something happened to her last night.’
‘Oh yeah? What?’ He scratched his stomach and shifted his position, allowing Maddie space to view the interior. The floor was an apocalypse of beer cans and plates smeared with sauce the colour of dried blood.
‘Have you seen Celine this morning?’
‘What does it look like? Like you pointed out, I’ve been busy.’
‘I need to find her.’
‘Good luck.’
‘You’re not going to help me?’
‘How hard can it be? You’re on a ship. She’s in a wheelchair.’
‘It’s your job, Ray. I hardly slept last night.’
‘Makes two of us.’
‘Fine. You know what? Forget it. Thanks for nothing.’
‘Listen, Maddie. You know what? You can shove your bullshit.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m sick of you sneering at me, looking down at me.’ This was a side to Ray she hadn’t seen before.
‘Fine. Whatever.’
‘You think you’re so superior, don’t you? Well, babe, let me put you straight on that. You’re just some stuck-up Brit with a chip on her shoulder. You know what you need, don’t you? A good fu—’
The rage was instant and overwhelming. Maddie thrust both palms into his chest. ‘I’ll tell you what I need, you bastard, you out of my fucking face.’ Flecks of her spittle peppered his face. His shocked expression turned to amusement, incensing her even more.
He held up his hands. ‘Yo. Easy there, tiger. I was only kidding around.’
‘Fuck you.’ She whirled and ran towards the stairwell, shaky, a roaring in her ears. Sod going to her cabin to collect her belongings; she couldn’t face that now. She clung to the handrail. Bloody bloody Ray. She couldn’t let him get to her. She paused to get her bearings – she’d need to head back up to the atrium to cut down to the medical bay. She’d barely made it up one flight when a man came sprinting down past her, his hand clamped over his mouth as if he was about to vomit.
Jesus. Oh God . Maddie crossed her arms under her armpits and ran, desperate to reach fresh air. Her scalp was tingling, her palms were beginning to sweat and she could feel her throat closing. She stumbled over to the atrium balcony, and tried to slow her heart, which felt like it was attempting to force its way out of her mouth. The floor beneath her pitched, and her guts rolled lazily.
‘Maddie?’ She looked up, and saw Eleanor, one of the Friends, bearing down on her. ‘Are you okay?’
Maddie couldn’t speak at first. Jesus .
‘C’mon, come and sit down.’ Eleanor rubbed her back.
‘I’m fine. Just . . . I’m fine.’
‘Are you sure?’ Eleanor was one of the pet fanatics; desperate to get in touch with the spirit of her dog. Maddie dredged her memory for its name – Denny or Dirk or something; a name that sounded like it should belong to a porn star. ‘Can I get you some water? It’s awful close in here, isn’t it?’
‘I’m fine.’ Saying the words seemed to help. The pinprick in her throat widened. ‘Thank you, Eleanor. I just felt a bit dizzy for a second there.’
‘I’m not surprised. You’re too thin, Maddie. Have you had breakfast yet?’
‘No.’ And she’d missed dinner last night – hadn’t ordered that toasted cheese after all.
‘I’ve been looking for Celine.’
‘Well honey, she’s in the Starlight Dreamer Lounge.’
‘Huh?’ That couldn’t be right. ‘What the . . . what’s she doing there?’
‘Well, I tell you, this morning I was up early, went to the buffet to see if I could get myself some granola – I slept so badly last night with all that’s going on, despite Damien telling us all there’s nothing to worry about – and I saw her on the Lido deck. She asked me to gather all the Friends together.’
‘Celine did what ?’
‘Bless her heart. She’s been with us for two hours now, really making us feel comfortable. Quite a few of the Friends were really worried, specially the ones who have flights today, but Celine told them all would be just
‘Oh yeah? What?’ He scratched his stomach and shifted his position, allowing Maddie space to view the interior. The floor was an apocalypse of beer cans and plates smeared with sauce the colour of dried blood.
‘Have you seen Celine this morning?’
‘What does it look like? Like you pointed out, I’ve been busy.’
‘I need to find her.’
‘Good luck.’
‘You’re not going to help me?’
‘How hard can it be? You’re on a ship. She’s in a wheelchair.’
‘It’s your job, Ray. I hardly slept last night.’
‘Makes two of us.’
‘Fine. You know what? Forget it. Thanks for nothing.’
‘Listen, Maddie. You know what? You can shove your bullshit.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m sick of you sneering at me, looking down at me.’ This was a side to Ray she hadn’t seen before.
‘Fine. Whatever.’
‘You think you’re so superior, don’t you? Well, babe, let me put you straight on that. You’re just some stuck-up Brit with a chip on her shoulder. You know what you need, don’t you? A good fu—’
The rage was instant and overwhelming. Maddie thrust both palms into his chest. ‘I’ll tell you what I need, you bastard, you out of my fucking face.’ Flecks of her spittle peppered his face. His shocked expression turned to amusement, incensing her even more.
He held up his hands. ‘Yo. Easy there, tiger. I was only kidding around.’
‘Fuck you.’ She whirled and ran towards the stairwell, shaky, a roaring in her ears. Sod going to her cabin to collect her belongings; she couldn’t face that now. She clung to the handrail. Bloody bloody Ray. She couldn’t let him get to her. She paused to get her bearings – she’d need to head back up to the atrium to cut down to the medical bay. She’d barely made it up one flight when a man came sprinting down past her, his hand clamped over his mouth as if he was about to vomit.
Jesus. Oh God . Maddie crossed her arms under her armpits and ran, desperate to reach fresh air. Her scalp was tingling, her palms were beginning to sweat and she could feel her throat closing. She stumbled over to the atrium balcony, and tried to slow her heart, which felt like it was attempting to force its way out of her mouth. The floor beneath her pitched, and her guts rolled lazily.
‘Maddie?’ She looked up, and saw Eleanor, one of the Friends, bearing down on her. ‘Are you okay?’
Maddie couldn’t speak at first. Jesus .
‘C’mon, come and sit down.’ Eleanor rubbed her back.
‘I’m fine. Just . . . I’m fine.’
‘Are you sure?’ Eleanor was one of the pet fanatics; desperate to get in touch with the spirit of her dog. Maddie dredged her memory for its name – Denny or Dirk or something; a name that sounded like it should belong to a porn star. ‘Can I get you some water? It’s awful close in here, isn’t it?’
‘I’m fine.’ Saying the words seemed to help. The pinprick in her throat widened. ‘Thank you, Eleanor. I just felt a bit dizzy for a second there.’
‘I’m not surprised. You’re too thin, Maddie. Have you had breakfast yet?’
‘No.’ And she’d missed dinner last night – hadn’t ordered that toasted cheese after all.
‘I’ve been looking for Celine.’
‘Well honey, she’s in the Starlight Dreamer Lounge.’
‘Huh?’ That couldn’t be right. ‘What the . . . what’s she doing there?’
‘Well, I tell you, this morning I was up early, went to the buffet to see if I could get myself some granola – I slept so badly last night with all that’s going on, despite Damien telling us all there’s nothing to worry about – and I saw her on the Lido deck. She asked me to gather all the Friends together.’
‘Celine did what ?’
‘Bless her heart. She’s been with us for two hours now, really making us feel comfortable. Quite a few of the Friends were really worried, specially the ones who have flights today, but Celine told them all would be just
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