Day Four

by Sarah Lotz

  She didn’t bother to towel off, and wrapped in one of Celine’s robes, she stepped out onto the balcony. The sun was limping into the sky, the hazy light revealing a sea livid with the red bodies of used plastic bags. A jellyfish shit swarm. Lovely. She slumped into the plastic balcony chair and put her feet up on the railings. She needed to run – she was always cranky if she didn’t exercise every day – but there wasn’t any hope of that with the jogging track being used as a campsite. The ship was quiet: the catcalls and shouts that drifted from the Lido deck above had died down at around three a.m.

  Her thoughts returned to Celine. Her boss never did anything without a reason or the promise of a payday. And Maddie was honest enough with herself to admit that she was hurt. Why hadn’t Celine told her what she was planning? Maddie had been her confidante for three years, but for some reason Celine was cutting her out.

  Maybe this was what she needed. The final push; the nudge she needed to quit her bloody job. Yeah. She’d hand in her notice when they finally made it back to port. She’d go back to the UK – she didn’t need to return to Nottingham, she could live in any city she chose; she had enough saved to keep her going for a couple of months. And if she got lucky, maybe her next employer wouldn’t dig too deeply into her background and unearth the two years of probation she’d got for basically being a dumb bitch – another woman who’d fucked up her life by falling for the wrong man.

  Yes. She was done with being Celine’s lackey.

  She put her head back and shut her eyes.

  She was woken by a spattering sound. She jerked and opened her eyes in time to see a stream of liquid arcing over the balcony. Some arsehole was urinating off the top of the Lido deck above her.

  ‘Oy!’ she yelled. ‘Stop that!’

  A burst of derisive laughter.

  She gagged and went back into the room, slamming the balcony door behind her. Disgusting. How long could this go on for? People on land must know that something was amiss – no way could Foveros hide it for so long. She checked the time on her phone – it was getting on for nine a.m., later than she thought it was – and downed a slug of tepid water from the bottle next to the bed.

  There was a knock on the door, followed by: ‘Housekeeping,’ and Althea entered the room. Maddie wasn’t surprised to see that she was more subdued than usual. A situation like this must be hell for the staff. Maddie couldn’t imagine what the conditions must be like in the crew quarters. At least here she could breathe. Down there it must be stifling. It must be intolerable.

  Maddie tried to smile at her. ‘Good morning.’

  ‘I am sorry, I can’t bring you any clean towels as we cannot use the laundry.’ Althea placed a bottle of water next to the table, along with a pile of red bags. Christ. Maddie prayed it wouldn’t come to that. It had been revolting enough peeing into the shower. ‘Where is Mrs del Ray?’

  ‘She’s in the Starlight Dreamer Lounge. She’s been there all night.’

  ‘She is feeling better?’

  I have no fucking idea what she’s feeling. ‘Yes. Thank you.’

  ‘She was sleeping in there?’

  ‘I have no idea.’

  Maddie had no clue if Celine had slept at all. And, come to think of it, she hadn’t seen her drinking anything other than water. That alone should have set alarm bells ringing if they weren’t already screaming in her head. Her stomach rumbled. She’d had nothing to eat since yesterday apart from a packet of shortbread biscuits that she’d found in the bottom of Celine’s suitcase. ‘Is there any news about when we might get moving again?’

  ‘I am sorry. No news.’

  Maddie didn’t question Althea further. She looked beyond exhausted. Distracted and wan.

  Althea began straightening the bed. ‘Don’t bother with that, Althea.’

  ‘You are sure?’

  ‘Yes. You must have loads to do with all this going on.’

  ‘Yes.’ A sigh that seemed to come from the pits of her soul. ‘There are two people who are sick on this deck.’

  Maddie swallowed. Oh God. ‘There’s a virus going around?’ Xavier had been ill for several days. It was possible. And she knew from her reading how quickly something like that could spread.

  ‘I think so. The old woman in V25 is very sick.’

  ‘Which woman? You mean Helen or Elise?’

  ‘Yes. The fat one. The American.’

  Elise. ‘Has the doctor been to see her?’

  ‘I think the nurse came yesterday.’ Helen and Elise had been there for her when she needed them. The least she could do was see if they needed anything. The last thing she wanted to do was expose herself to the virus, but she could take precautions. As long as she didn’t actually enter their cabin she should be fine. ‘Many people are getting sick,’ Althea continued. ‘But you will be okay if you are careful what you touch. I would advise you to keep some cutlery that only you use. As well as a plate. Just in case.’

  ‘Thank you, Althea. I appreciate that.’

  ‘It is not a problem.’ She began spraying and wiping the top of the mini-bar cabinet.

  ‘You don’t have to bother cleaning in here.’ Maddie wasn’t just being altruistic. She didn’t like to think about the germs that might lurk in the cleaning rags.

  ‘You are sure?’

  ‘Yes. And I’ll make sure you’re reimbursed for all your hard work.’ Christ, way to sound patronising.

  ‘Thank you.’ Giving Maddie a tepid smile, Althea left the room.

  Maddie perched on the bed. What now? Checking on Helen and Elise was her first priority, and then she supposed she should go and find something to eat, although Althea’s mention of a virus was making her feel even more bilious. She couldn’t wear yesterday’s clothes, and she still didn’t feel up to retrieving her belongings from her cabin. Which reminded her, she hadn’t seen Ray since their altercation the day before – he certainly hadn’t been in the creepy group in the Starlight Dreamer Lounge. He’d have to move out of his cabin sooner or later. Without air-con, it would be stifling down there.

  With only a moment’s soul-searching, she dug through Celine’s closet. She found a lilac shirt embossed with jewels in the shape of a cat – six sizes too big, but so what? – and pulled it over her head. Her jeans would have to do for another day – Celine’s slacks and skirts would fall off her. In the drawer, she found a pair of black leather gloves ready for when they returned home to the cold weather. She wrapped one of Celine’s silk scarves around her neck: she could use it to cover her mouth. Germs could get through it, but at least she’d be able to block out the smell of the ship. She must look ridiculous, like the invisible man. But rather that than spend the next few days projectile vomiting.

  She left the suite before she lost her nerve, and knocked on Helen and Elise’s door.

  It took Helen a while to answer it, and when she did, Maddie had to step back and put her hand to her mouth. She could definitely detect the stench of vomit coming from the room. ‘I’m sorry. I’m not good with . . . you know, illness, smells.’ That sounded terrible. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘I understand.’ Helen’s mouth twitched as she took in Maddie’s outerwear.

  ‘Althea said Elise was ill.’

  ‘Yes. A virus of some kind.’ Maddie was shocked by her appearance – she looked as if all the moisture and colour had been bleached out of her skin.

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘Not good.’

  ‘Can I do anything to help? Get you something to eat, maybe?’

  Helen touched her throat. ‘I’m not very hungry.’

  ‘You should try to keep your strength up.’

  ‘Perhaps just a sandwich. If that isn’t too much trouble?’

  ‘No trouble.’

  Maddie hesitated, unsure if she should mention Helen’s encounter with Celine yesterday. She decided against it. Helen would have brought it up if she wanted to talk about it. She didn’t strike Maddie as someone who was afraid to speak her mind.

  T
ightening the scarf around her mouth, Maddie made her way up the staircase and out onto the main deck, which was now a sprawl of makeshift tents and mattress enclaves, spreading all the way up onto the jogging track and mini-golf course. The queue for the meagre buffet – again there appeared to be only a couple of stations open – snaked out of the door of the indoor seating area and reached almost to the pool. She joined it, trying not to think about the germs that were flying everywhere. Under her gloves, her palms were wet.

  The queue zombie-shuffled forward. The man in front of her – a British guy with a wide, plain face and a sunburned nose – turned and gave her a grin. ‘Nice gloves. Smart. The virus, right?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘My girlfriend’s got it now. It’s bloody horrible. Doctor says the best thing for her is to stay in the stateroom. We’re lucky we’ve got one of the suites on the upper deck. It’s them buggers down below I feel sorry for.’

  Maddie nodded in agreement and half listened to his theories on why the ship had broken down as the queue inched forward. Maddie took two plates from the denuded stack, jumping as someone tapped her shoulder.

  ‘You can’t do that,’ the woman behind her snapped.

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Hoard food. You can only take one plate.’ She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Maddie.

  Maddie attempted a conciliatory smile. ‘I’m not hoarding. I need to take some food to a friend of mine. She can’t leave her cabin.’

  ‘Then you have to wait in line twice.’

  Jesus. ‘I’m not doing that. Look. I didn’t eat anything yesterday, so it’s not as if I’m—’

  ‘That’s your problem. You can’t hoard food.’

  A murmur of agreement came from the people standing behind her. Maddie looked to the friendly guy in front of her, but he’d turned his back. Maddie suddenly felt tearful. Don’t give into it. She wouldn’t have lasted very long as Celine’s PA by being a complete pushover. Maddie squared up to her. ‘So what is my friend supposed to do? She can’t leave her cabin.’

  ‘That’s not my problem.’

  The anger came hot and quick. ‘It’s everyone’s problem, you dumb bitch.’ Maddie was shocked at herself. First Ray, now this.

  The woman blinked. ‘What did you call me?’

  ‘You heard me.’

  ‘You . . . you can’t—’

  ‘You’re the one who’s getting in my face. Why don’t you mind your own business?’

  ‘There’s a system here.’ The woman outweighed her by forty pounds or so, but hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Maddie glanced around for a security guard, but there was none in sight. ‘You can’t just help yourself to stuff like this when we all have to line up. It’s not fair!’

  A man stepped in between them – the blogger, Xavier. He touched Maddie’s arm and said, ‘Thanks, babe.’ Before she could respond he said to the disgruntled woman: ‘She was keeping my place.’

  The woman wasn’t mollified. ‘She’s got two plates. She’s hoarding. She can’t do that. And you can’t keep places.’

  ‘Yeah. Sorry about that. I was . . .’ – he tapped his stomach – ‘you know.’

  The woman twisted her mouth. ‘Don’t do it again.’

  ‘Hey, I won’t. Thanks for being so understanding.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  The woman stared at her a little longer, but Maddie didn’t rip her gaze away. ‘Something else bothering you?’

  The woman dropped her eyes. ‘No.’

  The man in front of Maddie turned and said, ‘Tempers are running high.’

  ‘Yeah, thanks for all your help, dickhead,’ she said, surprising herself again, and Xavier snorted. The man coloured and looked away.

  ‘Thanks for doing that,’ she murmured to Xavier.

  ‘No problem. Smart with the gloves. Wish I’d thought of that. Apparently you can get the norovirus again. Wouldn’t that just take the fucking biscuit?’

  Finally they reached the head of the queue. A deli meat sandwich flopped onto each of her plates, but at least the bread looked fresh. She thanked the server, but he stared at her blankly, mask in place.

  ‘You really going to eat that?’ Xavier asked.

  ‘I haven’t eaten since yesterday.’

  He gave her an assessing glance. ‘Come with me. I want to show you something.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s interesting.’

  She held up the plates. ‘I have to take this to my friend.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’

  ‘No. Wait here. I won’t be long.’ She didn’t know him; it wasn’t a great idea to show him exactly where Celine’s cabin was located.

  He gave her a sardonic grin. ‘Cool.’

  She hurried back into the atrium and across to the VIP deck. A clump of soiled red bags was dumped outside one of the suites, and she tried not to look.

  Helen took the food with a tired smile, and Maddie returned to Celine’s cabin. She took a bite of the sandwich, the bread like carpet on her tongue, and put the rest in the bar fridge – pointless, as it wasn’t working.

  She could just stay in here. Did she really want to get entangled with that blogger? But she had to admit, part of her was curious about what he wanted to show her. Sod it. What else did she have to do?

  He gave her a cocky salute as she walked up to him. ‘Thought you might have changed your mind.’

  ‘What is it you want to show me?’

  ‘C’mon. It won’t take a second.’

  He waved her towards the stairs that led up to the jogging track. A young woman in a bikini greeted him and gave Maddie a curious look as they zigzagged their way through the mattresses and chairs covering the deck. Several people glared at them as if they were trespassing on private property. Self-conscious in her outlandish outfit, Maddie kept her eyes glued to Xavier’s back as he strode over to the viewing deck. She joined him and looked down at the passengers and crew littered over the Lido and main decks, feeling a twinge of vertigo.

  ‘Look.’ Xavier leaned closer to her and pointed towards the bow of the ship. On the far left side, a small band of crew members were fussing around one of the crew lifeboats.

  ‘What are they doing?’

  ‘Someone’s going out there. Someone’s planning to go and see what the fuck is going on. Which can only mean we’re in deep shit.’

  ‘They’re sending out a lifeboat?’

  ‘A tender boat. One of the lifeboats that’s equipped with a larger engine. You know, the kind they used to take us across to Foveros Island. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about the situation. If they knew the cavalry was on its way, why send out a boat? It’s got to mean we’re not where we’re supposed to be.’

  ‘Why haven’t they just radioed for help?’

  ‘Wi-Fi’s down, maybe the radio’s also poked. It’s not right. Remember when The Beautiful Wonder got stranded?’ Maddie didn’t, but she nodded anyway. ‘One hour into that ship losing power, the whole world knew about it. We’re on day two of this mess, and nada. We’re on our own. They’re not going to be able to put a lid on this much longer. They must be thanking their lucky stars for the norovirus. You saw what it was like in that line. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a full-on mutiny. There are no guns on ships.’

  ‘It won’t come to that.’

  ‘Yeah? You think?’

  A beep, and then: ‘G’day, ladies and gentlemen. Damien your cruise director here. I’d just like to let you know that the captain will be speaking to you shortly about developments. In the meantime, our guest celebrity on board, Celine del Ray, has generously offered to put on a show for any of you who would like to join her. She’ll be appearing in the Dare to Dream Theatre in thirty minutes.’

  Xavier gave Maddie a look. ‘That’s three times the size of the Starlight Dreamer Lounge of hell. She must be expecting quite a crowd. I tried to get in there yesterday, but got blocked.’

  Maddie snorted. ‘
Big surprise.’

  ‘What is she doing, starting a cult?’

  ‘I don’t know what she’s doing. This isn’t like her at all. She’s had a radical change of personality overnight. She says she’s helping people.’

  ‘Yesterday you said that that’s what she does, period.’

  Shit. But what did it matter what she said to Xavier? She was going to quit; she had her plan in place. ‘Yeah, but she’s helping people without being paid. That’s not like Celine.’

  ‘Ah.’

  ‘And I don’t know where she’s getting the information she’s using.’

  ‘She usually googles this stuff, right? And I’m guessing the rest is cold reading.’

  Maddie shrugged. She wasn’t prepared to go that far yet. ‘Maybe.’ Could Ray be doing her dirty work? She hadn’t seen him anywhere near the lounge after her run-in with him yesterday, but it was possible Celine had sent one of the Friends to find him.

  Down at the tender boat, an officer in whites was gesticulating to a couple of men in blue overalls.

  ‘I wouldn’t mind having a chat with her,’ Xavier said.

  ‘I bet.’

  ‘You could get me in there. C’mon, you owe me a favour. I got you out of hot water in that line, right?’

  He smiled at her again. He wasn’t exactly what she’d call attractive, and he certainly wasn’t her type (not that she had one these days) but nor was he completely vile, as she and her friends used to say at school. Christ, where had that come from? Maddie thought about it. Celine was more than a match for Xavier, and it might be interesting. ‘Why not? You want to meet Celine? I’ll take you to Celine.’