Chapter Two

"The Day Before Tomorrow"

You take the breath right out of me
You left a hole where my heart should be
You got to fight just to make it through
'Cause I will be the death of you

"Breath" by Breaking Benjamin

"Hottie at four o'clock," Dylan said, watching a blond haired girl walk to the edge of the pool and jump in. He and his brother were chilling on some pool chairs that were sitting under an umbrella, watching people enjoy themselves. They were still a little damp from having swum earlier themselves, but now that the lunch crowd had recovered and returned to the pool in force, they now thought it was best to hide out. Both boys were stretched out on their chairs in nothing but swimming trunks, sunglasses and hats that were turned sideways. Their shirts, towels and room keys lie in a pile between them.

"Dude you're a perv, she's like three years younger than you…" Cole said, tilting his glasses down to get a better look. Dylan swatted him playfully.

"Not that girl, the one over there in the deep end you nut." He hissed back.

"Oh…hello there," Cole said, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Hey I saw her first bro," Dylan teased. His brother gave him an incredulous look.

"Like she'd go out with you! I'm the hotter twin according to our fans," Cole joked, teasing him back. They had a little laugh at that one. He was thinking of all the fan videos and comments left on their website for some reason. Dylan knew the feeling, it was weird being on the outside looking in for a change. Here onboard the Wonder they were just normal brothers taking a vacation together rather than famous stars being hounded by their fans or the paparazzi constantly. They'd made the slip from L.A. to Florida pretty quick and the Wonder's cruise was sold out when they'd made the announcement that they were going to their fans at the final taping of season one. They were safe from the press for now and it would take awhile before anyone onboard besides the Disney staff realized that they were here. It was day three of the voyage, and so far no problems had come up.

"You'll believe anything won't you Sarah?" a girl's voice interrupted Dylan's thoughts for nearby. He and Cole both glanced over next to them at a small group of girls their age who had taken seats at a little table under an umbrella, finishing off some kind of iced fruit drinks. Either the girls didn't see them sitting there, or they were very good at checking them out without either of the boys noticing.

"I trust my friends Kate," another girl, presumably Sarah retorted. Sarah was very cute looking, her chocolate brown eyes were warm and inviting framed by silky shoulder length bronze colored hair. Kate by contrast wasn't much to look at, pale and pasty with short black hair. Dylan had the impression that she was one of those gothic chicks, though what she was doing out here in the bright sunlit happy environment of the cruise liner's main deck was beyond him.

"You'd think they'd make a big deal of it if they were really here." Kate continued, clearly not swayed by her friend's argument. "You only want to see the Sprouses' because they're good looking and funny, the same reasons of every other simpering fan girl that they have…why would they want to meet you?" Dylan pulled his hat down slightly as though it would keep him hidden better and exchanged a nervous glance with Cole. Their anonymity onboard was never meant to last long, but to have it blown in the first few days would really suck!

"They get so much of that, I think they'd really appreciate just hanging out with people who treat them like normal guys while on vacation. I'd take them to lunch or just hang if I met them. I wouldn't go crazy like you think I would." Dylan was taking a liking to Sarah already. So cute, so nice, so down to earth!

"Yeah, whatever Sarah. We'll leave you to look for them!" Kate and the other girls walked off laughing, leaving Sarah sitting alone at the table.

"Hey what are you doing?" Cole hissed at him as Dylan got up and went over to Sarah. He gave his brother a vigorous 'not now!' gesture mid step before continuing. He noticed that she was on the verge of tears because her friends wouldn't believe her and so he took an empty chair next to her.

"Don't be sad," Dylan whispered, meeting her pained brown eyes with his and smiling slightly. Man, she was so cute! She hiccupped and looked away towards the pool.

"My friends don't believe me…my best friend back home told me that her cousin told her that they announced on the final taping of the Suite Life on Deck Season One that Dylan and Cole would be taking a vacation on the Wonder. I was so excited when I heard the news, but everyone thinks I'm lying when I tell them." She spilled her thoughts in a rush of emotion. Sarah looked back at him and smiled warmly, brushing away the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry! Hi, I'm Sarah Evans," she greeted, clearly wanting to forget about how her friends had just treated her and strike up an enjoyable conversation with another passenger.

"Hey, Sarah. Nice to meet ya! I'm Dylan Sprouse," he replied, taking off his glasses and hat for a few seconds before putting them back on, revealing his blue green eyes and damp blond hair which had now conformed to the shape of his hat. She was absolutely speechless.

"No way…" she finally managed to say.

"Way! So is that offer for lunch still good?" He asked. Dylan truly was hungry, not having eaten anything beyond a banana and a granola bar this morning, but he welcomed the opportunity to just be a normal person for awhile have lunch with a nice girl. "My treat," Dylan added after a slight pause for she was still staring at him, it was getting a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh! Sure, yeah. When did you want to go? Any places in mind?" She burst out in a rush again, smiling nervously. So cute!

"Actually I do know this cool place, let's go there," Dylan caught Cole giving him a look that clearly read 'What the heck are you doing?' and he just shrugged back at him. "Oh, give Cole a wave, he's a bit cranky today," he chuckled, nodding his head in his brother's direction. If it was possible Sarah blushed even more as she did so and Cole only gave her a half hearted wave back, staring daggers at Dylan in the process.

"Ready?" Just like that Dylan managed to have a great afternoon talking with Sarah, not that she didn't enjoy herself either. She was ecstatic, but thankfully she kept her feet firmly planted on the deck the whole time which he really appreciated. It was nice to just be a normal teenager for once.

Several hours later Dylan was standing on the foredeck, leaning against the rail enjoying the warm salty sea breeze caressing his skin as he looked out over the ocean to the dark horizon. It looked like they were going to hit a storm in the distance, which was perfectly normal during the late summer months in the Atlantic Ocean, so he was enjoying his last few minutes outside before being forced inside again.

He'd had a really good time with Sarah this afternoon, it was really refreshing to just hang out and be normal for a day, no matter how much it had made his brother mad for letting people know he was onboard. After having a nice lunch at an outdoor café that served all manner of foods, though he decided to stick with just a good old chicken breast sandwich and a salad, they returned to their rooms to change and meet up for a movie on the Wonder's lower decks where the entertainment and shopping areas were located. It had been a really great day, he couldn't wait to see Sarah again tomorrow. The cruise liner would be arriving at Bermuda tomorrow morning and they planned on spending some quality time at the beach and maybe walking through all the various shops and tourist destinations nearby. He'd have to put up with a bodyguard whenever he left the ship, he and Cole each had one in case they wanted to go to separate places, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Dylan closed his eyes and breathed in the sea air deeply, it made him feel really alive and really tired at the same time. He felt like he could just lay down right here on one of the deck chairs and sleep under the stars, if it wasn't for the storm coming and Cole wondering where he was, he might have done that. This vacation was turning out pretty good so far he had to admit. He opened his eyes and was immediately puzzled by a shimmer in the air ahead of the cruise liner. It was only there for a split second and then everything was normal again. He must be seeing things…Then it happened again.

The space between the Wonder and the approaching storm seemed to warp and twist, distorting the image of the sea and clouds ahead of them. What the hell was that? It seemed like the bridge crew didn't notice it because the ship kept sailing at the same speed right towards it. Dylan had a funny feeling that he didn't want to find out what that distortion was, it was just wrong and he didn't belong anywhere near it. He took a few tentative steps away from the railing, but was unable to completely flee from the approaching distortion. As much as he feared it, it also intrigued him. It took a few seconds before a single thought broke into his mind that made him turn around and start running...'curiosity killed the cat'.

With impossible speed the distortion washed over him, it was warm and became extremely bright. Arcs of lighting seemed to be streaking all throughout it and it made Dylan feel like he was being shocked by static electricity all over his body. The pain was agonizing. He just wanted it to stop! He felt like his skin was being burned off and his insides were on fire, like the flames were trying to claw their way out of his body from deep within. He screamed in agony and slammed face first into the deck, the distortion physically pushing him down and spinning him sideways.

He cracked open an eye to see what was going on and saw the bow of the Wonder engulfed in a bright light, though it was shattered and distorted as though he were looking at it through a kaleidoscope. Just beyond the bow there was a massive shape coming towards them, it looked like another cruise liner, ablaze in its running and cabin lights. It was easily bigger than the Wonder, and the two ships were on a collision course, seconds away from slamming into each other. Dylan looked around, frantically searching for a life vest or something that he could hold onto should he be thrown overboard…but it was too late. As the two ships slammed into each other, he felt all of the air get sucked out of his lungs, his ears popped and it felt as though the hand of god had just swatted him like a fly on a wall. Darkness overcame Dylan's vision as he was knocked unconscious.


Author's Note: Whoa whoa whoa! A slow morning turns into an extremely fun afternoon when Dylan treats a down to earth fan to the most memorable day she's had in a long while and then all of a sudden, before they can hang out again, the Wonder is struck by something that no one can explain several hours out from Bermuda. What'll happen to everyone on board the Disney Wonder? Will she go down, taking everyone with her? What will happen to our favorite actors Dylan and Cole? Will they survive the impact? What did Dylan really see rushing at them seconds before he passed out? The Wonder is just seconds from disaster...or is it?

Please review and stay tuned!!!

Till next time, peace out!