Semester Aboard: An Urban Fantasy Adventure: More than Magic, #1

Semester Aboard

More than Magic Series

Book One

Special Tenth Anniversary Illustrated Edition

by Elizabeth Kirke

Copyright 2011, 2016 Elizabeth Kirke

Cover by T.M. Franklin

Editing by Plot Ninja

Formatting by EK Formatting

Custom Illustrations by sanexiah

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Bonus Chapter

Also available on audiobook

The More than Magic Series

New Adult Urban Fantasy

Semester Aboard (Book One)

Snow Bound (Book Two)

Soul Choice (Book Three)

Magic Betrayed (Book Four)*

Magic Vanished (Book Five)*

Magic Awakened (Book Six)*

Magic Conquered (Book Seven)*

Magic Unveiled (Book Eight)

Magic Sacrificed (Book Nine)

*Listen to my audiobooks FREE on Youtube

Chapter One

A taxicab raced down the dock, came to a stop, and a girl laden with shopping bags flew out. Everyone at the rails of the ship yelled as she rushed toward the gangway. She was a 'runner', one of the students who pushed the all-aboard time to the limit. She vanished into the ship to a mix of boos and cheers.

She's going to be cleaning tables tomorrow, my roommate, Laurie, snickered.

Most of us had taken the all-aboard time and subsequent punishments for being late seriously and had been on the ship for over an hour. The majority of the people watching the runners were already changed into pajama bottoms or sweatshirts with Semester Aboard-Study Abroad written on them. We were students on a cruise ship that had been turned into a floating campus. Instead of studying abroad for a summer in one country, we were traveling down the western coast of Latin America. Our ship had classrooms, a dining hall, dorm rooms, even a workout room and a pool.

Look, there's another! called Dani. He pointed to another cab speeding down the dock.

Even though it had been ten days since our voyage started, I still didn't know half of the 307 students. I just met Dani earlier today. We ended up next to each other on a bus that took us on a tour of Acapulco. Every country had a bunch of trips to choose from, and you never knew who else on the ship would end up with you. It turned out that Dani and I were just four rooms apart and had never seen each other before today! I wasn't entirely sure how I'd missed him. He was really tall with short hair and tan, olive skin. His hair looked black on the bus, but once I saw it in the sun, I was pretty sure that he dyed it midnight blue. And he was drop-dead gorgeous with a personality to match. He was incredibly friendly and outgoing. We spent the entire bus ride chatting, and when I mentioned that I didn't recognize anybody else on the bus, he offered to stick around so I'd have somebody to talk to. We ended up spending the entire tour together.

Dani! someone called. We both turned to see a boy winding his way between people and tables toward us. He had wavy, red hair and looked like he'd gotten sunburned in Mexico. I was pretty sure he could pull off the natural redhead look, but I could see streaks where the red dye, which was a bit too bright to be natural, had faded to orange and blonde. It gave his head an almost flaming appearance, which I had a feeling applied to more than just his hair. He was in one of my classes, and I racked my brain for his name. He didn't sit next to me, but we'd talked a bit before our class started.

Hey, Charlie, Dani said.

How was the city? he asked, joining us at the rail. I noticed that he wasn't much taller than me. He was sort of stocky, but not overweight.

It was fun. Dani gestured to me. Jen, here, was with me.

See anything good?

The fort was pretty splashy, Dani said. How was your mountain biking?

Toasty. I saw like a dozen Chupacabras.

No, you didn't, Dani laughed.

Yes, I did!

I laughed and turned my attention back to the runners while they argued. The last of the late students climbed aboard, and dockworkers started undoing the mooring lines. By now just about everyone, including faculty, was gathered on the deck. Mexico was our first port, and we were inside for orientation the first time the ship left a dock. We cheered as the ship started to pull away.

Adios, Mexico! someone yelled.

Vaya con dios!

We waved at the scattered people on the dock until we were too far away to see them in the dark. The wind started to pick up as the ship cruised along past the lights of the buildings on the edges of the bay. People gradually started to disperse.

Class in the morning, Laurie reminded me with a groan.

Ugh. We had classes every day we were at sea, and the first one started bright and early at eight.

We wove our way through the crowd, back inside the ship, and joined the scattered people going down to their rooms. After we reached the fourth deck, we turned off the stairway and into a brightly lit, long corridor that spanned the entire length of the ship. Doors to our cabins lined both sides of it. Long railings ran along the walls, but so far, I hadn't needed to use them. As Laurie and I walked down the hall, I spotted two familiar faces. Charlie was leaning against the outside wall, laughing, while Dani swiped his ID card over and over on a door.

Would you stop laughing? Dani grumbled.

I told you not to put it in the same pocket as your phone, Charlie said.

Are you locked out again? cried a voice behind me.

I turned to see a girl striding down the hall toward us. I’d seen her around the ship before; she looked like a supermodel. She was tall with thick, wavy, blonde hair that looked like it had green streaks in it. She had a figure that women paid thousands for and eyes so blue they probably made mine look gray. I noticed that she wore a t-shirt that said Marlins Swim Team, which explained her green hair. She was probably a great swimmer; she definitely had the body for it.

How else am I going to carry it? It's not like I have a purse! Dani said.

Get your ID punched and put it on that lanyard they gave us, the blonde sighed. She shoved Dani out of the way, swiped her ID, and opened the door. Halfway in, she turned back to Dani with a condescending look. If you get locked out one more time, I'm not letting you back in.

Dani had to lunge forward to catch the door as it closed. Charlie laughed and followed them in. Wait ... the blonde girl and Dani were roommates? With the exception of some of the professors and staff who brought their families, all of the rooms on the ship were single-sex. I knew for a fact Dani was a student.

Are they roommates? I asked Laurie.

Yeah, that's Mariana and Dani. They're married.

What? Seriously? It actually wasn't that hard to believe. Dani was probably the hottest guy on the ship, and Mariana could easily be the most beautiful girl. If anyone on the ship would be married to one of them, it would clearly be the other.

Laurie nodded. I heard Mariana telling somebody that this is like their honeymoon or something. She said they had to fax their marriage certificate the second they got it so that they'd be allowed to share a room.

Wow. It sounded pretty cool, but I wasn’t sure I’d want to take classes on my honeymoon.

We continued down the hall to our room. Even though I had only slept there for a few nights before we arrived in Mexico, it already felt like home, and it was nice to be back. It wasn't a very big room, but it was cozy. A narrow alcove separated our room from the door. Just by standing in one spot and turning, I could close our door, open the bathroom door, open the closet, and reach my hand into the bedroom. Our beds were so close together that our nightstands were sandwiched between them, without enough room for even a pencil to roll off. I could have reached out and touched Laurie's bed from mine. We each had a chair and a little desk at the foot of our beds. Aside from some drawers built into the wall and a small TV, there was nothing else in our room.

After brushing my teeth, I climbed happily into bed. It didn’t take long for the motion of the ship and hum of the engines to lull me to sleep.

All too soon, my alarm rang for my morning class. By the time I got out of the shower, Laurie had returned from her daily trip up to the gym. I stepped out of the bathroom and was dressed before I heard the shower turn on. I smiled at how easily we got back into routine after five days in port. I went up to breakfast and chose a random table. A couple of girls I hadn’t met yet, and a professor and her two little boys sat there. We exchanged introductions and ate.

I found Laurie after breakfast, and we made our way to the huge room that served as the Latin American History classroom. It was the first class of the day and was mandatory for everyone, even the faculty. Across the room, I spotted Charlie’s bright hair and noticed that he was sitting with Dani and Mariana. After class, I joined the shuffle of students heading to other classrooms. My next class, Plant Use in Latin American Culture, was the one that Charlie was in too.

Hey, Jen! Carrie greeted me as we entered the classroom. The in-port project isn’t due today right?

No, it’s due tomorrow, Charlie answered. He was sitting at the desk closest to the door.

What a relief! Carrie said. I did that algae the Aztecs grew. What about you guys?

I wrote mine on tomatoes, I said.

Chilies, Charlie said.

Ugh! Carrie wrinkled her nose. I can’t stand spicy stuff.

You won’t like me, then, Charlie said and winked at her.

We laughed and took our seats across the room.

He’s cute, but he sets off my gaydar like whoa, she whispered to me.

Mine too, I giggled.

After class ended, I had half an hour to kill. I swung by the dining room on Deck Five and grabbed a quick lunch. Like my Plant Use class, my next class was uneventful. When it was over, I passed Dani in the hall on the way to Spanish for Travelers.

Hola, Dani called as he passed me. Doin’ alright?

I’m bueno, I giggled to him. He laughed and headed for the stairs.

After Spanish, I joined the throng of people gathered on Deck Seven. I found a lounge chair and pulled it over to the rails so I could watch the water while I studied.

The next day was pretty much the same, but it started raining early in the afternoon and turned into a bad storm by the time I went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and stumbled over to our bathroom, feeling awful. A bit of quality time bent over the toilet didn’t help at all, and I decided to try for some fresh air. I pulled a sweater on over my pajamas, hung my ID card strap around my neck, and slipped out of the room. I made my way down the corridor to the door that led outside. For the first time since getting on the ship, I needed to keep one hand on the railing. The halls were well lit, even though it was the middle of the night, and it was almost disconcerting to step outside into the darkness. But the moment the cool, damp wind hit my face, I felt better. I hadn’t been seasick since our first night, but sometimes I felt nauseous if I stayed in our room too long; being out on the deck always helped.

I assumed that I’d be the only one crazy enough to go out in the rain in the middle of the night, but to my surprise I wasn’t. There were people on the other side of the deck. It was too dark to see them well, but the lights from the deck above us illuminated them a little. One of them was Charlie. He was standing under the overhang where Deck Five extended out above Deck Four. He was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and I shivered in sympathy. A guy I recognized, not surprising since we all lived on a ship, was sitting on the bottom steps of the outdoor stairway that led to Deck Five. He was probably a football player back home or something. He had shaggy, dark brown hair and a fairly large nose. I’d heard a few girls giggling about him, but I didn’t think he was that good-looking. I wasn’t sure what his name was. Another guy sat in a chair, probably pilfered from Deck Five, with his back to me and his feet up on the rails. Mariana was near him, wearing only a bikini top and a short skirt. I couldn't believe she wasn't cold.

I didn’t scream! she said.

You totally did! You freaked out! Dani laughed.

It was too dark to notice Dani until he spoke. My jaw dropped in shock. Dani was sitting on the railing of the ship. Messing around on the rails was one of the first things they’d told us not to do when we got on board. Even sitting on them in the middle of a calm day was suicidal, at best. But to sit there in the middle of a stormy night was nothing short of a death wish.

I was not! Mariana cried.

You were all like, 'Oh, Danio, save me Danio!'

Well, I... I... Don’t be such a jerk!

As Mariana spoke, she spun to face Dani and shoved him hard. Dani’s laugh turned into a yell of surprise, and he tumbled backward off of the railing! I gasped in horror. Every second was critical. If someone went overboard, we were supposed to immediately throw them a life preserver and run to tell a crew member. But not a single one of them did anything! The one in the chair uncrossed his legs and re-crossed them with a different one on top. The guy on the stairs threw back his head and laughed! Charlie quickly stuck his head over the railing, pulled back, and shivered. It was as if Dani hadn't gone overboard at all.

Oh my God! I gasped. They must have been in shock, and that was the only reason they weren't rushing to save Dani. I ran across the deck. At the very least, I could throw the life preserver in and hope he was still alive to use it.

They all jerked around to look at me. They acted more surprised to see me than they were about Dani falling overboard. Mariana gasped and backed against the rail. Charlie stepped to the edge of the overhang, and Football Guy jumped off of the stairs and to his feet. The guy in the chair was on his feet in an instant. I hardly even saw him move; one second he was sitting and the next he was up. He stepped in front of the others, almost protectively.

That's Jennifer, Charlie spoke softly, like he didn't want me to hear, but the wind carried his words right to me. She's in one of my classes.

The guy in front smiled. You're up late.

They were acting like nothing had happened! This was insane!

What's the matter with you? I cried. We have to do something!

Do something? He almost looked genuinely confused. About what?

She just... I gestured to Mariana. She just pushed Dani overboard!

He had the audacity to laugh. It's raining, you know. And dark. You're mistaken.

Jeez, Mariana, if you wanted a divorce you should've just- My jaw dropped as Dani reappeared at the rail. He caught sight of me and froze.

My mind reeled. He was soaking wet, it was obvious it wasn't just from the rain. He fell into water that had to be well over fifty feet below us, and we were really moving, too. Even an Olympic swimmer couldn't have kept up with us. Dani had fallen all the way down into the ocean and, not only had he not drowned, he'd gotten back on the ship.

This was impossible.

Dani vaulted easily over the railing and landed on the deck. He crossed it swiftly and stopped right behind the guy I'd been talking with. Dani was quite a bit taller than him and leaned down to put his mouth near the guy's ear. I think it would be better if I went in. You got this? he whispered.

Yeah. Take Mariana with you. The wind was still in my favor, and I could just make out what they were saying.

Dani grabbed Mariana by the arm. Come on.

Dani, I'm so sorry.

It happens. Let's go.

Dani glanced at me as he and Mariana went inside.

Football Guy edged toward the stairway he'd been sitting on. Right, I'll call Jon.

The other one nodded. Wait, he said when Football Guy was halfway up the stairs. It's late, email him. We can handle this until he gets it. Football Guy nodded and ran up the rest of the stairs to Deck Five and, probably, the computer lab. Then, the not-so-forthcoming one turned back to me. Jennifer, right? I'm Thomas. What brings you out on deck?

I glared. Dani just fell overboard, and you're going to stand there like nothing happened?

Nothing did happen.

Dani fell off the ship, into the ocean, and climbed back up again! I saw it with my own eyes! He looked uncomfortable, and I realized that he was trying to cover up what I had just witnessed. So don't lie to me! What just happened?

Nothing, Thomas said firmly. Forget about it.

If nothing happened, then what is that guy going to email Jon about?

Thomas looked surprised for a second, and then sighed. Alright, tell you what. I'll explain things after I hear back from Jon.

No way. He was just stalling. Explain now, I insisted. He glared in response. I got the feeling that if they were going through this much effort to cover things up, they clearly wouldn't want me going around talking about it. Explain now, or I'm going to start asking around until I find someone who will.

Go ahead, Charlie snarled. Dani's safe and dry by now. You've got no proof, and none of us are going to back up your story. As he spoke, something weird happened. His eyes, which were a very reddish-brown, seemed to change. It must have been the rain or the lights or something, but bright reds and oranges flared in his eyes, almost like flames.

Char! Thomas snapped.

Charlie closed his mouth and took a step back. He looked pissed, but Thomas had shut him up.

You're just going to let him boss you around? I asked incredulously. Charlie stuck up his chin defiantly, but stayed quiet.

Thomas stepped closer and more into the light, allowing me to finally get a good look at him. He was a few inches taller than me and pretty thin. The rain had plastered his bangs across his forehead and over one eye. It struck me as a sort of emo haircut. He looked fairly pale, and I could see circles under his eyes, like he didn't sleep enough. His cheeks were slightly hollow, and he looked like he might have been a bit seasick. He wore a retro-looking band t-shirt, and I stifled a groan; he probably was one of those emo kids.

If you want an explanation at all, you'll wait until I hear back from Jon. And in the meantime, you'll keep quiet.

Is that a threat? I laughed.

Thomas leaned forward and actually curled back his upper lip. Don't. Tell. Anyone, he snarled. This time I didn't feel like laughing. For an instant, my entire body froze, and I almost couldn't move. This was absurd. He was just some emo college guy acting tough. What did I have to be afraid of?

I sucked in a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and glared at Thomas. Fine! If you promise that you'll explain everything after this Jon guy talks to you, then I won't say anything.

He looked surprised. More than surprised, he looked shocked.

Man, she's got some spice, Charlie said softly. I felt that from here.

Deal, Thomas said. We'll talk tomorrow, then. Goodnight. With that, he turned and swept across the deck, heading up the stairs in the direction Football Guy had gone.

Don't say anything, Jennifer, Charlie said. Please. He opened the door to go back inside and started in. I followed. Halfway down the corridor, he turned and glared at me. Are you following me or something? he snapped. I saw the strange red flare in his eyes again.

My room is this way!

Oh... Charlie turned back and kept walking.

He paused outside of Dani and Mariana’s room and knocked. I knew that I’d make things worse if I stopped, so I kept going. But I slowed down. By the time I got to my room, Dani’s door had opened. I quickly opened mine and waited in the doorway. I peered out around the doorjamb and yanked my head back as Dani’s appeared in his.

You better have good news, I heard Dani whisper to Charlie. Mariana is beside herself.

I heard the door close, closed my own, and leaned against it. What on earth had I just witnessed? I lay down and played it over and over again in my mind. I was convinced that I had seen something very, very strange. The fact they were all trying to cover up made it even more confusing. When I finally fell asleep, I still couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened.

Chapter Two

The following morning started like any other. I woke up and traded showers with Laurie, then went to breakfast. Ordinarily, I would have chosen a table with people at it — I liked to eat meals with people from all over the ship — but my thoughts were still whirling from the night before. I chose an empty table by a window and sat down. I ate slowly, looking out at the water. It was still raining lightly, and the sky was darker than usual, but it was all so different from last night that I started to wonder if maybe I had just been dreaming. It all seemed even more ridiculous and impossible than it had last night.

A mug thumped down next to me, and I turned to greet whoever had joined me. I was shocked to see that it was Dani. He looked tired, but otherwise showed no sign that he had fallen into the ocean less than twelve hours ago. I can’t believe you lied to me, he said.

I realized that he wasn't talking to me and looked up to see Mariana settling in across from us.

I didn’t lie; they had plenty of melon when I came up earlier. If you could get out of bed at a reasonable time, you could have had some. Mariana looked at me and smiled. Good morning, Jen. I’m Mariana by the way.

Hi...

Hey, Jen, Dani said. He turned back to Mariana. There is nothing reasonable about seven in the morning! He chugged his entire mug of steaming coffee in a few gulps.

I get up every morning at six for swim practice, Mariana said.

So? I get up at five for crew. You don’t see me bragging.

Mariana stabbed a pineapple slice with her fork and glared at Dani. You get up at five at home, but complain when I try to wake you at seven?

Crew only takes two hours. I’m in bed before eight, and I never have class before noon. If you wake me up at seven here, then I have to stay up all day.

Mariana pointedly turned away from him. "So, how are you?"

I'm fine, I said. Seemed like their honeymoon wasn't off to a harmonious start.

Dani mumbled something about coffee and got up with his empty mug.

You swim on your school team? I asked. I had been so occupied with Dani I had forgotten that Mariana had been dressed for swimming last night. Maybe she had been planning on diving off of the ship too.

I did. I was actually doing a little kid coaching thing this spring. Kids are fun. Well, she was perfectly willing to talk about that. I had a feeling she'd be a lot less forthcoming if I asked about last night.

Kids are a pain, Dani said. He sat back down and took a sip of coffee.

You love little kids, don't even lie, Mariana said. I hoped I hadn't started another argument.

Ember and Catalina? Yes. Random brats on the street? No.

Ember doesn't count as a little kid anymore, you know.

Don't remind me, Dani groaned.

I ate slowly, hoping to learn more about them. Dani seemed content to drink his coffee quietly, while Mariana ate. I looked out the window. The rain was picking up and the sky was darkening. The waves looked a bit ominous.

"Very Poseidon Adventure, isn't it?" Dani asked.

I turned and saw that he was looking out the window over my shoulder.

Very what? Mariana asked.

"Poseidon Adventure, Dani said, like it was obvious. With Roddy McDowall? Mariana shook her head. How have you never seen... Oh, forget it."

The two argued about Dani's apparent bad taste in old movies until the bell for Latin American History sounded. I left the table before them, but heard them behind me all the way to the classroom. I sat next to Laurie in our usual place and was relieved when Dani and Mariana veered off toward the other side of the room.

Mind if I join you? asked a deep, gravelly voice.

Laurie and I turned toward the speaker. It was Football Guy. Up close, I could see that his eyes were dark, dark brown and his hair wasn’t just shaggy, but messy.

Sure, Laurie said. I’m Laurie, this is Jen.

Cheers, he said, sitting down. You can call me TS. He had a slight accent that I couldn't place.

Laurie giggled at him, and I rolled my eyes and pulled out my notebook. We didn’t talk during class. When it was over, Laurie lingered behind to talk to a friend.

Gotten a reply from Jon? I asked TS as we walked toward the door.

He looked surprised, but then laughed. I noticed that the very tip of his tongue poked oddly out of the corner of his mouth when he did. Instead of answering me, he just turned out of the classroom and headed down a nearby stairway. I considered going after him, but decided I didn’t want to be late for class. Tardiness was a bit harder to get away with when your classes were all on a ship. I turned away from the stairs and started toward the back of the ship. My next class was on the same deck, but all the way aft, while the Latin American History classroom was all the way forward. I had only just started walking, when someone fell into step beside me.

Picked a plant to study in Panama?

I suppressed a groan. Charlie.

Not yet, I grumbled.

Me neither. I’m just going to see what plants spark my interest once we get there.

I grunted in agreement, and we continued in silence. I sat next to Carrie in class, but to my dismay, Charlie gave up his usual desk near the door in favor of one closer to me. And here I'd woken up this morning wondering if it really had been a dream. The fact that they were all practically stalking me proved I really had seen something strange, something they didn't want other people to know about. An hour and a half later, I hurried out of the classroom, only to have him walking right next to me again.

What’s your next class? he asked.

Ancient Latin American Cultures, I snarled.

Getting lunch first? We all got a break between the first two and last two classes of the day.

Yes.

I’ll join you for lunch, then.

He didn’t seem at all concerned that I was practically running down the halls. I stomped down the stairs to the Deck Five dining room, grabbed a small lunch, and ate in silence. Charlie sat next to me and read a textbook without a word. When I stood back up and started for my next class, he was right behind me.

I know what you’re doing, I finally said.

Escorting you to class like a gentleman?

I glanced at him as we walked and glared. You’re following me. All of you. Dani and Mariana and that big guy.

TS.

Whatever. You’re trying to make sure I don’t tell anyone what I saw last night.

Charlie smiled at me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I stopped outside my classroom door. I wasn’t going to tell anybody. I’m still trying to explain what happened to myself. But, now that you’ve all gotten weird and stalkerish on me, I just might start talking.

Charlie grabbed my arm and tugged me to face him. Don’t!

The weird thing happened to his eyes again, but this time his face was hardly two feet from mine. Flashes of orange and red flared in his irises, and I was sure that this time it wasn't a trick of the light. My arm felt uncomfortably hot where his hand was.

Trying to ignore the strange thing his eyes were doing, I forced a sweet smile. Too bad none of you are in this class with me; it’ll make it awfully hard to spy.

The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile, and his eyes faded back to red-brown. Don’t bet on it, he whispered. Then, he released my arm, waved, and strode away.

This was getting a bit creepy. I really wasn’t planning on talking; what I had seen sounded crazy, even to me. But, I knew that I had really seen something. The fact that they were all making attempts to keep tabs on me made me even more convinced that whatever I had seen was as strange as I thought it was. I opened the door to the class and went over to my seat. I glanced up to see if the Professor was there yet and froze.

Thomas was leaning against the Professor’s podium, talking to him.

Thank you very much, Thomas said with a smile.

The Professor waved him away, and Thomas crossed the room and sat down next to me.

What do you think you’re doing?

Thomas smiled at me. I heard you're watching a video on the Aztecs and asked if I could sit in.

What about your class? He was actually skipping class to keep an eye on me. I was getting more than a little creeped out.

He shrugged. I'd rather watch this.

I knew my mouth hung open, but I didn’t really care. He pulled out a notebook without another word and adjusted himself so that he could see the TV. I spent more of the class glaring at him than I did watching the video. He looked a lot different in the light than he had last night. His eyes were somewhere between gray and green, but the color was muted, almost dull. His skin was a bit pallid, like he didn't get out much, and I hoped he planned on using sunscreen when we got to the equator. Now that it was dry, I could see that his hair was almost as light brown as mine and, without the rain matting it down, it was a totally different style, not at all emo like I had thought. His bangs fell almost neatly across his forehead, not quite long enough to be in his eyes, and it was slightly longer in back. I hated to admit it, but once I could see him in better light he was cute. Really cute, actually. If he put on a little more weight and got a light tan he'd be really handsome. But, I reminded myself, he was here basically spying on me, which made him about as unattractive as a guy could be.

Can I get a real answer? I asked when class ended.

Of course, Thomas said, as if he actually intended to give me one.

Are you going to follow me to my next class? It wasn’t the question I wanted to ask, but I wanted to make sure he was capable of answers.

Sure, I don’t mind walking with you to class.

I glared.

Here, I’ve got that. He scooped my books from my hands before I could protest and started walking.

What were you doing in my class?

Watching a video. I told you that.

I sighed, then sighed again, when he turned down the hall to my next class without stopping to ask me where it was.

Look, I know you’re following me around to make sure I don’t tell people about last night, but this is weird enough as it is. You can at least tell me how you know my schedule.

Thomas shrugged. Mariana’s a work-study student. She helps out at the Student Life desk, so she has some extra computer access.

I almost stopped short. And she what? Looked up my class schedule?

Exactly.

For some reason, confirmation that they had put extra effort into monitoring me was even more unsettling than the paranoia that they might have. Thomas stopped without prompting in front of my Spanish classroom and handed my books back.

Enjoy class. Adios. Without another word, he turned and headed back the way we had come.

I walked in and sat down, dropping my books heavily on a table. Well, I’d say this is a pleasant surprise, but it isn't a surprise, and it's not at all pleasant. What’s your story? Flunk out of your Spanish class?

Dani chuckled. I was feeling seasick this morning and missed mine. Your teacher is kindly letting me make it up this period.

How generoso of her, I said dryly. I didn't even bother asking Dani why he was skipping his other class. "And why do I get the feeling that you don't get seasick?

Dani looked a bit nervous, and quickly covered it with a grin. Interesting. We should get started before the teacher yells at us for speaking English. Como estás?

Malo.

Aww, por qué?

Por qué do you think?

Dani smirked.

When class ended, I gathered my books and left the room. Dani followed wordlessly.

How do you say creepy stalker in Spanish? I asked.

Yo no se, Dani said.

We headed aft toward the staircase to Deck Seven and spotted TS going down it.

Have you seen that? he asked, pointing to the wall behind him. The walls on every landing between decks were plated with glass and had a different poem painted on them. I had stopped to read them all; they were pretty neat. One side was written in English and the other looked like the Greek alphabet.

Yeah, I said. Ocean-y poems.

Glanced at it, Dani said.

TS grinned and once again, the tip of his tongue stuck out. I couldn't decide if it was almost cute in a weird, funny way, or just weird. Better read it again.

Dani frowned and hurried up the first half of the stairs to the landing. I followed and stood next to him as he read it.

What? he suddenly yelled. He looked back and forth from the English side to the Greek side. Why would you do that?

TS started laughing, and his tongue lolled out a bit more.

Seriously, Dani said. That ruins the entire verse! He glared at the wall. What kind of an idiot translated this?

I'm so glad I'm here for this, TS laughed.

Dani turned and said something to him in another language. TS chuckled and replied. Whatever he said made Dani roll his eyes and start up the second flight of stairs.

Cheers, TS laughed. Bye, Jen, he added to me as he headed back down the other steps.

Curious, I hurried after Dani. Do you speak Greek? I asked when I caught up.

Yeah.

I looked at his dark hair and tan skin with a fresh perspective. Are you from Greece?

Mm-hmm.

Oh. You don't have an accent.

Dani shrugged. I moved to the states a long time ago.

He pushed open the door to the Deck Seven exterior deck, and we went outside. It was still raining, so I ordered hot chocolate and settled into a chair. Dani went out from under the overhang that covered half of the deck, but stayed near me. He dropped his elbows onto the railing and looked out over the water, ignoring the light rain. After a minute, he closed his eyes and raised his head, letting the rain splash onto his face. He looked oddly content.

Aren’t you cold? Seeing him getting rained on in just a t-shirt made me shiver.

Dani shook his head. I sipped my hot chocolate and thought about the night before. I never really had a wild imagination and was starting to wish that I did. Judging from their behavior today, I clearly witnessed something important and secret, but couldn’t begin to imagine it. Even though he obviously had gone overboard, I still couldn't figure out how he could possibly have gotten back on the ship.

Did it hurt?

Did what hurt? Dani asked, looking at me in surprise.

When you hit the water.

Dani looked at me critically, as if wondering how much to really tell me. His eyes looked a lot lighter and grayer than their usual cheery blue. I would have thought it was just an optical illusion from the gray sky, but I noticed that flecks of grays and blues seemed to move in his eyes, almost like gentle waves.

Yeah, he said finally and shrugged. Didn’t kill me though, so no worries there.

No. Falling off of a ship didn’t kill you.

Dani rolled his eyes. Just forget it. Really.

I didn’t stay on the deck as long as I usually did. Dani followed me back to my room, and I stopped outside of it.

I’m not going to tell anyone from inside my room, I said. Laurie isn't even here. Besides, I’m not planning on telling anyone anyway. But, you know, the more you guys follow me around the more curious you’re going to make me.

He hummed under his breath. It looked like he was annoyed, but the hum was oddly lyrical. Bits of darker blue in his eyes swirled with the lighter blue. I didn't care that it wasn't physically possible; his irises were actually moving. See you at dinner, then, he said, before heading back down the hall. I stared after him for a moment. I'd never seen anybody with eyes that did that. No, I realized; I had. Charlie's eyes were weird too.

I slammed my door behind me; at last, I was free. At least until they forcibly joined me for dinner. But my freedom didn’t last. I growled when someone knocked on the door just a few minutes later. I opened it and was disappointed, but not surprised, to see Thomas.

Chapter Three

No. Thomas was not going to come stalk me in my own room.

Look, I just told Dani, I’m not going to tell people! Do you really have to follow me around like this?

Thomas smiled. I just thought you might want to know that I heard back from Jon.

Oh. That changed things a bit. What does he have to say?

Thomas glanced up and down the hall. May I come in? I’d rather not discuss this in the hallway.

Fine. I stepped aside and held the door open. He didn’t move; he just shifted his weight like he was waiting. Well? I leaned forward and grabbed him. Hurry up, I want to get this over with. I tried to pull him into the room, but something happened. He tripped, or I tripped, and we fell. It almost felt like he had pulled himself out of my grip and fallen deliberately. I tumbled back into my room, and he fell out into the hall. He sat up with a wince, like he was in pain.

Oh, come on, I snapped. Either get in here and tell me what you have to say so that you can stop stalking me or go away!

He smiled, stood back up, and slid past me into the room. He regarded the beds for a moment and sat on the one that wasn’t mine. That was a bit creepy. Actually, it was really creepy. The crew had just made them, and I didn’t know how he knew which bed was which. Nevertheless, I sat down across from him.

So, I began, Jon.

Thomas sighed. Jon. He bit his lip like he was wondering how to say things. So, Jon is my boss.

Your boss?

Well, actually he's higher up than that. He’s the head of our agency.

Agency? That caught my attention. Agency was a government term. For an absurd moment, I thought that he worked for the government, but quickly pushed the idea aside. He was just a college student. There was no way he worked for some government agency. Plus, it had to be a pretty small company. If this Jon guy really had a position that much higher than Thomas, he wouldn't be personally corresponding with him or TS. Then, something else occurred to me, and I felt like an idiot for never even considering it before. They had all known each other to begin with. Out of 307 students, I was the only one from my school, and I had only heard of one other from my state. Mariana and Dani of course knew each other, but they had to have known the others before the voyage started. They wouldn't all be sticking together like this, if they didn't. And suddenly, things seemed a bit stranger.

And what you saw... Thomas continued. Well, you shouldn’t have. I had to report it, and I figured I'd just go right to the top. Jon wants to talk to you.

Like, on the phone? Did you get my number while you were stalking me?

867-5309, right? Thomas asked, looking like he was trying to hide a grin.

It took me half a second to recognize the number. I glared at him when I did. Wrong Jenny.

He laughed. I realized that it was the first time I'd heard a genuine laugh from him. Under any other circumstances, it would have been a cute laugh. I'm sorry, he said, still chuckling. Bad joke. I didn't think you'd know that song.

I rolled my eyes. It has my name in it. You’re far from the first person to make that joke. It is a catchy song though.

Most 80s songs are. He turned serious again. Anyway, no, he's not going to call you. He's coming to Panama.

What? We'd be in Panama in two days. Why on earth would the head of the agency or whatever come all the way to Panama? Let me get this straight, I said. The Big Boss is coming here just to talk to me?

Well, I assume he wants to see me too.

Why? There was no way this supposedly high-up guy was going to come all the way to Panama to talk to one girl and see