Page 167 of Marks of Rebellion
"Or maybe I just like the benefits of the practice sessions."
"That's better."
She rises and holds out her hand. "Come on. Let's go check out this ship."
My stomach flips. "Don't hesitate to tell me when you're ready to come back."
"I won't. Stop worrying."
We leave the room and walk hand in hand down the hall. "Elevator or stairs?" I ask.
"Stairs if you're up for it?"
"Sure."
We walk several flights to the deck. Vanessa takes a few deep breaths. A few people are sunbathing on loungers and others are hanging out in the pool, but it's pretty cleared out.
"See, this isn't bad," she says.
"Faron was right. There aren't a lot of people here."
We continue to the back of the ship, where the adult-only section is. Only a handful of people are in it.
"Okay, this is where we are spending the day." Vanessa grabs several towels from the station. She trots over to a plush cabana in front of the windows. It overlooks the water, and she arranges the towels on the bed. "What time is it?"
I glance at my watch. "Eleven."
"Is it too early for fruity frozen drinks?"
"You really love those, huh?"
"Yep."
I bend down and kiss her. "If that's what you want, that's what you shall get."
"Good, I want—"
"Can I get you two anything?" a deep voice booms.
Vanessa jumps, and I tug her closer, then turn.
"Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you. It gets a tad boring on days we dock, since not many people stay on board."
"It's okay. We were just discussing frozen fruity drinks."
"We have great ones. I'm Ned."
"Hi, Ned. What's your favorite one?" She beams.
"Lava flow."
"Great. Bring us two, please."
"Do you want food menus?"
"We had breakfast not long ago," I tell him.
"Okay. Two lava flows coming up." He leaves.
