Happy Friday, dear reader!
It’s time for another chapter of Lava Cat Cruise Ship! If you missed Chapter 1 you can find it here. Paid subscribers, you downloadable ebook is still in the works! Hoping to get it to you soon. In the mean time please enjoy Chapter 2!
CHAPTER TWO
The Silver Queen was a luxury Alaskan cruise liner. Three thousand passengers, eight hundred crew, and one teenage prisoner trapped under the ever watchful eye of the fun vampire himself, the good Captain Miller.
Eidon had never understood how the good Captain managed to fool the cruiseline into giving him a job. After all, wasn't it the point of a cruise to have fun? He was surprised the old man didn't drive the Silver Queen into a berg whenever he saw someone smile. Or maybe it was just Eidon the Captain didn't like to see happy. That's why Eidon was here, wasn't it? The Captain's clever punishment for one night of teenage debauchery.
It was just a party. One lousy party. Yes, the living room window of his mother's house ended up broken, and sure, the pool water turned purple somehow, and ok, yes, the neighbour's cockapoo ended up with the word "Fresh" shaved into it's side. But it was the beginning of summer. Eidon had finished the school year with A's in math and English, his job at the library had finally come to an end - he'd earned a night of fun, hadn't he?
The good Captain disagreed.
After Eidon's mother called the crabby mariner in a hysterical fit, his sentence was handed down - two months imprisonment onboard the Silver Queen. He barely had time to object before Captain Miller showed up at the house, packed Eidon's bags, and dragged him off to sea. What was worse, Eidon's mother agreed to it. Eidon couldn't remember the last time his mother and the old Captain agreed on anything. But there they were, a united front for the first time since before all the fighting and the divorce.
Eidon sat backwards on the couch of the Captain's quarters, staring out the picture windows at the endless waves of the pacific ocean. No land in sight. Only water, as far as the eye could see. Just another reminder that there was no escape. He pushed the button on the remote in his hand, and down came the blinds to block out the hopeless landscape. No improvement. With the windows closed, Captain Miller's apartment was even more claustrophobic. He pushed the button again and the blinds slowly rolled upwards, the desert of ocean rolling out across to the horizon. Eidon sighed, and pushed the button again.
A hand closed over the remote and pulled it from Eidon's grip. He turned to see Captain Miller, standing in his uniform, scowling. "You'll break it if you keep doing that."
Eidon rolled his eyes. "You're right, I might sink the ship."
"What did I tell you about your attitude, Eidon?"
"Permission to beg forgiveness, Captain, sir!" He stood up and saluted.
"Keep pushing me, buddy," said Captain Miller. "Watch what happens."
"What are you gonna do? Have me swab the deck?"
The Captain's eyes narrowed and Eidon glared back. It was only their fifth day together, and already Eidon and the good captain were ready to kill each other.
"The morgue could use a good scrubbing," said Captain Miller. "One more smart comment out of you and I'll have you take your toothbrush to it." The Captain adjusted his collar and left Eidon to check his coat in the mirror by the door.
Eidon didn't want to ask - that's what the Captain wanted - but his curiosity got the better of him. "What morgue?"
He caught a glimpse of the Captain's smirk reflected in the mirror. Damn.
"Lot of old passengers onboard, Eidon."
Eidon let that sink in a moment. As if he needed another reason to want to jump overboard - room of dead bodies sat comfortably at the top of his list.
"I have to go put in an appearance for dinner," the Captain said. "I shouldn't be more than an hour."
He would be. If there was one thing Eidon had come to learn about time on the Silver Queen was that it wasn't the same as time on land. When the Captain said an hour, he meant two. Every night he left to mingle with the passengers for what he said would be an hour, and every night he came back two hours later.
"You're not to leave this room while I'm gone."
Eidon rolled his eyes and dropped onto the couch, grabbing the remote.
"Eidon, you hear me?"
Eidon saluted. "Sir, yes, Captain, sir!"
Captain Miller pulled open the door. "That's 'dad' to you."
It closed behind him with a click and Eidon was on his own at last. He pushed the button on the remote in his hand, the waves coming into view again. The sun was bright orange, low in the sky, ready to kiss the waves goodnight. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, sending it to the one person he knew would want to see - and waited.
After five minutes of no response, he felt his skin begin to itch. Maybe he shouldn't have sent it. Maybe it was lame. Or maybe taking a pic of the sunset made his feelings obvious. Of course it did. Great. Now she'd think he was pathetic. Why did he send it? They'd only just started texting each other, what if the sunset pic scared her off? Why didn't he wait until she messaged him first? What was he think-
A ding.
Eidon glanced down at his phone and there it was - a message from Hailey Dennison.
Wow! Talk about a brutal punishment ;)
She was teasing him, but she was right. It was a brutal punishment to be stuck in this little apartment with his father for the next two months. To be stuck here, away from home, when Hailey had only just acknowledged his existence.
She was the reason he threw the party, if he were honest with himself. He did it to impress her. And she was impressed. Before the party, Hailey Dennison didn't even know his name. At the party, she not only realized he was alive, but spent the whole night with Eidon, away from everyone, laying on the trampoline and talking about what univeristies they wanted to go to, what countries they wanted to visit. It was the best night of Eidon's life. And no punishment his dad could think up would ever make him regret it.
What's new on the high seas?
Nada, he typed. Although, apparently there's a morgue on the ship.
Liar.
Nope.
I don't believe you.
He grinned. I swear!
Prove it.
How?
Send a pic.
Eidon stared at the message for a minute. He wasn't supposed to leave the apartment. But then, he did have two hours with nothing to do before the good captain got back. Then again, almost anything he could think of would be better than looking for a room of old dead guys. The idea of it gave him the creeps.
But Hailey would be impressed.
Eidon glanced at the door. You're not to leave this room, his dad had told him.
His phone dinged. Another message from Hailey. Chicken?
Eidon fired off a message to Hailey - You wish.
The Captain could bite him.
More Lava Cat Cruise Ship coming your way next Friday! ME-OW!
Happy Weekend!