2 Votes or 2 comments for Chapter 4 :)
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Chapter Three
Leila’s POV
I’ve only been on the boat for five minutes, but I can already tell that it’s a thousand times more incredible than I could have ever imagined.
The view is gorgeous, for one thing—beautiful blue ocean stretching out for miles in every direction the eye can see, the sun streaming down in warm golden rays, no clouds to be seen. The air is crisp and fresh and light; breathing it in somehow makes me feel cleansed and healed. The upper deck has a massive swimming pool, complete with diving board, and a hot tub, too. Lounge chairs surround the pool. There are snack and smoothie stands everywhere.
It looks like paradise to me.
“Mel,” I say, grinning, “do you see all this?”
“Are you kidding me? I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” says Melanie. “And just think—this is only the Upper Deck! Can you imagine all the other stuff that’s here?”
We both smile like little kids with a wad of cash in a candy store.
“Okay, let’s dump this stuff in our room and then we’ll go exploring, alright?” I suggest eagerly, gesturing to our suitcases.
“Sure!” Melanie agrees instantly.
Our luggage is pretty bulky and there are people everywhere so we don’t get to move nearly as quickly as we would like, but in the end we make it to our room, number 430, which is on the fourth deck of the ship. Mom and Dad are already there, and look almost as pleased as Mel and I do.
“Pretty nice room, huh?” Dad says happily when we walk in.
It’s a two-bedroom suite, with a little living room connecting the two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms has a king-sized bed, and the other has two twin beds. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. The room is colored in blues and greens, clearly supposed to match the ocean visible through the window. Everything looks brand-spanking-new, and the whole places smells faintly of rose petals.
Abandoning her suitcase, Melanie runs into the bedroom with the twin beds and collapses on one of them. Her sigh is audible, even though she’s laying face-down.
“I’m definitely in heaven right now,” she says, her voice slightly muffled. “This mattress is like…I don’t even know. It’s like is marshmallows and whipped cream somehow combined and turned into a mattress. Not even exaggerating right now.”
Pulling both my suitcase and Melanie’s into the room, I reply, “You think of very interesting analogies.”
“Sit on the bed for two seconds, Leila. Then you’ll know what I’m talking about,” Melanie says.
“I thought you wanted to go exploring?” I ask, putting Melanie’s suitcase next to her bed and my suitcase next to mine.
“Right!” She hops off the bed immediately, looking excited. “Let’s go!”
Mom spots us just as we’re opening the door, about to leave the room.
“Where do you two think you’re going?” she asks suspiciously.
“To look around,” Melanie responds without a trace of shame.
Mom raises her eyebrows pointedly at me. “Leila, are you up to that?” she asks sternly.
I can’t help rolling my eyes. “I’m fine, Mom,” I say. “I took my pill this morning. There’s nothing to worry about.”
She still looks skeptical. “You shouldn’t overexert yourself, sweetie. The doctor said—”
