Hiya all! We are back.~dies~.with ANOTHER story! Only this time there are
THREE of us!! Whew!! Xan-thip-per with Jade-55 and K-chan!! YAY! Now.ok.I
guess you all would like a summary huh?? O.o oki doki!
Summary:
Liika Tomoda cannot believe that her best friend Oliver had convinced her to go along with this birthday plan that involves a huge body of water! Liika soon finds herself on a cruise ship with all of her friends, even though she is afraid of water.-_- accidents happen, many fights.also food fights, and lots of insults are traded throughout this vacation as Liika meets new friends and discovers that she's having a total blast! This was until the ships accident that quickly sends it to the bottom of the ocean! Liika finds herself struggling for her life as she and some survivors drift to a near by island. Will they be rescued? Or are they doomed to live as survivors for the rest of their lives? Can they even survive?
Disclaimer: We don't own anything but our own characters! =D
Die Another Day
By: Jade-55, Xan-thip-pe and K-chan
.:Chapter 01:.
Jade grumbled lightly in annoyance, digging her heels deeper into the solid concrete ground as she heaved her back against a solid body. She looked completely frazzled from head to toe, which no doubt earned her odd glances from the various people who made their way past her. "Why does he always have to be so stubborn!" Jade mentally complained to herself, blowing away the odd strands of bangs that continually caressed the left side of her face. The rest of her light red hair rested gently to just above her chin, allowing the various layered lengths to flip up in unison.
"Damn it Bryan, could you at least co-operate with me a little...just a tiny bit...for a miniscule of a moment!" Jade moaned, gritting her teeth together as she heaved even harder- her elbows practically digging into the back that stood before her.
"Fuck off Brat!" A gruff voice quickly cut in, causing Jade to jump slightly in response. It was all too obvious who was growling back at her, and Jade got this exact same attitude every time she bothered him.
"Tsk, tsk Bryan, is that sort of language really necessary?" Jade mocked back, tilting her head so as to glance casually over her shoulder. The view she received wasn't too impressive, and the only thing her eyes were allowed to focus on was Bryan's muscular back. "I hate tall people!" She muttered lightly under her breath, heaving her arms across her chest as she slumped to the ground- her back now pressed up against his legs.
"Yeah, well I hate short people...so the feelings mutual!" Bryan shot back, finally allowing himself to spin around on his heels as he glowered down at Jade. His sharp ice filled eyes narrowed in anger, while his pale hair sent off a rather eerie look. His outfit definitely added to that affect, as a black biker type vest clung to his massive arms- complete with the odd silver zippers across the chest. Baggy jeans were clasped around his waist, while a studded black belt held them up.
Jade rolled her eyes at the burly boys comment as she glanced up at him, her own blue eyes meeting up with his. Her face curled up into a slight grimace at the sight of him, as he continued to glare back down at her. Now that she really thought about it, Bryan looked incredibly intimidating; and she pitied anyone who messed with him. Of course, all of the constant death glares never affected Jade; and it pretty much became a daily routine for her. The fact that they've known each other since early childhood made them come to understand each other, and their friendship had grown with them for 16 years. Although "friendship" wasn't necessarily the right word for their bond, they were actually more of a brother/sister relationship. Ever since the two first met, Bryan took it upon himself to protect Jade from the 'no- good' bullies! Now Jade was 17, which meant that Bryan now protected her from ANY guy that dared to flirt with her. So much for ever getting a boyfriend!
"Jade Leslee Tomei!" A sharp voice suddenly echoed through the rather silent air, causing everybody to stop dead in their tracks and look. In a matter of seconds Jade's face turned into a bright shade of red, her eyes taking notice to a pink-haired girl, bounding out from within the crowd.
"Oh god, hide me!" Jade panicked, throwing her head against Bryan's legs, burying her face in his baggy jeans.
Bryan rolled his eyes, staring down at the red head that cowered at his feet. His eyes then moved up into the crowd where the shrill voice had come from. The pink-haired girl was upon them, her hands placed firmly on her hips, her gold eyes narrowed at his legs -or rather at the hands that grasped at his pant legs.
"Jade! Just what do you think you're doing sitting on the ground in my skirt?!" The girl demanded, leaning forward a bit.
Jade flinched at the other girl's tone of voice, but was also mildly surprised when Bryan didn't shove her away from his legs, but patiently stood there and allowed her to use him as a human shield. Sometimes he was just too weird. Timidly she peeked from out behind Bryan's legs and up at the fuming girl. She flinched again. "Um.nothing?"
The pink-haired girl glared at Jade and began tapping her foot impatiently, obviously not believing Jade. Jade laughed nervously and stood, brushing off the skirt that was causing so much trouble. She paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. Hopefully she could come up with something that would avert the pink-haired girl's anger. That was it!
"Actually Mariah.it's Bryan's fault!" She said quickly, grinning innocently and ignoring the glare her burly friend threw at her.
Mariah looked doubtful, raising a pink eyebrow at Jade. "Mmhm. Right. Well, please refrain from ruining my clothing!"
"If you guys don't hurry up the boat will leave with out you." A new voice snapped from above them.
The three of them -or rather really just Jade and Mariah- looked up to see a good looking boy with two toned blue hair and blue shark fins on his face staring down at them impassively from his place of leaning over the railing of the ship. Jade sighed again, attempting to remember why she chose these particular people as her friends. "Yeah yeah, we're coming!" She yelled back and once again started her mission to push the large pale- haired young man up the ramp and onto the cruise ship.
Liika didn't feel so good. The gentle rocking of the large ship was making her stomach queasy. It also didn't help that she was looking down at the waves that crashed against the fast moving boat. "Uugh." She moaned, pushing her royal blue bangs out of her face. Her hair was up in its customary ponytail, but she was cursing the fact that she didn't pin back her bangs. Why she had ever let Charity talk her into getting onto the ship was beyond her. She hated boats! -mostly because she was almost deathly afraid of water, swimming in it anyway. She had always had a large fear of drowning, well ever since she was six anyhow.
Her older brothers decided it would be fun to belt her to a chair, string her up on a tree limb over a lake. They thought it would be hilarious to tape dropping her into the lake. She wasn't allowed to undo the belt until the count of ten, and to top it all off they threw firecrackers in after. After all, according to them, every good movie needed explosions. However, their plans went arye when after they dropped her into the lake and counted to ten, Liika went to undo the buckle on the belt and it got stuck. It was the seatbelt from an old airplane and wasn't tested under water; consequently it was rusted and refused to budge in the added pressure and she was trapped.
Her two brothers eventually figured out something was wrong when she didn't surface after thirty seconds and so one of them dived in after her. By the time they cut her from the chair and got her to the surface she was unconscious and they had to administer CPR to resuscitate her. Needless to say the whole incident left her traumatized with a fear of drowning. And where was she now?
In the middle of the ocean.
Ok so that was an exaggeration. The ship had actually just left port and they were only about ten minutes away from the dock, but to Liika it felt like they were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Either way she was getting a sudden case of seasickness that had nothing to do with being afraid of water.
"Hello Liika, how are you today?" A soft voice ask from her left.
Liika raised her head slowly and turned it to the left to see a handsome young man with chin length lime green hair and large innocent violet eyes. He was smiling at her, his eyes shining in the pre-dusk sunlight. She summoned a small smile, however, it came out more as a grimace. "Truthfully, I've been better."
His expression became concerned. One of his hands slid up her arm to land on her shoulder. "What's the matter? Are you ill?" He asked, frowning minutely.
Her smile grew a bit, and she chuckled quietly, swallowing a bit of nausea. "Don't worry about it Oliver, I'll be ok, just a bit of sea sickness. I'm not overly fond of water and boats as you know."
"Oh, well I hope you get better! I brought you all on this cruise to have fun, and it's a little difficult to have fun when you're not feeling well." He said, his frown turning into a smile. "After all, what would my birthday be with out you?"
She couldn't help but out and out laugh at that. Oliver Dubois wasn't a ladies man per say, but he had his own unique brand of charm that was as effective as any player. He had a talent with words and he could make any girl melt into a puddle at his feet with a few token phrases.
"Point taken." Liika teased, winking at the taller young man. "The big one- nine hm? Boy time flies, seems like just yesterday you're mom was trying to convince me to ask you out."
"That was yesterday."
Liika paused, her eyes rolling skyward in thought. "Oh.right." She laughed. "You're mom never gives up! Sixteen years and she's still trying. I seriously used to think that your parents were trying for an arranged marriage when we were really young."
Oliver shook his head, a fond reminiscing look crossing his face. "At some point they might have been. They loved your parents, and were thrilled when you moved in next door, the neighbors before them were apparently not very nice or sociable. But then I was too young to remember." He explained, shrugging. "I'm sure you know the rest. So. feeling any better?"
His question brought her mind back to her queasy stomach and she groaned in response. "I was until you said something."
He laughed softly, patting her shoulder. "I think Robert might have some gravol with him, would you like me to get it for you?"
Liika shook her head and stepped away from the banister, heading towards the door only ten feet behind them. "No that's ok, I was just going to head in. Besides, you need to go greet the rest of your guests! We're all staying on the same floor aren't we?" She said.
"Yes, I also have one of the banquet halls booked for the whole cruise, so that anyone that wants to socialize with only other party goers can go there and meet up with each other. Speaking of which, you are going to the gala this evening aren't you? We're all meeting up in my banquet hall before heading to the party in the main ball room." Oliver spoke, tilting his head to the side and arching one eyebrow inquisitively.
She sighed, rolling her eyes. She didn't like fancy dances and balls. They were so stuffy and irritating. But alas, it was Oliver's trip and nineteen was a big birthday. "Yeah, I guess I am. Provided I'm not feeling too badly." Liika replied, giving Oliver a thumbs up.
He nodded, smiling at her before disappearing around a corner of the deck, towards where she thought the pool was. Liika grumbled under her breath. The things she did for friends.
It didn't take her long to find the cabin she was looking for, it was after all only two doors down from the one she shared with her best friend Charity. Lifting her hand to knock on the door she paused as voices from the other side drifted to her ears.
"I told you no Charity. Deal with that."
"So-rry. I don't know the meaning of that word, so you're going."
"No, I am not. Now go bother someone else, I'm going to sit and read my book."
"But you're on a cruise Robert! For crying out loud, you can read any time you want to! You only get to go on a cruise once!"
"Actually I went last year."
"Shut up."
Liika thought that it was a good time to knock on the wooden door and interrupt something that was spoiling to turn into a full blown verbal spar as so many of the pair's conversations did. Charity Marron, a black haired girl with pink streaked hair and fiery emerald eyes, had a big a mouth as anyone Liika had ever met. Of course, that said Liika's mouth wasn't exactly small either. Robert Jagen, like Oliver, was a well-bred boy from upper class Los Angeles. The group that included several other members had gone to the same school, as most were graduated now.
Robert and Charity shared a somewhat.rocky relationship. They were the best of friends but would start a verbal spar at the drop of a dime. Their very personalities dictated that they do. However, it didn't seem to bother either of them, and Liika suspected that both enjoyed the verbal wars immensely.
Once again Liika raised her hand, only this time she actually knocked, the sharp thuds echoing through the relatively quiet hallway. With in seconds the door jerked open to reveal a tall, purple haired, obviously annoyed man. He was scowling, his purple eyebrow furrowed over his crimson eyes. At the sight of her, the scowl disappeared and was replaced by a polite smile. "Hello Liika, may I help you?"
Charity perked up at the sound of her friend's name and made her way to the door, pushing Robert out of the way. "Hey Ika, how are you feeling?" She asked, caulking her head to the side.
Liika rolled her eyes, settling one of her small hands on a petite hip. "You have known me for five years," she retorted, "you know I hate boats. How do you think I'm feeling?"
Charity laughed, pulling the smaller blue haired girl into the room and settling her on one of the beds, completely ignoring the man who was standing just behind her. Robert rolled his eyes and gave up, heading for his suitcase and pulling out his book, then settling on the other bed to read. He just accepted that the two girls were invading his room. He was glad his roommate -a man named Lee he had met when he was settling in, one of Oliver's other friends apparently- was out with his friends, he didn't know the girls.
"So how can we help you? I was trying to drag Robert swimming with me, but apparently that's a lost cause." Charity smiled, plopping down on the bed beside her seasick best friend.
Liika grimaced at the mention of swimming. She felt Robert's pain. Charity wasn't exactly.fun to swim with for various reasons. The biggest being that Charity didn't swim.much, she splashed and started massive water fights. It was a knack she had. "Actually, I came to see Robert." She said, turning her attention to the man on the other bed who was calmly reading his book, ignoring the two girls. "Oliver said you might have some Gravol."
At this Robert looked up. "Yes, I do. Enrique gets motion sick sometimes, so I always carry some, it saves me trouble. I take it you would like some?" Enrique was Robert's eighteen-year-old brother. Younger by two years, he wasn't what everyone called 'mature'. He was far too girl crazy and had absolutely no sense of responsibility. The total opposite of Robert who was all about responsibility.
"You take it right." She answered, hopping off the bed.
Robert nodded, getting up and heading over to his suitcase. Rummaging through it, he quickly pulled out a small bottle that rattled as his arm moved. "Here." He said, tossing the bottle at Liika, who caught it somewhat clumsily.
"Thanks."
"Well guys, I'm off to swim, alone." Charity said, heading towards the door.
Liika beat her to the door, blocking it with a cheeky smile. "You're swim is going to have to wait. If I have to go to the stupid gala then so do you!"
Charity cursed under her breath. She had forgotten all about the gala! Of course Oliver was expecting them there. Damn. "Yeah, I know. It was just going for a quick swim, then I'll meet you in our cabin and we can get ready k? Bye!" With that she pushed past Liika and disappeared into their cabin two doors down.
Liika sighed, shaking her head. When Charity got an idea in her head there was no persuading her otherwise! A hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. She whirled around and saw Robert standing behind her, an eyebrow raised. "If you take that Gravol then you will be asleep for the gala. Why don't you stay here and we can play some chess. It will take your mind off the nausea." He said, nodding towards the small table that sat across from the two beds in the small cabin.
She shrugged. Why not? It was better than not being present for Oliver's opening moment and she knew very well that even one Gravol pill would knock her out for hours. "Sure. One question though."
"Hm?"
"Why the hell did you bring a chess board on a cruise?"
Like Charity was going to go to some ball like thingy. Hell, how could she? She didn't own a single piece of dress that was at least a little formal. Nothing about her was formal.
She sighed as she rummaged for her swimsuit. She remembered Oliver reminding everyone of the gala and she had totally forgot to pack something that was even remotely formal.
She shook her head. Who was she kidding? She would've had to go out and buy something and she had no money to do that. She was just going to go swimming for a long time and pretend that she totally forgot.
Swim alone, for a long time..sigh.what a bore!
She found her lime green suit and quickly pulled it on. She then wrapped her towel around herself and slipped on her flip-flops. She grabbed her beach bag that contained suntan lotion, a small battery operated radio, sunglasses and other beach things and left her room.
Charity dipped her toe into the water and sighed in bliss. This was going to be one hell of a trip! And she was going to cherish every minute as long..
Her thoughts trailed to an end as a nicely muscled pale lavender haired guy walked by her.
Wow. Was all that would comprehend through her mind until he was well on the other side of the pool deck where he sat down next to a pink haired girl who was adding suntan lotion to herself. A red headed girl plopped down in the lounging chair next to her and was followed by a two-shaded blue haired boy.
Damn girls were lucky! Those two guys where hot! Charity snorted under her breath. Yeah, fat chance that she would ever get with a guy as good looking as they were. She just turned red and stuttered when there was a hot guy around. And was particularly worse when the guy decides to speak to her. She remembered the day she had met Tala. It seemed like just last week even though it was like 2 years ago. He was so hot and he had approached her one- day at school. She had acted like a total ninny, stuttering and blushing and fiddling with her hands and feet. He had given her a funny look before making up some sort of excuse to get away from her.
She had to admit it to herself, she sucked when it came to guys. There was nothing else. She could not have an intelligent conversation with a cute boy. Her friends laughed at her all the time over it.
It seemed the only boys she could act normal around where the dim wits she grew up with.like Robert.
She loved Robert to death so he wasn't a dim wit. And neither was Oliver. But Enrique.good god he was a dink sometimes! You often wonder how he was related to Robert! And his brother at that!!
"Thinking about me again?" Someone whispered in her ear.
Startled, Charity squeaked before whipping her head in the intruder's direction. "Enrique! Will you refrain yourself from sneaking up on me!"
He chuckled and walked over to a lounging chair and plopped down, looking completely relaxed and well, good looking.unfortunately. But he was adorable good looking. He had a sort of baby face followed by platinum blond hair and crystal blue eyes. BIG crystal eyes. Puppy eyes is what girls gushed.
Charity rolled her eyes at that thought. What the hell did girls see in him anyway? She couldn't see it. He was like her annoying brother. Well, he practically was.
"What are you rolling your eyes about now?" Enrique asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Wonder why the hell chicks dig you." She replied, smiling nastily.
"Is that so? At least I can get with a-"
"SHUT UP!" Charity snapped. God! She was getting so sick of everyone bothering her about her boy problem!
Enrique threw his hands up in surrender with wide startled eyes. "Ok ok! I'm sorry! Gees, cool down. Maybe you should jump in the pool and cool off, ne?"
Charity sighed before walking over and plopping down in the chair next to him. Her gave wandered over across the pool deck again to the four who where chatting and relaxing quietly. She let her eyes wonder over the barely clad bodies of the pale lavender haired boy and the two shaded blue haired boy. Damn they were fine!
"Hello, mars to Rity?" Enrique called, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Huh? What?"
"I was asking which one you were staring at?"
"Which who?" Charity asked, feeling her face begin to heat up.
Enrique chuckled as he took in her reddening face. "Which one of those two guys over there are you ogling form this distance?"
"Neither." She mumbled, busying herself by going into her bag and pulling out her suntan lotion.
"Yeah, right. You where in naked boy land!" Enrique laughed.
Charity groaned and threw her bottle at him.
"Ow! That's hard you know."
"UH, can you give that back? I need it."
"Hmmm.let me think-"
"What are you two doing out here?!" Someone snapped.
Both Enrique and Charity's eyes widened comically before whipping their heads in the direction of the clearly annoyed voice.
Oliver was standing there with his hands planted firmly on his hips, eyes narrowed to tiny slits and a snarl upon his lips. "I asked you two a question. Kindly answer me."
"Well, uh.you see." Enrique started, looping a finger in his necklace and pulling as if to loosen the choke-like hold.
"We're swimming.well, sun tanning at the moment.why?" Charity asked.
"Why aren't you getting ready for the gala?" Oliver demanded.
"Gala..?" Charity asked, pretending to look clueless.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Don't even try it Charity Marron! I know the way you are! Now get into your room and change! NOW! You two Enrique!"
"But Oliver!! I don't have anything formal to wear!!" Charity whined.
"And whose fault would that be? Certainly not mine."
Charity sighed. It was so like Oliver to not give anyone sympathy, unless you were Liika of course. But hey, they were best friends after all.
"Robert is looking for you, along with Liika. Now get moving Charity."
A pouting look crossed over Charity's face as she reluctantly got up from her seat and grabbed her beach back.
This was going to be so much fun.
"If I gotta go, YOU gotta go." She grumbled as she grabbed Enrique's arm.
______________________
That's all folks!! YAY! K-chan left me at a damn block! ~shakes her finger at Kerrie~ Bad k-chan bad!!
Ahem.anyway. =D Hope you all liked it! R/R No FLAMES please! ^.~
Summary:
Liika Tomoda cannot believe that her best friend Oliver had convinced her to go along with this birthday plan that involves a huge body of water! Liika soon finds herself on a cruise ship with all of her friends, even though she is afraid of water.-_- accidents happen, many fights.also food fights, and lots of insults are traded throughout this vacation as Liika meets new friends and discovers that she's having a total blast! This was until the ships accident that quickly sends it to the bottom of the ocean! Liika finds herself struggling for her life as she and some survivors drift to a near by island. Will they be rescued? Or are they doomed to live as survivors for the rest of their lives? Can they even survive?
Disclaimer: We don't own anything but our own characters! =D
Die Another Day
By: Jade-55, Xan-thip-pe and K-chan
.:Chapter 01:.
Jade grumbled lightly in annoyance, digging her heels deeper into the solid concrete ground as she heaved her back against a solid body. She looked completely frazzled from head to toe, which no doubt earned her odd glances from the various people who made their way past her. "Why does he always have to be so stubborn!" Jade mentally complained to herself, blowing away the odd strands of bangs that continually caressed the left side of her face. The rest of her light red hair rested gently to just above her chin, allowing the various layered lengths to flip up in unison.
"Damn it Bryan, could you at least co-operate with me a little...just a tiny bit...for a miniscule of a moment!" Jade moaned, gritting her teeth together as she heaved even harder- her elbows practically digging into the back that stood before her.
"Fuck off Brat!" A gruff voice quickly cut in, causing Jade to jump slightly in response. It was all too obvious who was growling back at her, and Jade got this exact same attitude every time she bothered him.
"Tsk, tsk Bryan, is that sort of language really necessary?" Jade mocked back, tilting her head so as to glance casually over her shoulder. The view she received wasn't too impressive, and the only thing her eyes were allowed to focus on was Bryan's muscular back. "I hate tall people!" She muttered lightly under her breath, heaving her arms across her chest as she slumped to the ground- her back now pressed up against his legs.
"Yeah, well I hate short people...so the feelings mutual!" Bryan shot back, finally allowing himself to spin around on his heels as he glowered down at Jade. His sharp ice filled eyes narrowed in anger, while his pale hair sent off a rather eerie look. His outfit definitely added to that affect, as a black biker type vest clung to his massive arms- complete with the odd silver zippers across the chest. Baggy jeans were clasped around his waist, while a studded black belt held them up.
Jade rolled her eyes at the burly boys comment as she glanced up at him, her own blue eyes meeting up with his. Her face curled up into a slight grimace at the sight of him, as he continued to glare back down at her. Now that she really thought about it, Bryan looked incredibly intimidating; and she pitied anyone who messed with him. Of course, all of the constant death glares never affected Jade; and it pretty much became a daily routine for her. The fact that they've known each other since early childhood made them come to understand each other, and their friendship had grown with them for 16 years. Although "friendship" wasn't necessarily the right word for their bond, they were actually more of a brother/sister relationship. Ever since the two first met, Bryan took it upon himself to protect Jade from the 'no- good' bullies! Now Jade was 17, which meant that Bryan now protected her from ANY guy that dared to flirt with her. So much for ever getting a boyfriend!
"Jade Leslee Tomei!" A sharp voice suddenly echoed through the rather silent air, causing everybody to stop dead in their tracks and look. In a matter of seconds Jade's face turned into a bright shade of red, her eyes taking notice to a pink-haired girl, bounding out from within the crowd.
"Oh god, hide me!" Jade panicked, throwing her head against Bryan's legs, burying her face in his baggy jeans.
Bryan rolled his eyes, staring down at the red head that cowered at his feet. His eyes then moved up into the crowd where the shrill voice had come from. The pink-haired girl was upon them, her hands placed firmly on her hips, her gold eyes narrowed at his legs -or rather at the hands that grasped at his pant legs.
"Jade! Just what do you think you're doing sitting on the ground in my skirt?!" The girl demanded, leaning forward a bit.
Jade flinched at the other girl's tone of voice, but was also mildly surprised when Bryan didn't shove her away from his legs, but patiently stood there and allowed her to use him as a human shield. Sometimes he was just too weird. Timidly she peeked from out behind Bryan's legs and up at the fuming girl. She flinched again. "Um.nothing?"
The pink-haired girl glared at Jade and began tapping her foot impatiently, obviously not believing Jade. Jade laughed nervously and stood, brushing off the skirt that was causing so much trouble. She paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. Hopefully she could come up with something that would avert the pink-haired girl's anger. That was it!
"Actually Mariah.it's Bryan's fault!" She said quickly, grinning innocently and ignoring the glare her burly friend threw at her.
Mariah looked doubtful, raising a pink eyebrow at Jade. "Mmhm. Right. Well, please refrain from ruining my clothing!"
"If you guys don't hurry up the boat will leave with out you." A new voice snapped from above them.
The three of them -or rather really just Jade and Mariah- looked up to see a good looking boy with two toned blue hair and blue shark fins on his face staring down at them impassively from his place of leaning over the railing of the ship. Jade sighed again, attempting to remember why she chose these particular people as her friends. "Yeah yeah, we're coming!" She yelled back and once again started her mission to push the large pale- haired young man up the ramp and onto the cruise ship.
Liika didn't feel so good. The gentle rocking of the large ship was making her stomach queasy. It also didn't help that she was looking down at the waves that crashed against the fast moving boat. "Uugh." She moaned, pushing her royal blue bangs out of her face. Her hair was up in its customary ponytail, but she was cursing the fact that she didn't pin back her bangs. Why she had ever let Charity talk her into getting onto the ship was beyond her. She hated boats! -mostly because she was almost deathly afraid of water, swimming in it anyway. She had always had a large fear of drowning, well ever since she was six anyhow.
Her older brothers decided it would be fun to belt her to a chair, string her up on a tree limb over a lake. They thought it would be hilarious to tape dropping her into the lake. She wasn't allowed to undo the belt until the count of ten, and to top it all off they threw firecrackers in after. After all, according to them, every good movie needed explosions. However, their plans went arye when after they dropped her into the lake and counted to ten, Liika went to undo the buckle on the belt and it got stuck. It was the seatbelt from an old airplane and wasn't tested under water; consequently it was rusted and refused to budge in the added pressure and she was trapped.
Her two brothers eventually figured out something was wrong when she didn't surface after thirty seconds and so one of them dived in after her. By the time they cut her from the chair and got her to the surface she was unconscious and they had to administer CPR to resuscitate her. Needless to say the whole incident left her traumatized with a fear of drowning. And where was she now?
In the middle of the ocean.
Ok so that was an exaggeration. The ship had actually just left port and they were only about ten minutes away from the dock, but to Liika it felt like they were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Either way she was getting a sudden case of seasickness that had nothing to do with being afraid of water.
"Hello Liika, how are you today?" A soft voice ask from her left.
Liika raised her head slowly and turned it to the left to see a handsome young man with chin length lime green hair and large innocent violet eyes. He was smiling at her, his eyes shining in the pre-dusk sunlight. She summoned a small smile, however, it came out more as a grimace. "Truthfully, I've been better."
His expression became concerned. One of his hands slid up her arm to land on her shoulder. "What's the matter? Are you ill?" He asked, frowning minutely.
Her smile grew a bit, and she chuckled quietly, swallowing a bit of nausea. "Don't worry about it Oliver, I'll be ok, just a bit of sea sickness. I'm not overly fond of water and boats as you know."
"Oh, well I hope you get better! I brought you all on this cruise to have fun, and it's a little difficult to have fun when you're not feeling well." He said, his frown turning into a smile. "After all, what would my birthday be with out you?"
She couldn't help but out and out laugh at that. Oliver Dubois wasn't a ladies man per say, but he had his own unique brand of charm that was as effective as any player. He had a talent with words and he could make any girl melt into a puddle at his feet with a few token phrases.
"Point taken." Liika teased, winking at the taller young man. "The big one- nine hm? Boy time flies, seems like just yesterday you're mom was trying to convince me to ask you out."
"That was yesterday."
Liika paused, her eyes rolling skyward in thought. "Oh.right." She laughed. "You're mom never gives up! Sixteen years and she's still trying. I seriously used to think that your parents were trying for an arranged marriage when we were really young."
Oliver shook his head, a fond reminiscing look crossing his face. "At some point they might have been. They loved your parents, and were thrilled when you moved in next door, the neighbors before them were apparently not very nice or sociable. But then I was too young to remember." He explained, shrugging. "I'm sure you know the rest. So. feeling any better?"
His question brought her mind back to her queasy stomach and she groaned in response. "I was until you said something."
He laughed softly, patting her shoulder. "I think Robert might have some gravol with him, would you like me to get it for you?"
Liika shook her head and stepped away from the banister, heading towards the door only ten feet behind them. "No that's ok, I was just going to head in. Besides, you need to go greet the rest of your guests! We're all staying on the same floor aren't we?" She said.
"Yes, I also have one of the banquet halls booked for the whole cruise, so that anyone that wants to socialize with only other party goers can go there and meet up with each other. Speaking of which, you are going to the gala this evening aren't you? We're all meeting up in my banquet hall before heading to the party in the main ball room." Oliver spoke, tilting his head to the side and arching one eyebrow inquisitively.
She sighed, rolling her eyes. She didn't like fancy dances and balls. They were so stuffy and irritating. But alas, it was Oliver's trip and nineteen was a big birthday. "Yeah, I guess I am. Provided I'm not feeling too badly." Liika replied, giving Oliver a thumbs up.
He nodded, smiling at her before disappearing around a corner of the deck, towards where she thought the pool was. Liika grumbled under her breath. The things she did for friends.
It didn't take her long to find the cabin she was looking for, it was after all only two doors down from the one she shared with her best friend Charity. Lifting her hand to knock on the door she paused as voices from the other side drifted to her ears.
"I told you no Charity. Deal with that."
"So-rry. I don't know the meaning of that word, so you're going."
"No, I am not. Now go bother someone else, I'm going to sit and read my book."
"But you're on a cruise Robert! For crying out loud, you can read any time you want to! You only get to go on a cruise once!"
"Actually I went last year."
"Shut up."
Liika thought that it was a good time to knock on the wooden door and interrupt something that was spoiling to turn into a full blown verbal spar as so many of the pair's conversations did. Charity Marron, a black haired girl with pink streaked hair and fiery emerald eyes, had a big a mouth as anyone Liika had ever met. Of course, that said Liika's mouth wasn't exactly small either. Robert Jagen, like Oliver, was a well-bred boy from upper class Los Angeles. The group that included several other members had gone to the same school, as most were graduated now.
Robert and Charity shared a somewhat.rocky relationship. They were the best of friends but would start a verbal spar at the drop of a dime. Their very personalities dictated that they do. However, it didn't seem to bother either of them, and Liika suspected that both enjoyed the verbal wars immensely.
Once again Liika raised her hand, only this time she actually knocked, the sharp thuds echoing through the relatively quiet hallway. With in seconds the door jerked open to reveal a tall, purple haired, obviously annoyed man. He was scowling, his purple eyebrow furrowed over his crimson eyes. At the sight of her, the scowl disappeared and was replaced by a polite smile. "Hello Liika, may I help you?"
Charity perked up at the sound of her friend's name and made her way to the door, pushing Robert out of the way. "Hey Ika, how are you feeling?" She asked, caulking her head to the side.
Liika rolled her eyes, settling one of her small hands on a petite hip. "You have known me for five years," she retorted, "you know I hate boats. How do you think I'm feeling?"
Charity laughed, pulling the smaller blue haired girl into the room and settling her on one of the beds, completely ignoring the man who was standing just behind her. Robert rolled his eyes and gave up, heading for his suitcase and pulling out his book, then settling on the other bed to read. He just accepted that the two girls were invading his room. He was glad his roommate -a man named Lee he had met when he was settling in, one of Oliver's other friends apparently- was out with his friends, he didn't know the girls.
"So how can we help you? I was trying to drag Robert swimming with me, but apparently that's a lost cause." Charity smiled, plopping down on the bed beside her seasick best friend.
Liika grimaced at the mention of swimming. She felt Robert's pain. Charity wasn't exactly.fun to swim with for various reasons. The biggest being that Charity didn't swim.much, she splashed and started massive water fights. It was a knack she had. "Actually, I came to see Robert." She said, turning her attention to the man on the other bed who was calmly reading his book, ignoring the two girls. "Oliver said you might have some Gravol."
At this Robert looked up. "Yes, I do. Enrique gets motion sick sometimes, so I always carry some, it saves me trouble. I take it you would like some?" Enrique was Robert's eighteen-year-old brother. Younger by two years, he wasn't what everyone called 'mature'. He was far too girl crazy and had absolutely no sense of responsibility. The total opposite of Robert who was all about responsibility.
"You take it right." She answered, hopping off the bed.
Robert nodded, getting up and heading over to his suitcase. Rummaging through it, he quickly pulled out a small bottle that rattled as his arm moved. "Here." He said, tossing the bottle at Liika, who caught it somewhat clumsily.
"Thanks."
"Well guys, I'm off to swim, alone." Charity said, heading towards the door.
Liika beat her to the door, blocking it with a cheeky smile. "You're swim is going to have to wait. If I have to go to the stupid gala then so do you!"
Charity cursed under her breath. She had forgotten all about the gala! Of course Oliver was expecting them there. Damn. "Yeah, I know. It was just going for a quick swim, then I'll meet you in our cabin and we can get ready k? Bye!" With that she pushed past Liika and disappeared into their cabin two doors down.
Liika sighed, shaking her head. When Charity got an idea in her head there was no persuading her otherwise! A hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. She whirled around and saw Robert standing behind her, an eyebrow raised. "If you take that Gravol then you will be asleep for the gala. Why don't you stay here and we can play some chess. It will take your mind off the nausea." He said, nodding towards the small table that sat across from the two beds in the small cabin.
She shrugged. Why not? It was better than not being present for Oliver's opening moment and she knew very well that even one Gravol pill would knock her out for hours. "Sure. One question though."
"Hm?"
"Why the hell did you bring a chess board on a cruise?"
Like Charity was going to go to some ball like thingy. Hell, how could she? She didn't own a single piece of dress that was at least a little formal. Nothing about her was formal.
She sighed as she rummaged for her swimsuit. She remembered Oliver reminding everyone of the gala and she had totally forgot to pack something that was even remotely formal.
She shook her head. Who was she kidding? She would've had to go out and buy something and she had no money to do that. She was just going to go swimming for a long time and pretend that she totally forgot.
Swim alone, for a long time..sigh.what a bore!
She found her lime green suit and quickly pulled it on. She then wrapped her towel around herself and slipped on her flip-flops. She grabbed her beach bag that contained suntan lotion, a small battery operated radio, sunglasses and other beach things and left her room.
Charity dipped her toe into the water and sighed in bliss. This was going to be one hell of a trip! And she was going to cherish every minute as long..
Her thoughts trailed to an end as a nicely muscled pale lavender haired guy walked by her.
Wow. Was all that would comprehend through her mind until he was well on the other side of the pool deck where he sat down next to a pink haired girl who was adding suntan lotion to herself. A red headed girl plopped down in the lounging chair next to her and was followed by a two-shaded blue haired boy.
Damn girls were lucky! Those two guys where hot! Charity snorted under her breath. Yeah, fat chance that she would ever get with a guy as good looking as they were. She just turned red and stuttered when there was a hot guy around. And was particularly worse when the guy decides to speak to her. She remembered the day she had met Tala. It seemed like just last week even though it was like 2 years ago. He was so hot and he had approached her one- day at school. She had acted like a total ninny, stuttering and blushing and fiddling with her hands and feet. He had given her a funny look before making up some sort of excuse to get away from her.
She had to admit it to herself, she sucked when it came to guys. There was nothing else. She could not have an intelligent conversation with a cute boy. Her friends laughed at her all the time over it.
It seemed the only boys she could act normal around where the dim wits she grew up with.like Robert.
She loved Robert to death so he wasn't a dim wit. And neither was Oliver. But Enrique.good god he was a dink sometimes! You often wonder how he was related to Robert! And his brother at that!!
"Thinking about me again?" Someone whispered in her ear.
Startled, Charity squeaked before whipping her head in the intruder's direction. "Enrique! Will you refrain yourself from sneaking up on me!"
He chuckled and walked over to a lounging chair and plopped down, looking completely relaxed and well, good looking.unfortunately. But he was adorable good looking. He had a sort of baby face followed by platinum blond hair and crystal blue eyes. BIG crystal eyes. Puppy eyes is what girls gushed.
Charity rolled her eyes at that thought. What the hell did girls see in him anyway? She couldn't see it. He was like her annoying brother. Well, he practically was.
"What are you rolling your eyes about now?" Enrique asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Wonder why the hell chicks dig you." She replied, smiling nastily.
"Is that so? At least I can get with a-"
"SHUT UP!" Charity snapped. God! She was getting so sick of everyone bothering her about her boy problem!
Enrique threw his hands up in surrender with wide startled eyes. "Ok ok! I'm sorry! Gees, cool down. Maybe you should jump in the pool and cool off, ne?"
Charity sighed before walking over and plopping down in the chair next to him. Her gave wandered over across the pool deck again to the four who where chatting and relaxing quietly. She let her eyes wonder over the barely clad bodies of the pale lavender haired boy and the two shaded blue haired boy. Damn they were fine!
"Hello, mars to Rity?" Enrique called, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Huh? What?"
"I was asking which one you were staring at?"
"Which who?" Charity asked, feeling her face begin to heat up.
Enrique chuckled as he took in her reddening face. "Which one of those two guys over there are you ogling form this distance?"
"Neither." She mumbled, busying herself by going into her bag and pulling out her suntan lotion.
"Yeah, right. You where in naked boy land!" Enrique laughed.
Charity groaned and threw her bottle at him.
"Ow! That's hard you know."
"UH, can you give that back? I need it."
"Hmmm.let me think-"
"What are you two doing out here?!" Someone snapped.
Both Enrique and Charity's eyes widened comically before whipping their heads in the direction of the clearly annoyed voice.
Oliver was standing there with his hands planted firmly on his hips, eyes narrowed to tiny slits and a snarl upon his lips. "I asked you two a question. Kindly answer me."
"Well, uh.you see." Enrique started, looping a finger in his necklace and pulling as if to loosen the choke-like hold.
"We're swimming.well, sun tanning at the moment.why?" Charity asked.
"Why aren't you getting ready for the gala?" Oliver demanded.
"Gala..?" Charity asked, pretending to look clueless.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Don't even try it Charity Marron! I know the way you are! Now get into your room and change! NOW! You two Enrique!"
"But Oliver!! I don't have anything formal to wear!!" Charity whined.
"And whose fault would that be? Certainly not mine."
Charity sighed. It was so like Oliver to not give anyone sympathy, unless you were Liika of course. But hey, they were best friends after all.
"Robert is looking for you, along with Liika. Now get moving Charity."
A pouting look crossed over Charity's face as she reluctantly got up from her seat and grabbed her beach back.
This was going to be so much fun.
"If I gotta go, YOU gotta go." She grumbled as she grabbed Enrique's arm.
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That's all folks!! YAY! K-chan left me at a damn block! ~shakes her finger at Kerrie~ Bad k-chan bad!!
Ahem.anyway. =D Hope you all liked it! R/R No FLAMES please! ^.~