The Cruise Ship Chronicles

Preface - Who is Victoria Hall?

"Victoria," my dad called up the stairs. "Is your bag ready? We are leaving for the airport in ten minutes, no later!"

You know how parents are always freaking out about their kids missing school? Yeah, that is definitely not how my parental units operate. Every year since I was 5 years old, my parents have been pulling me out of school during the second week of March for a cruise.

My mom grew up as an only child to a lower class family and was very ambitious from day one. My dad, on the other hand, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a fervent desire to learn. When they got married, it was clear that they had quite the list of "things-to-do". Unfortunately for them, things didn't go exactly the way they had planned. After being married for about a year, they welcomed my older brother, Chris, to the world and just two years later, I was born. Instead of putting their own aspirations on the back burner, they figured out a way to incorporate their passion for travel into our growing family.

I honestly can't remember one bit of it, but according to my parents (who love to gush about it whenever they can), the first cruise was amazing. I guess it had to be, because after that, they decided to make it a regular thing.

It's a well known fact here in San Francisco that the Hall family takes these cruises. In fact, once, I told my biology teacher that I was going to be missing a week or two of school, to which he replied "I know, it's almost cruise time". As a freshman, that positively terrified me, the idea people thinking they know me without even meeting me. Besides being "Chris's little sister" I was also the daughter of Patrick Hall, personal injury attorney. He was that guy who came on TV sometimes saying that he would fight for you, or something like that. Eventually, it just became a part of my life, something I accepted as part of the job description of Victoria Elise Hall, sister, daughter and student. 

I did a quick scan around my room to make sure I had everything. Right before I walked out, something caught my eye in the top pocket of my luggage. I walked over to my bag and plucked out a red sheet of paper. I had been packing for weeks, how had I not noticed it before now? More importantly, how did it get there? It was my bag reserved strictly for the cruises, kept tucked far back in my closet. I plucked it up from the luggage, and started to observe it. It was a really old ad for the children's club on the ship. "Super Swimmers Club - 2006"  it read. "Give your parents a break and come play!"

2006, I recited to myself. I counted backward on my fingers and quickly dropped the paper. Oh my God. I was eleven back then. Suddenly, my mind was flooded with memories. That was the cruise that changed everything.

That was the trip that I met Brandon Miller.

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