"Kathie: Hey guys!" 

"Rex: Heyo!" 

"Aniya: We saved seats for you guys," she says with a smile, pointing to the empty spots at the table.

Once Kathie and Leo take a seat, they all begin looking through the menu. 

"Rex: I'm eating lobster!" 

"Aniya: I'm having sushi!" 

"Kathie: I'll also get sushi. It’s probably fresh!", she says with a grin, rubbing her hands together.

"Milly: I'm getting seafood boil. Casper, want to share with me?" 

"Casper: Sure."

"Leo: I'll get lobster too." 

Soon, a waiter approaches them and they all order their food. 

"Waiter: It'll be ready in around twenty-five minutes." 

The waiter leaves and they wait for their food. 

"Rex: You're telling me we need to wait twenty-five minutes? That's an eternity and I'm starving!" he complains, clutching his stomach.

"Aniya: They're going to bring appetisers, obviously.”

As they wait, they talk and get to know each other.

"Kathie: So which school do you guys go to?" 

"Milly: The same school as Rex and Casper." 

"Aniya: I'm surprised that you don't go there." 

"Kathie: (Sighs) Yeah, I wish I did. But my mom sent me to a public school," she grumbles.

"Milly: It would be nice if you came to our school. Maybe you should try talking to your mom about it again?" she suggests.

"Kathie: I'll try. When I go home, I'll beg my mom. She might allow it if I tell her I have new friends who go there." 

"Rex: Hopefully she allows it. We've been trying to get both of them to come to our school for a year now!" 

They continued talking and laughing until their food came. After finishing their meal and enjoying some dessert, they finally headed for the arcade. After playing for nearly three hours, leaving no game untouched, they decided to explore the cruise ship and talk.

"Kathie: What do you think is missing in your lives?"

"Milly: I want to go on an adventure,"she says dreamfully.

"Aniya: Adventure?" 

"Milly: Yeah, like the ones I read in books. An amazing, life altering adventure!" 

"Rex: I would also want to go on an adventure," he adds seriously.

"Kathie: Sounds fun! What about you Casper?" 

"Casper: I prefer peace. Adventures aren't as fun as you think. There's a lot that could occur. Don't even get me started on the mistakes that could happen, potential casualties, and drama. Sure it could be fun but are adventures really worth sacrificing the peace you have now?”

"Rex: Damn, dude. That was the most you've ever spoken at once," he says, his eyes slightly widening.

"Kathie: Come to think of it." 

Casper rolls his eyes.

"Casper: Oh, shut up." 

Rex puts his arm around Casper and laughs.

"Rex: Did that information come from reading all of those 'books'?"  

"Milly: I mean he's right though. Maybe, adventures aren't as amazing as we think after all..." she says thoughtfully.

Everyone goes silent as they continue walking. Once they've reached their rooms, they called it a day and got ready for bed.

(The girl's room) 

Milly and Aniya both lay in bed, each doing their own separate activity. Milly was writing in her journal while Aniya was texting her mom. 

"Milly: So, what did you think about today?" 

"Aniya: It was fun as heck. Thank you for bringing us here, Milly. You're the best!" she exclaims gratefully.

Milly smiles, happy that her friends liked her big surprise.

"Milly: You're welcome. Anything for you guys,"

"Aniya: Love you, girl. By the way, let me tell you what happened a few days ago. So...." 

Aniya and Milly talked for nearly an hour, within which Aniya pulled out some snacks from her suitcase so they could share a midnight snack together. Meanwhile, in the boy's room, Rex was playing on a gaming console while Casper sat on his bed, reading a new book and sipping a cup of tea. 

"Rex: Yes! I caught another Pokémon! Wanna see?" 

"Casper: No, I'm busy."

"Rex: Now what are you reading? No Longer Human? What is up with these titles? So dark and edgy." 

"Casper: (Sighs) But interesting."

"Rex: Do you not want to play with me?" he says in a whiny voice, pouting his lip as a joke.

"Casper: No, I said I'm busy! Stop acting like a five-year-old." 

"Rex: Okay, okay," he says, putting his hands up in defeat.

Casper shuts his eyes annoyed for a second. 

"Casper: Actually, I just remembered I need to take a shower." 

"Rex: But I think you already did before." 

"Casper: No, I didn't. Don't you think I would remember that?." 

"Rex: But the shower is all the way at the end of the hallway."

"Casper: Yeah, so? I'm going." 

"Rex: Okay, I guess…"

Casper gets out of bed, his book in hand, and makes his way to the end of the hallway, where he spotted a sign pointing to the library. Following that sign, he arrived at a large door. He opened it quietly and was instantly met with the view of what seemed to be over thirty shelves full of books, big and small, thin and thick. The lights in the library were dim, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Casper smiled as he looked around, eventually settling down on a comfortable armchair where he began reading his book. Meanwhile, in the girls’ room, Aniya was still engrossed in a story when Milly suddenly remembered she needed to ask Casper something. She gently interrupts Aniya.

"Milly: Sorry, Aniya. I just remembered I had to ask Casper about the security guard thing that happened in the morning. He seemed worried, so I thought I should talk to him."

"Aniya: You don't need to apologise for anything. Just go!" she says with a reassuring smile.

"Milly: Oh, okay. Thanks!" 

Milly gets up, leaves the room, and walks across the hallway to the boys’ room. She hesitates before knocking on the door. Rex, who got startled by the sudden sound, gets up to open it.

"Rex: Hello?" 

He opens it and sees Milly. 

"Milly: Hey guys. Sorry to disturb you. I need to talk to Casper real quick." 

"Rex: He went to take a shower or something,” he says, putting his hand on his waist.

"Milly: This late? Didn't he already take a shower when we came back from the pool?" 

"Rex: Yeah, I don't know honestly."

"Milly: Okay that's alright. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Milly says goodnight to Rex and walks back to her room. She raises her hand to knock on the door but then slowly begins to lower it. Instead, she begins walking towards the end of the hallway. She looks up and sees the sign that leads to the library, her mind connecting the dots as she runs towards it. She reaches the entrance of the library and slowly opens the door, her eyes widening as she sees Casper sitting on a sofa couch, reading his book. 

"Milly: Casper?"

Casper suddenly looks up at Milly who was standing behind the door. 

"Casper: Milly? What are you doing here?" 

"Milly: That’s what I was about to ask you."

Milly enters the library and slowly closes the door.

~

Thank you for reading ♡(｡- ω -)