The Boys of Opal Cove

Bon Voyage

Chapter 2-

Steam billowed through the air and the sound of a horn burst through the ocean's crash of serenity. A massive cruise boat bobbed at the end of a long pier, invitingly and expectantly waiting for passengers to climb aboard and experience its wonders. Ticket clutched tightly in hand Pearl waited along with a few hundred other passengers inside the boat terminal. It was sweltering hot and she could smell the pungent odour emanating from the "robust" man beside her.

"Holly seriously I feel faint here!" Pearl gasped, fanning herself with her ticket and sighing dramatically. If only Elijah were here, then she could pretend to die and be "brought back to life". His touch would certainly do just that.

Holly looked up from her magazine sceptically, she looked unruffled, unsweaty and unfairly pretty in a yellow sundress and hat. Holly was just that type of girl, forever perfect with her straight brown hair, long limbs and white teeth. She was the sort of person who made girls mad with jealously without even lifting a finger and could have any boy she wanted. Despite this Holly constantly rejected the handsome, the rich and the brave; she insisted in dating the "right" person. Some people could just afford to be that high and mighty.

Pearl was used to ignoring the sort of attention Holly received; she didn't mind being overlooked occasionally, she was used to it actually. Just as long as Holly promised to stay away from Elijah Merit, she could have every other male in the entire universe for all Pearl cared.

It wasn't that Pearl wasn't pretty, it was just that she didn't command the sort of attention that Holly did with her cold indifference that seemed to have boys grovelling at her door. Pearl was the "cool" girl, the chick that you'd take out for a surf, play video games with and invite out to poker nights. Boys just didn't think of her that way. The boys on Cyrus Island anyway. This was her chance to escape her label, the social stigma she'd unintentionally built around herself. Elijah might know her from mutual surfing competitions or through friends of friends but she hoped her title of "best mate" and "one of the boys" hadn't reached his gorgeous ears.

Another horn blew and the staff keeping order in the terminal called for ticket holders to form orderly lines so they could scan all the passes.

Her legs groaned in indignation as she stood up and slung her bag onto her back, inside were a couple of bananas, crisps, bottles of water and sea sickness tablets. Pearl wasn't bothered by the playful roil and toil of the sea, tossing the boat back and forth, but she knew Holly hurled like a drunken sailor when she travelled.  The line was already dying away as cheerful holiday goers were admitted to the docks, Pearl and Holly presented their tickets when they reached the front of the line. They were allowed access with a jolly "Enjoy your cruise!" to which Holly just smiled mournfully before turning away and staring apprehensively up at the boat.

"Well, I think it's safe to say this is going to be an interesting summer, aren't you just so excited to go on this boat Holly! I know you love travelling" Pearl said innocently, as she marched purposely up the gang plank after the other passengers. "We can go to the buffet on the ship. They have delicious oysters and stew. I wonder how they'll look once you've digested them and they make a reappearance, cool"

"Ah shut it Pearl, if you don't, the next time I feel sick, I'll consider you the perfect sick bag"

Pearl shut up.

***

She could just make out the island; they were about 20 minutes away now. Unfortunately, the day took a turn for the worse and the ocean had responded by becoming chopping and threatening as it lifted the boat and slammed it back down relentlessly. The sky was a sleek, non-ending mass of grey that released light droplets of moisture. A build-up before the storm seemed to be occurring, lulling them into a false sense of security before dousing them in the floods of their cold fury. All around her people were laying on the ground or in chairs groaning, sounds of vomit hitting paper was a common sound, she'd almost learnt how to drown it out. They were inside the small interior section of the cruise ship, most people were, unless they were crazy enough to brave the almost storm outside. Though she could block out the sound of people being sick all around her, the smell was much harder to evade, especially when Holly finally let the contents of her stomach free as well. Pearl patted her on the back gingerly, offering her a sip of water and a tablet while trying to avoid the bag that Holly still held in her hand.

"Um, let me take that to the bin for you Holly, I'll go grab you a new bag if you want" Suddenly she wasn't finding the idea of Holly being seasick very funny anymore. So far her fantastic summer wasn't off to a great start. Now where were the bins? Pearl asked a staff member who looked rather disgruntled; it looked like he'd been landed with clean up duty. The crewman was just older than she was; maybe he took a summer job as well? He was tall and good-looking...

"No bins around here, the closest one is outside. You'll have to brave the storm, Princess" The teenager snapped sarcastically. Never had she seen someone so ugly.

"Well what sort of stupid idiot buys a multimillion dollar boat and is too much of a cheapskate to provide proper bins? I'll tell you who, people who employ rude idiots like you. Enjoy cleaning up vomit, you useless prat." Pearl snapped back. She'd always had a bit of a temper on her, add a rude guy to having to carry a bag of puke around and she was not going to be full of sunshine and daisies. The boy looked shocked, she turned away whipping her hair around for dramatic effect. She would stick it to this guy, even if it killed her. Pearl slid open the heavy door to outside and stepped into the storm, okay so the wind had gotten a LOT stronger and now it was raining super heavily. Maybe this wasn't the best idea, but she couldn't go back now looking like a drowned puppy dog with her tail between her legs. Stumbling about, rain blinded her and wind assaulted her as she attempted to find a bin. Come on how hard could it be? I just need one bin, just one! She thought to herself. Shivering and chilled to the bone she walked straight into one, cracking her knee cap into what felt like two freaking pieces.

Growling with pain, she dropped the sick bag into the bin and went to find her way back inside, unfortunately she couldn't see a single thing. So this must be what it's like to forget to wear your glasses, she thought randomly in her panicked state. How was she ever going to find her way back inside? Seconds or minutes passed, she lost track of time. Bang, bang, pain shot up her calves as she ran into unseen obstacles, but she kept going, the entrance had to be somewhere.

There, she saw it. Light glowed like a streak of silver through grey; it called to her through the darkness. Running, tripping and nearly falling she fell onto the door and ripped it open in relief. She was safe. 

That's when she heard someone calling out through the din of the relentless downpour. She could just make out the words through the cacophony of sound that surrounded them like a bubble.

"Help, I think I've broken my arm"

It was the rude crew member; he was calling for her help. Pearl's first instinct was to say "Stuff you ass" but then she realised something. The boy, no matter his other faults, had probably followed her outside to protect her from the storm. She couldn't leave him; she turned away from her salvation and into the danger of the rain. Hopefully she'd make it back.