Blood in the Water

I walked along the Lido Deck with my friends. A cackle sounded behind me, causing me to tense up. I turned around, seeing a masked figure wearing all black clothing.

He wore an amulet.

Dark Tail.

My friends surrounded me, holding out different colored stones. Dark Tail smirked and flicked his wrist.

A black beam of energy shot toward the group. I screamed as it slipped through and surrounded me. The energy transformed into ropes, and I was pulled toward Dark Tail.

He dragged me across the deck until he reached the edge of the ship. I gasped as he pulled me up and tossed me over the side. He tied the end of the rope to one of the railings. I struggled helplessly.

“Cassie!” my friends yelled, trying to get to me.

My eyes opened. I looked around at the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a dream...

I pulled the covers off of me and scrunched my curls before stepping down the ladder. I grabbed my phone and crept out of the cabin. I checked the time.

4 AM.

I walked around the quiet ship. My heart pounded. Fear was starting to overtake me. I took a deep breath and kept moving.

I stepped toward the library and looked at the closed and locked doors. I let out a sigh.

I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and smiled at the sight of Will. “Hey, Will!” I said.

“Good morning, Cassie,” he replied. “Did you sleep well?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You?”

“I slept quite well. Thank you for asking.” He looked at the doors. “Do you need to get in?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I can just sit in a window seat on the Promenade Deck to write.”

“Write? You don’t have a notebook, though.”

“I just type on my phone. Things here have been interesting.”

“What things have been interesting?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I always write more when I’m out of my home. If I’m in nature or by the sea, my creativity flourishes. Another thing that’s interesting is the whole... murder thing that’s been happening.”

“Oh, so you’re using your ideas from the cruise to craft a story?”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed. “I mainly want to focus it on Deck 13.”

“Deck 13, you say? We don’t have a ‘Deck 13’ on the Carnival Inspiration,” he said.

“I know. That’s why I’m writing about it. I read a really good book on the way here, so I want to write a good story.”

“Well, if you ever need inspiration, I hear that the library has some very good books,” Will replied, looking at the darkened library. “Are you sure that you don’t want to go in?”

“Not this time. I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll see you around. Are you going to Catalina today?”

“Yep. I think I’ll buy some stones.”

Will smiled. “From Catalina’s shop? Good choice. Rumor has it that they’re magical.”

“That’s what I’ve heard. Well, bye!” I said, walking toward the stairs.

“Bye, Cassie!” Will said.

I stepped down the stairs, wanting to explore the ship before returning to my family. I made it to the bottom deck. The Riviera Deck, Deck 4.

My eyes scanned the area. I noticed something and raised an eyebrow. There was a black envelope on the ground. It had my name on it.

I walked toward it and picked it up. I opened the envelope, finding a note inside. I read it, my eyes widening.

“Cassie,

Have fun at Catalina Island today. Make sure to tell Catalina that I miss her. You and your friends won’t be able to stop me.

- D. T.”

My heartbeat quickened. How did he know that I would be down here? I glanced at the note and shivered. I walked up to the Promenade Deck, Deck 9.

I sat on a comfortable window seat and typed words into my phone. This story about Deck 13 was going to be fantastic.

Thirty minutes later, I went back to the Empress Deck. I swiped my keycard and entered the cabin.

My mom, Elena and Brooke were still sleeping. I climbed up to my bed, thinking about the note.

I heard a beeping sound. My mom shut off the alarm she had set on her phone as Elena and Brooke woke up.

I looked at them and smiled. “Good morning!”

I stepped down the ladder and got ready for Catalina Island. I wore a black shirt that had The Little Mermaid on it and slipped on some jeans. I tied my gray hoodie around my waist and put on my mermaid necklace. I smiled as I put my pink flip-flops on and looked at my toenails, which were painted teal.

Elena and I were ready, so we walked up to the Lido Deck. We went into the Brasserie Bar and Grill. There were many different spots to eat. There was a buffet, a pizza parlor, ice cream, salad, and a deli. We went to the Pizza Pirate.

“I’ll have two slices of Margherita pizza,” I said.

“I will also have two slices of Margherita pizza,” Elena said to the man behind the counter. He nodded and handed us our pizzas.

Elena and I sat at a table and ate the pizza. We smiled at each other.

“Who knew that having pizza for breakfast could be so good?” I said with a laugh.

Elena nodded. “Truth.” She checked her phone as a text came in. “I guess the rest of our family is eating burritos.”

“Oh, well. Pizza is superior.”

Once we finished our pizza, Elena and I walked outside to the Blue Iguana Cantina. Andrew and Brooke waved and my mom and dad smiled.

“How are your burritos?” I asked

“Delicious. How was your pizza, dorks?” my dad said.

“Amazing,” Elena said.

“We’ll go to Catalina once we’re done eating,” my mom said. Elena and I sat down with our family.

A few minutes later, we headed to the Atlantic Deck. We were supposed to be in the Rhapsody in Blue Piano Bar before we left. We sat on comfortable chairs and watched a few more people walk inside.

I could hardly contain my excitement. I was going to go to Catalina Island for the first time, meet a mermaid named Catalina and get magical stones to stop a villain and become a mermaid myself! It was crazy to think about.

We were led to the Riviera Deck. I smiled when I saw Connor helping people out. He looked at us and waved.

“Hi, Connor!” I said.

“Hey, Seeley family! You heading to Catalina Island?” he asked.

We nodded. “Yep!”

“Have fun!” he said with a smile.

We went through metal detectors before getting on a boat that took us to the island. I looked around in awe.

We decided to rent a golf cart and ride around the island before buying anything. I giggled as my dad rode us around. We sang random songs and admired the scenery.

Eventually, the time came. I walked into a store and smiled. This had to be it. There was mermaid stuff everywhere, along with a certain section for stones. The store was called, “Catalina Waves.”

A woman with blonde curls dyed teal at the ends walked toward me. “Hello! I am Catalina. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Actually, I was wondering if you knew about Dark Tail’s nemesis. He says that he misses you,” I said.

Catalina’s blue eyes widened. “You’re... you’re the one? Wow. I never thought this day would come. How many stones would you like? Free of charge.”

I smiled. “Twenty-five.”

Catalina went behind the counter and pulled out a blue pouch. “Pick your stones carefully. You never know who will receive them, or what powers will be bestowed upon the people using them.”

I nodded, taking the pouch and picking twenty-five stones. I turned and looked at Catalina once I was done. “Thank you, Catalina.”

“No problem, Cassie. Good luck.”

I walked out of the store. My siblings looked at me.

“Did you get the stones?” Andrew asked.

I nodded. “Yep!”

Elena smiled. “Perfect! We’re about to go back on the ship, so you can show them to Josh, Brandon, and Johnnie.”

After exploring more shops, we stepped back onto the boat. I held the pouch close.

Soon, I was going to be a mermaid.

--- ~~~ ---

Andrew texted Johnnie and Brandon once we got back on the Carnival Inspiration, asking if they wanted to eat lunch with us. Their replies came, and we waved at our friends as we entered the Brasserie Bar and Grill.

I got a mozzarella, basil and tomato sandwich from the deli and ate it happily. Johnnie was eating pizza and Brandon was eating a burger. Andrew got pepperoni pizza, Brooke got a burger, Elena got a Reuben sandwich from the deli and my parents got the same sandwich I had.

A woman with short brown hair walked toward us. “Would you like some refills on water?”

Brooke and I nodded, receiving our refills. My dad struck up a conversation with her. Her name was Jane, and she talked with us for a while.

“Well, I need to get back to work,” she said with a laugh. “See you later, Seeleys! Oh, and Johnnie and Brandon.”

We waved as she walked away. Someone else walked by. A Fun Squad member. I smiled at him, seeing that his name was Sean.

Sean smiled back. “Hello-agh!”

My eyes widened when I saw the dagger that had been stabbed into his back. He fell to the floor, and the people around us screamed.

I exchanged looks with my friends. Dark Tail had struck again.

As the three letters appeared on his arm, I knew that we had to release the stones and learn our powers. If we didn’t, Dark Tail would strike again.

As the people around us looked at me, I realized that his plan to frame me was in action.

We had to get to the library, and fast.

--- ~~~ ---