Hey Guys Here is Chapter 2 :D! I hope you all like it!
At the end of the chapter I decided to put lyrics to a song that I was listening to while typing it and I was thinking 'wow this is so fitting!' so I decided to type lyrics that I think fit well with the chapter and I was listening to while typing it! I personally love when Authors include lyrics to songs because I find songs that I really like through them C: !
A HUGE thanks to The Knees of Bees and KatanaNightengale for the reviews C: reviews are love! I hope you guys like this chapter!
I love hearing comments too if you want to comment or message me, I'm a pretty talkative person!
-DI
Perception
Chapter 2
"There was something ominous in the atmosphere. It was as just as though I had been let into some conspiracy." Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
'Nothing is set in stone' is a lying phrase, the past is set in stone, unable to be altered. Who could change the past? No one. What can change the future? A single decision made in the essence of a single fleeting moment, some decisions so easily made become the most deadly. The realization of our complete mortality comes in observation of the importance of a single instant, how powerful a moment is to drastically alter an event and then to carve it in stone. Every decision made was once a moment, every huge event was once a sliver of time that transforms the 'could have been' into the 'impossible' and the 'potential' into the 'inevitable'.
It is when one realizes the significance of an instant when they realize the true insanity of life, the impossibility to control anything, the illusion that 'control' really is. Who can control life then? Tell me, I would like to know.
The massive white beast glared down at me as the waves avoided it's smooth bulk. The eloquent black cursive twisted and curved delicately spelling out the name of the great white beast "Dream Finder" it beckoned to the unknowing and eager closer towards it's comforting aura. To me the beautiful writing was a red flag waving in the wind, a giant skull, a warning to not get within 100 feet of this ship, much less on it. Anxiety crashed onto me pulling me under, my stomach warped sickeningly as if to warn me of a bad omen. Everything within me told me to stay away from this ship, my throat tightened and my fingers shook. My eyes widened and my breathing quickened.
"Joe" Vivian called snapping me out of my thoughts and back into reality.
I gave an awkward laugh, "Sorry Viv, I guess I was just distracted."
She could see the anxiety on my face "Hey it will be fun! Don't waste time with worries, I'm nervous too but once we get on the ship everything will be better!" She smiled pulling me a bit along with her "I promise." She guaranteed.
Vivian was so excited for this cruise I couldn't bring her down with my anxieties. I nodded giving a smile.
Vivian was right, as the fresh air rushed through my short blonde locks I smiled, this was the best moment all year. The cool wind allayed me of my prior nerves and endued a calm vibe through my being. I was stupid for being so nervous.
"Omigawd Joe!" Vivian called with an excited yell I rushed over to her, she was holding the map of the gigantic cruise ship, pointing to one end of the boat with a blue shape she turned to me with a huge smile. "They have a poolwith a swim up bar!"
"day-umn" I gaped at the spot she was pointing at, so this was what it was like living large!
I turned to her throwing up my arms "Well what are we waiting for?" she turned to me with a smile matching my own. "Let's go smash some drinks at the pool bar!"
We raced back to our room like children on their way to a candy store. In record time we threw on our bathing suits.
"Joo-ee!" Vivian whined at me. "I wish I had boobs like yours." She pouted while trying to pull up more of hers. I glanced in the mirror. I guess one thing my mom did bless me with was a pretty curvy body. My pink and blue striped bikini that had a bow in the middle did make them look good too.
"Vivian hush!" I scolded "You get more guys than me so I don't think you have room to complain."
Viv rolled her eyes placing a hand on her side
"That's only because you are rarely interested in a guy, and when you are you never seem serious about it."
I opened my mouth to say something but realized she was completely correct, but there were a few guys I was legitly interested in! They just never really worked out.
"Lets go." I said as I finished tying my other sandal on and tying my skirt cover a bit tighter around my waist.
Vivian grudgingly followed murmuring curses along the way.
It only took one view of the beautiful pool tiled in various shades of blue and turquoise with a hint of green, complete with a swim-up bar to dissipate Vivian's pouting face into an expression of complete awe and wonder.
We walked in, the cool pool water feeling wonderful in the hot daylight.
Swimming up to the bar we took our seats on the underwater barstools.
"Hello what can I get for you ladies?" the attractive barista asked us. His side wasn't in the pool obviously, or else he would probably get a lot more tips mixing drinks while swimming.
We ordered our drinks. Viv always went for some fancy margarita whereas I just asked for some vodka, but then the barista talked me into trying out one of his creations which was a chilled tropical vodka drink, what can I say, who can resist a man with those arms?
I watched as the muscle moved under his uniform white colored shirt. He certainly was good looking.
"So," he made small talk giving a dazzling smile "How has your trip been going?"
I smiled wide "I was nervous at first but it's turning out to be wonderful!"
Vivian nodded agreeing, I could tell that she thought he was good looking too, usually when you are friends with someone long enough their body language can give away just about anything.
"Everyone is so friendly here."
"I'm sure pretty girls like you don't have a problem with making friends" he winked
I forced a smile immediately turned off by his flirting, it was obvious he was a womanizer and those I never really liked. Everything about them seemed so fake, as if they were forcing flirt to be liked, or in his case to probably get more tips.
I looked over and rolled my eyes, Viv was encouraged by his flirt. She leaned forward (and in doing so, tried to make her cleavage look good)
"You know" she said in her 'coy voice' "Joe and I were going to go to the billiards tables later if you are off of your shift…?"
He smiled wide, his flirt bait was bit on but his smile flickered when he looked at me and realized I wasn't looking at him with 'coy eyes' but rather 'annoyed eyes'. "Of course, what time?"
Viv's eyes lit up when he accepted, but then dulled when she saw his eyes flicker at me and then my cleavage I wanted to roll my eyes but couldn't because he was still looking at me. Vivian shoved her boobs up more in a desperate attempt to win back his attention. "Whatever time would suit you." She said in maximum flirt mode, eyes hooded, lips pursed, the whole lot.
"Okay then 5'oclock works for me, I'm Colin and what may I ask are your lovely ladies' names?"
I was staring at the ground unable to move my eyes in fear of glaring or an eye roll. I forced a smile.
Thankfully Vivian answered even though he was looking straight at me.
"I'm Vivian and this is Josephina but everyone just calls her Joe."
As we left the pool after talking to 'Colin', and on a side note Colin is such a bland name, not sexy at all, I don't even know what I saw in him to begin with, he was just a annoying lady charmer, no depth only flirt, just like his name Colin was just another boring guy.
When we reached our shared room to take a shower and get dressed Vivain turned to me.
"You can't go." She said simply after shutting the door behind us. "Now, don't get me wrong, you know I love chilling with you, It's just you are too good at billiards I don't want you to embarrass Colin by being better at him."
I wanted to laugh out loud, it was true though, in order to gain money I became really good at many different card games and billiards, all different honest ways of taking money off of others.
"I didn't really want to go to begin with Viv, so calm down. I would have ditched you guys to explore the ship anyways."
She let out a huge breath of air gladdened by the fact I wasn't interested in boring 'Colin'.
"Actually on one condition." I smiled and she looked at me with panic in her eyes.
"What is it?" she grumbled.
"Actually two rules," I put my index finger up "One: If you want to lay him, do it in his room, I'd rather not be locked out of my own room." She nodded because she knew it was reasonable. "And Two: Tomorrow night you will go night swimming with me."
She smiled "Yeah, that sounds fun! What time?"
I shrugged "I don't know, what about two or three in the morning?"
She smiled "Sounds good!"
I smiled too, tonight I was going to make bank off of the tourists at the poker tables!
2:00 am the next morning:
The moon was high in the sky and it was quiet as if the whole world was asleep, as if the whole world was at peace with each other. The stars shined brighter than ever before, not afraid to be bold in a place where smog and skyscrapers did not dare obscure their brilliance. There is something so serene about the quiet of the night.
But what I did not know at that moment, cloaked in the shadows of the serenity of night was a shark, lurking diabolically within the shadows.
Vivian grabbed my hand pulling me to the deepest part of where the pool was. She turned to me excitedly, her auburn hair swishing as the warm tropical breeze danced with the strands. "On 'three' we jump" she said. I smiled wide nodding to her in agreement.
They approached the ship and hooked their ladders onto the side.
"One.."
Silently they boarded the Dream Finder, the rugged men in red shirts, and bandanas ak49's in hand and pistol's in holsters ready to shoot, they were the predator and we were the prey, unknowing and blissfully ignorant of their soundless boarding.
"Two…"
The red sea parted for a single man adorned in a red tank-top with a mean scar running from his eyebrow to almost the middle of the back of his head. The man was holding one pistol carelessly, waving it around, pointing it at one person and then another as if he were but a kid with a squirt gun.
"Three!"
We jumped. The surface of the water broke and the water cushioned us from outside sounds, but no amount of water could hide the sound of a single pistol being shot numerous times in the air. At the first shot I thought I must have been imagining the sound but as the second and third shot fired my heart collapsed into my stomach and I knew this was no mistake of imagination.
As I surfaced I immediately searched for Vivian, we spotted each other at the same time and we both swam close hiding up against the wall of the pool from whoever was shooting the gun in the air.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked her frantically. She looked as confused as I felt, blue eyes darting about in different directions paranoid of whatever, whoever was on this ship.
Another shot sounded, we both jumped. And then one voice.
"GooooOOOD Morning Mother Fuckers and welcome to my cruise ship!"
You could just feel the insanity on his words and in that instant I realized what a huge mistake I had made getting on this cruise ship.
"And it's one more day in paradise. As darkness quickly steals the light that shined within her eyes, she slowly swallows all her fear and sooths her mind with lies. Well, all she wants and, all she needs are reasons to survive. A day in which the sun will take her artificial light." Paradise by Vanessa Carlton
C: Hope everyone liked it, sorry It's a slowish build up, next chapter will have a lot more action and then chapter 4 is just maddness haha!
-DI