Washed Ashore Somber Island (IC)

The notion of "relaxation" was alien to Claudia. The poor girl spent most of her life deep in thoughts about the trivial things in life. It didn't help that the other part of her time was spent with her face crammed into books. When she graduated college her professor saw the stress level in the young woman and bought her a ticket to this cruise. She needed to :relax" She was told that statement by many, but kept her schedule busy. At least that helped the burdening thoughts that sometimes plagued the young woman. She sat back and sipped on the quickly shrinking mojito in her hands. She could at least give the idea a try. The ship was bustling with life and color. People of all shapes and colors walked to-and-fro.

"Grrrrrrrrrr." Her stomach growled. The all you can eat shrimp buffet around the corner seemed to be calling her name. "Maybe I'll try my luck at the slots..." She said to no one in particular. She was determined to try to make this small break worth her time. With a click of flip-flops against tile, she stood up in search or nourishment. Moments later she was stuffing her face full of grilled pineapple shrimp. "Mmmm" Her full mouth stifled the moan of deliciousness that tried to escape her mouth. So far so good. There was nothing to complain about.

"Finally." Marina whispered to herself closing her suitcase feeling acomplished that she managed to fit all those clothes into her draws, she was never the 'tidy' person she thought to herself. "This time I've got to keep it clean!".
Feeling a bit sick she would put her left hand lightly on her mouth and her right searching around for her sea sickness tablets in her pocket, finding them she would push out one tablet and place it in her mouth, before swallowing it down with her bottle of water.

Grabbing her iPhone an keys she would make her way onto the deck. It was a lovely day, the waves were flat and the sun was shining, unlocking her phone Marina would take a picture of the waves 'for Instagram later' she thought to herself, putting her phone into her pocket.
As she walked around the cruise ship she realised there was so much she could do here, but first she just wanted to have a lie down and relax.
"This is a relaxing holiday." She said to herself underneath her breath . Ever since she was little she used to talk to herself, the habit started when she was first bullied, se had no one to speak to but herself.
Spotting an empty sunbed she would lay down and get comfortable, pulling her sunglasses down from her head and over her eyes.
"This is the life." She'd put her arms behind her head to hold herself up.

Kirya sat with her back to the throng, legs thrust through the openings in the rail that bordered the whole of the ship. Black hair curling and shifting about her like a living thing as her face turned towards the wind and spray kicked up by the ships forward progress. This is best part about this whole trip, if only my parents had lived to take it with me. With that forlorn thought she reluctantly removed herself from the winds company and headed towards the buffets that served endless amounts of shrimp and other delicacies of that nature. She looked out of place among the the bikini and trunk clad swimmers in her cargo pants and jacket, moving with the flow of the crowd towards nourishment.

The long buffet tables were covered in hungry people, the small spaces between the walls of flesh revealed a smorgasbord of food. The mere sight of it made her mouth water as Kirya fought for her place in the line. She eventually escaped the suffocating line with a small feast piled upon her plate, fish, crab, and shrimp almost overflowing the small plate. People had commented before on how skinny she was compared to how much she ate, Kirya had never cared much about her appearance though, instead preferring to enjoy the food she ate with an ecstatic expression on her face. The noises of pleasure coming from a girl next to her who was also eating shrimp showed how tasty the shrimp that had been made was, and she was surprised she had gotten as much as she had before it was all gone. She would check back later to see if they had made any more.

Tyler woke up, it seemed while "resting his eyes", he had fallen asleep in his cabin. He cracked his neck, and got up from the bed. He stretched and looked at his watch, Good, just in time for lunch, he thought. He hadn't unpacked, and had just left his luggage filled with his stuff on the other bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and opened his cabin door. He walked out, and looked up at the sky, it was a perfect day. He headed off to the buffet, and when we reached it, filled his plate high with food.

While sitting at a table eating, he pulled out a book from his pocket, it was a small thing, and it was his favorite, "The Giver", which he had kept from his army days. He chewed slowly as he read, thankful for the sun. As he finished his meal, he stopped reading, and put the book back in his pocket, and went searching for an activity to do. As he passed the ships entertaiment section, he slowed down. He saw something that gave him a big serving of nostalgia , it was a kids game section, and he spotted something from his childhood, it was an old pac-man machine! He loved those things, and hadn't played one since his was a teen. The kids in the section where busy playing the high-tech shooting/racing games, and he had the machine to himself. A few minutes into the game, he stopped to think of what he was doing, he was a grown man in a kids section, playing pac-man.....meh, it was his vacation. After a couple hours playing the older games, Tyler went back to his cabin, to watch tv and rest.

"Jason, the buffet line is almost out of shrimp and crab," Marcy, one of the many coordinators upon the ship had to nearly yell over the Italian opera music and the clanging of dishes in the always busy kitchen. Jason Marston, the head chef turned, stopping mid-note and smiled to her. He leaned on one of the counters, pointing a pair of tongs in her general direction. His light brown eyes danced with amusement and happiness.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head dollface, there will be more ready in five minutes...give or take," He ended his response with a wink then turned, jumping back into the opera song enthusiastically. Even though his attention was being shared by the music and the robust behind of one of his female chef's, the dish he was working on would be, in every sense of the word, perfect. During his time in an Italian culinary school, he learned to do more than three things at one time. He was, possibly, the only man on board who could multitask, something he found that women loved in a man.

He peered down at the shrimp, his critical eye noting the texture, smell and overall look of the food and then, with a flourish he picked up the hot skillet and deposited the crispy crustacean into the warming pan. He smiled at it and then turned to the female chef with a dashing smile.
"How about you take those out to the buffet line and take a quick break," He said adding a wink. She smiled and proceeded to do as asked, swaying her hips as she moved away. He watched openly, as did every other male in the kitchen until he received a rather surprising punch to the shoulder. He turned, his mouth open to protest until his eyes landed on the scowling face of his dark headed sister.

"What are you doing in here? You're supposed to be relaxing," He said with a raised eyebrow. Mariska shrugged shyly, her brown eyes shifting around the kitchen, landing on the visible hands of every male.

"Ronnie, hold down the fort for a moment," He said with a sigh. The dark-skinned man nodded, taking his place at the stove. He put an arm carefully over the shoulders of his little sister and steered her out of the kitchen into the dining room. They sat at a random table, it wouldn't have mattered the dining room was closed until half an hour before dinner was served; at 7 pm.

Mariska had been hiding out in her room all day, until she had finally been able to muster up the courage to get out and even then she ran into a rather large looking male who had scared her out of her wits. She ran back to her room and had spent another hour convincing herself to try again. Finally, she had made her way to the kitchens, and to the safety of her brothers arms.

"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be," She whispered as she stared at the fibers of the white tablecloth.

"Yes, well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Jason said. However, when the words came out of his mouth he regretted them and sent an apologetic glance her way. Mariska smiled at him carefully and then averted her eyes to the table again. A crash from the kitchen had Jason sitting straight up.

"Try to get out and enjoy it," Jason said with a sigh and then hurried back into the kitchen.

Mariska waved half-heartedly, her eyes fixed to the table. With another sigh she pushed herself up from the table and headed for the main deck. Before she got there she had all the courage in the world, but as soon as she opened the doors it shriveled up and died in a matter of seconds. She stared fearfully before plastering herself to the walls and sneaking around, trying to remain inconspicuous. For the most part no one paid much attention to her, and when she got to the open bar she found a chair out of the way and in the shadows. The bartender, thankfully a woman, floated over asking her drink of choice and before she could even think she blurted out the strongest drink she could think of. The woman floated away, making her drink within a few moments and deposited in front of Mariska, complete with a napkin. Mariska took it a drank deeply, the strong liquid burning her nose and stomach on the way down. Her eyes watered a bit but she managed to get past it, and looked out carefully at the others aboard the ship. The all seemed to be enjoying themselves, having a grand time. They didn't seem to have a worry in the world, and Mariska couldn't help but be jealous. She wanted to be able to be carefree again, but if a man got close enough to her all she could see was his face, and feel the pain he inflicted upon her body and her mind. She sighed and looked down into her glass once more, watched the brown liquid move around.

After the feast, Claudia decided to take a much needed dip in the Jacuzzi. Professor Robinson was correct in his assumption that she was too tense. The warm water would soothe the tense muscles that built up from hours of being hunched over her text books. She slipped off the plush robe that adorned her body, revealing a toned body in a modest bikini. As soon as she slipped into the warm water she felt the knots in her neck and upper shoulders loosen. "Ahh...." She had to remember to tank the Professor for this amazing experience. She could practically feel the stress melt away. The night before she went on the trip, she had a nightmare. Claudia was drowning. People around her dying, the bubbles that once violently escaped their mouths slowing down to nothing. The young woman awoke, drenched in cold sweat. "Just a dream, calm down..." She didn't remember her dreams for the remainder of the night, but every morning was the same: Cold sweat soaking herself and the sheets that were cuddled around her.

To Claudia's delight, though, the weather was phenomenal. The skies were light blue, the clouds stark white. Everything was lovely.

"Would you like a beverage, miss?" young woman spoke suddenly, startling Claudia out of her reverie. "Umm. Sure. I'll have a gin and tonic. Also, if you don't mind, could you find me a few magazines?' The waitress smiled and left Claudia alone, back to her day dreams. It wasn't long before the waitress returned, drink and three magazines in hands. "Here you go! Have a wonderful day!" She began skimming through the magazine, careful in avoiding to get it wet. She soon found the effort futile and continued to soak, minus chlorine covered pages. This vacation was just what the doctor ordered. She flipped the shades the lay at the top of her head down on her face. With a sip of f drink, she smiled warmly. This would be the best trip of her life.

Taliah smiled at the waitress. "No thank you, I'm fine." Leaning back against the railing, she looked at the girl walk away. She seemed to be busy, guests claiming her attention with every small matter they could think of. She shook her head and looked at the glistering water again. It was a beautiful evening, one she could have spend at a better place. Cruises weren't her style. She thought they were way too expensive, and not even all that interesting.
She thought about the girls at school. All the stories the rich girls told were exactly the same: "Ooohh they had suuuch nice rooms! And the food! Just delicious!" or alternatively: "I can't believe my dad dragged me with me to his cruise... They only had one swimming pool, and it was crowded ALL the time! It was a horror story, I swear! I'm never going anywhere with that old man again!" She didn't need to go on one to tell the same kind of tales.
But now her father had insisted she'd go, thinking she would be bothered by the events earlier, and here she was. Taliah looked out over the masses that swarmed over the cruise ship. It was a nice and warm, and many felt like staying outside. She smiled and nodded at some passersby. Well, she should better try to enjoy herself during her stay. She headed back to her room to change into her bikini. She wondered if she could take a swim in the water. Probably not, but she was pretty sure there was a swimming pool somewhere.

After finishing off her first platter of food, Kirya headed back to the buffet table to see if any more food had been prepared. To her delight there was more of the delicious shrimp and wasted no time helping herself to another plate full. Licking her fingers absentmindedly, Kirya set off to explore the expanse of the ship. She first made sure that she could find her room then spent the rest of the day exploring the attractions it had to offer. The pools were crowded with swimmers and the deck lined with suntanning men and women, their exposed flesh a bronzed sheen with the exception of those few who had forgotten their sunscreen. Heading inside was like walking into a giant floating mall. The stores were fancy and everything gleamed with fresh polish as shoppers meandered between the stores. It was cooler here, and most of the people on the ship had migrated in some form or fashion to the outside decks of the ship in order to get some sun time.

She spotted a bookstore near the back of level that was rather void of occupants. It was no old antique book store, it's air absent of book mold that lent them that wonderful smell, instead smelling of fresh print and page that was still relaxing and comforting to her. The young woman behind the counter flashed a smile and asked her if there was anything Kirya needed, a mere shake of the head satisfied her and she went back to reading her People's magazine. Finding a comfortable spot out of the way of the entrance, Kirya sat down to read where she ended up staying until it was late, and most had headed off to bed.

The day was closing, and Claudia was beginning to prune. She decided to get cleaned up and hit up one of the night clubs on the ship. She didn't think that people would approached her if she smelled if chlorine. The young woman approached her quarters and shed her bathing suit. She turned the shower knob to warm and hopped in, thinking about the attire she would wear tonight. A small, wet foot stepped onto tiled floor. "Time to get ready, I guess." Claudia grabbed a mini bottle of vodka from the small fridge and chugged it in a second. "Here goes nothing..." Claudia was nervous, but she decided to put her antisocial tendencies away for one night and socialize. It was rare that she would be seen mingling, but hey, she was on vacation. With a small amount of hesitation she started getting ready.

A half hour later, Claudia appeared out of her small bathroom in a haze of hairspray. Her hair was pinned up gracefully, eyes lined in charcoal, and lips crimson red. She looked good, she had to admit. She decided to wear a black one shoulder cocktail dress and gold pumps. "I will definitely turn some heads tonight..." She thought, examining the end results in a large mirror. With one last shot of "liquid courage" the young woman left her room, searching for the bass thumping night club. A few moments later, Claudia found it. People rushed by her to exit and enter. "Move it will ya?" A tall balding man mumbled with anger. She could only roll her eyes. "Such manners..." She stepped inside and immediately strode to the bar, ordering a dirty martini. Sitting on a stool, she swirled around watching all the men and women dancing. She knew that she could never drink enough martinis to find herself out there. She was not much of a dancer. With a sip of her cold drink, she sighed. "Well, let's see how many martinis it takes for Claudia to talk to someone.."