Disclaimed. (: Hey, everyone :) So it's been a while since I've posted much of anything up, and I was planning on going on a hiatus, but I decided that I'd fix up some of my other stories and see if I could continue on with them. All of these chapters have been edited—but just barely. I basically left everything as is.
Enjoy! :)
-x-
"Ah," sixteen-year-old Massie Block sighed peacefully, putting on her oversize Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses that she had packed just for this trip. She was lounging on a bright purple, inflatable waterbed in the huge pool of SS Lillian, one of her father's many extravagant cruise ships.
It had been a sunny Tuesday morning when she announced, in the middle of an Inez-prepared family brunch, that she wanted to go on a cruise. At first her parents had been doubtful, asking her why and what about school and stuff Massie couldn't care less about. Massie patiently explained to them that every adult has a mid-life crisis, and every teenager has a quarter-life crisis, and it just so happened that she was going through hers.
Of course, she didn't go into specific details.
You could not expect parents to see the awb-vious gravity of her boyfriend dumping her to go out with her red-headed, burping best friend, much less understand that her social life was going down the drain. Massie needed a vacation – not just to relax, but to plan and think and plot privately, where she wouldn't have to be stressed with the constant strain of making her life seem perfect.
After giving her father several I'm-gonna-die-if-you-don't-let-me-do-this pouts, and kissing up to her mother overtime, they finally agreed. Now, here she was, checking out cute guys on the deck of a five-star cruise ship.
Destination? Hawaii, of course!
Massie adjusted the straps of her gold bikini, taking off her sunglasses and placing them on her hair like a headband. She sighed again. It was probably almost time for her mani-pedi.
Painstakingly taking off her sunglasses – for the third time – she put them on the inflatable bed. Hooking her bangs behind her ears, Massie stood up slowly, before doing a perfect swan dive into the water. She swam all the way to the ladder, climbing up and smiling at the ah-dorable HART who handed her a towel as soon as she was out of the pool.
"Can you get that water-bed for me?" She asked him, pointing to the purple inflatable, "Just tell the front desk to bring it up to Room 100. Oh, and make sure the sunglasses don't get lost. Thanks!" She flashed him a smile and waved, walking away before he could answer.
After changing into her after-swimming outfit – a gorgeous red Chanel dress and silver wedges – she went up to her room and called the mani-pedi people.
"Hello? Hi, this is Massie Block. Is, uhm," She glanced at the name on the wrinkled piece of paper she held in her hand, "Olivia Murin there? I just wanted to tell her that I'll be skipping my appointment today."
After the lady confirmed it was fine, Massie turned her cell phone on vibrate. She clipped her bangs back – they were getting really ah-nnoying – and jumped on her bed, lying flat on her back. Not bothering to change, she kicked off her wedges and pulled the sheets over her body, closing her eyes.
You've got to start working on your tan! A tiny voice inside her head screamed frantically, reminding her of all the things that she had yet to do.
And Alicia is going to steal your spot if you don't do something, another voice chimed in. Soon her head was filled with urgent voices, all pressing her about something or other.
Massie groaned, burying her head even deeper into the bed, so that the voices were muffled. She begged them to go away.
Right now, all Massie wanted to do was sleep…
Sleep…
Sleep…
Sleep…
-x-
Massie awoke to the sound of frantic screams.
She got up in a hurry, annoyed that this commotion had wakened her from her la-la land, where her and Chace Crawford were just about to kiss. Ugh.
Throwing on some plain black flats and fixing her hair into a high ponytail, she applied some Vanilla Ice-Cream lip-gloss. A quick peek at the hallway mirror showed her that she was looking public-worthy. She pushed open the heavy door, looking around. Everyone was poking their heads out of their rooms, looking around in confusion. People were running around the hallways, some carrying crying babies and tugging on screaming preschoolers.
"What's wrong?" Massie worriedly asked a passing maid, who was practically sprinting down the hall.
"There's a horrible storm…don't know what they're gonna do – Cap'n said we might sink –" She ran off without any more explanation.
Massie's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" She cried after the maid, desperately hoping the employee would turn around and shout, 'April Fools!' Massie bit her lip. Even she knew that was a little too far-fetched. Why would anyone go to such measures for a prank?
"Ehmagawd," Massie whispered to herself, over and over again as she examined the scene. "Ehmagawd, ehmagawd, ehmagawd."
She rushed back into her room and grabbed purple handbag and her tan trench coat, threading her arms through the sleeves as she slammed the door shut. For the first time in her life, she actually ran to the front desk, cutting through the mile-long line of people already there.
When they loudly protested, she shot them her infamous alpha glare, saying, "My father owns this boat, and if it's going to sink then I think I should be informed before anyone else."
They shut up.
Massie asked the employee who was working the front desk what was happening, but he just shrugged. "I'm sorry miss, but I'm really not sure right now." Massie groaned loudly. She wanted to stamp her feet down, like a little kid, but she resisted only because she was in a room full of people.
"Mr. Malcolm!" She practically shrieked when she saw the harassed manager walk quickly by. He turned around, his face lined with worry.
"Ah, Massie, not to worry, everything is fine…" He comforted her before she even said a word.
Massie pursed her lips, knowing that he was lying. "What's happening?"
"It's just a little storm, maybe a hurricane, nothing to worry about." Mr. Malcolm explained, forcing a smile. "The crew is getting everything under control. We're in the eye of it so far, but we're not sure what's going to happen when we go past it. I'm sure it will all turn out perfectly," he added hastily when he saw her expression.
"Wait, but what about—" Massie was about to say, but he hurried away, trying to calm the crowd of guests down. She took a deep breath. Okay, Massie, get yourself together. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay.
She whipped out her diamond-studded cell phone from her purse, pressing 1. Even though she wouldn't admit it, she had her parents first on her speed dial.
"Hello?" The refreshing sound of her mother's voice made Massie want to burst into tears.
"Mom, it's Massie!" Massie shouted over the noise that the people on the ship were making.
"Massie? Hello, dear! How's the trip so far?" Kendra exclaimed.
"It's been fine, but we've hit a little trouble! Something about a hurricane!" Massie replied loudly, maneuvering her way through the crowd so that she was out in the open deck.
"I'm sorry, honey, I can't hear you over all that noise. Is there a party happening or something?"
"No, Mom! There's a storm! A hurricane!" Massie shouted desperately into the phone.
"A candy lane? What in the heavens is that?" Kendra laughed.
Massie groaned. Ugh. What was she going to do? "MOM! Listen to me carefully. There's a storm. A hurricane!"
"A hurricane? What?!" Kendra shrieked, and Massie could imagine her blue eyes going wide when she finally heard the news correctly. "Oh, dear, honey – listen, I'm going to put your father on the line, and he'll tell you exactly what to do!"
Massie sighed in relief. "Okay, sure."
"Massie? Honey?" Her father's familiar deep rumble sounded strange from her cell phone. She swallowed.
"Hey, dad. There's a hurricane here! We're in the eye of it right now, but no one's really doing anything. They're all just screaming…"
"Massie, this is really important. Go find someone and tell him or her to go up to the crew. We need to find out what's going on." His father instructed.
Massie nodded. "Got it. What next?"
"Then, tell them to use their radio to contact someone. They'll know what to do."
"Okay, good. Anything else?"
"Now this is the most important part. After they have contact, you—" His voice stopped abruptly.
Massie's heart leaped into her throat. "Dad? I what? What do I need to do? Dad?"
There was no answer. Massie looked at the small screen of her magenta-coloured cell phone.
The battery was dead.
Fuck.
-x-
Since I'm not an expert on hurricanes and what to do when you're in the eye of one on a ship, the details may be unclear. Sorry!
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