“God,” she breathed, “help us stay open with each other so that any unintentional hurt can be quickly set to right.Thank you for last night.”
She wiped her eyes and took a drink of water, the cool liquid quenching her throat.Then she opened her worship music playlist.She adjusted the earbuds in her ears, then leaned back in the chair and put her arm over her eyes.“God,” she whispered, “I trust Your plan.I love you and I know You brought Jerry into my life on purpose.”She began praying for him, for his friends, and for their time together that day.
Every member of the crew had an assigned lifeboat.Today, they would conduct drills at each lifeboat and check the equipment.They should have done this before leaving Miami, but the first mate had a family emergency and could not return in time to conduct them.They decided to make leaving the ship for the passengers mandatory and to do it properly here on the island stop.
Hao, as First Mate, of course, helped provide the perfect cover to gather all of the crew in one place at one time—and to empty the ship.
They all gathered in the main dining hall.They would eat lunch before heading to their assigned spots.Daphnée Desalin, who had arrived from the island via tender twenty minutes ago, led the team of servers to the hall, eyes moving all around to make sure no surprises lurked in the corners.
The servers with the carts dispersed themselves around the room, then paused, waiting for their queue to serve the staff.Daphnée chuckled to herself about her choice of words, even though she said them internally.Then she clapped her hands.
“Welcome, crew.Change of plans.Everyone, please form a single-file line, and we will head to the tender that is waiting on you.”
A maid in a tropical shirt and khaki skirt asked, “Who are you?”
Daphnée smiled, a bright smile inspired by the fact that, finally, finally, after over a year of careful planning, the day had arrived, and her husband could now move forward in the plans to take control of their country.“Let me explain.”She gave the signal to her men.
The “servers” pulled the covers off their carts and pulled out AK-47 automatic rifles.Screams, gasps, and cries erupted from the crowd.Daphnée grabbed a suppressed pistol from her tray and stepped forward, waving it in the air.“You heard me, friends.Form a line.No one will be harmed if you stay quiet and obey our commands.”
One of the chefs stepped forward, anger firing darts out of his eyes.“What are you doing?There are three hundred and fifty of us, and what, twenty of you?”He looked around at the crowd.“We can take them!”
Daphnée very calmly aimed and shot him between the eyes.He crumpled to the ground, and the woman next to him started screaming.
“Shut up!”Daphnée screamed, menacing her with the pistol.The woman stifled her screams and quietly sobbed in fear.
“Any other volunteers?”Daphnée asked.When only whimpers and tears responded, she ordered, “Take your cell phones out of your pockets and drop them on the floor at your feet, then form a single file line.”The room filled with the sound of phones plopping onto the ground like hail.She aimed her gun at a bartender who tried to hide dialing her phone.“Must I waste another bullet on the likes of you?”
The woman shakily dropped the phone and held up her hands, turning to follow the line out of the dining hall.
Olive sat up with a start.She must have dozed off.She didn’t remember ending her prayer.When she looked at her phone, she gasped.11:45!?The wedding would start in fifteen minutes!
She grabbed her book and phone, then rushed through the entirely empty ship.It felt so strange to encounter absolutely no one as she ran down empty corridors and down vacant stairwells.She burst into her cabin.It didn’t surprise her to find Erin already gone.
Despite the time, she had to shower, but she could get away with not washing her hair.She also had to run an iron over her dress.Argh!Why hadn’t she done that last night?
Because she’d thought starting a fight with the man she loved the day before his best friend’s wedding would somehow be a good idea.
Stupid, she thought to herself as she waited for the iron to heat.God, please help me.
The clock mocked her as she quickly put on the high-necked, sleeveless dress the color of the turquoise ocean covered in white and yellow flowers.
12:13.
At this point, should she even go?Of course she should go.It’s why Jerry brought her.
She pulled her hair into a Chignon and quickly applied her makeup.Taking a deep, calming breath, she slipped her sandals on and stepped back, checking her appearance in the mirror.
She grabbed her phone and her beaded purse.Now, she had to get up to the fifteenth deck.She rushed to the end of her corridor and paused, trying to decide if she could run the stairs faster than the elevator could take her.With such an empty ship, though, she decided the elevator would win the race.While she waited, she slipped her shoes off.That would just make for more efficiency once she got to the top.
She left the elevator on the fifth deck and rushed down the promenade.Designed to accommodate thousands of people, the corridors and passageways loomed like vast liminal spaces, as if she’d swallowed a strange elixir and dwindled to a third of her size.
Just as she passed the casino, she heard, “There’s one.”
The voice surprised her.She turned and saw a man and a woman in crew member uniforms.They approached.The woman waved her arms in a sweeping gesture.“Where are you going, ma’am?”she asked.
Olive glanced at her nametag.Marie, Haiti
“I’m heading up to the wedding on the top deck,” Olive said.
