The rooms on the other side, occupied by Arthur, Daniel, and Anne, were exact mirror images of the other rooms. They differed only in the arrangement of the furniture.
Everyone except Arthur was captivated by the lavish surroundings of the ship. The owner's son sometimes considered the ship his second home, but he didn't even count on his father ever leaving it to him in his will. Knowing Nathan Whopper, he would rather leave the yacht to the Coast Guard than to his freeloading son.
Julie set her bag on the bottom of the closet, where she found two orange life jackets. She decided it wasn't worth unpacking for just three days. She only took out her toiletries and placed them on the large bathtub in her bathroom. Then she settled comfortably on her bed and rested.
Brauni, on the other hand, had unpacked all her clothes in five minutes, hanging two pairs of pants and a jacket in the closet and arranging her underwear in the dresser. She also laid out her toiletries and arranged her toiletries in a clever way in the bathroom.
Chris, unconsciously, followed Julie's example and left his bag where it was. He did, however, explore every nook and cranny of the room and didn't hesitate to try on one of the life jackets. It fit perfectly.
When he was sure he wasn't being observed by any cameras, he began to jump up and down on the bed wildly.
Anna also unpacked, arranging her things in a similar manner to Brauni. Looking at the life jacket, she felt a strange sense of nausea. She knew it was necessary, but she didn't want it cluttering her closet. She took out both of them and slid them under the bed. She sat in front of the mirror and brushed her hair.
Daniel decided he'd unpack later. Lying on his bed, staring at the canopy above his head, he thought about his conversation with Anna before boarding. He convinced himself that what he'd said reflected his true feelings. However, when he looked at Julie, beaming and smiling, his thoughts began to whirl in his head, as if unable to find their proper place. Not long ago, he'd planned to reconnect with Anna, to make her forget the foolishness he'd committed. But he didn't have the courage to confess his feelings for her. He knew that doing so would hurt not only her but himself as well.
An
hour and a half later, as it approached ten in the evening, the ship shook with loud music, churning the waves toward Ocracoke Island. Fifty minutes ago, when they had reached Roanoke Island, Arthur had decided to steer the ship back towards another island, famous for its sparse population, who avoided it because the land was unsuitable for farming, being almost entirely solid rock.
Brauni and Arthur were dancing on the dance floor to the boy's favorite song, where the singer sang about how good it was to be God and have power over people. (Sunna – 'Power Struggle' – mentioned song, author's note)
Arthur was screaming his head off to keep up with the singer, and Brauni, laughing at him, sipped from her glass every now and then. The boy had long since stopped drinking a regular shot, so now he held a whole bottle of tequila in his hand, taking huge sips from time to time.
Julie watched them from the promenade deck, laughing at their strange contortions. Anna was snacking on some fancy dish with Daniel and Chris.
The girl didn't know whether to be happy that Daniel was finally happy or cry because he wasn't happy for her. She turned her back to the partygoers and stared at the foaming waves the ship was creating.
A few minutes later, when she'd tired of staring at the water or the barely visible lights of West Point two miles away, she felt a little tired. She'd spotted a few wooden loungers lined up against the wall.
She walked over to one and sat down, happily stretching her tired legs. She wanted a little rest. She hadn't yet felt like partying. She could hear her friends laughing loudly. She almost had a heart attack when a familiar voice spoke up beside her:
"Can I sit down?"
She opened her eyes and looked at Daniel. Although the voice sounded cheerful, his expression was serious. He held a blanket in his hand.
"I thought you'd be cold, so..." He handed her the blanket.
She thanked him as she wrapped it around herself. He sat down on a nearby deckchair and stared at the dark outline of land on the horizon, still visible against the dark sky.
"It's hard to believe you escaped Anna's grasp," she said sarcastically when he looked at her.
"I don't understand...
" "Never mind. Forget it." She snuggled into the warm fabric of the blanket. They were silent for a long moment, each wondering how to broach the subject.
"It's getting foggy." He began, pointing at the water.
"I know, a bit dangerous. But oh well." Chris mentioned this to Arthur, but only received a cursory reply.
"What kind?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"The same as usual. That he's been swimming since he was a child and hasn't encountered such fogs. That's Arthur." She concluded with a slight smile.
"Julie, what happened to us?" he asked suddenly, afraid they'd both fall silent again.
The girl looked at him with surprise in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and instead stared off into the distance.
"Nothing happened to me. I'm not the one looking for a change in life.
" "What change?" "He caught on, not quite understanding what she meant.
"You know, you and Anna." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "You look happy."
Daniel stood up and leaned back against the railing.
"Me and Anna? There's nothing between us. We're just very good friends. Nothing more."
Julie knew she was telling the truth. Whenever he waved his hands, he felt embarrassed, but he wasn't lying. She knew him better than she knew herself.
"From friendship to love." She gestured with her fingers to indicate the small distance, trying to get him to speak. It worked, but what she heard unnerved her.
"Are you crazy?" he asked, his voice rising. "I couldn't love her because I still love you."
Julie stood up as if electrocuted, throwing off the blanket.
"I won't listen to this. You rejected me and now you suddenly changed your mind? It's not fair. There will be nothing between us. You ended it yourself.
" "You won't forget me that easily." "He shouted confidently.
Suddenly, they heard Arthur's voice, telling them not to disturb the fish. He was the only one uninterested in their friends' argument. The others gathered around the door leading to the promenade deck and took advantage of the silence to eavesdrop.
"I'm going back to New York in four days. I'll leave West Point and you far behind," she said in a hushed voice, approaching him. Their eyes studied each other.
"Sooner or later, you'll be back!
" "In a month.
" "Aha!" he said triumphantly.
Pleased with his elevation, she added,
"And in a month, you can forget a lot of things, especially you."
The music ('Alive' – POD) Arthur had put on caused outrage among the eavesdroppers. They glared at him, but he was now busy emptying his bottle.
"Let's see if you can do it, smartass," Daniel roared, shouting over the loud music.
"Sooner than you think."
Julie turned and, despite the boy's shouts, opened the door to the living room. Suddenly, Chris fell at her feet, and Anna landed on top of him, supported by Brauni. She looked at them in disbelief.
"We should have climbed to the roof," she managed angrily, brushing past them.
Anna laughed nervously and, stuttering, made up a story.
"Uh..." Chris lost his contact lens.
They smiled broadly at her.
The girl shook her head and hurried to her cabin.
The nosy trio looked at Daniel, who was glaring at them. They cautiously backed up to the table, glancing at him every now and then. Like Julie, Daniel disappeared into the corridor leading to his cabin.
"This is getting messed up," Brauni tried to shout over the music.
Anna and Chris nodded in concern.
"I'm going to Daniel!"
Chris's sister walked past them and headed toward the hallway.
"And I'm going to Julie!" Brauni left her friend alone at the table and disappeared.
Chris spread his arms. He'd been left out again. And he didn't want to push for a third. He looked at the table of goods. He grabbed a bowl of pistachios and began to crunch them loudly. Arthur was still dancing hard on the dance floor, at the console, waving an empty bottle.
Both Anna and Brauni spent a long time consoling their friends.
Julie, although she wasn't crying, felt terrible. She didn't know why she reacted this way. She'd longed for him to tell her he still loved her. And when he finally did, why did she feel like he'd insulted her?
"Maybe because it hurt you when he rejected your apology back then. He treated you like his property," Brauni suggested.
They were sitting on the bed, where they'd set out a box of tissues they'd taken from the dresser in case the conversation turned to a more depressing topic.
"What do you mean?
" "You know," she began awkwardly. "He rejected you and now he wants you back. It's like your feelings didn't matter.
" "I don't know, I don't want to think about it right now." Julie stood up and put on her shoes. "We're on this floating palace to have fun, so let's have fun."
Brauni jumped to her feet, delighted.
"Bravo, honey. That's it!" she exclaimed, laughing. "You know what I found on that console?"
They walked to the door and went out into the hallway.
"Karaoke. It's got some great new songs. Maybe we could sing along?"
Julie laughed softly.
"I kind of want to.
" "Yes!" Brauni shouted, jumping up and down, causing her friend to burst into laughter.
Daniel washed his face in the sink, dried his hands on a towel, and returned to the room where Anna was sitting on the bed. She looked beautiful in the dim light of the wall lamps.
She had explained at length that he shouldn't shout if he had already decided to break his word to her.
"I was as stupid as a rock, thinking I had any chance with her. At least I know where I stood.
" "You just had hope. It's not a sin." She looked at his sad face, stood up, and patted his cheek. "Come on, lighten up. We're here to have fun, not cry. "
She took his jacket, which he'd taken off when the angry man had stormed into the room, and helped him put it on.
"Let's get out of here before rumors start circulating about us."
He smiled at her and walked with her into the living room. At first, they didn't notice Julie and Brauni behind the console. Arthur and Chris were sitting in two armchairs, enjoying their second bottle of tequila.
"I'll tell Mom, you drunk." "She asked her brother with a smile.
Chris stood up and waved her off. He wasn't in the mood for his sister's morals. He settled down on the dance floor and turned his attention to the girls behind the console.
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