ALL NOVEL 5: Pool Side
The HMS Sanguine was a Grand Cruise Ship with nineteen decks and was close to one thousand feet in length. It consisted of no less than three nightclubs, one that overhang its stern, and fourteen major restaurants. A casino was a new addition and situated near the prow of the massive ship. It was older than it looked, it rode the waves as casually as a skyscraper would float. Currents spawned from tectonic plates far from human reach continued to drag the ship, trying to pull it away from its intended destination. Its engines ground onward, fighting the forces of nature. The ocean seemed to want to challenge the Sanguine’s right to sail.
Above the waters firmament the skies were clear and the air was summery. Rose Sexton felt the sun warm her skin the second she walked onto the forward deck. Maggie was rushing ahead of them, her legs were already moving sluggishly. Kyle Strix on the other hand bellowed a cheer with his arms spread wide, apparently it was his way of adopting the vacational spirit. The only one in the group that lagged behind was Rebecca, the blonde vampire seemed more concerned with tidying up her large umbrella hat than going outside.
Turns out vampires really like alcohol, especially flavored spirits. As Rose strolled out into the morning glow she expected to see the top decks empty. The old vampire stereotype of hating sunlight was quickly disproven, like so many others. The top deck was full of eager tourists, with most wearing bathing suits or loose fitting clothes. She supposed it was wrong for her to assume vampires hated the sun, apparently they loved it like everyone else.
There were other stereotypes Rose was curious about, such as the whole cross and dagger theory. Or what about onions and garlic? She wondered. Fate seemed to enjoy answering some of these questions as a glint quickly caught her eye. Rose looked to her right to spot a young and attractive couple taking photos next to the railing. Both wore brightly colored shirts and sported Catholic crosses around their necks.
Rebecca bumped her shoulder to steal her attention, “Looking for one of these?” She pulled a long silver chain wrapped around her own neck. A crucifix gilded in smooth silver glinted in the light. It was a simple trinket, the kind worn by someone of faith rather than a piece of jewelry for show.
Rose couldn’t help but appreciate Rebecca’s warm smile in the light of day. “So I guess crosses don’t burn vampires either right?” She asked.
“Would I be wearing one if it did?” Rebecca chuckled as she tucked the necklace back underneath her blouse and skipped ahead of the group. She was so up beat and cheerful that Rose almost wished she acted more like a traditional vampire. None of this made any sense to her at all.
Shifting seas made the cruise liner roll with the waves, it made the ground unsteady beneath them. Rose knew nothing about ocean faring, but she hoped the passage would be a little steadier. The last thing she wanted was to get seasick, well it wasn’t necessarily the last thing she wanted but fairly close.
Rose followed the three vampires. Her black swimsuit absorbed the scorching sunlight quickly, she could feel a bead of sweat trickle down in-between her breasts. Rebecca and Maggie split up the moment they reached the large swimming pool, the blonde creature was quick to grab a couple of lounge chairs while Maggie hunted for the large bar nearby. Kyle paused rather than join either of them and turned around. He watched as Rose approached slowly, each step felt heavy like she was wearing leaden shoes. She only stopped once she was within arms reach, it still felt too close.
“Its adorable how’re like a little bunny in a wolves den, you need to lighten up a bit.” He tried to lighten the mood.
Rose swallowed and looked around. Dozens were jumping in the pool, or sun bathing on patio chairs. Food services was being brought to several couples and single passengers on silver plates. The plates were full of complementary drinks and snacks. Once again the color red was completely devoid of her surroundings, the closest thing to it would probably be the light of the rising sun.
The pool itself was large and rectangular. A rumor was that a larger pool complete with water slides and diving boards was on the opposite end of the ship. Yet despite all the happy vacationers, Rose couldn’t help but notice each and every single one of them would sneak a quick glance towards her. She felt it each time a pair of eyes locked onto her as if she really was prey. Rose couldn’t help but feel like she was in danger. Somehow they knew a human was in their midst, and were drawn to her.
“You just going to stand there honeybun?” Kyle chuckled as he assigned her the moniker. Rose realized she had been standing there in the open for too long. Nervously she crossed her arms over her chest and looked down. The idea of being called ‘honeybun’ pissed her off.
“Honeybun?” Rose slouched and didn’t try to disguise how she felt. The wind suddenly picked up and blew her hair over her face. Rose cursed as she tried to brush the hair aside but the wind only worsened.
A shadow descended over her, shielding her just enough so that she could pull her hair back. Rose looked up and saw Kyle was trying to cover her from the sudden gust. “Talk about a rush huh, must be a tropical storm nearby.”
“Whatever,” Rose shoved him aside. He was surprisingly stiff but took a step back to give her space. Even as she passed him Rose could tell he was watching her all the way to the pool, it was making her even more annoyed. The pool was crystal clear and Rebecca’s reflection was clearly visible as she laid on the lounge chair with her umbrella hat covering her face. As Rebecca stretched out her blouse exposed her stomach to reveal hardy muscle and wide hips. For the first time it was Rose who couldn’t stop staring.
“You gonna go for it?” Kyle teased her. It took a moment for Rose to realize he was referring to the pool…she rubbed her eyes to clear her head.
I did go on a singles cruise hoping to meet people, Rose pondered.
Rose took one last glance at the blonde vampire basking in the sun, and wondered why she found it hard to look away. She never felt this flustered towards women before, but then again she never felt that way towards vampires in general.
Rose sighed before dipping her toes to test the water temperature. It was freezing cold! A subtle shift in the wood, along with the sudden rise of hair on the back of her neck, told her someone was about to try to push her in. It was a purely animalistic instinct that told her what was about to happen, and her reflexes responded quickly. She dived to her left just as Kyle lunged forward to shove her into the freezing pool of water. It happened so fast he didn’t have time to stop himself or change direction, so Rose watched as he threw himself accidentally into the water. The look of surprise on his face was almost comical as he realized his mistake.
Kyle Strix cried out as he impacted the surface of the pool. His splash drew waves as he thrashed to swim up to the surface. As soon as his head broke free he rushed to the edge to climb out, “Its freezing! Oh my god its freezing!”
“Suits you right asshole,” Rose strolled away. She wasn’t the least bit interested in his taunts, but it did surprise her that vampires didn’t enjoy the cold either. That meant the pool temperature wasn’t that way on purpose, someone must not have been doing their job.
“Looks like the rabbits got fangs after all!” Kyle called out as he pulled himself out, he had to keep a hold of his swimming trunks to prevent them from slipping off. He grabbed the first towel he could find and wrapped himself while shivering.
Nearby Rebecca was laughing hysterically.