Voyage (Powerless Nation #2) (6 page)

She sat with Ms. Friedel and most of her classmates. A few had opted to stay with their things and reserve their sleeping area. The class had claimed a large atrium that opened to the main casino. When the ship had power it was a stunning area, with a high open ceiling that stretched up three floors to an enormous chandelier made of blue sheets of glass. There were stairs with wrought-iron railings at both ends of the lobby and a grand piano graced the center of the room.

The teachers thought the students had chosen it because there were a lot of couches and comfortable chairs. Sena knew it was because of the secluded alcoves and near total darkness. There weren’t any windows in the atrium and she imagined there’d be plenty of who-knew-what going on that night.

As for Sena, she would be sleeping on deck where there was some light. She didn’t care how cold it got. Even if there wasn’t a moon that night, there would be stars.

She turned her attention to the stage, where Captain Brady was about to speak. He wore a white dress uniform and captain’s hat. He didn’t look tired, though she was sure he must be. When he spoke, his voice carried to the whole theater over the sound of the waves lapping against the boat.

“Tonight, you are seated with heroes. Look around and you will see brave men and women, both crew and passengers, that went beyond what they had to do today, at times risking their own lives. Without them—without you—we wouldn’t be here tonight. I thank you, and I honor you.

“Many of our shipmates aren’t here tonight. I can’t speak for all of them, but my training leads me to believe that a lot of them are overwhelmed by the circumstances we face. In a crisis situation, people tend to freeze up or shut down. They may become angry or depressed. I ask you to be patient with them, and help where you can. 

“Luxury services will no longer be available. In these emergency circumstances I cannot in good faith ask the staff to continue to provide you with full-service and amenities. You may even be asked to pitch in. We will need everyone’s help to get through this.

“I’m not going to lie to you, we’re in a very serious situation. We were able to use a battery-operated satellite phone to make contact with the Navy in Hawaii. They are still trying to get a full assessment of the extent of the damage, but early reports indicate that power and communications have been disrupted for all of the West Coast.”

A loud murmur arose from the crowd, and it wasn’t until then that Sena realized how bad the situation could be. Who was behind the attack? Was a war going on somewhere at this very minute?

The captain raised his hands, and when the crowd quieted he spoke again. “What we experienced today goes beyond the boundaries of this ship. Navy resources are stretched thin and we can’t anticipate outside help. The commanding officers and I are making plans to get everyone safely back to shore in Seattle. Right now we ask for your patience and tolerance. You are the heroes of the day, and we need you to continue to be leaders to your fellow passengers. Help us keep people safe and calm until we are ready to act, and be assured that we do have a plan to get you home. Thank you and God bless you.”

The captain left the stage, and one of the ship’s performers took his place. Sena pondered what kind of show they were about to see, sure no one was in the mood for entertainment.

The thin slip of a girl stepped forward to stand at the edge of the stage and began to sing in a stronger voice than Sena had expected.

“Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light…”

As if of one accord, the crowd rose to its feet, removing hats, placing hands over hearts.

Sena stood and tried to sing along, her throat tight with emotion. The song had greater meaning for her tonight than it ever had. Now they too, faced a long, dark night in a time of war, not knowing what the future would bring.

After the song was over, Sena wiped her eyes and slipped away before the crowd dispersed and Ms. Friedel could round her up with the other students. It was almost full dark and she wanted to be safely on her bench before the last light of the sun faded from the sky.

To her dismay, an elderly man had claimed the bench while she was gone so Sena was forced to find another place to sleep. 

She stood in the middle of the Lido deck and looked around. All of the pool chairs were taken, and most of the deck space was covered by mattresses that had been removed from beds and dragged to the open air. Without power for ventilation, the rooms below decks were basically uninhabitable, stuffy and clogged with smoke. Sena sat forlornly on a stool at the tequila bar, and had the random thought that she’d expected her first time at a bar would be more thrilling.

Nothing was being served now, and the seats would be too uncomfortable to sleep in, but the area was lit by small, solar powered lights, so a few people congregated there. A woman sat on the stool next to Sena's and fiddled with her ruined phone.

“I feel like I don’t know what to do with my hands anymore,” she said when she noticed Sena watching her. “Maybe I’ll take up smoking.” The woman laughed, and Sena saw in the dim light that the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I wish I’d brought a picture of my kids. I had plenty in my phone but now…” 

Sena thought she recognized her from the muster station earlier. “How many kids do you have?” she asked, trying to be polite.

“Two. Well, one living. My son died a year ago.”

Sena didn’t know what to say.
Sorry
sounded so trite. Without thinking, she said the first thing that came to mind. “I lost my mom a few years ago too. I mean, she didn’t die, but she went to jail for letting her boyfriend cook meth in our kitchen.”

Sena was horrified at herself for what she’d just said. She never talked about that, not with anyone.

The woman nodded and took it in stride. “That must have been hard.”

“She made parole, and as soon as I get home she wants me to move back in with her. We’ll be a family again.”

“I hope things work out with you and your mom. Family is important.”

The conversation fizzled and Sena was sure she’d said too much. People got uncomfortable when she talked about her past so she’d learned not to bring it up. She wasn’t sure why she’d broken her rule tonight. It always made things awkward.

To her surprise, the woman still wanted to talk. “I noticed you earlier today. I bet you’re about my daughter’s age. What are you, fourteen, fifteen?”

“Fifteen.”

“Maddie’s fifteen too. Dee, I mean. That’s what she likes to be called. I’m Claire.”

The woman looked at Sena, obviously waiting.

My name is Sena."

“Sena. That’s a pretty name. I don't think I've ever heard it."

"It’s Korean. I was named after my mom’s mom."

"I bet that meant a lot to your grandmother. Do you have a Korean last name too?”

“No, it's Morgan, after my dad. He died in Iraq before I was born. My parents weren't married or anything, but my mom still wanted me to have his name, so I’m Sena Morgan.”

They lapsed into silence again and although Sena was reluctant to leave the oasis of light, she was afraid of what she might blurt out next. Talking to Claire came too easily.

Sena stood to leave, and couldn’t help noticing the deep shadows outside the tequila bar. “I better get going.”

“Hold on, I was thinking... we’ve got a cabin on this deck, my husband and I. If you don’t have somewhere to sleep you’re welcome to our couch. I haven’t checked, but I think it might fold out to a bed.”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose on you. You don’t even know me.”

“I know you're a kid on her own in the middle of the ocean. Everyone needs a break sometimes.” Claire touched Sena lightly on the arm. “Let me help you.”

Sena bit her lip to hide the quiver. It had been so long since someone had done something motherly for her.

Claire mistook her silence for refusal and went on. “When I said goodbye to my daughter yesterday she was barely speaking to me. After today I wish I could go back and hug her and tell her I’m sorry. I can’t, but I can give someone else’s daughter a safe place to sleep.”

Sena looked into Claire's face and saw kindness and sincerity. Her daughter probably had no idea how lucky she was.

“All right, I’ll try it, thank you.”

It was too dark to see the cabin very well, though Sena was too tired to care. The couch was soft and she fell asleep within minutes, clutching her book light and barely noticing when Claire gently tucked a blanket around her shoulders and hummed a wordless lullaby.

Breakfast the next morning was simple and plentiful: cold slices of ham, fresh fruit and milk. The serving staff had learned their lesson the day before and were providing breakfast on two decks. Not only that, they served the food themselves instead of letting passengers get their own. Second helpings were allowed; to get them you had to go through the line again. The lines were much shorter and everyone seemed to be getting enough to eat.

After breakfast, Claire gave her a room key and told Sena she was welcome any time. Sena thanked her, and said she might stop by again sometime.

The day stretched out ahead of her and she thought about what to do with her time. The two main decks were crowded with mattresses and makeshift tents made from bed sheets. People were crammed into every corner and it was far too crowded for her comfort. She thought about looking for Danny to see if he needed help with anything, but then remembered his doody duties and decided he was on his own.

She pulled her map of the ship out of her backpack and scanned it, hoping for inspiration. Suddenly something caught her eye and she grinned. 

The ship had a library.

Sena re-shelved the book she’d been reading and sank down into a chair with a happy sigh. She’d spent the last couple of hours engrossed in a zombie story about the end of the world. She wanted to tell the author that zombies were out, EMPs were in.

She was trying to decide what to do next when Kade walked in. He paused in the doorway, sunshine from the skylight making his hair look blonder than it actually was. When he spotted her he walked over.

 “I didn’t think I’d see you here. Is this where you slept?”

Sena shook her head.

“You weren’t downstairs were you? The Frizz assigned everyone to specific areas and went half-crazy when she kept coming up one kid short. I hope you don’t mind – I told her you had a thing about the dark and were probably on a pool chair somewhere.”

“Thanks, I didn’t mean to worry her. I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

“I noticed.”

Sena looked away and pushed her glasses up higher on her nose. She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t read Kade at all. One minute he was nice and the next he ignored her.

“What are you doing here?” she said.

“You don’t think I like books?”

Sena bit her lip, raised her eyebrows and looked sideways. 

He laughed. “Okay, you got me. I was just roaming and figured I’d check it out.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of batteries. “Hey,” he said, “I’ve got something for you.” 

“Um, thanks?”

“You don’t know what they’re for, do you? Your book light. Duh.” 

Sena stared at the batteries, in shock that he’d done something so thoughtful. For her. “How did you get so many?”

“I scavenged them out of a couple of TV remotes. I figured they might come in handy. It’s no big deal.”

Sena looked at the batteries and back at Kade. “Are you kidding? It’s huge!”

“Seriously, it’s nothing. What time are you going to head down for dinner?”

“What time is it?” Sena tucked the batteries into her backpack, enjoying the sense of security they gave her.

Kade squinted at the sun through the library’s large windows. “Um, no idea? My stomach’s telling me it’s after lunch though. Two meals a day is rough on a guy.” 

He was referring to the announcement posted on the main bulletin board that the number of meals served had been reduced to two, one in the morning and one in the evening. The new meal schedule was very unpopular.

Kade plopped into the chair next to hers and they stared out at the vast ocean. Sena tried to think of something to talk about. She wondered briefly why it was so much easier to talk to Danny than to Kade. She didn’t know him as well, but when they talked she felt smart and witty. With Kade she mostly felt awkward.

She glanced over at him to see if he looked as uncomfortable as she felt. He was squinting out the window. “Do you see something out there?” he asked, pointing.

Sena pushed up her glasses and leaned forward to get a better look. “A lot of wat—” she began, cutting herself off when she spotted a tiny speck.

“I think you’re right!” she said excitedly. “Do you think it’s a ship?”

“Could be. A distant ship, or smoke on the horizon.”

“Smoke?”

“Never mind, I was just… never mind.”

“Do you think the Navy sent someone to get us?”

“Could be. We’d better go tell the captain. Do you know the way to the bridge?”

Sena nodded. “Come on.”

Sena was surprised when they were permitted to join the captain on the bridge. Captain Brady stood up when he saw her and took her hand in a firm handshake.

“Sena Morgan, right? From what I’ve been told, you explicitly went against my orders and helped evacuate passengers on the Riviera Deck during the fire. You’re not very good at following orders, young lady.” 

Sena was reminded of how she felt when the security guard at the hotel caught her pilfering food. She wished she could shrink away to nothing.

“Lucky thing for us.”

He caught her eye and she could see the hint of a smile. She let herself relax a little.

“I presume this is Kade Miller?” He shook Kade’s hand. “I’m glad you both stopped by, I wanted to thank you in person. I heard from several sources about your bravery. Without your presence of mind in helping evacuate the area, things could have been a whole lot worse.”

He turned to face the long windows and Sena was secretly gratified when he pulled a small telescope out of his pocket and looked through it. He was the perfect image of a sailor.