“For the next few days we will be travelling out in rough seas to get all of our action shots! Our helicopter camera crew will be flying overhead, catching it all, of course!”
“Um … excuse me, Patrice,” I say, slowly pushing my hand in the air. “When you say ‘rough seas,’ how rough do you mean … exactly?” I giggle nervously, hoping no one can detect that I’m on the verge of having a meltdown.
“Oh, Hannah! Brace yourself for excitement!” Patrice nods, smiling, raising and lowering his eyebrows. “Imagine all of you young, brave sailors, battling the angry ocean, massive waves crashing over our bow, sea spray in your faces.…”
Massive waves? Sea spray! Why did I agree to do this show! I’m doomed on so many levels!
“Hannah, you don’t look so good,” Henry whispers into my ear.
“I’ll be fine,” I lie.
“If it makes you feel any better, I think Patrice is exaggerating. He would never put us in any danger.”
“He wants drama, Henry … danger and excitement. I mean, how else is he gonna get it?” I whisper back.
“Good point.”
“Hannah, you’re looking a little pale,” Piper chirps loudly. “Maybe you should go lie down.”
Patrice shakes his head. “We need everyone here. Hannah just needs to find her sea legs. Breathe in that fresh salt air, Hannah, and regard the horizon. I have very important information for all of you before we arrive at the dive site.”
Dive site! We’re diving today… out here … in rough seas! This is crazy.
I’m feeling sicker by the second. Looks like everyone has found their sea legs but me. This is awful!
“Hey look!” A.J. shouts, pointing. “A whale!”
A what?
I turn just in time to see the coolest thing I’ve ever seen … a gigantic beast bursting up from the sea.
“Une baleine!” Patrice shouts excitedly. “Val, look at that magnificent creature! It’s breaching! You must get this shot!”
Normally, seeing a whale would totally freak me out, especially so close to our boat, but for some reason, I’m mesmerized.
Before I left home to come on the trip, I Googled how to kick your fear of the ocean (because my fear was real and like, totally crazy out of control). Turns out, this fear of mine has a name — thalassophobia (just in case you were wondering). Anyway, I stumbled upon this website that teaches you how to use self- hypnosis to get over your phobias. It must have worked because, if I weren’t so sick right now, I’d be running for my phone to get a picture of that whale myself.
Val, one of the videographers, grabs her camera, and we all watch in awe as the whale continues performing its acrobatic moves, thrusting its humongous body high up into the air, only to come crashing back down with all its weight, making a fantastic splash! Everyone is oohing and awwing, except me; I’m still trying to find my sea legs, attempting to become one with the ocean … actually, I’m just trying not to barf.
Everyone is laughing at the whale, which is now waving its tail back and forth at our boat. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone is distracted, I run inside to search for a wastebasket or a bucket or anything that I can keep by my side just in case. It only takes a moment before I realize that going back inside the cabin was a bad idea … a very bad idea. If it’s even possible, I feel sicker than ever.
About thirty seconds into my search, I hear Patrice yelling for me. “Hannah! Come back! We have much to discuss.”
I try to yell back but it’s no use. I can’t. If I did, I’m pretty sure more than words would come out, if you know what I mean.
Piper pokes her head in. “Hannah! The whale is gone; you can come out now.”
Too weak and queasy to set her straight — that I was absolutely not afraid of that whale — I finally admit that I feel awful. “Piper!” I cry in desperation (because, at the moment, she’s the only one who can help me), “I think I’m going to be …” My cheeks puff up as air escapes my stomach, and I press my hand against my mouth trying to stop what I fear is about to come out next. “I … need … a bucket,” I finally manage to sputter.
“In the closet over there.” Piper points to a beautiful, mahogany cabinet with glass doors. “Make it quick. We’re all waiting for you!”
I run over, turn the key that is in the lock and open the cabinet, which is lit from inside. All I can find that even resembles a bucket is some fancy-looking silver trashcan sitting on the middle shelf. I can’t barf in that! What if it’s important?
“Hannah!” Patrice yells again. “We are wasting time! Come at once!”
With no other choice, I grab the bucket and run back to join the group.
“Hannah,” Patrice sighs. “I told you, look to the horizon and stay outside in the fresh air. You must find your sea legs before you go back inside again.”
I nod, curling my lips up into an unconvincing smile.
“Fear not, Hannah. After the high-action shots are done, we will move closer to shore where the water is much calmer. That is where we will begin our search for …” Patrice’s eyes widen with excitement (I expect for dramatic effect) “… the lost jewels of Queen Isobel de la Isla Grande Hermosa.”
La Isla Grande Hermosa? Where the heck is that? I’m trying my best to pay attention, but if you’ve ever been seasick before, you understand that trying to focus on anything, but your stomach is nearly impossible.
“Are you all curious to know the story of how these precious jewels we hope to find on our treasure hunt made it to the bottom of the ocean?”
Everyone nods anxiously except me, of course. I’m not taking my eyes off of that horizon. It’s the only thing keeping me from losing it completely.
“The story of Queen Isobel’s lost jewels is one of romance, greed, sadness, and death!”
Everyone gasps at the word death.
Patrice continues, “About three hundred and fifty years ago, King Ronaldo de la Isla Grande Hermosa asked Lady Isobel de Vanidad, known by all for her great beauty, to marry him. She refused, saying he was too old, terribly fat, and painfully ugly. Not giving up, he begged her to reconsider. She refused him time and time again, until one day when she heard news that King Ronaldo’s fleet of ships, filled to the brim with great riches from the New World, was ready to return home to la Isla Grande Hermosa. Isobel, realizing that she would be wealthy beyond her wildest dreams, finally agreed to marry the king, but only on the promise that each of his returning ships bring her a chest of jewels unmatched in beauty, and so extraordinary that she would hold the most talked about and envied collection in the history of the world.
“Desperate for her love, he agreed, and ordered each of his sixteen ships to stay behind until they had gathered the most rare and exquisite jewels in all the land. In order to meet the king’s demands, the ships were delayed by a month. This setback led to a most unfortunate event. A week into the voyage home, a terrible hurricane struck, the likes of which had never been seen before. All sixteen ships of the king’s fleet sank, taking with them countless lives, untold riches from the New World, and, of course, the queen’s precious jewels.”
The fact that I could upchuck at any second doesn’t sway my desperation to find out what happens next.
Patrice takes a sip from his bottle of Perrier. “I do hope you have enjoyed the little history lesson, and now it’s time for lunch! Who’s hungry?”
Lunch? How can he stop there! What about the rest of the story? I need to know what happened next!
“Come on, people. On y va! Let’s go. I’m starving!” Patrice waves for us to follow him inside.
Obviously just as hungry as Patrice, the group eagerly scurries behind him to the dining room.
“Wait!” I screech as the last crewmember sits down.
Everyone turns and gawks at me.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t be the only person here
who wants to know more!” Suddenly, I’m hit with a brand new wave of nausea, and realize I’ve forgotten all about looking at the horizon. My stomach is churning more than ever. Even still, I can’t help myself. I’m dying with curiosity. I have to know! “Did she freak out? I mean, when the ships went down and she didn’t get her jewels? Did she leave that fat, old …”
Oh my gosh … no! Opening my mouth was a seriously bad idea. Here it comes … I pull the fancy silver bucket up to my face and proceed to power puke over, and over, and over.
“Oh my gawd, Hannah!” Piper screeches. “Stop it!”
“I can’t … stop …” I gurgle, and then barf again.
When I’m finally able to lift my head, I see Massimo running toward me with a roll of paper towel. He spies the bucket in my hands, and cries, “Oh, no … bella. Not the Star Trophy!”
“What?” I moan, looking down to see that the bucket I just barfed into has handles and … OMG … an engraving on the front. How could I have been so stupid? Garbage cans are not made of silver and they don’t have handles. It’s definitely a trophy!
“‘Seafarers Transatlantic Adventure Race, 1982, Captain John Steele,’” I hear myself reading aloud.
“Proudest moment of my life!” the captain’s voice booms, as he appears out of nowhere.
I look down at the barf-filled trophy and then back up at him.
“Ah, Piper, my dear! What a splendid idea, bringing out the Star Trophy to show our crew! I imagine you’re all feeling quite inspired looking at this wonderful piece of history! This trophy represents greatness! It signifies hard work and sacrifice. It is my most prized possession.”
I try to manage a smile just as another wave of sickness hits. Oh no, here it comes. I shove my face into the captain’s prized trophy and puke again.
After a few more dry heaves, I look up into the captain’s furious eyes.
“It was an accident,” I say, cracking a hopeful grin.
“You’ve had a very busy day, Miss Smart. Watch your step. You only have one chance left.”
4
Piper to the Rescue …
“Don’t worry, bella,” Massimo says, handing me a cup filled with steaming liquid.
“What’s this?” I ask, sitting down at the galley table.
“Ginger tea, it will settle your stomach. When I was a young boy, my mother would make this for me anytime I had an upset belly.”
“It works for seasickness, too?” I ask.
“Absolutely.”
“It smells funny.”
“Just try it, Hannah.”
I take a sip and it’s awful.
“You don’t like?” Massimo looks at me like I have rocks in my head.
“Um, well … it’s different.”
“Oh, no, Hannah! I can’t believe I forgot!” Massimo reaches into the cupboard and pulls out a bottle of honey. He squirts a generous amount in my cup. “Wait!” he exclaims as I attempt to take a sip. He grabs a lemon from a bowl on the counter and cuts a small wedge, which he squeezes into my mug. “Now, it’s perfecto! Drink, bella,” he commands, smiling with pride. “You’ll be feeling better soon; I promise!”
I take another sip. “Yummy,” I say, relieved that it is kinda delicious.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling a bit better, thanks.”
He holds up the teapot. “Another cup?”
“No, thank you, Massimo. I think this is all my stomach can handle right now.”
“Ah, bella. I wish you felt better.”
“Me, too.”
“I have an idea! I’ll be right back,” Massimo calls as he scurries past Piper, A.J., and Henry on their way into the galley.
“How are you feeling now?” Henry asks, taking a seat beside me at the table.
“A bit better.”
“You need sleep, Hannah,” adds Piper, hiking herself onto the countertop. “I should know, I mean, I’ve been on boats my whole life.”
“Massimo just went to get something to help me feel better.”
Piper’s face breaks into a grin. “Gravol — that’s what he’s getting. I’m sure of it. Trust me; when you’re seasick, there’s nothing better.”
“Really?”
“Oh my gosh, absolutely!” Piper exclaims. “Actually, I beat Massimo to it. I just picked some up for you from the First Aid kit!”
“You did?”
“A.J.,” Piper purrs, batting her eyelashes, “be a sweetie and go tell Massimo that I have Hannah’s Gravol. I don’t want him searching all over the boat for nothing.”
A.J. pops up from his chair. “No problem, Piper. I’m on it.”
“Henry, can you grab Hannah a can of ginger ale from the fridge?”
Henry raises an eyebrow. “Um … sure,” he says reaching into the fridge.
Piper places a little peach-coloured pill in my palm. “Hannah, the sooner you get this into you, the better.”
“But I’m already starting to feel better,” I protest.
“Seasickness comes and goes, Hannah. Believe me, this will fix you right up.”
I glance down at the pill. I don’t understand why she is suddenly being nice to me. Maybe she has a soft spot for sick people. Who knows?
“Henry!” Piper yells, impatiently. “What’s taking you so long?”
Henry shrugs, and passes her the can. She snaps it open, sneering at him. “Um … could we have a glass please?”
“Whatever …” Henry says passing her a tiny glass from the cupboard. “Hannah, are you sure you want to take that?” he asks.
“Of course she’s sure!” Piper barks back. “You want to feel better; don’t you, Hannah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, come on, then. Swallow it.”
“Are you sure that’s what Massimo went to get me?”
“Massimo has worked for our family for years. When I’m sick, it’s the first thing he gives me.” She looks down at the cup beside me. “Oh … after the ginger tea, of course. That seems to help a bit, too.”
I look down at the tiny peach pill in my hand and shrug. “Well, okay then.” I pop it in my mouth and wash it down with ginger ale.
“There, that wasn’t so hard!” Piper exclaims happily.
Henry frowns and shakes his head. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t miss the dive today.”
I frown back, confused. “What?”
“You’re gonna be toast for the rest of the day,” he says, glaring at Piper.
“Did you find him?” Piper asks A.J., who has just returned from carrying out his orders.
“Massimo didn’t know what I was talking about.” A.J. shrugs.
“Of course he didn’t ” Piper says, pursing her lips. “He’s just an old fool. Probably forgot what he was looking for.”
“She’s going to be sleeping until suppertime, Piper!” Henry hisses.
“Simmer down, Henry.” A.J. says, scowling. “What’s your problem, anyway? Piper was just trying to help.”
“Help? Hmm … I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean by that, Henry?” A.J. asks, angrily.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m just sorry Hannah is gonna miss the dive.”
“Well, don’t take it out on Piper, dude!”
“Ginger ale!” Massimo exclaims happily, as he enters the galley. “Good choice, Hannah.”
“Piper gave it to me,” I say, yawning.
Massimo cocks his head to the side. “That was … sweet of you, Piper.”
Piper’s cheeks redden and she bites her bottom lip.
Could she be ashamed over the nasty way she spoke about Massimo? She definitely should be!
But then, just as fast as it appeared, her shame vanishes as she pulls her shoulder up to her cheek and squeals, “I know, right
? I was just looking out for my new friend.”
Massimo closes his eyes and gives his head a shake. “I’m glad you’re all here. Patrice wants you out on the deck right away. The camera crew is already in position.”
“Awesomeness!” Piper squeals. “Patrice told me we’re going to act out one of the famous scenes from Titanic!”
Henry shrugs. “I didn’t see the movie.”
Piper’s jaw drops. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously.” Henry grins.
“You’ve seen the movie; right, A.J.?” Piper asks sweetly. “It’s so romantic.”
A.J. scratches his head. “Um …”
Piper smiles at him. “It’s Titanic’s maiden voyage and the ship is packed with a bunch of rich and famous people, one of them is this boring dude who wants to marry Rose, who is beautiful and also super rich. Then Rose meets Jack, who is handsome and fun, but really poor. Rose hates her life because she always has to be, like, completely perfect all the time. Jack wants Rose to leave her amazing life behind, because it’s really not that amazing after all. Anyway, he takes her to the bow of the boat and tells her to climb up on the railing. He brings her arms out to her sides, and with the wind blowing in her hair, she cries out, ‘I’m flying!’ At that exact moment, it’s like for the first time in her life she feels free.”
“Oh,” A.J. raises an eyebrow, pretending to be interested, “cool.”
“Anyway,” Piper says, pulling her ponytail loose with a shake of her head, “it’s going to be epic!”
Henry chuckles. “Who’s doing the scene?”
Piper smiles. “A.J. and me, of course.”
A.J. has this goofy grin on his face that is just too annoying for words.
“Who made that decision?” Henry asks.
In Over Her Head Page 3