CHAPTER 02

“Do you have a problem with me?”

The man asked me as the three girls beside him sneaked smirks and grinned at me. “Well, yes. You, people, are completely disturbing my relaxing time,” I said, although I hadn’t come for any relaxation it doesn’t need to be mentioned.

“Oh yeah? What was that about me being a player then?” he inquired, taking a seat beside me and I internally groaned. He had gray eyes that, unfortunately, went really well with his ash-blond hair. He was shirtless -it was a great view actually, but it was a shame that his personality did not impress me and dulled him physically to me.

“Well,” I pointedly looked at the three girls latching onto him, “you really want the answer to that?”

“Girl’s been deprived of some action unlike us,” gloated another girl, lightly tracing her pointy finger on his neck. I could feel the heat creep up onto my neck, and it didn’t go unnoticed by them.

“Aww, dear. We better fix that. You don’t look bad,” the man said with a wink while inspecting me from head to toe, “I can unhook some of those layers and show you a good time.” His suggestion sent disgusting shivers up my spine as he proved his point by lightly grazing his hands behind the girls who giggled at his antics.

“I know your type. You guys are bras indeed. Hooking up behind your partner’s back. And that kind of man is the type I hate the most," I growled, recalling memories of my own cheating ex.

Jamie, who was behind the counter, sniggered in response. I downed my glass and left the deck leaving the wide-eyed man and jaw-dropped bimbos, sparing an apologetic smile towards Jamie. I would’ve had a good time just talking with Jamie, as I had like the previous days, but my mood was ruined, and I just wanted to read a book to calm my racing thoughts.

Why were guys never loyal? Why did I always attract these kinds of people? Was I cursed? These thoughts plagued me as I walked away. All my previous boyfriends had cheated on me, the second one breaking my heart the worst as we had spent four years together.

So, it’s no surprise that I’m cautious around any man, not letting my guard down. And that man at the bar counter was definitely a red flag.

I opened the door to my cabin and found Larisa sprawled on the bed, sleeping soundly, dead to the world. I dropped myself on top of her, and she woke with a cry. “What just happened? Are we sinking?” she shouted frantically, grabbing her phone and sitting up straight.

“Jeez, so you grab your phone if the ship were to sink?” I laughed, my dark mood already lessening thanks to my best friend’s outburst. “Well, duh,” she retorted and laid back on the bed, “I’m going back to sleep.” She closed her eyes, but they abruptly opened as she sat up again, “Wait, what happened to snatching up a man?”

“Ugh. I got disgusted by the first person I saw. I rather chat up with Jamie as I test out his new drinks or something,” I said while I plopped down onto my bed.

“I’m a thousand percent sure Jamie has a crush on you.”

“Huh?” I wondered out loud and caught her eyes, “What are you on about?”

“Come on, I could see it miles away! Making special drinks just for you? Did you see the way his muscles bulge when he mixes his drinks? Oh, I wouldn’t mind having a taste of his drink, if you know what I me-"

“Larisa! You cannot say vulgar things like that!” I screeched and hit her with a pillow as she cackled, “Ah, best vacation ever!”

° ° °

As it was the last night of the cruise, the decks leading to the dining hall were crowded. It was a one-way trip and we will reach the mainland tomorrow evening. The Captain had announced that they had prepared the most ‘grandi-licious’ feast ever to end the cruise with flying colors. Couples swayed to the music, whether it was freestyle or ballroom dancing, everyone was enjoying themselves in the enormous dining hall.

The hall was so big, it could easily fit my entire house. A line of exquisite diamond chandeliers hung from the center of the ceiling, casting a golden glow, while red curtains shielded the view of the ocean outside.

We had drawn the curtains of the porthole beside our table, and as I looked outside, I could see nothing but mist and clouds. Another dish of sparkling and juicy crabs was placed among the empty plates of seafood on our table. I groaned and sank into my seat, patting my bloated stomach. We had already had four servings of almost everything we had ordered.

“I want to eat more, but my stomach can't handle it anymore,” I groaned, feeling like I had eaten until my throat. Larisa, on the other hand, was happily munching on a lobster. “Mm, delicious! You know what? I'm going to have a lobster farm so I can eat them every day!” she declared, letting out sighs of ecstasy. Knowing Larisa, she just might do that.

“Four o'clock, don't be obvious, but someone’s got their eyes on you,” I heard Larisa say. I turned around in confusion, meeting the gaze of Jamie, the bartender. His eyes widened when I caught him looking, and I quickly flashed a smile his way, which he returned.

“I just told you not to be obvious!” Larisa exclaimed.

I shrugged, “I'm surprised you even noticed him, given that all your attention is on your food.”

I swear, she had never paid this much attention to men before. But as our code goes, ‘Food before men’; one of the biggest reasons we came onto this cruise is to eat food from different cultures and palates. And man, I wasn’t disappointed.

I waited for my stomach to digest my food so I could eat more while watching the entertainers and guests. “I say,” began Larisa with her mouth full, “don’t you think we are nearing the borders of the Efate Island?”

“Efate Island? You mean the island that is currently at war with the Malden Island?”

“Yeah, do you think our ship will pass those islands on the way?”

“No, I don’t think so. We are cruising away from the war zone. The crew explained it to us the first day, don’t you remember? There is no need to worry,” I assured as I take a small of water.

“I hope so. I don’t want to be entangled in their wars. I heard it was brutal, did you see the news?” she shuddered, “dead bodies, bombs, guns… I cannot imagine having to witness all those in real life!”

“Can you pass me that piece of steak, please?” I asked when I felt like I could fit in some food and then got back to the conversation at hand, “Did you see how all those buildings were wiped out with just one bomb?”

The Efate Island wanted to unify both islands under one rule; but Malden Islands refused, wanting to be independent instead. As a result, the Efate Island, the much more powerful and developed island, declared war on the Malden Islands.

The war between the Malden Islands and the Efate Islands has been ongoing for about one month now, with Efate continuing to attack fiercely. Despite the Efate Islands being more powerful, the Malden Islands were still putting up a strong fight and not backing down. Unfortunately, the violence and destruction are persisting for so long.

“I heard this morning that the Malden Island was also getting ready to reciprocate and attack Efate,” I mentioned and Larisa cocked an eyebrow, “You still listen to the news? Even today morning?”

“Well, one needs to know what happens around the world…” I cheekily told her, prodding at her indifference to know more about the world to which she just dismissively rolled her eyes, eating a peeled claw of her hundredth crab.

We gradually shifted our conversation away from the grim topic and began discussing our plans after returning home.

“I got a few months more before going back to play,” Larisa explained. She was a world-class professional ice hockey player after all, and I was proud to call her my best friend. “What about you?” she asked me.

“I’m opening my own gallery next month, for the very first time!” I exclaimed, confetti popping out of my eyes.

“Yes, you told me, a billion times,” Larisa laughed and took my hand, her eyes filled with pride. "I'm so proud of you, Candace. Your paintings deserve recognition."

“You’ve told me that a billion times too, but thank you,” I said gratefully, suddenly getting emotional. All my artwork was back home in Canada, eagerly awaiting my return so that I could finally display them to the world next month.

“Hey, we should post a picture, come on! Let’s make someone a little jealous! Should we ask Jamie to come to pose with us?” she teased, her hand reaching out to my phone.

“Cut it out!” I hushed her, quickly sparing a cautious glance at the bartender, who was fortunately not looking our way. Larisa giggled before leaning towards me, my phone raised between us as she took a goofy selfie of us. “There, I posted it! We look so stunning!” she cheered as she continued to take photos of us, the food and the ship as if it was her phone.

“Should we head back? Or do we have enough space for dessert?” I grinned at her and she matched my enthusiasm, “There is always space for dessert.”

Linking our arms with each other, we attempted to make our way to the dessert aisle, our eyes already eating them up from afar. But before we could even take a step further, we unexpectedly lost our footing and tumbled down onto the floor, with Larisa crashing on top of me. All air left me with that and I pushed her away with a groan, afraid that I lost a lung with that blow and we both lay there, only realizing how eerily tense the hall had become.

I slowly followed everyone’s eyes to the dangling chandeliers that were swaying back and forth, sending shimmering diamond reflections dancing across the walls which resonated mysterious vibrations and creaking sounds echoing through the hall, while my heart started to beat against my chest in an escalating rhythm.

What was going on? Was it a false alarm?

The lights flickered and then completely went out, causing a low hubbub to fill the room.

At first, I thought we had fallen due to the ship's movement in the sea, but then I realized that the ship was tilting to one side more than it should. In the darkness, I shakily reached out for Larisa's quivering hand and held on tightly, both of us paralyzed by the fear of what might be happening, yet too afraid to voice our worst assumptions.

The next thing we heard was the loud sound of glass shattering making me jump, accompanied by a chorus of screams that reverberated throughout the room. “Candace, I’m scared!” wept Larisa, holding onto my arm for dear life as my heart raced as I frantically searched for any signs of a light source, taking quick, shallow breaths.

And that was when the lights flickered on.

As if on cue, blood-curdling and cries of panic and fear filled the air like a piercing bolt of lightning that tore through the night sky, shattering the silence with its raw intensity as I beheld the sight before us. My scream caught in my throat as Larisa cried in utter terror

The biggest chandelier in the dining room had come crashing down onto a guest table, the white tablecloth spattered with blood while its guests laid motionless on the floor, pieces of glass lodged in their bodies.

But my horror turned to panic when a loud horn sounded, seven short bursts followed by one long.

My heart stopped.

It was the signal to abandon the ship.