Half as Crazy

Chapter 3

Rachel's POV:

"Look honey, dolphins!" My mom yells a little too loudly for her to only be talking to me. I adjust my sunglasses to see them disappear into the waves. "So pretty!" I say enthusiastically before taking another giant sip from my pina colada. 

Coming on this cruise was the last thing I wanted to do for spring break but my mom insisted on me and Phil getting to know each other better before the wedding and going to a nice dinner just didn't suit her fancy. Phil is nice enough...and he has money. So it isn't all bad. He treats her better than my dad ever did and that's saying a lot. He loved my mom but he had no idea how to show it. Kind of sad when you think about it, but I stopped having sympathy for him when he decided to give up on trying. So the fact that Phil goes out of his way to prove his love and makes my mom feel the way that she deserves is just something I can't complain about.

This is a good chance for her to start over and it should be for me as well therefore, I've decided to just use the time on the water to focus on myself and really figure out what I want in life.

My thoughts continue until suddenly...

"Power's out." My stepdad mutters as he returns from the men's room. "What do you mean the power's--", my mother is cut off by a loud *BANG* that echoes beneath our feet. In the same second, all of the lights on board instantaneously blow out with a sharp crackle and pop. Every single tv switches to a static station and blares horrendous white noise for everyone within a mile to hear. After a few torturous seconds of agony, all electronics turn off at once and silence falls around everyone on board. 

"What the hell is going on...?" It was as soon as the words left Phil's mouth that every tourist on deck started sprinting around aimlessly. People were crying hysterically, falling to the ground in heaps, and yelling questions out loud that no one had the answers to. The three of us joined hands and made out way to the captain's quarters. Once we neared the corridor, there was a river of people swarming around the entryway. 

"What's going on? Why won't you tell us anything??" One man is angrily beating his fists on the glass windows surrounding the captain's area. He's got some sort of cutlery in the other hand that he seems to also be threatening the captain with as well. Phil looks over at my mother and rolls his eyes. I stifle a laugh and shuffle behind them closely, hoping to avoid getting tangled in the sea of people. 

Captain Levi and Phil are old buddies from "back in the day", so the looks on everyone's faces when he let us right into his office were honestly some for the books. The man threatening Captain Levi with a spork threw down the piece of plastic and began stomping on it and jumping up and down until everyone else eventually became uneasy and left us alone. 

"What the hell is going on Markus?" Phil is one to get right to the point which is something I respect about him. "I wish everyone would quit asking me the same thing. I don't know! If I knew, do you think I'd be holed up in here defending myself from a man with a...spoon?"

"Spork", I correct him without considering whether or not the timing was appropriate. The look given to me by my mom and Phil lead me to believe it was in fact not the time. Phil grunts and continues. "Anyways...While that does sound a bit annoying, you have to understand that you've got a bunch of clueless passengers who have put their safety in your hands and they're scared Markus. They're terrified, and rightfully so." Just as Phil draws in his breath, a flashing red light begins illuminating our small space. 

Captain Levi's face loses all of its color as he begins to gather his things in a hurry. Phil stops him and places his hands on both of Markus's shoulders. He begins to shake him furiously and yells, "MARKUS, TALK TO ME. WHAT IS HAPPENING?"

Markus speaks extremely low, almost low enough for me not to hear. "An alarm will sound in less than five minutes. From then you have about half an hour give or take to get as far as you possibly can from this ship. Take your family and go, no more questions!" Phil wastes no time. He grabs both of our hands and rushes us to the bow of the boat.