Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to the author, Stephenie Meyer.

AN: THIS is the whole chapter one. I told you all that I'd get it up tonight! I'm really proud of this chapter, acutally. It's the longest one I've ever written on fanfiction, which is exactly what I've been shooting for. The longer the chapter, the better, after all. :D For those that have read the first half of this already, sorry you have to go and search for your place, but thank you for even reading! I appreciate it so much! Next chapter soon . . . hopefully. :P Well, for now, you can read and then review this for me! Thank you!

:~:

"I'm so excited!" Alice trilled, enthusiasm dripping from her voice. "I've been counting down the days for the past month!"

I smiled and rolled my eyes at her excitement. "Yeah Alice, I know," I said. "You've mentioned it every single day for the past month."

"What?" she said sarcastically. "Don't tell me you're not excited too."

"Of course I'm excited," I assured her. "I'm just not over enthusiastic."

Alice huffed loudly. I looked over at her to see her glaring out the windshield with her lip jutting out just a bit. She was pouting. I smirked and held back to urge to snort at her dramatics.

"Oh come on, Alice," I sighed. "I was joking."

"I am not over enthusiastic," she all but growled. "A lit bit more excitement over something never hurts."

"So, does that mean I'm forgiven?" I asked, trying to sound hopeful. I watched Alice's face as she huffed again. Then she smiled widely, revealing her perfect, white teeth. I was surprised that her eagerness hadn't bubbled over already, because I could visibly see her start bouncing in her seat.

"I suppose," she agreed, still smiling.

"Okay, that's great and all, but I think you need to calm down now." She glared at me for a few moments before she turned her eyes back to the road. "I'm only thinking about our safety," I explained. "I'd rather not crash because you were too busy trying not to lose it."

"Whatever Bella," she mumbled. I smiled and settled myself back in my seat, watching as the trees whipped by due to Alice's speed. I'd long ago diagnosed her with an unhealthy addiction to speed. Every time I got in a car with her, the little needle on the speedometer never wavered below sixty-five. Alice actually considered seventy-five slow, and honestly, that worried me to no end. I was just amazed—but definitely thankful—that she hadn't gotten herself into a horrible and gruesome crash yet.

Alice Cullen has been my best friend since my junior year in high school, when I moved from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington. I think I had met every single person in the school by the end of my second day at Forks High, thanks to the extremely outgoing personality of Alice. Everyone she'd introduced to me to had greeted her like they were best friends, which honestly shouldn't have surprised me. Everybody probably knew everybody in that tiny school.

We ended up going to the same college after we graduated, and I had to admit she was like my biological sister in every way. People always said we were inseparable, after all. I couldn't really argue with that, because I had no idea what I'd do without Alice. She was the perfect best friend—trustworthy, loyal, honest, sympathetic, and any other quality a perfect best friend could have. The only thing about her that annoyed me to no end was her persistence to get me a boyfriend.

Although she was my best friend, we were completely different in every possible way. She was a fashion major, and I was an English major. She was outgoing and talkative, while I was quiet and shy. She was a complete girly-girl and up-to-date with every new trend, while I was perfectly content to just throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with some sneakers. She had a terrifying fetish with makeovers, and would force me into one with any sign of weakness in my refusal. And whenever that happened, she'd drag me off to some dance club and introduce me to every guy that came up to talk to her. Even when some had shown interest, I would only duck my head and blush, because it was me, and I wasn't able to do anything else but completely humiliate myself somehow; usually by tripping over flat surfaces and falling right on my face. And that inevitably led to the guys walking away and never giving me a second glance, which I was perfectly fine with. It was more than likely that those guys were seeking purely physical relationships—ones free of communication and understanding. And that kind of relationship I was not willing to delve into.

I knew Alice only wanted me to find someone who loved me and I could love back, and for that I was grateful. But sometimes she got a little too pushy. A few times I had gotten irritated and snapped at her, telling her I could find someone myself, and I always immediately regretted my words. Alice only wanted the best for me, and she'd told me that constantly, so I always guilted myself into accepting her assistance—no matter how much I didn't want to.

After our college graduations, we both agreed to move out of Washington state and start somewhere fresh, away from our old school and old town. My dad, Charlie—otherwise known as Chief Swan—was completely against my moving out of state. We'd had multiple arguments over it, and during each one I promised I would visit as much as was possible, but that wouldn't break him. Even telling him Alice would be with me wouldn't calm him down. Eventually my mom, Renee, stepped in. Of course, she was terrified of me moving out of state also, but unlike my father, she understood that I was able to take care of myself. She had called Charlie a few times, cleverly convincing him that letting me move away was acceptable. After a bit of coaxing from Alice's parents, he gave in. I was so thankful that he had, because two weeks later, Alice and I settled into our shared apartment in Chicago, Illinois, and I hadn't wanted to leave Charlie while he was still against my decision.

Alice and I had been in Chicago for a little over a year now, and we loved the life of freedom. I was somewhat surprised at how much I enjoyed the city life, but I figured my shock was due to how I'd become so used to the small town feel of Forks. Of course, we flew back out to Washington as much as we could, the airfare always generously funded by Alice's parents, despite my constant protests.

And the Cullen's generosity never ceased to amaze me. It was due to them that we were now going on a two and half week long cruise around Europe. Alice's father, Carlisle, was a much sought after surgeon, causing him to be fairly well supplied in the money category. He and Esme, Alice's mother, had originally bought the cruise tickets for themselves, but Esme had been suffering from back pain a week before the cruise, which left her unable to fly in her condition. When they offered the tickets to us, Alice fully accepted the offer before she even consulted me. I felt guilty for agreeing with their offer, because it must have cost more than what my truck was worth for just the two tickets alone. But after some begging and pleading from Alice, I gave in.

Truthfully, I was thrilled to be going on this trip. I had always wanted to travel, and Europe would have been my first destination if I'd ever had the money to make the trip myself. I had thanked the Cullens profusely for their generosity, and they always waved it off, saying it was their pleasure. Despite their casualness over the situation, I still hoped I could somehow pay off the huge amount of money they had pretty much thrown away for us.

"Bella!" Alice called. "Earth to Bella!" She waved her hand in front of my face, trying to gain my attention. I blinked and looked at over at her. One eyebrow was quirked as she watched me, amusement all over her expression.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I guess I dazed off."

"Obviously," Alice pointed out. "I thought I'd lost you in your own little fantasy world."

"Again," I huffed, "I'm sorry. It's early, all right? Do you really expect me to stay focused and alert when we had to wake up at four in the morning?"

"Relax, relax," she laughed, holding out her hands in a surrendering gesture. "Just messing with you, Bella. By the way, we're at the airport."

"Yeah," I sighed, just noticing the parking lot surrounding us. "Let's just get our bags out, okay? I want to get into the terminal soon so I can sneak in a nap."

Alice rolled her eyes, but agreed. She flung open her door and skipped to the trunk of her bright yellow Porsche, flipping it open to reveal her huge, oversized suitcase. She yanked it out of the small space and set it on the ground, while I pulled out my more reasonably sized suitcase from the backseat.

"Alice, I know that it's almost a three week long trip," I began, voicing what I had asked her many times before, "but do you honestly need everything that's crammed in there?" I nodded at her bulging suitcase. She looked at it, and then narrowed her eyes at me. I sighed, expecting her next words.

"Bella," she said, exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you? I packed everything that's essential. I just happen to have more essentials than other people." She eyed my suitcase with distaste.

"You packed the whole apartment," I pointed out.

"I did not!" she exclaimed. "I need everything in this bag. But I really don't know how you're going to survive two and a half weeks with what little you've got in there." She pointed at my suitcase, which coincidentally, was not ready to rip at the seams due to a vast amount of clothing stuffed into it.

"I will be perfectly well off with what I packed, because I packed the essentials," I explained. "Mostly," I amended, remembering the cocktail dresses she'd forced me to bring along. Because I hadn't wanted to argue with her about it, I had quickly given in to taking them, but I had no idea where I would even wear them. I wasn't planning on wearing them in the first place.

"Whatever," Alice said. "Let's go." She pulled out her carry on back and purse from the back seat and locked the doors to her car. We caught a bus that took us to the entrance of the airport, saving us from a long and tiring walk. We made it through security and checking with fairly easily, except the small problem of Alice's suitcase almost getting stuck going through the metal detector, earning a few irritated glares from the workers. I couldn't help teasing her about it after they pulled the suitcase free, and she gave me a glare and an annoyed huff. About forty-five minutes after pulling into the airport parking lot, we were making our way towards our terminal, where we would wait an hour and a half for our flight to board.

I sank willingly into the uncomfortable chairs that lined the terminal walls and leaned my head back, closing my eyes to the artificial light of the airport. I hoped I could sleep off as much of the wait as possible, but Alice had other plans.

"Oh my God," Alice suddenly chimed next to me. "I can't wait to see what the ship looks like. I know my parents won't settle for less than breathtaking, so it's probably gorgeous."

"Alice," I groaned. "I'm pretty sure I remember myself saying I wanted to sleep when we got into the terminal. Remember that?"

"Come on," she whined. "Don't you want to talk a little bit?"

"No," I told her. "I really don't."

"Please Bella?" she pressed, sounding like a four year old begging for cotton candy. "Just think about the gorgeous rich guys that'll be on the boat. Oh, and the foreign ones with accents!" I mentally rolled my eyes at her swooning, since my eyes were still closed. I wasn't surprised that she would bring up that topic as soon as possible.

"I know it's shocking," I said sarcastically, "but I'm not actually going on this trip for the guys. Things that are foreign, other than guys, can also be fascinating, you know."

Alice sighed loudly. "Bella, I'm not that boy crazed." I snorted and received a brief glare before she continued. "I enjoy the sights and learning the history of foreign countries as much as you do, but it doesn't hurt to be excited about meeting some cute guys along the way." When I didn't respond, she continued, a smile in the tone of her voice. "Who knows? Maybe you'll meet your Prince Charming there."

I groaned again and opened my eyes to glare at her. She smiled at me and winked.

"Drop it, Alice," I sighed. "I'm not going on this cruise to look for a boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated breath. "Didn't you listen to anything I just said?"

"I did," I said. "I'm just emphasizing my point."

She rolled her eyes again. "Fine," she said, a smile playing at her lips. "Go to sleep. We have two and a half hours to talk on the plane."

"Sure," I mumbled. I closed my eyes again and listened as Alice pulled out a notebook—no doubt it was her sketchbook—and flipped through the pages. I listened as the rhythmic scratch of her pencil on the paper slowly lulled me into tempting

darkness.

I was awakened by a few nudges at my shoulder. I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the bright light, and glanced around me, remembering quickly that I was at the airport.

"Ten minutes till the plane boards," Alice informed me. I swiped my hand over my face and sighed, nodding my understanding.

"Did I really sleep the whole time?" I asked, surprised that I was able to sleep through all the noise and commotion of the crowded airport. I was usually a fairly light sleeper.

"Mhmm," Alice said. "Maybe I should've let you sleep a little while longer, though. You don't seem so against talking then."

I blinked, confused as to what she meant, and then the realization hit me. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, but I didn't have the will to hide the blush. I was too horrified.

"I didn't," I breathed, eyes wide. Alice knew full well that I talked in my sleep, and she loved teasing me about it. On more than one occasion, she had held back on telling me what I'd said, leaving me to believe that what came out of my mouth was unbelievably embarrassing.

"Yep," Alice said, popping the 'p' and smiling. "Could've carried on a conversation with you if what you were saying had made any sense."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. If I hadn't been making any sense, then she must not have heard too much of what I'd said. Still, I had to ask. "What did I say?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. You mumbled some stuff about the cruise and Europe, and how I annoyed you about guys, and a little bit about how you wanted to pay back my parents."

"Good," I sighed. I could handle whatever I said pertaining to those topics.

"Yeah," Alice said. "Nothing too juicy, unfortunately." She smiled and winked at me once more.

I rolled my eyes. "Alice," I whined. "Do you have to be so cruel about it?"

"Nope," she grinned. "But it sure is fun."

"Isn't it always?" I mumbled, but it wasn't really a question. Alice answered anyway.

"Always," she agreed.

"We are now boarding flight 483 first class passengers, rows A through E," a smooth male voice sounded through the intercom. Alice glanced at her ticket briefly and then looked back up at me.

"That's us!" she said, smiling widely. Yet another thing I felt guilt about accepting from Carlisle and Esme—first class tickets for our flight. Alice and I gathered up our carry on bags and headed towards the terminal gate, finding our spot in the line fairly quickly. I felt out of place standing with rich men and women all dressed in expensive suits and clothing, but I sucked it up and boarded the plane, settling into the cushioned seats of the first class cabin in awe.

"Bella, you look like you've never been inside a plane before," Alice giggled.

"Well, I've never flown first class," I said. "Not all of us can have rich parents, now can we?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I've heard all that before."

I chuckled and turned to look out the window, watching as workers drove by in little golf carts, towing luggage on flat trailers. I watched three planes barrel down the runway and take flight before the captain's voice crackled over the intercom.

"Good morning passengers," he said in a deep voice. "Thank you for flying with Southwest Airlines. We should arrive in New York in about two and a half hours. Please keep your seatbelts on until the light above you turns off and we are safely in the air. Again, thank you for flying with us and enjoy the flight."

I watched with little interest as the flight attendant demonstrated how to buckle and unbuckle our seatbelts and put on the oxygen masks if we experienced loss of air pressure. It ten minutes, we were gliding along the lot full of airplanes toward one of the empty runways. The seatbelt light blinked on, and I quickly clicked the latch in place, then turned back to look out the window as we gained speed and lurched into the air.

The ground disappeared below as we quickly ascended, the buildings, trees, and cars all becoming smaller and smaller with every passing minute. The plane tilted to the right slightly, leaning us further east, in the direction of New York.

"I cannot wait to get to Spain and France!" Alice suddenly squealed. "Just imagine how beautiful they'll be!"

I glanced over to see her holding onto the cruise brochure and running her finger down the list of countries and cities we would be visiting. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "I'm curious to know if they're as beautiful as their pictures though."

"I'll bet they are," she insisted. "My parents have been to Spain, and they said that it was even more beautiful in person. The videos they've shown us sure proved that."

I held out my hand for the brochure, and Alice handed it to me. I looked through the same list she had looked at briefly. "Oh, Barcelona!" I breathed. "I've always wanted to go there."

"Well, now you can," she smiled. "I'll bet you aren't feeling guilty about accepting those tickets now, are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know," I said. "I'll admit I'm sure glad I did accept them, but I still feel guilty about the money they wasted."
"Bella," Alice said. "Did you listen to my parents at all? They're perfectly fine with this!"

"Yeah. That's what they said. It doesn't mean they actually mean it."

Alice gave me a look that said 'Isn't that obvious?' and said, "I thought you knew my parents better than that."

I furrowed my brow. "What?"

"They never lie," she pointed out. "They believe people deserve to know the truth over lies. I have to agree, for the most part. It saves a lot of grief."

"Yes, I do know that, Alice," I sighed. I knew that all along. But it didn't erase the image of the large amount of money imprinted in my mind.

"Well, why are you so worried about it, then?" she asked.

"It just doesn't feel right, them spending so much money on me when that money was meant for them," I explained, exasperated.

"They're spending it on me, too, Bella," Alice said.

"Yes, but you're their daughter."

"And?" she asked, quirking one eyebrow. "Your point?"

"Does everything have to have a point?" I groaned, becoming tired of this conversation. I leaned my head back on the headrest, rubbing my still tired eyes.

"With me, yes." She said it in a tone that suggested I should know that already. Which I did. I just wanted to find a way to end this conversation.

"Well, I don't have a point," I admitted. "And haven't we had this conversation before?"

Alice nodded. "Yes. Multiple times, actually. But you seem to keep bringing it up."

"Sure," I muttered sarcastically. "Alice, can we just stop talking about it? It's pretty pointless."

"I suppose," she sighed, settling back in her seat. "Only if you stop feeling guilty over it. That is pointless."

"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled, knowing full well that wasn't going to happen.

"Wonderful." I heard the smile in her tone, but I was sure it was a façade. I was almost positive she didn't believe that I meant my agreement.

We didn't talk much for the rest of the flight. I was surprised that Alice hadn't exploded with conversation the whole two hours. I hadn't known she had that kind of restraint—she was the only person I knew who could talk forever, with minimal pauses for oxygen. I was thankful for her silence, though, because I was able to sleep for about an hour. When I woke up, I felt slightly more rested, but I couldn't wait to finally get settled on the ship, so I could get a full night's sleep. That is, if Alice didn't have other plans for me, which is was very unlikely that she didn't. She hadn't forced me to bring those dresses for nothing.

I had been reading for the past hour when the captain's voice sounded over the intercom again.

"Good morning passengers," he said. "We will be arriving in New York in about ten minutes. We hope the flight was enjoyable, and again thank you for flying with us."

Alice and I fastened the little tables back into the back of the seats in front of us. I packed away my book, and Alice stuffed her sketchbook and magazines back into her bag. She was bouncing in her seat again, the anticipation threatening to explode out of her. I felt like I should warn the people around us of Alice's liability to overreact, but I didn't think Alice would appreciate it, no matter how much others would.

"Bella!" Alice suddenly squealed. I looked over at her and gasped a bit when I looked right into her wide blue eyes. She was leaning over me, trying to catch a glance out of the window as we landed.

"Just imagine all of the stores!" she said breathlessly. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head as her eyes shifted from the approaching city to me and back, a small smile playing on her lips. My eyes widened as the variety of equally horrifying scenarios played through my mind.

"Alice . . ." I began, warning her with my voice. "Don't even think about it."

"Don't think about what?" she asked innocently, moving away from the small window. She wore an expression that was innocent as it was real.

"You know full well what I'm talking about," I said, narrowing my eyes. "And my answer is no. No negotiations."

She looked at me with her false innocence for a few more moments before she decided that it was no use. She sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes before she spoke.

"Honestly, Bella," she said. "You're a girl. Sooner or later you have to get over this sick aversion to all things fashion. Sooner would be preferable."

"Just because I'm a girl does not mean I have to have an obsession with clothes and makeup."

"If you ever want to get a guy you do," she said matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders.

I took a deep breath, wondering how I was ever going to make her let that go. So I didn't have a boyfriend—so what? I just hadn't found the right guy yet—and I tended to drive many of them away with my klutz gene and antisocial-like shyness. But how could I, or anyone else, do anything about that? They couldn't, and Alice didn't seem to realize that. Meddling in my near non-existent love life was like a hobby for her. A hobby that she was never going to get tired of until she finally had a success in her attempts.

"No, Alice," I finally said, trying to sound firm.

"Whatever you say, Bella." Translation: "I can hear the resignation in your voice, so a total transformation is in order for you."

I bit my tongue so I wouldn't grumble at her addiction to dressing me up. Even though I had sounded resigned and defeated, I still had fight in me. I wasn't going to give in to her that easily—she just didn't know that yet.

The landing went smoothly, and we got off the plane fairly quickly. We spotted Alice's luggage first on the luggage carousel—it was hard to miss; a purple, bulging suitcase—and mine followed a few suitcases behind, much less conspicuous.

Before I knew it Alice had my wrist locked in a vise-like grip and was half pulling, half dragging me toward the doors. I caught the time in flashing red digits on a digital clock hanging on the wall and looked back at Alice, curious.

"Alice," I said a bit loudly, trying to pull my hand free. "We only have an hour and a half before we board the ship. What are you doing?"

She responded by tugging me along even further. Her lips stayed stubbornly sealed. Of course, I did know what she was doing. She was hauling me off to some designer—and way too expensive—New York store and planning on playing dress up Barbie doll. Which I had no intention of letting happen. But Alice had every single intention of doing it, so I needed to find a way to distract her—fast. Or maybe even make a compromise, if completely necessary.

I scrambled in my mind for something that could make her forget about shopping, or at least keep her away from the stores. Nothing came to mind that would be effective, so I just opened my mind and voiced a lame excuse for avoiding the shopping spree.

"Alice," I said. She didn't look over her shoulder or even acknowledge that she'd heard me. So I tugged my hand back to catch her attention and said her name again, more firmly.

Her eyes met my face, annoyance clear in them, but she didn't slow down. "What?" she asked.

"I just remembered I need to buy a couple books," I said, my voice sounding less and less sure by the second. "I'm almost finished with the book I brought, and I need to get some new ones."

"You packed three other books, Bella," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Don't even try. You are so not getting out of this."

Aw crap. I had forgotten that she'd pretty much been the warden of my packing process. She had seen everything I'd put into my bag.

"Fine," I hissed. "I'll let you do this." I guess I'd have to go with plan B. "But with a compromise."

"I thought you said your resolve was non negotiable," she mocked, beckoning a taxicab by setting down her suitcase and waving her free hand wildly in the air.

"That's when I was hoping you'd drop it," I explained, aggravated.

A taxicab screeched to a halt in front of us ten seconds later. The driver got out and helped us shove our bags in the trunk, flashing us both a silver-crown toothed smile every few seconds.

"You really believed I would give up?" Alice gasped in mock horror. "Bella, it's like you don't know me at all."

"Well, I can still hope," I mumbled.

"So," she said happily as we climbed into the back seat of the taxi. "What's your compromise?" She was obviously convinced she was going to get her way.

"You can dress me," I replied grudgingly. "Nothing. Else."

Alice's happy demeanor disappeared immediately. "Come on," she whined. Where's the fun in that? Clothes and hair."

"No," I refused sternly.

"Please, Bella?" She was begging, but I wouldn't let her have her way. For once I wanted to go somewhere in public with her without her making me look like someone else.

"No, Alice," I persisted.

"What harm could I do with hair?"

"Ha," I laughed humorlessly. "I could think of a few things."

"Like what?" she said.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back for a moment. Then I opened my eyes and stared at the unnerving stains on the taxi's ceiling. I couldn't help but think, 'Really, though. How much harm could she do with hair?' Not much was what I concluded.

"Fine," I sighed. "Clothes and hair. That is it."

"Yay!" Alice squealed. She wrapped her arms around me squeezed tightly. "Thank you, Bella!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her excitement. "You know no one can say no to you."

"Exactly," she grinned.

I rolled my eyes. Ten minutes later the driver weaved the taxi out of the traffic and stopped by the people filled sidewalk. I opened the door and stepped out, followed by Alice.

"Hey ladies," the driver called through the open passenger window in a thick New York accent. "What are you doing with your bags?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but Alice waved at me to be quiet. "Let me handle this," she mouthed. I nodded and watched curiously as she dug her wallet out of her purse and produced a fifty. She stuck her head in the window and spoke too quietly for me to hear. When she stood back up, she looked satisfied and her hand was vacant of the money she had held a few moments ago.

"He'll wait here while we're inside," she explained, leading me into a store whose name I couldn't pronounce. I nodded, but just hoped he didn't end up going through our bags and stealing something.

Forty-five minutes later we emerged from the store, Alice holding two bags full of clothes. Most of the clothes Alice had insisted I needed, but she gave in and bought some for herself before we left. My hair was shiny and smooth as it flowed down my back. Alice had forced me into a casual looking black dress with a flimsy material. I felt way too exposed in it, but what could I do? No one could argue with a determined pixie like Alice.

True to his word, the cab driver had stayed right where he was while we—well, Alice—had been shopping. We climbed back into the backseat with our bags as Alice told the driver the address of the dock where we would be boarding our ship. It took twenty minutes to make it to the dock. If it had been any farther away from where we had been, then we would have been late.

We hurriedly yanked our bags out of the trunk and hurried up to the humongous crowd of people who we figured were the other passengers. My eyes locked on the ship quickly, considering it was huge. Many windows lined up along the side of it, and there were two visible decks. Across it in blue, curving letters read the name Seven Seas Voyager. I noticed that the stairs that would bring us up to the deck were already in place and that there was a long line of people climbing the steep flight already.

"Are we late?" I asked breathlessly, glancing at Alice.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. They must be boarding early or something. Come on."

Alice began weaving her way through the people as she searched for the end of the line. I followed behind her, finding it difficult to squeeze between the tightly packed crowd. Eventually Alice stopped behind a woman with a blonde ponytail and a camera around her neck, looking very touristy. I tried to catch my breath from trying to keep up with Alice as I leaned down onto my suitcase to rest.

"You have the tickets?" I said. Alice looked at me and nodded. She started rummaging through her purse, and after a few moments she pulled out two strips of paper, covered in small black print­­­­—the tickets.

"They're right here," she said, handing me mine.

"Thanks," I said, taking it and standing up straight again. I looked up at the ship again, still in awe at how huge it really was. But it was also beautiful.

"It's so gorgeous," Alice trilled, voicing what I was thinking. "I'm not surprised, though. Like I said, my parents prefer the finer things."

"I'm surprised they didn't let us fly in their private jet," I joked. Alice slapped me on the arm and rolled her eyes as we started to ascend the stairs.

"They don't have a private jet, Bella," she said, lifting her bag up to the next step along with her. "Although I wouldn't be too surprised if they really did."

"I would," I said. Yes, the Cullens were completely rich and could more than likely afford an extremely nice jet if they wished to buy one, but they truly weren't too much the materialistic type of people, unlike their daughter.

Alice just shrugged her shoulders and continued up.

Within the next twenty minutes we were at the landing, stepping onto the deck after presenting our tickets. We followed the flow of people, unsure as to where we were even headed. The deck was a clean and shiny under the many deck chairs that were lined up near the railing so they were looking out at the sparkling ocean. The windows into many different rooms, but one stuck out in my mind—a spa. If the spa didn't have a makeover factor along with it, it sounded like something I would definitely be happy to enjoy.

Everything was elegant and gorgeous on the Seven Seas Voyager. Nothing seemed out of place and everything looked spotless, which didn't seem likely for a ship that had thousands of people living on it for fair amounts of time. But it was, and I couldn't wait to explore the rest of the ship. The excitement that had been hiding inside of me suddenly started to build inside of me, I could feel it. I hoped we would be taking off from the dock soon, because I could feel my impatience growing already.

When we finally stopped behind the restless crowd, I took a moment to admire what I supposed was the main deck. It was just as immaculate as the other decks, but on the other end of it, there was a large, decorated pool. A kiddy pool and a hot tub with a stone waterfall were near it, making it a pretty sight.

There were quite a few people in the front explaining and demonstrating how to fasten a life jacket, and went on to explain other things to do in case of emergencies, along with general information. I caught bits and fragments, but not enough to really feel prepared. Hopefully Alice had understood most of what they were saying.

Finally we were headed to our room, finding our way through the many hallways to the suite. I let Alice lead the way the whole time, afraid that if she followed me, we'd end up on the other side of the ship. But after walking around for nearly a half hour, I wasn't so sure either of us would find it.

"Uh, Alice?" I said uncertainly.

She glanced down at the map of the ship and paper that told us our room number, then said distractedly, "Hmm?" She kept walking and didn't look back at me.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I said. "It just seems like we're going in circles."

"We'll find it," she mumbled. Then, "Ah! Found it!"

"Seriously?" I said skeptically.

"Look!" Alice said, pointing at the door she was standing in front of. I remember our room number from the paper, 327A, and that's what it said on the door, so I figured that we were at the right room.

"Okay," I sighed. "Open it up and we'll see."

Alice pulled out the room key from her pocket and slipped it through. The green light blinked on and she turned the handle, revealing the room.

"Told you so," she sang as she walked in.

I rolled my eyes and followed in after her, closing the door behind me.

The lights flicked on just as the lock clicked on the door. I turned and looked into a beautifully decorated room. You could definitely tell that it was one of the more expensive rooms. The color scheme was a golden ocher along with accents of a deep scarlet. The living room, which was what you first stepped into, had light golden walls, and the furniture was scarlet with gold patterned into it. A flat screen TV hung on the wall, a beautiful fireplace directly under it. There were two doors on the right wall, and I assumed they led to the bedroom and bathroom. The farthest door was wide open, and I figured it was the bedroom. Alice was probably in it, unpacking already.

I made my way to it, towing my suitcase behind me, and my purse and carry on bag slung over my shoulder. When I entered the room, I immediately saw two twin sized beds with scarlet bedspreads and golden pillows. Alice's suitcase was flung out over one of the beds. It was open and clothes were spilling over the sides. The door of a small closet was open, a bright light on inside of it. I walked over to the other bed and rested my stuff on it.

"Ugh!" Alice groaned from the closet. "How am I supposed to fit all of our stuff in here? It's so small!"

I couldn't help but snicker at her stresses. She was the only person I knew who could get so freaked out over the size of a closet. I unzipped my suitcase and began pulling out shirts that I could hang in the closet. I scooped them up headed toward the open door and found Alice glaring at the already full rack of hangers. A pile of shirts was still on the floor at her feet, waiting to be hung up.

"Alice," I said, smirking. "If you glare any longer you might catch all of your clothes on fire. What'll you do then?"

She turned her glare on me and gave a huff. "These people do not know how necessary a large closet is."

I laughed. "You know, there is a dresser in the room. It has plenty of room for all of your unnecessary items of clothing."

"Unnecessary," Alice scoffed. "None of this," she gestured to the clothes that were already hanging up, and then at the pile on the floor, "is unnecessary."

I rolled my eyes. "I am not having that conversation with you again." I turned to walk out. "Do you want to give me the rest of your clothes so I can put them in some drawers?"

"Fine," Alice mumbled. I turned back around and she dropped the pile into my already filled arms. I went to the dresser and started folding the clothes and putting them inside. Alice brought out a few more things from the closet and switched them with the dresses she'd had me pack. We both finished unpacking everything fairly quickly, and I eventually found myself splayed out on my bed, trying to keep from falling asleep. My eyes were fluttering closed, only to force them open again. The bed was extremely comfortable, and I could feel the very subtle sway of the ship. It didn't give me motion sickness like I was afraid it would, but it only made me tired.

I didn't hear Alice walk in before she spoke. "Bella," she sighed. "Go to sleep if you're that tired. Sleep deprivation won't be helpful when we're going to be in different time zones anyway."

I nodded, too tired to say my thanks. I burrowed under the covers, and seconds after my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

I woke up to my bed bouncing violently. For a moment, I thought it was the ship rocking aggressively, strongly enough to make the bed move. But then I heard a sound filter through my groggy mind. The sound was saying my name, and it took me a few seconds to realize that it was Alice's voice.

"Bella!" she said. "Wake up, Bella!" She was pushing down on the mattress repeatedly, which was what was causing it to shake.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up. "What Alice?" I mumbled.

"There's karaoke in one of the lounges tonight!" she squealed. "We have to go!"

Lounge equals guys. Guys equal a meddling Alice. I don't think so.

"Alice," I whined. "Why?"

"It'll be so much fun!" she trilled, still shaking the bed.

I sighed, realizing I didn't really care if Alice wanted to meddle. I could ignore it, just like I always had. And anyway, I wanted to do something. I wanted to explore the ship a bit. So why not go and listen to people sing karaoke horribly?

"Okay," I sighed. "I guess I'll go."

She grinned widely and clapped her hands together. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Wait," I said, sitting up and holding my hand up to make her pause. "One condition. I dress myself."

Alice's lip jutted out in an automatic pout. She looked at me as she contemplated, and finally gave in.

"Agreed," she sighed. "Hurry up, though. We have a half an hour before it starts." She must have already gotten herself ready, because she turned and walked out of the bedroom. I stood up and went to the dresser and pulled out a nice shirt and some jeans, not caring if I needed to be dressed up to go to a lounge, which I figured you really didn't. I grabbed my bag of toiletries and walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. I didn't have time to take a shower, so I pulled on my clothes and washed off my face. I brushed my teeth and ran a brush through my tangled hair, trying to make it look halfway presentable. When I was satisfied with my appearance, I put everything back in the bedroom and walked into the living room to see a very impatient Alice waiting my the door.

"Jeez Bella," she said. "I thought you were going to make us late."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What time does it start?"

"Six," she said. I was momentarily surprised that I had slept for nearly six hours, but that passed quickly.

"And what time is it now?" I asked.

"Five forty-seven." She opened the door and walked out, waving for me to follow her. "Why does it matter?"

"We have nearly fifteen minutes," I said, stepping out of the room. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because it's almost all the way on the other side of the ship," she explained. "And I don't know how long it'll take us to get there."

"Could you find somewhere to go that's even further than that?" I murmured sarcastically.

"Nope," Alice said.

We walked for the next ten minutes, walking by many, many people. They were a variety of ages, ranging from preteen to the older folks in their fifties and sixties, but we saw more people that were our age or into their thirties.

I would never get over the beauty of the ship. Every part of it was intricately designed and spotless. The colors and furniture were all tasteful, making it very appealing. We passed by many rooms—restaurants, gyms, and spas—all nice to look at. There was even a huge theater, complete with the cushioned seats and a projection screen behind a curtain.

When Alice found the lounge, it was a few minutes after six. She tugged me in quickly, leading us to the first available table.

The room was fairly large. The lights were dimmed, but it was still light enough that reading something would be possible. There was a soft glow across the room, causing it to have a very cozy feeling. There were couches and chairs lined up on the other side of the room, occupied by men and women talking and holding drinks. A small stage was built in one corner. It rose up off the floor so if someone were to perform on it, they would be set above most people, noticeable. Next to it was a small bar with a good-looking guy working behind it, smiling charmingly at anyone who came up.

"Are you glad you came yet?" Alice asked.

I looked at her to see her smiling with excited eyes. Her eyes flicked around to glance at the many faces in the room. "You wouldn't be expecting me to say that I'm glad I came because of the guys here, would you?" I said knowingly.

Her eyes rested on me briefly, and then looked away, clutching her hands in front of her. I knew she was lying then. When she clasped her hands in front of her, it meant she was nervous. My suspicions of why she wanted me to come here had just been proved.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Even if you do meddle in my love life tonight, Alice," I said, "it doesn't mean I'll acknowledge it."

She sighed. "Do what you want Bella. I won't do anything tonight, since you're so set on not accepting my help."

"I plan on it," I assured her.

We sat in silence for a few moments, just watching the people around us and the people who walked in. I was about to suggest going to get something to drink when Alice piped up.

"Just look at how some of these people are dressed," she said, faint disgust in her voice. I could just tell she was dying to get these people in front of her mirror and treat them like mannequins. "You would think they'd at least try to be color coordinated. I mean, honestly, it takes five seconds to find something that matches and . . ."

She stopped, her eyes going wide as she looked over my shoulder. The color seemed to drain from her face as her mouth dropped open in obvious shock.

"Alice?" I asked worriedly. "Alice, what's wrong?" I looked over my shoulder to see a few people entering the lounge and some leaning against the wall and talking to others. I turned my eyes back to Alice just in time to her jump out of her chair and bolt toward the door. I instinctually started after her, but was stopped by the wave of people that entered and blocked my view. When they cleared away, I saw Alice clinging tightly to one of the guys I saw standing by the door a moment ago.

I walked quickly, but cautiously, toward the two, watching the guy's gorgeous face and his emerald green eyes, wide with shock. He had his arms wrapped around Alice's small waist, hugging her back. I was close enough to hear the three words he said into her ear that confused me to no end.

"Hey, little sister."

AN: Woohoo! You read all the way to the end of this chapter! Thank you! I'll update ASAP. As long as I don't end up too busy somehow. :\ I'll try, though! PLEASE review!