A convenient story. Then why hadn’t he told anyone where he was going? I was just about to ask, when a high-pitched voice said, “Hey! What’re you two doing sneaking off by yourselves?” Nick approached us, a stupid grin on his face.
My stomach crashed to my feet. Man, this kid had a skill for being wherever you didn’t want him. While I flailed around for an explanation, Jacques said, “I was showing Rose zee shops.” And he was right. Other than this tiny bar, we were surrounded by touristy type stores and stands.
Nick scoffed. “Right. Well, everyone’s looking for you. It’s time to go meet the tender.”
I started walking back the way we came, but Jacques said, “This way.” I stopped mid-step. Yay. Nothing like feeling stupid. He strode off, and Nick and I trailed after him. I didn’t really want to talk to Nick, but I definitely didn’t want to talk to Jacques, so I steeled myself for whatever random thing the kid was about to say.
“So, you were following Jacques, huh?” Nick asked with a sly look.
I swallowed. “What makes you say that?”
“I saw him leave. Then you left. It was pretty obvious.”
“Ha, ha. Well, I was wandering around and just happened to run into him coming out of that bar back there.” As soon as the words were out, I wished them back. Jacques would probably be telling everybody the “showing Rose zee shops” story, and I had just ruined it. Nick wore a calculating expression. Or maybe not.
He nodded. “That’s what I figured.” He went unusually quiet for a minute, but then he said, “You know, Jacques has been acting a little weird. Do you think he might be the thief? On the boat?”
I pressed my jaws together until they hurt. Nick’s thought processes were a little too close to my own. Did that mean I had the mental capacity of a thirteen-year-old boy? Was I jumping to ridiculous conclusions? The sensation unsettled me. Like I was swimming in an ocean where no boat would be coming along to pick me up.
“Rose?”
We turned a corner and were back at the waterfront. I tried to downplay his question. “I have no idea whether Jacques has been acting weird or not.” And since I could easily see Nick repeating everything I said to other people, I finished with, “I don’t know if he’s the thief, and I really don’t care.”
He squinted like he didn’t believe me, but then smiled. “Oh, okay. Got it.” With that, he dashed off to join the others. Wait. What? Did he think I was playing some kind of game? That I was saying one thing all the while believing another?
I shook my head. I was starting to confuse myself. Better get back to basics. What did I know from this morning’s excursion? For one thing, it was super risky to follow people. I should probably keep my investigation to observation only. Second, Clio and Nick were mad at each other. Third, Jacques had met someone at a bar who may or may not have been his father. Four, Marie liked to flirt with Sam. Finally, and best of all, Sam wanted to talk to me alone.
I smiled. This cruise was getting better every day.
Twelve
Rose
After lunch with my grandparents, I’d just settled down to write about this morning in my journal when someone knocked. I hid the journal under my pillow before I answered. Alexis and Sophie stood there wearing huge grins.
“Hi,” I said, smiling back. “What’s up?”
“We’re here to kidnap you,” Sophie said.
“What?”
Alexis stepped forward. “Can we come in?”
I shook my head at myself. “Oh, sure. Of course.” I backed out of the way, the room suddenly feeling way smaller than before.
“Your room looks amazingly like ours,” Alexis said.
“Oh yeah?”
Sophie chuckled and pushed a large chunk of curls behind her shoulders “Except ours has twin beds.”
“Mine did too,” I said, “but they put them together when my friend couldn’t come.”
“You were supposed to have a roommate?” Alexis asked.
“Yeah, one of my best friends. She got grounded right before the trip.”
“Wow,” Alexis said. “Harsh.”
Having them in my room was slightly awkward. I straightened the pile of daily cruise update papers that the steward Darl had been leaving on the table. “So what’s this about a kidnapping?”
Alexis dropped onto my bed while Sophie explained. “We have an extra spot in our spa time this afternoon and thought you’d like to come.”
“Um, what?”
“Soph, you’ve got to quit cutting to the chase,” Alexis said. “Sometimes a little background helps.” She turned to me. “Before the trip, we convinced our dad to do a spa afternoon on the ship. He was supposed to get a massage while we got mani/pedis or whatever. But turns out, he’d rather spend his time with the Flirty Lady.”
“Her name is Cynthia,” Sophie said, eyeing her sister. “If you don’t stop saying that, you’re going to slip and say it in front of Dad.”
“He wouldn’t care,” Alexis said.
“He might,” she replied.
In the hopes of nipping a potential argument in the bud, I said, “So, you have an opening for a massage? Sorry to turn you down, but I don’t want a stranger touching my body.”
“Amen,” Sophie said.
“It doesn’t have to be a massage,” Alexis said. “You can use it for whatever you want.”
Should I do this? I’d been looking forward to a couple of hours alone. But they were giving me their best eager expressions, and it was hard to say no. “Well, I’m not real excited about someone touching my feet either.”
Alexis laughed, while Sophie said, “You can get a manicure then. Or something completely different.”
“Like what?”
“Do we have one of the brochures?” Sophie asked Alexis, who stood up.
“No, I left it in the room, but I’m sure they do facials or makeup— Wait, that would be touching you, and since you don’t like people touching you, we’ll have to get creative.”
I waved a hand. “I didn’t mean like that. I think I could handle someone touching my face. It’s just …” Our reflections in the mirror over the tiny table suddenly hit me hard. I was standing between two girls with creamy brown skin and gorgeous curly hair. My own dirty blond hair didn’t do anything except hang just past my shoulder blades. Most of the time I put it up in a messy bun because I couldn’t think of anything else to do with it. But maybe this was a chance to do something different.
I turned away from the mirror before one of them caught me staring. “Do they do hair?”
“Probably,” Sophie said. “Do you want it cut?”
“I don’t know.”
Alexis frowned. “I like how long and smooth it is. You don’t have to deal with this every day.” She held curls out from each side of her head.
I let out a short laugh. “Right.” We all wanted what we didn’t have.
“It’s a lot harder to deal with than it looks,” Sophie said.
“I’m sure it is,” I said.
Alexis turned me toward the mirror, and then lifted the ends of my hair—not so much like she was playing with it, but like she was examining the possibilities. After a long silence, she said, “I have an idea.”
“I don’t like that voice,” Sophie said, moving to stand beside me. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
“From what?”
Alexis grinned. “Want to be daring?”
Did I? I wasn’t sure. “Um, maybe?”
“What about color?” Alexis asked.
“You want me to dye my hair?” I asked, my voice squeaking.
“Not exactly,” she said, reaching over my shoulders from behind and fingering the strands that framed my face. “I’m thinking different colors. Platinum blond here and then maybe streaks of purple or pink in random spots. Or maybe blue. And they could be in the back at the ends so that it’s a surprise when you walk away from someone.”
&nbs
p; My mouth fell open. Who thinks of what they look like from the back?
Sophie gave Alexis an arch look. “That’s Alex for you. Always focused on exiting with style.”
“It’s important,” Alexis said. Was she serious? Hard to tell. “It’s why I always wear tight jeans.”
Sophie and I laughed, and I looked pointedly at the flowery shorts Alexis wore.
“Same concept,” Alexis said with a grin. “Put the focus on what you want them to look at.”
Sophie pushed at Alexis’s shoulder. “You’re horrible.”
“And you always pretend no one’s looking,” she retorted.
I stared again at my reflection, letting them bicker happily. Could I do this? What would my grandparents say? I pictured their easygoing smiles. They probably wouldn’t care. The one to worry about was my mom. She’d told my sister and me that we couldn’t dye our hair until we were sixteen, which I was, so that wouldn’t be an issue. But Mom had argued loudly when Cammie had wanted to add a swath of blue to her strawberry blond hair two years ago. And I totally got that. If I had hair that color, I’d never mess with it. In the end, Cammie settled for a couple of blond streaks, like the ones I was now considering.
“So, what do you think?” Alexis asked.
And with the two of them flanking me with their mutual gorgeousness, I knew the answer was yes. I wanted something different. Something to help me stand out a little. To make me a bit less invisible.
If my mom freaked, I’d just remind her that it would all grow out. That was the beauty of hair. You could experiment with it.
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
***
The hair stylist fluffed the hair around my face while Alexis and Sophie waited nearby, still wearing dividers between their toes. They also wore identical silly grins. “It looks amazing, Rose,” Sophie said.
The stylist nodded as if they were praising her work, which in a way, was true. “It really makes your eyes pop,” she said.
I bit my upper lip to keep from laughing again. Back home, Lindsey, Claire, and I always made fun of those fashion clichés we heard on TV or wherever. And combined with the nervousness I was feeling over this whole adventure, I’d been on the edge of giggles for half an hour. Inhale, Rose. Keep it together.
My hair did look good, though. The light blond framing my face actually made my brown eyes seem almost golden. I’d opted for blue and purple streaks on the tips of my hair in back. I felt a slight twinge of regret at the choice because I couldn’t see them very well, but hey, I hadn’t worn a side braid in a while, so maybe it was time. Besides, I didn’t often walk around looking for mirrors so I could admire my own hair.
“They do,” Alexis said, and when I stared at her blankly, she gave me an exaggerated smile. “Your eyes are popping all over the place.”
Sounded like she thought the cliché was funny too. “Thanks,” I said to the room in general. “I love this.”
The stylist whipped off the hair-cutting cape. “I’m very glad.”
We strolled through the salon’s reception area with its harp music and out into a long corridor with doors on either side. Reentering the cruise ship world. I suddenly wanted to go back in and hide. Who did I think I was fooling doing something like this? I wasn’t stand out in a crowd material. I was Rose. Just Rose.
“Are you all right?” Sophie asked softly.
“Yeah, I just— I think I’ll go back to my cabin. Thanks so much for including me—”
“Not so fast,” Alexis said. “You have to go up on deck with us and show off your new ’do.”
I shook my head. “Not a good idea.”
“I knew you were having second thoughts,” Alexis said, gripping my hand. “Come on. Your hair looks great, and you need to hear more people tell you that instead of hibernating in your room.”
How did she know me so well? “What are you? The ship’s therapist?”
Sophie laughed.
“No,” Alexis said and tugged me down the hall, “but I’ll be yours if you want.”
I huffed as I stumbled along. “No thanks.” I did want to hide in my cabin, mostly because I was terrified those nervous giggles would make a reappearance. But Alexis was right. Better get the whole appearing in public thing over with so I could stop thinking about it.
Alexis raised an eyebrow. “Besides, if you don’t come, you won’t hear Sophie tell us about kissing Jacques.”
I gasped just as Sophie said, “What!” She turned and walked away.
“Don’t be a baby,” Alexis called, letting go of my hand. “Come on. I can’t drag both of you upstairs.”
Sophie stopped and faced us, leveling a deadly glare at Alexis. “I’m not going if you’re gonna say stuff like that right out in the open where anyone could hear.”
Alexis pressed her lips together like she was trying not to smile. “Okay, I’m sorry.”
“You know I hate it when you spring stuff on me.”
“I know, but I thought you’d be dying to tell us, and you never got a chance during the pedicures.”
Sophie approached us, still frowning. I felt a little bad for her. I knew what it was like to want to keep things private, but a part of me was hoping Alexis would pry it out of her. Especially since I’d never been kissed. I could use all the info I could get.
And Sophie had kissed Jacques? Really? I mean, he did nothing for me—especially after he called me a child—but apparently she liked him.
My taste definitely ran more toward the dark hair, hazel eyes, and lopsided smile kind of guy. I shook my head inwardly. I was such a goon.
Alexis leaned close to Sophie. “Was it that bad?” she whispered.
“Stop it,” Sophie said.
“When did this happen?” I asked.
“Late last night when she finally came back to our room,” Alexis said.
Sophie pushed us both forward all the way down the hall until we reached the stairwell. “Were you listening at the door?” she asked through clenched teeth.
One of the cabin stewards came around the landing above us and descended the stairs. He gave us a cheery hello and then was on his way.
Alexis angled her head upstairs. “Let’s go. I promise to keep my voice down.” We followed her, and at the top, she whispered, “I didn’t listen at the door. But I heard voices. You took so long to come in; I figured something must have happened.”
“It did. Can we leave it alone now?” Sophie whispered.
Alexis looked concerned. “I’m sorry it was so awful.”
Sophie just stared at her.
“Too much tongue?” Alexis whispered.
Sophie lifted her hands in the air like she didn’t know what to do with her sister. “I’m going to kill you someday soon. Be ready.”
Alexis laughed. I clamped my teeth together so I wouldn’t.
Sophie let out a heavy sigh. “It was good, Alex. Better than good. And that’s all I’m gonna say about it.” She headed for the door to the deck.
“Okay,” Alexis sang as we followed.
“You’re so mean,” I said with a smile.
“I am,” she said and narrowed her eyes, “but only with the best of intentions.”
We walked along the deck until we reached the bar with the noisy hot tub nearby. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone, afraid I’d get a wide-eyed stare. After we got our soft drinks, we wandered through the rows of sunbathers, not seeing anyone we knew.
“Rose!” a female voice called. I looked around in confusion. “Rose! Up here!”
And there she was, the Sun Visor Lady, waving at me from a chair on the small deck above the pool. “One of my grandparents’ friends,” I said to the girls. “I’ll be back in a minute.” I ran up the stairs, excitement building in me. Had she found out who the mysterious female crew member was?
She patted the side of her lounge chair. “Sit, sit.” She pulled off her sunglasses. “I like what you’ve don
e with your hair. Very chic.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Stanton. Did you have a chance to ask your sister—”
She pressed her index finger to her lips, and then looked casually around. There was only an elderly couple on this level, and they both appeared to be sleeping, but she lowered her voice anyway. “Yes, I spoke to Margaret. She clearly remembers the woman being blond with a round face, very young. She also saw her last night before turning in, but they didn’t speak. Does that help you?”
I didn’t know the answer to that, but some information was better than nothing. “Yes, thank you. At least it rules out several people.”
Mrs. Stanton slid her sunglasses back on. “You’ll keep me updated on your progress?”
At first, I wanted to hedge a bit, but I liked having her as an ally. “Of course. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
I headed down to where Sophie and Alexis stood against the railing at the very back of the ship. I only knew one young female on this trip with blond hair—Marie. I’d have to find out if there were any others. Or if there happened to be a handy bin full of blond wigs.
Thirteen
Sam
After dinner, Uncle David wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin and then dropped it on the table. “See you kids later.” He shoved back his chair and stood.
“Where you going, Daddy?” Alexis asked in an evil-sounding voice.
He smirked at her. “Hush, you. I’m meeting Cynthia on deck, which you already know. Be good.”
Alexis rested her chin in her hand as we watched him leave the restaurant. “Make wise choices,” she muttered.
Sophie snorted, which made me laugh. It was always so funny to hear sweet, feminine Sophie make such a gross sound, and we’d been competing for years to get her to do it. “Point to Alex,” I said.
She nodded graciously. “I believe that’s the first snort of the trip.”
“I believe you are correct,” I said.
“Shut up,” Sophie said.
Alexis responded, but a movement across the restaurant distracted me. I’d been keeping an eye on Rose and her grandparents all during dinner. There was no way she was escaping without having our private conversation. Or at least scheduling one. I hadn’t seen her all afternoon and had started to wonder if she was avoiding me, but then my cousins told me about the trip to the spa.
Life in the Danger Zone Page 9
