Ready! Set! Hawaii!

by Annie Bryant

  Charlotte and her Dad were in the onboard infirmary. They had left Mr. Madden in his tiny room, then said good night to Andie, who wanted to go check on her daughter Kazie, Kara-lee, and Katani. After that, Mr. Ramsey only made it up one set of stairs before panting that he had to sit down! Charlotte had felt his forehead and insisted that they find the ship’s doctor.

  Avery, Isabel, and Maeve wouldn’t hear of going back to their cabin without Charlotte and Mr. Ramsey, so all four girls navigated the hallways until they found the little white room with a plaque on the door reading ALOHA CRUISES INFIRMARY, DR. STEPHEN WEBER, MD. When the group entered the office, a nurse passed out masks and gloves. They didn’t want any contagious diseases being passed around the ship.

  “Will he be okay, Dr. Weber?!” Maeve wanted to know.

  “Call me Dr. Steve. And yes, he’ll be fine.”

  “I just need an aspirin,” Mr. Ramsey insisted. He tried to sit up in bed but was too weak.

  “You just need some rest, Dad.” Charlotte played with the elastic on her mask nervously.

  “Listen to this young lady,” Dr. Weber instructed him. “She’s smart.”

  Charlotte’s lip started to tremble. It’s only the first day of vacation and my dad is sick! When he got sick at home, she always brought him tea and ordered pizza or something for dinner. But this was different. They were miles from land! “Is he going to be better soon?”

  Dr. Weber patted Charlotte’s gloved hand. “He won’t be better tomorrow, but he’ll be better in a few days. Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him here.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Steve!” Isabel exclaimed.

  Maeve thought if she were casting a part for a ship’s brave doctor healing a band of sailors after a pirate attack, she would give the part to Dr. Steve. He had kind brown eyes behind his silver wire-rimmed glasses, lots of curly salt and pepper hair, and his tone was both reassuring and calm.

  Maeve squeezed Charlotte’s shoulder. “Don’t be upset! Your dad’s going to be okay!” She loved her mask. It made her feel like she was on ER.

  “This is like a full-on hospital,” Isabel added helpfully. The little white examination room opened onto a hall lined with equipment, several patient rooms, and nurses in blue scrubs.

  “You’re right,” Dr. Steve told them, “it is a hospital. You can’t always get to land right away if you’re sick at sea, so we have to be able to accommodate, well, anything. And we have to be extra careful with anything contagious.”

  “But you’ve seen this before, right?” Charlotte asked as a nurse wheeled her dad into a room with a large glass window.

  Dr. Steve smiled warmly, taking off his gloves. “The flu? I sure have. It’s pretty common for people to get sick after long airplane flights, since the air you’re breathing is recycled through the plane. Give it a few days and your dad will be right as rain,” he assured the girls. “For now, we’ll be calling in one of our onboard child-care assistants to supervise you girls.”

  “Oh, we can supervise ourselves—” Maeve started, until Charlotte elbowed her.

  A pretty young woman with an oval face and dark brown eyes entered the sickroom. She was wearing a khaki uniform, and her black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.

  Dr. Steve handed her a file folder, which the woman tucked under her arm. “Girls, this is Marisol. She’ll stay with you while Charlotte’s dad is here in the infirmary.”

  Marisol smiled, which lit up her entire face. “Hi, girls! I know this isn’t exactly what you were expecting out of your cruise, but I’ll try to make it as fun as possible. Promise.”

  Isabel perked up at Marisol’s lilting Spanish accent. “¿Está usted de Mexico?” she asked politely.

  “I’m not from Mexico,” Marisol explained, “but I’m half Mexican. Mi familia lives in California.”

  “In Hollywood?” Maeve asked excitedly.

  “No, San Diego—”

  “Can you surf?” Avery wanted to know, but Marisol shook her head.

  “Well, at least I know you girls are in good hands!” Mr. Ramsey chuckled. He could see and hear the girls through the glass.

  “You sure you’ll be okay, Dad?” Charlotte asked, pressing her hands up against his window.

  “I’ll be fine,” Mr. Ramsey insisted. “Everyone’s right, I just need some rest. And I’ll rest better knowing you girls are out there having fun.” He smiled warmly at Marisol.

  “How can I have fun when I know you’re in here sick?” Charlotte asked, not convinced.

  “Charlotte, this is very important. I need you and Isabel to be my eyes and ears for the parts of the trip that I’ll be missing. So you two are on assignment.”

  “You can come visit your dad any time you want,” Marisol assured her. “In the meantime, I’ll be your chaperone.”

  Captain Bob burst into the room. “I ’eard we had a man down, but he’s in good hands. And so are you girls! Marisol could fight off a bucketful o’ scurvy dogs!” he declared.

  “Hey, it’s not the dogs’ fault they have scurvy,” Avery protested.

  Maeve and Isabel stifled a giggle. Avery loved all animals, especially dogs.

  “Scurvy toads?” asked Captain Bob.

  “Not any better,” Avery responded. Even Charlotte was laughing now.

  “If ye have any problems—you need anything—you call me. Star-111 on any ship phone.” With a quick salute, he was off.

  Avery and Isabel looked at each other and started to giggle. Captain Bob was one crazy boat Captain. Avery wondered if he really thought he was a pirate.

  After blowing her dad a kiss, Charlotte followed Marisol and her friends out into the corridor.

  “Okay, so let’s figure out who’s who,” Marisol said. She opened the file folder that Dr. Weber had given her. “I’m going to guess that you’re Charlotte,” she said, looking at Charlotte, “since your dad is the ‘man down.’” Charlotte nodded. “And…Avery, are you the surfer?” Avery raised her hand and waved. “I bet that’s Maeve with the gorgeous red hair, who’s bound for Hollywood?” Maeve smiled and nodded. “And you’re Isabel with the fabulous papagayo shirt?”

  Isabel smiled. Katani had helped her sew the parrot design. “I love birds.”

  “Me, too,” Marisol confided. “Now where’s Katani?”

  Postcards Home

  Katani was still hanging out with Kazie and Kara-Lee. She had no idea how much their trip had suddenly changed. When Andie walked Katani back to her room that evening, it was a shock to find a strange woman in the room instead of Mr. Ramsey!

  “Jake and I will do whatever we can to help out,” Andie offered Marisol after the girls had explained what had happened.

  After Andie left, Katani showed Marisol her planner. “I’ve got everything all scheduled, so we’ll be easy on you. And…” Katani waited for everyone’s attention. “I brought back presents for the BSG!”

  “Oooh! Presents!” Maeve jumped up and tried to peek in the little plastic bag Katani was carrying.

  Katani held it up out of reach. “These are for everyone to share for the rest of the trip!” Then she let Maeve reach into the bag.

  “Postcards!” Isabel exclaimed.

  “I bought these on the way back from Kazie’s room,” Katani explained. “There’s a mail slot we can drop them in, and they get picked up every day when we dock!”

  “Thanks, Katani!” Charlotte gushed, picking out a card with a waterfall for Sophie. This is the perfect way to end a whirlwind day, Charlotte thought. Writing to one of your best friends.

  Ma Cherie Sophie,

  Bonjour from Hawaii! I’m so lucky my dad is a travel writer! Except he has the flu so he will be spending most of the trip in the infirmary. I know, I’ll still have fun, but I can’t help worrying about my dad. Anyway, ma cherie, I’ll be writing tons since I’m helping him out with his assignment (after I write this postcard I need to research endangered species in Hawaii!). I’ll find time to send you a longer letter when I get home
. I miss you!

  Au revoir,

  Charlotte

  Dear Kelley,

  Cruising is awesome and Hawaii is so beautiful! I met some cool new people—Crazie Kazie and Kara-Lee. We’re all totally stylin’ and we call ourselves the Kgirls! Rackin’, right? The best part is…you’re a Kgirl, too! Miss you tons!

  Love,

  Katani

  Dear Sam,

  This dream trip has been nonstop drama since we got on board! Avery’s dad showed up with his girlfriend and they are too sweet! And the captain plays a pirate on board—I sooo have to ask him for some acting tips! Also, I learned the hula. I think I was up onstage dancing longer than anyone else!

  XOXO,

  Maeve

  Dear Elena Maria,

  So I have to admit, I was nervous getting on the ship! Not only is it bigger than our house, it’s bigger than, like, a hundred of our houses! Luckily Hawaii is beautiful, so I got over being scared pretty much right away (even tho I think the captain is really a pirate!). Can’t wait to show you my drawings!

  Adios,

  Isabel

  Dear Scott,

  If you knew Dad was going to show up on the cruise with Andie and Crazie Kazie, I wish you wouldn’t have kept it a secret. Which means if you didn’t know, well, “Surprise!”

  Why me?

  Later,

  Avery

  P.S. The pool has three huge waterslides! And there’s a whole mini golf course, and a basketball court, too. Totally sweet.

  CHAPTER

  5

  A Mysterious Voice…

  Charlotte opened her eyes. Something was moving. My bed is rocking! Actually, scratch that. The entire room was moving! She bolted upright and smacked her head against the porthole behind her.

  “Ow!” She looked out the porthole to witness the sun peeking up over the horizon, turning the sky orange and pink. Turning back to the room, she saw the outline of Isabel sitting up in her bunk.

  “I almost forgot where we were,” Charlotte whispered.

  “Me too!” Isabel exclaimed, and then clapped her hand over her mouth. “Me too,” she said, whispering this time.

  Charlotte checked her watch. “It’s kind of early, but I was thinking about visiting my dad before breakfast. Want to come?”

  “Sure,” Isabel nodded. “Anyway, we’re not supposed to go anywhere alone.”

  “Right,” Charlotte agreed. She made up the sofa bed and folded it back into its original position. The springs creaked loudly. She looked to see if she had woken anyone up.

  Isabel noticed her checking around the room. “I don’t think you’re in danger of waking anyone! It would take a hurricane to wake them.”

  Avery was snoring in the top bunk across the room. Her covers were bunched up around her, and her foot was hanging off the side of the bed, dangling in midair. Beneath her, in the lower bunk, Maeve slept with a pink satin sleep mask over her eyes.

  Isabel crept down off the top bunk, still careful not to make a sound. Katani was curled up on the bed below her own. “Avery seemed pretty upset at Katani going off with Kazie and Kara-Lee last night.”

  “Avery seems pretty upset about a lot of stuff right now. Although if I were in her shoes, I’d probably feel the same way,” Charlotte admitted.

  “Do you know if she and Katani talked about it?” Isabel asked. She didn’t like her friends to be upset at all, but to be upset with one another was the worst.

  “I don’t think so,” Charlotte replied. “I was so wrapped up with my dad being sick…and then we all got excited about the postcards. Anyway, they’ll work it out.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Isabel decided. “After all, isn’t that what good friends do?”

  Charlotte stashed her journal in her book bag and motioned for Isabel to follow her. “Totally. Kinda like how they come along when you visit your sick dad in the infirmary.”

  Isabel gave her friend a hug. “I’m sure he’s feeling better already.” Isabel knew what it was like to have a sick parent. She’d moved to Boston so her aunt could help care for her mother’s multiple sclerosis. “We should ask Marisol before we leave, though.” Isabel reminded her.

  Charlotte nodded and knocked lightly on the door to the adjoining cabin. No one answered.

  “Maybe she’s still asleep?” Isabel whispered.

  Charlotte gently pushed the door open.

  The two girls turned to each other, wide-eyed. Marisol was gone!

  A-Mazed!

  “I think we’ve been down this way before,” Isabel said, confused.

  “That’s funny,” Charlotte wondered. “Because I was just going to say that this doesn’t look familiar at all.”

  “We probably should have brought our map.” After leaving a note for the rest of the BSG, Charlotte and Isabel set off to find the infirmary on their own and to ask about Marisol.

  Charlotte sighed. “I thought I was paying attention to where we were going last night, but all these hallways look exactly the same.”

  “It’s not your fault!” Isabel assured her. “You had plenty of other stuff on your mind. I’d say let’s just go back to the room, but we’ve turned around so many times, I don’t even know how to get back there!”

  “Okay. My dad always says that when you’re lost, you should just stop and think for a second,” Charlotte decided.

  She and Isabel studied the green and gold carpet, which extended twenty feet in either direction. There were doorways at either end.

  “I think that we need to go that way—” they said simultaneously, each pointing in the opposite direction.

  They both burst out laughing. When Charlotte caught her breath, she pointed in the direction that Isabel had wanted to go. “Since you’re the artist, you probably remember what things look like better than I do. So I vote your way.”

  The girls headed off down the hallway and through the door. The passage continued for another ten feet before it turned a corner into another hallway.

  “If only there was a sign!” Charlotte sighed, defeated.

  Isabel smiled and pointed over Charlotte’s head. “Um, Char?”

  A sign over Charlotte’s head read STAFF QUARTERS.

  “Izzy, you’re a genius!” Charlotte cried. “Someone here can tell us where the infirmary is!”

  “So do we just knock on a random door?” Isabel peered at a little placard beside one of the cabins. “These have names on them,” she said.

  “Maybe we can find Marisol’s room!” Charlotte cheered. “Maybe she went back ’cause she forgot something.”

  “This one’s hers!” Isabel knocked lightly on a door near the end of the hallway, but no one answered. “Do you think she already went back to our room?” she asked, trying to keep the rising panic out of her voice. What if they never found their room again? What was that number Captain Bob told us to call? Star-100? Or Star-101?

  “Okay, let’s try one more time.” Charlotte knocked at Marisol’s door, this time more loudly. “Hello? Anyone home?”

  “¿Hola?” Isabel added, just in case.

  A reply came from beyond the door. But it wasn’t the reply the girls were expecting!

  “Help me,” a faint voice cried.

  Charlotte and Isabel looked at each other.

  “Did you hear that?” Isabel asked, grabbing Charlotte’s hand.

  Charlotte swallowed nervously. “I think it came”—she pointed at the door with a shaking finger—“from in there.”

  “Maybe she’s sick?” Isabel asked nervously.

  Or in trouble, Charlotte thought. She didn’t want to say it out loud, just in case it was true.

  Breakfasting Up

  “I hope Charlotte and Isabel aren’t upset that we left before they came back,” Maeve said, stretching her arms up in the air.

  “We waited a whole half hour! And I’m so hungry, I could eat a whale,” Avery complained. “If I ate whale. Which I don’t. But I don’t know if I even have the energy to make it
all the way to the dining room.”

  “You just have a little jet lag,” Katani countered. “Besides, Charlotte and Isabel are probably with Marisol. We’re being totally responsible—we left a note and we’re walking together—so I think we’re cool.” She turned to discover that Maeve and Avery weren’t following her, and so she snapped her fingers. “Earth to the BSG!”

  “Maeve’s on Planet Boy,” Avery mumbled.

  Katani watched as Maeve peered at her reflection in a hallway mirror and fluffed her red curls. “Maeve, you look amazing. I know you look amazing because I helped you pick out your outfit,” Katani said proudly.

  Maeve was wearing a magenta and pink sundress with tiny flowers on the straps as a swimsuit cover-up. They were planning on hitting the pool after breakfast and before horseback riding. Maeve twirled around, modeling her dress. “Did you see that boy I was hula-ing with last night?”

  “Maybe if you’re lucky he’ll be at breakfast,” Katani pointed out.

  “Which we’re never going to get to if we don’t motor,” Avery added.

  Maeve smiled dreamily. Maybe he would be at breakfast! Should she go up and just ask him his name? Was that too forward? What if he’d already had breakfast and was getting ready to leave? Maeve started walking faster, passing by her friends.

  “Whoa, slow down,” Katani instructed her. “We’re supposed to stick together, remember?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think Maeve is the one who needs reminding,” Avery remarked.

  Katani stopped in her tracks. She didn’t know what was going on with Avery, but she was going to find out. “And what does that mean?”

  “It means you went off with Crazie Kazie and Kara-Lee last night instead of sticking with your friends!”

  “Ave, you can’t mean that. Kazie and Kara-Lee don’t have anyone their own age to hang out with.” Katani was shocked. Avery was the one who always reminded her to be friendly to everyone!

  Maeve stared at her friends, wide-eyed. “Um, why don’t we just go have breakfast and we can talk about this stuff later?” she suggested. She looked at Avery, who shook her head and just plowed on.