literally black and white: pale Lorna had maintained her flawless appearance despite the journey, at once both slender and curvy in her velour travelling pants and loose pink top. Ashley, the only black girl in their friendship group, had an athletic, muscular build and her short shorts, slack vest and white sneakers were actual casual wear, in contrast to Lorna’s rich impression of it. They spoke awkwardly together, with Lorna continually trying to impress Ashley with the details of this incredible resort (five swimming pools, four restaurants, the spa!) and Ashely making dry comments that Lorna always took too seriously.

They’d barely spoken for the final shuttle journey between the airport and the hotel. But now they were here and they fell into comments of mutual awe. Marinsol was palatial, a horse-shoe of vast, pillared buildings with iron balconies and grand towers at each corner, surrounded by palm trees and fountains. Ashley said, I get why you rave about it now.

Partly, Lorna said. There’s so much more to it.

I bet.

They dragged their bags between base-lit trees to double doors tall enough to admit a giant. Going inside, they craned up, the square black pillars rising forty feet to a frescoed ceiling. Brass trimmings housed delicate mood lighting and chairs were spread through the entrance hall. At the centre was a marble island where a beaming concierge stood ready. She was a bronze-skinned beauty uniformed in a grey buttoned shirt with a brass name tag, black hair pulled back in a ponytail, and her smile showed off perfect white teeth.

Welcome to the Marinsol, she said, with a faint Spanish accent. You must be the Bell party, the first to arrive. Please, leave your bags by the door. My name is Luciana and I’m here to help with whatever you need.

Lorna straightened up importantly. Please tell me the restaurant’s still open, Luciana. We’re starved.

Closed half an hour ago I’m afraid, the concierge replied, smiling as though it was good news. She spoke over Ashely’s groans. But we can have complimentary meals sent to your rooms. I have – she tapped her computer and gathered up some plastic keycards – two doubles and a twin. Which are you?

The twin, Lorna said, giving Ashley a false smile. Lorna obviously would rather share with Cassie, but then so would Ashley. Shame Cassie was coming with her bullhead boyfriend.

The pair fished out their passports as Luciana explained the times for breakfast and dinner. She finished, I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here but do not hesitate to let me know if anything doesn’t meet your standards.

Ashley laughed at the opulence that surrounded them, as if it could be any higher standard. She said, "This place is sick."

Lorna looked amused, as if she stayed at places like this all the time. Wait till you see our room.

I’m expecting gold toilet seats, Ashley said.

And to double-check, I have two from your party signed on to the Big Package, Luciana said, checking her computer. Has anyone else chosen to upgrade?

Nah, Ashley answered, some of her enthusiasm fading at the recurrence of this topic. It had been funny at first, when Lorna said guests here subscribed to either the basic Small Package or paid an additional fee for the Big Package. Like, the innuendo was so ridiculous it had to be deliberate, and it made no sense in a resort this fancy. But the humour wore off when Lorna explained the price difference. And then she kept asking about it. The last time she’d asked, Ashley had shouted at her. She clenched her teeth as she told Luciana, The basic package looks like more than enough from where I’m standing.

Luciana offered a strangely sympathetic smile, then dropped the subject to take them to their room. She led them to a pair of elevators set in a marble sconce. As they waited, Ashley asked about the gym, but laughter interrupted her from across the hall.

A woman came out from behind one of the pillars, wearing a tight evening dress cut just above the thigh, which made it hard for her to run. And she was running – eyes on the floor as she apparently chased something. Ashley saw a brief blur of movement. Surely not a rat? The woman kicked off her heels and jumped after it, enjoying the chase. She dropped down behind a sofa crying out in French. She stood again, grinning at her hands, now cupped together. She shook them and goaded whatever she had caught, the meaning clear even in another language: whatever she had trapped was hers, now.

The woman paused as she realised she had an audience. She regarded the girls for a hesitant moment, then smiled and called out in English, It’s okay, I got him. Now we are going to have some real fun.

Him? Ashley looked to Luciana.

The concierge smiled professionally and, ignoring Ashley, called back, Well done Miss Graux. Do have a pleasant evening!

Yes! the French woman cheered, thrusting her hands in the air. She brought them back to her face and whispered at the thing trapped between her fingers. As she turned to carry it away, Ashely saw the woman’s expression shift, from triumph to something cruel. What the hell was going on there?

The lift pinged and Luciana said, Ah, here we are! to usher them away from whatever had just happened. Then there was no room for questioning it: they were in a shining lift and rising fast. Luciana took them down a corridor with ceilings twice the height they needed to be, with lush red carpet and oak-panelled walls. She indicated the two doors before theirs as their friends’ rooms, then opened a suite for them. Ashley cooed at the interior: a room as big as her apartment.

Luciana stayed only long enough to watch them take in the matching queen beds before wishing them well and leaving. Ashley rushed through the room. There was a balcony, a space-age coffee machine, a walk-in power shower – it was gorgeous. She laughed at the opulence, pointing out the massive TV, the brass reading lights – then paused and frowned at what was under the TV.

Why’s there a creepy dollhouse? she asked.

You think that’s creepy? Lorna replied, walking over and crouching slightly. It was a metre square and fashioned in the style of the hotel itself, with little balconies and a tower of its own. Lorna poked her fingers into the upstairs window and peered inside. It’s very detailed, isn’t it? A cute miniature.

Ashley frowned, wanting to ask why there was a miniature at all, but Lorna was regarding it fondly and the thing did look classy. What did she know, maybe it was just the current fashion for fancy hotels? Some had modern art or vases that looked like they were decaying. This one had models of itself. But it was the second weird encounter since they’d arrived. Ashely said, And what was that about, down in the lobby?

What? Lorna said, standing again. With her hand resting on the model’s roof, she looked like a giant leaning on a house. That woman? A lizard maybe?

Is that normal in these resorts? Ashley asked. Fine-ass women catching bugs?

Lorna smirked cheekily. "All the women in a place like this are fine. We are going to have a lot of fun. Her gaze went thoughtfully back down to the dollhouse as Ashley noted she’d evaded the question. Then, Lorna was easily distracted by the thought of beautiful women: she even tried to flirt with Ashley on occasion, despite how incompatible they were. Another thought grabbed her, though, and Lorna said, quietly, It’s not too late to upgrade your package. I can lend you