Chapter 1:The Trip Begins July 21, 2010
It was a normal summer day in Heatherfield as 21-year-old Will Vandom and her husband Matt Olsen were entering the boarding area of the cruise ship terminal.
They were preparing to board the Poseidon II, a brand-new luxury cruise liner, for a 2-week Caribbean cruise. Little did they know that their friends were going along for the ride.
"I've been waiting for this for many years. I've always wanted to take a cruise." Will said as they walked along the gangway to board the 1,500ft long ship.
"Yeah, and today, that dream is now a reality." Matt replied as they got into the main lobby. Just then, Will and Matt heard a familiar voice calling their names.
They turned around and saw Taranee Cook running towards them, with her husband Nigel close behind. "Taranee! It's so good to see you again!" Will said as she hugged Taranee.
"Hey, how's the marriage thing going?" Nigel asked. "It's going great; I knew that she always wanted to take a cruise, so I figured that we could do that for our honeymoon." Matt replied.
"That's cool; me and Taranee are just here on vacation, to see the sights." Nigel replied. "Nice, well, Will and I are going to go find our stateroom, take care!" Matt said as they waved goodbye.
"So, how have things been going with you?" Will asked. "Great, Cornelia and Caleb just got out of college and are coming to celebrate their graduation." Taranee replied.
"Cool, I wonder if we'll run into them on this ship." Will replied. "Yeah, well, we gotta go find our cabin, see you later!" Taranee replied as they waved goodbye. Will and Matt later found their stateroom and went inside.
"Wow, I can get used to being in here for two weeks!" Will said as she lied down on the king-sized bed.
"Yeah, it's going to be two weeks of pure relaxation and fun." Matt replied as he sat on the bed next to Will.
"Yeah, it is." Will replied as she gave him a kiss. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Irma Lair and her husband Andrew had just boarded the ship five minutes later.
"Wow, I've always wanted to see the Caribbean!" Irma said as they got into an elevator in the main lobby to get to the deck on which their stateroom was located.
"Yeah, it's amazing how huge these ships get." Andrew replied. "Yeah, it looks so huge, we may have to use bike just to get to the other end." Irma joked as they got off of the elevator.
Just then, they saw 21-year-old Hay Lin sitting on a nearby bench, looking very worried. "Hey, what's the matter?" Irma asked as they sat down next to her.
"I'm worried that Eric may not make it here before we depart." Hay Lin asked. "Don't worry, he'll show up." Irma replied.
Just then, Hay Lin's cell phone began to vibrate. Hay Lin got it out and saw that the screen read that she got a new text message from her husband, Eric.
She checked the message, which read:
I just got on board, where are you?
Hay Lin was beaming as she sent her reply:
I'm on the 5th deck from the bottom of the main lobby, by the elevator.
Five minutes later, Eric came off of the elevator, and ran in Hay Lin's arms. "Oh, Eric, I was worried that you might get left behind!" Hay Lin said as she gave him a kiss.
"Dear, I wouldn't miss this for anything." Eric replied with a smile.
Five minutes later, they all went up to the observation deck on the ship's stern to enjoy the fresh ocean air. When they got there, Cornelia, Caleb and Elyon were already on the end of the deck, by the railing.
"Cornelia! Caleb! Elyon! It's so good to see you again!" Irma said as she and Andrew went towards them.
"Irma! It's great to see you, too!" Cornelia said as she hugged Irma. "So, you excited about this?" Elyon asked.
"Yeah, I've always wanted to see the Caribbean Sea, I heard that it's so nice and warm!" Irma replied.
They were suddenly surprised when the horn blew, signaling its departure. Irma looked over the railing and could see the ship's huge anchor being raised.
The happy group watched as the ship's mooring lines were cast off and the ship began moving out of its docking berth.
Five minutes later, Poseidon II was leaving Heatherfield Harbor, headed for the Caribbean. "Wow, I never knew that the open ocean was so...peaceful." Hay Lin said as she stared out the window of her stateroom five hours later.
"Yeah, I can get used to two weeks of this." Eric replied as he put his arm around Hay Lin's shoulder. Hay Lin smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"You wanna head up to the shopping area?" Eric asked after five minutes. "Sure, I'd love to!" Hay Lin replied happily as they went out the door.
Meanwhile, Cornelia and Caleb were already at the ship's shipping area. "Wow, this mall is bigger than any that I've been to on land!" Cornelia said as she looked around in amazement at the sheer size of the ships' mall.
"Come on, Cornelia! Let's go!" Caleb said as he grabbed her arm and they walked into the area.
On the observation deck, Irma and Andrew were at the railing at the edge of the deck enjoying the sight of the open ocean. "Wow...I've always wanted to see the open ocean. It's so...beautiful." Irma said as Andrew put his arm around her.
"Yeah, but not as beautiful as you, dear." Andrew replied as he pulled Irma closer to him. "Oh, Andrew!" Irma said as she planted a kiss on Andrew's lips.
Andrew returned the kiss and they stood there like that for thirty seconds before they broke the kiss. They looked back over the edge, and saw thick clouds concealing the setting sun over the horizon.
They stared in awe at the visible sunbeams coming out of the clouds as the sky around them began turning a bright orange-red color. "Wow, this is one of the best moments of my life." Irma said as they both watched the spectacular sunset.
Meanwhile, Taranee and Nigel were in the ship's nightclub having the time of their lives dancing to loud techno music. Will and Matt had just come into the club and were relaxing in the lounge area.
After a few minutes, a slow-dance song came on and Will and Matt stood up. "Hey, wanna dance?" Matt asked.
"Oh, Matt! I'd love to!" Will happily replied as Matt took her hand and they went to the dance floor. They slow-danced along with everyone else that was in the nightclub area.
Midway through the song, Will and Matt slowly leaned towards each other and held each other tight as their lips met in a passionate kiss.
When the next song began to play, Irma and Andrew came into the club ready to get their groove on.
Meanwhile, Cornelia and Caleb had finished exploring the ship's mall and were heading back to their stateroom. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Caleb asked as they got onto the deck on which their stateroom was located.
"I was thinking, maybe we can meet Irma, Elyon and Andrew in the sauna, to help us unwind." Cornelia replied.
Caleb blushed as he pictured them sitting in the ship's sauna together, wearing nothing but a towel around their bodies.
He shook the thought out of his head as they entered the hallway near their stateroom. "Shit!" Cornelia said as they were ten feet from the door of their stateroom.
"What is it, dear?" Caleb asked. "I forgot to get our pool pass in the lobby." Cornelia replied with a hint of frustration in her voice.
"Ok, we'll just head there now and get it." Caleb replied. "Ok, let's go." Cornelia replied as they began heading for the lobby.
Meanwhile, Hay Lin and Eric were enjoying a magic show in the ship's theater. Wow, this guy is good! Hay Lin thought as she watched the illusionist make a motorcycle disappear.
The next trick they saw was the famous yet dangerous "Blades of Death" trick. Hay Lin stared wide-eyed as the illusionist was strapped to a large platform over which hung five huge saw blades.
The assistant threw a switch that caused the blades to start spinning. Hay Lin and Eric were speechless as the blades began to slowly descend towards the platform.
Hay Lin, as well as nearly all of the other audience members, gasped when the huge spinning blades fell onto the platform.
They then saw a bright flash and a cloud of smoke appear next to the platform. They were stunned when the illusionist came walking out of the smoke cloud unharmed! The whole audience burst into applause, for that was the end of the show.
Little did anyone know that their night of fun was about to become a night of terror.
