Secrets at Sea

Chapter 4

I put the key card into the slot and open the door as the green light flashes. The room is a light baby blue and is filled with the bright afternoon sun. The ground is the same maple wood flooring that was in the hallways, but it nicely contrasts the light and airy feeling of the rest of the room. There are two queen beds situated side-by-side on one wall, and a huge, silver boarder mirror hangs on the opposite wall. The glass doors leading out onto the balcony are accented by the white lacy curtains on either side.

"Okay, I'm in love." I whisper. The pictures on the website doesn't do the room justice. For the cheap prices we are paying, I was expecting some dingy little double twin bed room with a porthole for a window. Mason puts my suitcase next to the other bags that are lining the wall showcasing the ginormous mirror.

"So you're a fan of the room?" Brooks elbows me and I close my mouth. I turn to him and shake my head yes. My first instinct is to lay down on the nearest bed and just enjoy the room, but I'm interrupted by Chloe who is now clinging to my arm.

"We haven't explored the main deck and it's killing me!" Chloe exclaims as she drags me out of the beautiful room and back down the hall towards the elevators.

By the time the elevator arrives on our floor the boys have sauntered over to Chloe and me. The doors open up to an already crowded box; however, Chloe is not the type of person to wait. She shoves her way into the elevator and miraculously makes enough room for the three of us to squeeze in there with her. We are all standing shoulder to shoulder listening to the slow jazz coming from the speakers on the ceiling. I look behind me at Mason, the tallest person by far in the elevator, is comically smushed between two tiny Asian ladies. The two ladies are looking at each other concerned that one wrong move from Mason will send them both toppling to the floor.

The elevator dings and the doors open as we pour out of the tiny space. I take in a breath of fresh, salty air as I survey the main deck. It looks more like an amusement park then the classic cruise ship that I had had in mind; there are roller coasters crossing over one another and in the distance I can see a giant tower with colorful water slides branching off in every which way.

"This ship just keeps surprising me." I say to no one in particular. 

"In what way Sea?" Brooks asks already following Chloe as she leads the expedition across the main deck.

"Hmmmm...well this ship is so much nicer than I had anticipated." I wanted to add more, but I can see no one is really listening. We end up down one of the side corridors and away from the amusement park part of the main deck. We walk about a hundred yards when the right corridor wall ends, opening up to railing and the ocean below. The corridor fills with light and the cool, refreshing scent of the water as we walk further into the opening. I stop at the railing and lean over it, looking down the four story drop between me and the water.

"Come on Sea! We can look at the ocean for the next five days! Right now is s'ploring time!" Chloe grabs my arm again and pulls me away from the railing. A little bubble of tension rises up inside me and I'm starting to feel annoyed with Chloe's pushiness.

"You're so impatient!" I tease, but she smiles back at me as we continue down the corridor.

"I know! Isn't it great? I know what I want and I get it." She giggles and I roll my eyes. We catch up with the boys who don't seem to notice that we had stopped. More and more people begin to fill the corridor and it becomes a bit harder to walk together.

"When do we depart?" I ask and Mason immediately pulls out his phone.

"We should be leaving port in about half an hour," Mason states. "We should probably head to the entertainment center so the guide can give us the low down on all the safety info. Plus, she'll have a list of activities more...our age." He glances at two kids running towards us in swimsuits,  both tiny humans are sporting inner tubes around their waists.