Eleanor, a simple and moral girl celebrating her 13th birthday on a fancy yacht her parents rented, is faced with challenges that seems impossible to overcome. In this precarious journey she learns dark secrets about her leader, takes a treacherous...
I glance at the black dress laid out on my bed. There are patterned laces that hang off my shoulders so that it acts as sleeves. The dress is waist tight and there is an expensive looking pair of diamond earrings and a necklace whose silver pendant is shaped like a rose. Completely ignoring it, I change into my favorite outfit of this year. A simple white tank top covered by a short-sleeved black cover-up and jeans. My hair is loose the way it was earlier today and I have an extra hair tye on my right wrist. I am wearing a pair of plain white socks and gray converse. My older sister always says that I dress to simple, but I think that is what I like about this outfit - its simplicity. It is not made to impress anyone with bedazzling jewels or fancy designs, it is made solely to keep its wearer warm. I move a few strands of my hair away from my face to apply chapstick. I glance back once more at my deserted dress and decide that the necklace wasn't too bad, I would wear it. Once I become satisfied with my outfit, I begin to walk towards the main living room where my celebration will be held.
The halls are all painted maroon red and a couple walls are enhanced with the addition of paintings. My parents rented this yacht specifically for my birthday. They always say that becoming a teenager is an important milestone in someone's life, but I don't see the big deal. Tomorrow I am still going to be the same person, with the same friends, the same family. It's not like I am going to wake up one day and start acting all snobby and wanting expensive items.
I don't even know why I allowed my parents to go through with this rental, honestly it is so unnecessary. I sigh and continue walking until I reach the door that opens up to the main living room.
The dark oak door is polished and has a painted gold door knob. I twist the knob clockwise and put on a large, show-stunning smile for my family and their phones. Once the blinding flashes are over I walk towards where a two-tier 12 inches in diameter cake stands. Carefully, I pick up a large knife that used to sit on the red table cloth and plunge it in the cake. I smile as I see chocolate cake with white frosting - my favorite.
Everyone claps but behind my guests and through the window I see something that concerns me. A large selection of dark clouds roam above the ship. There's going to be a storm... and a pretty strong one. Through my inner panic I manage to keep a brave face and walk towards where my mother is.
"Mom I think there's going to be a storm soon," I say worriedly. My mother is wearing a black and white floral dress accompanied by two small diamond earrings, a small necklace, and loads of makeup. She isn't usually very fancy but I suppose today is a special occasion.
"Don't worry, honey. The captain is already taking us on a detour so that we can escape the storm and hopefully dock somewhere nearby." She says, soothingly. Her words relieve me a bit, but I am still worried. "Eleanor, why didn't you wear the dress I laid out for you today?" Her voice suddenly stern.
"Um... I tried to wear it but the dress was too tight and wouldn't fit." I say, trying to come up with the first excuse I can. She sighs, probably knowing that I am lying, before saying bye and leaving to greet some guests. I decide to go to my friends as fast as I can. My shoes are silent against the rugged floor. My relatives continuously pull me aside to take pictures, but eventually, I manage to reach Marie and Chelz.
I grin, seeing the two already indulging themselves in a slice of cake.
"Hey, guys!" I say. Mri and Chelz both are wearing dresses but they are less formal than what everyone else is wearing. They are both wearing leggings. Mri has a light blue dress with frills and Chelz is wearing a fancy white blouse with a cardigan. They look up at me and smile.
"Hey, Ellie!" Chelz says excitedly. "Ready to dance?" Her eyes suddenly mischievous.
"Nuh-uh!" Mri says between mouthfuls before I can answer. "She has to eat some of her cake and then we can dance. Seriously though, this stuff so good!" She says, motioning to her half devoured cake.
"Thanks! My mom actually got it from a small bakery near our house, Sprinkz'n Cakez." I say, but I am pretty sure they already know the place since the bakery is decently popular in our city. "As for the dancing, I think I'm just going to get some cake then go back to my room." Mri and Chelz's lips droop to a frown. Just as Chelz is about to say something to convince me otherwise, Mri interrupts her.
"Fine. Then I guess we will all come to your room. It'll be just us. No one else. Ok?" Chelz obviously likes the idea by her excited expression.
"Ok. Fine." I grumble halfheartedly, though happy that I won't be alone on the night of my birthday.
I lie down on my king sized mattress and listen to Chelz's ghost story. The other two girls are lying down next to me on my right so that Chelz is in the middle and Mri is on the right edge. Chelz's commanding and confidant voice enhances the strength of the ghost story, creeping Mri a little bit - actually more than a little. She is facing away from the two of us and from what I can see she is holding the soft brown blanket up to her chin. I smile in amusement at her squeamishness.
"Sally thought she could outrun the fate of her family, but she was wrong. Whether she realized it or not, they were her blood, and that was something she could not neglect." Chelz says, finishing the story.
I allow silence to fill the room before saying, "I'm really tired so I think I am going to go sleep now." Chelz yawns, agreeing, saying that she is also tired. I get nothing from Mri other than a small nod - she must still be scared, I am feeling kind of bad now. I shake this feeling away knowing she will be fine.
I whisper, "Goodnight," before resting my head on my light blue pillow. Before I drift, I think about the storm I prophesied earlier. I turn my attention to the windows in the room and notice that it's raining. I roll to my other side and try to get some sleep. I try to empty my mind to give it a chance to claim peace, but no matter what I do I can feel something nagging at my stomach. Something bad is going to happen, and it's going to happen tonight.
I know that I said this next chapter would get the plot moving and I tried to, but I really wanted to stress the importance of her friendship with her friends and her family relationships.
I promise that in the next chapter things really will start to happen.
Also, in case anyone was wondering, here is a picture of what Ellie's necklace looks like. (I think that it is made of silver but the lighting makes it look more gold. In this story, though, I am going to refer to her necklace as made out of silver)
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