More than Magic Trilogy: More than Magic Omnibus, #1

By Elizabeth Kirke

Get the first three books in the award-winning, urban fantasy series More than Magic in a single bundle! This set contains the first three books in the More than Magic series; Semester Aboard, Snow Bound, and Soul Choice.

Book One: Semester Aboard (Gold Medal winner, Readers' Favorite International Book Awards)

 

I should have packed a stake.

I thought a two-month cruise around Latin America would be filled with magical moments. I never imagined I'd be swimming with a mermaid or hiking through a rainforest with a werewolf. That is, until that fateful night when I met Thomas and the others out on deck and discovered that magic is real.

Now, they're teaching me how to use my newfound powers and what's more, they've welcomed me into the close-knit little family they've built together. Turns out we aren't the only paranormal beings on board, and our bloodthirsty enemy isn't happy we're here.

A week ago, I didn't even believe vampires were real, but now we're being stalked by one. Trapped on the ship, with no way to call for help, it's up to us to stop him and save the rest of the passengers… and ourselves. If we can't, we might never set foot on land again.

Book Two: Snow Bound

The wrong person has learned our secret…

It has been five months since I found out that I'm a witch. Even my familiar, Rak, isn't a replacement for spending time with the other magical beings I grew close with over the summer.

A ski trip with them is exactly what I need to immerse myself in magic again. It's wonderful being back with everyone without a vampire stalking us… but the slopes aren't as peaceful as they seem. Throw in the surprise arrival of my non-magic cousin, a blizzard, and a suspicious werewolf next door, and our relaxing vacation is turning into a nightmare.

After an attack leaves one of us on the brink of death, the race is on to defend ourselves from our mysterious enemy. My magic is stronger now, but will it be strong enough to save my friends, my cousin, and get us all off the mountain alive?

Book Three: Soul Choice

 

Forget everything you know… about magic.

Taking classes to improve my spell-casting and learn more about the magical world has hit an unexpected snag: people keep mistaking me for someone else. And it's clear that my double is not a popular witch.

I try not to worry about it, until being mistaken for her gets me kidnapped by people who want revenge for what she did. But taking me hostage is only part of a larger plan and when Thomas and the others come to my rescue, we find ourselves caught right in the middle of a sinister experiment.

Turned into unwilling test subjects and given a dangerous potion, we have less than a week to get the antidote and the clock is ticking fast. But the casualty rate in the experiment is high and at least one of us is already dying. Our only chance rests with the kidnappers and my double. Trusting them might be a mistake, but we don't have another choice.

The More than Magic series is a New Adult Urban Fantasy series, packed with witches, vampires, shifters, elementals, and a host of magical creatures. If you like paranormal characters with found family, a dash of sweet romance, and twists and turns you can sink your teeth into, grab the first three books today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Kirke
• Release date: Apr 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201177294

Book preview

Semester Aboard

More than Magic Series

Book One

Special Tenth Anniversary Illustrated Edition

by Elizabeth Kirke

The character Jen, holding a wand and a stake.

Copyright 2011, 2016, 2021 Elizabeth Kirke

Cover by T.M. Franklin

Edited by Plot Ninja

Formatting by EK Formatting

Illustrations by @Sanexiah

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

Also available on Audiobook

Chapter One

A taxicab raced down the dock, came to a stop, and a girl laden with shopping bags flew out. Everyone at the rails of the ship yelled as she rushed toward the gangway. She was a 'runner', one of the students who pushed the all-aboard time to the limit. She vanished into the ship to a mix of boos and cheers.

She's going to be cleaning tables tomorrow, my roommate, Laurie, snickered.

Most of us had taken the all-aboard time and subsequent punishments for being late seriously and had been on the ship for over an hour. The majority of the people watching the runners were already changed into pajama bottoms or sweatshirts with Semester Aboard-Study Abroad written on them. We were students on a cruise ship that had been turned into a floating campus. Instead of studying abroad for a summer in one country, we were traveling down the western coast of Latin America. Our ship had classrooms, a dining hall, dorm rooms, even a workout room and a pool.

Look, there's another! called Dani. He pointed to another cab speeding down the dock.

Even though it had been ten days since our voyage started, I still didn't know half of the 307 students. I just met Dani earlier today. We ended up next to each other on a bus that took us on a tour of Acapulco. Every country had a bunch of trips to choose from, and you never knew who else on the ship would end up with you. It turned out that Dani and I were just four rooms apart and had never seen each other before today! I wasn't entirely sure how I'd missed him. He was really tall with short hair and tan, olive skin. His hair looked black on the bus, but once I saw it in the sun, I was pretty sure that he dyed it midnight blue. And he was drop-dead gorgeous with a personality to match. He was incredibly friendly and outgoing. We spent the entire bus ride chatting, and when I mentioned that I didn't recognize anybody else on the bus, he offered to stick around so I'd have somebody to talk to. We ended up spending the entire tour together.

Dani! someone called. We both turned to see a boy winding his way between people and tables toward us. He had wavy, red hair and looked like he'd gotten sunburned in Mexico. I was pretty sure he could pull off the natural redhead look, but I could see streaks where the red dye, which was a bit too bright to be natural, had faded to orange and blonde. It gave his head an almost flaming appearance, which I had a feeling applied to more than just his hair. He was in one of my classes, and I racked my brain for his name. He didn't sit next to me, but we'd talked a bit before our class started.

Hey, Charlie, Dani said.

How was the city? he asked, joining us at the rail. I noticed that he wasn't much taller than me. He was sort of stocky, but not overweight.

It was fun. Dani gestured to me. Jen, here, was with me.

See anything good?

The fort was pretty splashy, Dani said. How was your mountain biking?

Toasty. I saw like a dozen Chupacabras.

No, you didn't, Dani laughed.

Yes, I did!

I laughed and turned my attention back to the runners while they argued. The last of the late students climbed aboard, and dockworkers started undoing the mooring lines. By now just about everyone, including faculty, was gathered on the deck. Mexico was our first port, and we were inside for orientation the first time the ship left a dock. We cheered as the ship started to pull away.

Adios, Mexico! someone yelled.

Vaya con dios!

We waved at the scattered people on the dock until we were too far away to see them in the dark. The wind started to pick up as the ship cruised along past the lights of the buildings on the edges of the bay. People gradually started to disperse.

Class in the morning, Laurie reminded me with a groan.

Ugh. We had classes every day we were at sea, and the first one started bright and early at eight.

We wove our way through the crowd, back inside the ship, and joined the scattered people going down to their rooms. After we reached the fourth deck, we turned off the stairway and into a brightly lit, long corridor that spanned the entire length of the ship. Doors to our cabins lined both sides of it. Long railings ran along the walls, but so far, I hadn't needed to use them. As Laurie and I walked down the hall, I spotted two familiar faces. Charlie was leaning against the outside wall, laughing, while Dani swiped his ID card over and over on a door.

Would you stop laughing? Dani grumbled.

I told you not to put it in the same pocket as your phone, Charlie said.

Are you locked out again? cried a voice behind me.

I turned to see a girl striding down the hall toward us. I’d seen her around the ship before; she looked like a supermodel. She was tall with thick, wavy, blonde hair that looked like it had green streaks in it. She had a figure that women paid thousands for and eyes so blue they probably made mine look gray. I noticed that she wore a t-shirt that said Marlins Swim Team, which explained her green hair. She was probably a great swimmer; she definitely had the body for it.

How else am I going to carry it? It's not like I have a purse! Dani said.

Get your ID punched and put it on that lanyard they gave us, the blonde sighed. She shoved Dani out of the way, swiped her ID, and opened the door. Halfway in, she turned back to Dani with a condescending look. If you get locked out one more time, I'm not letting you back in.

Dani had to lunge forward to catch the door as it closed. Charlie laughed and followed them in. Wait ... the blonde girl and Dani were roommates? With the exception of some of the professors and staff who brought their families, all of the rooms on the ship were single-sex. I knew for a fact Dani was a student.

Are they roommates? I asked Laurie.

Yeah, that's Mariana and Dani. They're married.

What? Seriously? It actually wasn't that hard to believe. Dani was probably the hottest guy on the ship, and Mariana could easily be the most beautiful girl. If anyone on the ship would be married to one of them, it would clearly be the other.

Laurie nodded. I heard Mariana telling somebody that this is like their honeymoon or something. She said they had to fax their marriage certificate the second they got it so that they'd be allowed to share a room.

Wow. It sounded pretty cool, but I wasn’t sure I’d want to take classes on my honeymoon.

We continued down the hall to our room. Even though I had only slept there for a few nights before we arrived in Mexico, it already felt like home, and it was nice to be back. It wasn't a very big room, but it was cozy. A narrow alcove separated our room from the door. Just by standing in one spot and turning, I could close our door, open the bathroom door, open the closet, and reach my hand into the bedroom. Our beds were so close together that our nightstands were sandwiched between them, without enough room for even a pencil to roll off. I could have reached out and touched Laurie's bed from mine. We each had a chair and a little desk at the foot of our beds. Aside from some drawers built into the wall and a small TV, there was nothing else in our room.

After brushing my teeth, I climbed happily into bed. It didn’t take long for the motion of the ship and hum of the engines to lull me to sleep.

All too soon, my alarm rang for my morning class. By the time I got out of the shower, Laurie had returned from her daily trip up to the gym. I stepped out of the bathroom and was dressed before I heard the shower turn on. I smiled at how easily we got back into routine after five days in port. I went up to breakfast and chose a random table. A couple of girls I hadn’t met yet, and a professor and her two little boys sat there. We exchanged introductions and ate.

I found Laurie after breakfast, and we made our way to the huge room that served as the Latin American History classroom. It was the first class of the day and was mandatory for everyone, even the faculty. Across the room, I spotted Charlie’s bright hair and noticed that he was sitting with Dani and Mariana. After class, I joined the shuffle of students heading to other classrooms. My next class, Plant Use in Latin American Culture, was the one that Charlie was in too.

Hey, Jen! Carrie greeted me as we entered the classroom. The in-port project isn’t due today right?

No, it’s due tomorrow, Charlie answered. He was sitting at the desk closest to the door.

What a relief! Carrie said. I did that algae the Aztecs grew. What about you guys?

I wrote mine on tomatoes, I said.

Chilies, Charlie said.

Ugh! Carrie wrinkled her nose. I can’t stand spicy stuff.

You won’t like me, then, Charlie said and winked at her.

We laughed and took our seats across the room.

He’s cute, but he sets off my gaydar like whoa, she whispered to me.

Mine too, I giggled.

After class ended, I had half an hour to kill. I swung by the dining room on Deck Five and grabbed a quick lunch. Like my Plant Use class, my next class was uneventful. When it was over, I passed Dani in the hall on the way to Spanish for Travelers.

Hola, Dani called as he passed me. Doin’ alright?

I’m bueno, I giggled to him. He laughed and headed for the stairs.

After Spanish, I joined the throng of people gathered on Deck Seven. I found a lounge chair and pulled it over to the rails so I could watch the water while I studied.

The next day was pretty much the same, but it started raining early in the afternoon and turned into a bad storm by the time I went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and stumbled over to our bathroom, feeling awful. A bit of quality time bent over the toilet didn’t help at all, and I decided to try for some fresh air. I pulled a sweater on over my pajamas, hung my ID card strap around my neck, and slipped out of the room. I made my way down the corridor to the door that led outside. For the first time since getting on the ship, I needed to keep one hand on the railing. The halls were well lit, even though it was the middle of the night, and it was almost disconcerting to step outside into the darkness. But the moment the cool, damp wind hit my face, I felt better. I hadn’t been seasick since our first night, but sometimes I felt nauseous if I stayed in our room too long; being out on the deck always helped.

I assumed that I’d be the only one crazy enough to go out in the rain in the middle of the night, but to my surprise I wasn’t. There were people on the other side of the deck. It was too dark to see them well, but the lights from the deck above us illuminated them a little. One of them was Charlie. He was standing under the overhang where Deck Five extended out above Deck Four. He was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and I shivered in sympathy. A guy I recognized, not surprising since we all lived on a ship, was sitting on the bottom steps of the outdoor stairway that led to Deck Five. He was probably a football player back home or something. He had shaggy, dark brown hair and a fairly large nose. I’d heard a few girls giggling about him, but I didn’t think he was that good-looking. I wasn’t sure what his name was. Another guy sat in a chair, probably pilfered from Deck Five, with his back to me and his feet up on the rails. Mariana was near him, wearing only a bikini top and a short skirt. I couldn't believe she wasn't cold.

I didn’t scream! she said.

You totally did! You freaked out! Dani laughed.

It was too dark to notice Dani until he spoke. My jaw dropped in shock. Dani was sitting on the railing of the ship. Messing around on the rails was one of the first things they’d told us not to do when we got on board. Even sitting on them in the middle of a calm day was suicidal, at best. But to sit there in the middle of a stormy night was nothing short of a death wish.

I was not! Mariana cried.

You were all like, 'Oh, Danio, save me Danio!'

Well, I... I... Don’t be such a jerk!

As Mariana spoke, she spun to face Dani and shoved him hard. Dani’s laugh turned into a yell of surprise, and he tumbled backward off of the railing! I gasped in horror. Every second was critical. If someone went overboard, we were supposed to immediately throw them a life preserver and run to tell a crew member. But not a single one of them did anything! The one in the chair uncrossed his legs and re-crossed them with a different one on top. The guy on the stairs threw back his head and laughed! Charlie quickly stuck his head over the railing, pulled back, and shivered. It was as if Dani hadn't gone overboard at all.

Oh my God! I gasped. They must have been in shock, and that was the only reason they weren't rushing to save Dani. I ran across the deck. At the very least, I could throw the life preserver in and hope he was still alive to use it.

They all jerked around to look at me. They acted more surprised to see me than they were about Dani falling overboard. Mariana gasped and backed against the rail. Charlie stepped to the edge of the overhang, and Football Guy jumped off of the stairs and to his feet. The guy in the chair was on his feet in an instant. I hardly even saw him move; one second he was sitting and the next he was up. He stepped in front of the others, almost protectively.

That's Jennifer, Charlie spoke softly, like he didn't want me to hear, but the wind carried his words right to me. She's in one of my classes.

The guy in front smiled. You're up late.

They were acting like nothing had happened! This was insane!

What's the matter with you? I cried. We have to do something!

Do something? He almost looked genuinely confused. About what?

She just... I gestured to Mariana. She just pushed Dani overboard!

He had the audacity to laugh. It's raining, you know. And dark. You're mistaken.

Jeez, Mariana, if you wanted a divorce you should've just- My jaw dropped as Dani reappeared at the rail. He caught sight of me and froze.

My mind reeled. He was soaking wet, it was obvious it wasn't just from the rain. He fell into water that had to be well over fifty feet below us, and we were really moving, too. Even an Olympic swimmer couldn't have kept up with us. Dani had fallen all the way down into the ocean and, not only had he not drowned, he'd gotten back on the ship.

This was impossible.

Dani vaulted easily over the railing and landed on the deck. He crossed it swiftly and stopped right behind the guy I'd been talking with. Dani was quite a bit taller than him and leaned down to put his mouth near the guy's ear. I think it would be better if I went in. You got this? he whispered.

Yeah. Take Mariana with you. The wind was still in my favor, and I could just make out what they were saying.

Dani grabbed Mariana by the arm. Come on.

Dani, I'm so sorry.

It happens. Let's go.

Dani glanced at me as he and Mariana went inside.

Football Guy edged toward the stairway he'd been sitting on. Right, I'll call Jon.

The other one nodded. Wait, he said when Football Guy was halfway up the stairs. It's late, email him. We can handle this until he gets it. Football Guy nodded and ran up the rest of the stairs to Deck Five and, probably, the computer lab. Then, the not-so-forthcoming one turned back to me. Jennifer, right? I'm Thomas. What brings you out on deck?

I glared. Dani just fell overboard, and you're going to stand there like nothing happened?

Nothing did happen.

Dani fell off the ship, into the ocean, and climbed back up again! I saw it with my own eyes! He looked uncomfortable, and I realized that he was trying to cover up what I had just witnessed. So don't lie to me! What just happened?

Nothing, Thomas said firmly. Forget about it.

If nothing happened, then what is that guy going to email Jon about?

Thomas looked surprised for a second, and then sighed. Alright, tell you what. I'll explain things after I hear back from Jon.

No way. He was just stalling. Explain now, I insisted. He glared in response. I got the feeling that if they were going through this much effort to cover things up, they clearly wouldn't want me going around talking about it. Explain now, or I'm going to start asking around until I find someone who will.

Go ahead, Charlie snarled. Dani's safe and dry by now. You've got no proof, and none of us are going to back up your story. As he spoke, something weird happened. His eyes, which were a very reddish-brown, seemed to change. It must have been the rain or the lights or something, but bright reds and oranges flared in his eyes, almost like flames.

Char! Thomas snapped.

Charlie closed his mouth and took a step back. He looked pissed, but Thomas had shut him up.

You're just going to let him boss you around? I asked incredulously. Charlie stuck up his chin defiantly, but stayed quiet.

Thomas stepped closer and more into the light, allowing me to finally get a good look at him. He was a few inches taller than me and pretty thin. The rain had plastered his bangs across his forehead and over one eye. It struck me as a sort of emo haircut. He looked fairly pale, and I could see circles under his eyes, like he didn't sleep enough. His cheeks were slightly hollow, and he looked like he might have been a bit seasick. He wore a retro-looking band t-shirt, and I stifled a groan; he probably was one of those emo kids.

If you want an explanation at all, you'll wait until I hear back from Jon. And in the meantime, you'll keep quiet.

Is that a threat? I laughed.

Thomas leaned forward and actually curled back his upper lip. Don't. Tell. Anyone, he snarled. This time I didn't feel like laughing. For an instant, my entire body froze, and I almost couldn't move. This was absurd. He was just some emo college guy acting tough. What did I have to be afraid of?

I sucked in a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and glared at Thomas. Fine! If you promise that you'll explain everything after this Jon guy talks to you, then I won't say anything.

He looked surprised. More than surprised, he looked shocked.

Man, she's got some spice, Charlie said softly. I felt that from here.

Deal, Thomas said. We'll talk tomorrow, then. Goodnight. With that, he turned and swept across the deck, heading up the stairs in the direction Football Guy had gone.

Don't say anything, Jennifer, Charlie said. Please. He opened the door to go back inside and started in. I followed. Halfway down the corridor, he turned and glared at me. Are you following me or something? he snapped. I saw the strange red flare in his eyes again.

My room is this way!

Oh... Charlie turned back and kept walking.

He paused outside of Dani and Mariana’s room and knocked. I knew that I’d make things worse if I stopped, so I kept going. But I slowed down. By the time I got to my room, Dani’s door had opened. I quickly opened mine and waited in the doorway. I peered out around the doorjamb and yanked my head back as Dani’s appeared in his.

You better have good news, I heard Dani whisper to Charlie. Mariana is beside herself.

I heard the door close, closed my own, and leaned against it. What on earth had I just witnessed? I lay down and played it over and over again in my mind. I was convinced that I had seen something very, very strange. The fact they were all trying to cover up made it even more confusing. When I finally fell asleep, I still couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened.

Chapter Two

The following morning started like any other. I woke up and traded showers with Laurie, then went to breakfast. Ordinarily, I would have chosen a table with people at it — I liked to eat meals with people from all over the ship — but my thoughts were still whirling from the night before. I chose an empty table by a window and sat down. I ate slowly, looking out at the water. It was still raining lightly, and the sky was darker than usual, but it was all so different from last night that I started to wonder if maybe I had just been dreaming. It all seemed even more ridiculous and impossible than it had last night.

A mug thumped down next to me, and I turned to greet whoever had joined me. I was shocked to see that it was Dani. He looked tired, but otherwise showed no sign that he had fallen into the ocean less than twelve hours ago. I can’t believe you lied to me, he said.

I realized that he wasn't talking to me and looked up to see Mariana settling in across from us.

I didn’t lie; they had plenty of melon when I came up earlier. If you could get out of bed at a reasonable time, you could have had some. Mariana looked at me and smiled. Good morning, Jen. I’m Mariana by the way.

Hi...

Hey, Jen, Dani said. He turned back to Mariana. There is nothing reasonable about seven in the morning! He chugged his entire mug of steaming coffee in a few gulps.

I get up every morning at six for swim practice, Mariana said.

So? I get up at five for crew. You don’t see me bragging.

Mariana stabbed a pineapple slice with her fork and glared at Dani. You get up at five at home, but complain when I try to wake you at seven?

Crew only takes two hours. I’m in bed before eight, and I never have class before noon. If you wake me up at seven here, then I have to stay up all day.

Mariana pointedly turned away from him. "So, how are you?"

I'm fine, I said. Seemed like their honeymoon wasn't off to a harmonious start.

Dani mumbled something about coffee and got up with his empty mug.

You swim on your school team? I asked. I had been so occupied with Dani I had forgotten that Mariana had been dressed for swimming last night. Maybe she had been planning on diving off of the ship too.

I did. I was actually doing a little kid coaching thing this spring. Kids are fun. Well, she was perfectly willing to talk about that. I had a feeling she'd be a lot less forthcoming if I asked about last night.

Kids are a pain, Dani said. He sat back down and took a sip of coffee.

You love little kids, don't even lie, Mariana said. I hoped I hadn't started another argument.

Ember and Catalina? Yes. Random brats on the street? No.

Ember doesn't count as a little kid anymore, you know.

Don't remind me, Dani groaned.

I ate slowly, hoping to learn more about them. Dani seemed content to drink his coffee quietly, while Mariana ate. I looked out the window. The rain was picking up and the sky was darkening. The waves looked a bit ominous.

"Very Poseidon Adventure, isn't it?" Dani asked.

I turned and saw that he was looking out the window over my shoulder.

Very what? Mariana asked.

"Poseidon Adventure, Dani said, like it was obvious. With Roddy McDowall? Mariana shook her head. How have you never seen... Oh, forget it."

The two argued about Dani's apparent bad taste in old movies until the bell for Latin American History sounded. I left the table before them, but heard them behind me all the way to the classroom. I sat next to Laurie in our usual place and was relieved when Dani and Mariana veered off toward the other side of the room.

Mind if I join you? asked a deep, gravelly voice.

Laurie and I turned toward the speaker. It was Football Guy. Up close, I could see that his eyes were dark, dark brown and his hair wasn’t just shaggy, but messy.

Sure, Laurie said. I’m Laurie, this is Jen.

Cheers, he said, sitting down. You can call me TS. He had a slight accent that I couldn't place.

Laurie giggled at him, and I rolled my eyes and pulled out my notebook. We didn’t talk during class. When it was over, Laurie lingered behind to talk to a friend.

Gotten a reply from Jon? I asked TS as we walked toward the door.

He looked surprised, but then laughed. I noticed that the very tip of his tongue poked oddly out of the corner of his mouth when he did. Instead of answering me, he just turned out of the classroom and headed down a nearby stairway. I considered going after him, but decided I didn’t want to be late for class. Tardiness was a bit harder to get away with when your classes were all on a ship. I turned away from the stairs and started toward the back of the ship. My next class was on the same deck, but all the way aft, while the Latin American History classroom was all the way forward. I had only just started walking, when someone fell into step beside me.

Picked a plant to study in Panama?

I suppressed a groan. Charlie.

Not yet, I grumbled.

Me neither. I’m just going to see what plants spark my interest once we get there.

I grunted in agreement, and we continued in silence. I sat next to Carrie in class, but to my dismay, Charlie gave up his usual desk near the door in favor of one closer to me. And here I'd woken up this morning wondering if it really had been a dream. The fact that they were all practically stalking me proved I really had seen something strange, something they didn't want other people to know about. An hour and a half later, I hurried out of the classroom, only to have him walking right next to me again.

What’s your next class? he asked.

Ancient Latin American Cultures, I snarled.

Getting lunch first? We all got a break between the first two and last two classes of the day.

Yes.

I’ll join you for lunch, then.

He didn’t seem at all concerned that I was practically running down the halls. I stomped down the stairs to the Deck Five dining room, grabbed a small lunch, and ate in silence. Charlie sat next to me and read a textbook without a word. When I stood back up and started for my next class, he was right behind me.

I know what you’re doing, I finally said.

Escorting you to class like a gentleman?

I glanced at him as we walked and glared. You’re following me. All of you. Dani and Mariana and that big guy.

TS.

Whatever. You’re trying to make sure I don’t tell anyone what I saw last night.

Charlie smiled at me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I stopped outside my classroom door. I wasn’t going to tell anybody. I’m still trying to explain what happened to myself. But, now that you’ve all gotten weird and stalkerish on me, I just might start talking.

Charlie grabbed my arm and tugged me to face him. Don’t!

The weird thing happened to his eyes again, but this time his face was hardly two feet from mine. Flashes of orange and red flared in his irises, and I was sure that this time it wasn't a trick of the light. My arm felt uncomfortably hot where his hand was.

Trying to ignore the strange thing his eyes were doing, I forced a sweet smile. Too bad none of you are in this class with me; it’ll make it awfully hard to spy.

The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile, and his eyes faded back to red-brown. Don’t bet on it, he whispered. Then, he released my arm, waved, and strode away.

This was getting a bit creepy. I really wasn’t planning on talking; what I had seen sounded crazy, even to me. But, I knew that I had really seen something. The fact that they were all making attempts to keep tabs on me made me even more convinced that whatever I had seen was as strange as I thought it was. I opened the door to the class and went over to my seat. I glanced up to see if the Professor was there yet and froze.

Thomas was leaning against the Professor’s podium, talking to him.

Thank you very much, Thomas said with a smile.

The Professor waved him away, and Thomas crossed the room and sat down next to me.

What do you think you’re doing?

Thomas smiled at me. I heard you're watching a video on the Aztecs and asked if I could sit in.

What about your class? He was actually skipping class to keep an eye on me. I was getting more than a little creeped out.

He shrugged. I'd rather watch this.

I knew my mouth hung open, but I didn’t really care. He pulled out a notebook without another word and adjusted himself so that he could see the TV. I spent more of the class glaring at him than I did watching the video. He looked a lot different in the light than he had last night. His eyes were somewhere between gray and green, but the color was muted, almost dull. His skin was a bit pallid, like he didn't get out much, and I hoped he planned on using sunscreen when we got to the equator. Now that it was dry, I could see that his hair was almost as light brown as mine and, without the rain matting it down, it was a totally different style, not at all emo like I had thought. His bangs fell almost neatly across his forehead, not quite long enough to be in his eyes, and it was slightly longer in back. I hated to admit it, but once I could see him in better light he was cute. Really cute, actually. If he put on a little more weight and got a light tan he'd be really handsome. But, I reminded myself, he was here basically spying on me, which made him about as unattractive as a guy could be.

Can I get a real answer? I asked when class ended.

Of course, Thomas said, as if he actually intended to give me one.

Are you going to follow me to my next class? It wasn’t the question I wanted to ask, but I wanted to make sure he was capable of answers.

Sure, I don’t mind walking with you to class.

I glared.

Here, I’ve got that. He scooped my books from my hands before I could protest and started walking.

What were you doing in my class?

Watching a video. I told you that.

I sighed, then sighed again, when he turned down the hall to my next class without stopping to ask me where it was.

Look, I know you’re following me around to make sure I don’t tell people about last night, but this is weird enough as it is. You can at least tell me how you know my schedule.

Thomas shrugged. Mariana’s a work-study student. She helps out at the Student Life desk, so she has some extra computer access.

I almost stopped short. And she what? Looked up my class schedule?

Exactly.

For some reason, confirmation that they had put extra effort into monitoring me was even more unsettling than the paranoia that they might have. Thomas stopped without prompting in front of my Spanish classroom and handed my books back.

Enjoy class. Adios. Without another word, he turned and headed back the way we had come.

I walked in and sat down, dropping my books heavily on a table. Well, I’d say this is a pleasant surprise, but it isn't a surprise, and it's not at all pleasant. What’s your story? Flunk out of your Spanish class?

Dani chuckled. I was feeling seasick this morning and missed mine. Your teacher is kindly letting me make it up this period.

How generoso of her, I said dryly. I didn't even bother asking Dani why he was skipping his other class. "And why do I get the feeling that you don't get seasick?

Dani looked a bit nervous, and quickly covered it with a grin. Interesting. We should get started before the teacher yells at us for speaking English. Como estás?

Malo.

Aww, por qué?

Por qué do you think?

Dani smirked.

When class ended, I gathered my books and left the room. Dani followed wordlessly.

How do you say creepy stalker in Spanish? I asked.

Yo no se, Dani said.

We headed aft toward the staircase to Deck Seven and spotted TS going down it.

Have you seen that? he asked, pointing to the wall behind him. The walls on every landing between decks were plated with glass and had a different poem painted on them. I had stopped to read them all; they were pretty neat. One side was written in English and the other looked like the Greek alphabet.

Yeah, I said. Ocean-y poems.

Glanced at it, Dani said.

TS grinned and once again, the tip of his tongue stuck out. I couldn't decide if it was almost cute in a weird, funny way, or just weird. Better read it again.

Dani frowned and hurried up the first half of the stairs to the landing. I followed and stood next to him as he read it.

What? he suddenly yelled. He looked back and forth from the English side to the Greek side. Why would you do that?

TS started laughing, and his tongue lolled out a bit more.

Seriously, Dani said. That ruins the entire verse! He glared at the wall. What kind of an idiot translated this?

I'm so glad I'm here for this, TS laughed.

Dani turned and said something to him in another language. TS chuckled and replied. Whatever he said made Dani roll his eyes and start up the second flight of stairs.

Cheers, TS laughed. Bye, Jen, he added to me as he headed back down the other steps.

Curious, I hurried after Dani. Do you speak Greek? I asked when I caught up.

Yeah.

I looked at his dark hair and tan skin with a fresh perspective. Are you from Greece?

Mm-hmm.

Oh. You don't have an accent.

Dani shrugged. I moved to the states a long time ago.

He pushed open the door to the Deck Seven exterior deck, and we went outside. It was still raining, so I ordered hot chocolate and settled into a chair. Dani went out from under the overhang that covered half of the deck, but stayed near me. He dropped his elbows onto the railing and looked out over the water, ignoring the light rain. After a minute, he closed his eyes and raised his head, letting the rain splash onto his face. He looked oddly content.

Aren’t you cold? Seeing him getting rained on in just a t-shirt made me shiver.

Dani shook his head. I sipped my hot chocolate and thought about the night before. I never really had a wild imagination and was starting to wish that I did. Judging from their behavior today, I clearly witnessed something important and secret, but couldn’t begin to imagine it. Even though he obviously had gone overboard, I still couldn't figure out how he could possibly have gotten back on the ship.

Did it hurt?

Did what hurt? Dani asked, looking at me in surprise.

When you hit the water.

Dani looked at me critically, as if wondering how much to really tell me. His eyes looked a lot lighter and grayer than their usual cheery blue. I would have thought it was just an optical illusion from the gray sky, but I noticed that flecks of grays and blues seemed to move in his eyes, almost like gentle waves.

Yeah, he said finally and shrugged. Didn’t kill me though, so no worries there.

No. Falling off of a ship didn’t kill you.

Dani rolled his eyes. Just forget it. Really.

I didn’t stay on the deck as long as I usually did. Dani followed me back to my room, and I stopped outside of it.

I’m not going to tell anyone from inside my room, I said. Laurie isn't even here. Besides, I’m not planning on telling anyone anyway. But, you know, the more you guys follow me around the more curious you’re going to make me.

He hummed under his breath. It looked like he was annoyed, but the hum was oddly lyrical. Bits of darker blue in his eyes swirled with the lighter blue. I didn't care that it wasn't physically possible; his irises were actually moving. See you at dinner, then, he said, before heading back down the hall. I stared after him for a moment. I'd never seen anybody with eyes that did that. No, I realized; I had. Charlie's eyes were weird too.

I slammed my door behind me; at last, I was free. At least until they forcibly joined me for dinner. But my freedom didn’t last. I growled when someone knocked on the door just a few minutes later. I opened it and was disappointed, but not surprised, to see Thomas.

Chapter Three

No. Thomas was not going to come stalk me in my own room.

Look, I just told Dani, I’m not going to tell people! Do you really have to follow me around like this?

Thomas smiled. I just thought you might want to know that I heard back from Jon.

Oh. That changed things a bit. What does he have to say?

Thomas glanced up and down the hall. May I come in? I’d rather not discuss this in the hallway.

Fine. I stepped aside and held the door open. He didn’t move; he just shifted his weight like he was waiting. Well? I leaned forward and grabbed him. Hurry up, I want to get this over with. I tried to pull him into the room, but something happened. He tripped, or I tripped, and we fell. It almost felt like he had pulled himself out of my grip and fallen deliberately. I tumbled back into my room, and he fell out into the hall. He sat up with a wince, like he was in pain.

Oh, come on, I snapped. Either get in here and tell me what you have to say so that you can stop stalking me or go away!

He smiled, stood back up, and slid past me into the room. He regarded the beds for a moment and sat on the one that wasn’t mine. That was a bit creepy. Actually, it was really creepy. The crew had just made them, and I didn’t know how he knew which bed was which. Nevertheless, I sat down across from him.

So, I began, Jon.

Thomas sighed. Jon. He bit his lip like he was wondering how to say things. So, Jon is my boss.

Your boss?

Well, actually he's higher up than that. He’s the head of our agency.

Agency? That caught my attention. Agency was a government term. For an absurd moment, I thought that he worked for the government, but quickly pushed the idea aside. He was just a college student. There was no way he worked for some government agency. Plus, it had to be a pretty small company. If this Jon guy really had a position that much higher than Thomas, he wouldn't be personally corresponding with him or TS. Then, something else occurred to me, and I felt like an idiot for never even considering it before. They had all known each other to begin with. Out of 307 students, I was the only one from my school, and I had only heard of one other from my state. Mariana and Dani of course knew each other, but they had to have known the others before the voyage started. They wouldn't all be sticking together like this, if they didn't. And suddenly, things seemed a bit stranger.

And what you saw... Thomas continued. Well, you shouldn’t have. I had to report it, and I figured I'd just go right to the top. Jon wants to talk to you.

Like, on the phone? Did you get my number while you were stalking me?

867-5309, right? Thomas asked, looking like he was trying to hide a grin.

It took me half a second to recognize the number. I glared at him when I did. Wrong Jenny.

He laughed. I realized that it was the first time I'd heard a genuine laugh from him. Under any other circumstances, it would have been a cute laugh. I'm sorry, he said, still chuckling. Bad joke. I didn't think you'd know that song.

I rolled my eyes. It has my name in it. You’re far from the first person to make that joke. It is a catchy song though.

Most 80s songs are. He turned serious again. Anyway, no, he's not going to call you. He's coming to Panama.

What? We'd be in Panama in two days. Why on earth would the head of the agency or whatever come all the way to Panama? Let me get this straight, I said. The Big Boss is coming here just to talk to me?

Well, I assume he wants to see me too.

Why? There was no way this supposedly high-up guy was going to come all the way to Panama to talk to one girl and see a random employee.

He's... sort of like my father.

Sort of? He either is or he isn't.

Thomas shrugged and looked uncomfortable. He took care of me after my father died.

I felt embarrassed for pushing the issue. My first instinct was to say I was sorry, but I knew from experience that people offering sympathy about a dead parent didn't always mean much. Instead I said, My father's dead too.

He looked surprised that we had something like that in common. I'm... He hesitated, and I had a feeling he felt the same way I did.

Thanks, I said softly.

He nodded, and we shared a small smile. Then, he sighed and, after a moment, spoke again. I'm not entirely sure when Jon will be here. Sometime after we get to Panama.

What exactly is he talking to me about? Thomas obviously didn't want to talk any more about his father. But, that was all right with me. I didn't want to talk about mine either.

About... the other night, Thomas said. Just like that, my empathy from our last topic vanished. I had guessed that much. More dancing around the truth.

Is he going to explain things?

It seemed like he hesitated. Yes. And, he added quickly, until he does, you have to continue to keep quiet.

And then? It seemed like I really did have to wait at least two more days until they stopped hiding things from me.

Then, uh... Thomas paused in thought. Well, then, you'll know. And you'll still keep quiet. 'Secrets are no fun, unless I am a part of one', right?

That was, I hated to admit, true. All I really wanted was to know what I had seen and get my questions answered. If I knew what was really going on, I probably would keep it a secret.

Yeah. I won’t tell anyone, I said. If you promise that it’ll all be explained.

Oh, it will, Thomas said with a smile. He stood. I should go.

Are you guys going to keep stalking me?

We’ll ease up a bit.

Fine.

Thomas let himself out, and I sat on my bed, replaying our conversation. Maybe this was bigger than I had thought. Had I really seen something so important that this boss was going to come all the way to Panama to talk to me? I took another moment to entertain the idea that they worked for the government. Had I stumbled onto some secret government experiment? They wouldn't be using a bunch of college kids on a cruise ship, would they? I lay back with a sigh and thought for a while. Even though they were going to give me my answers in two days, I decided that I wanted to try and figure it out first. I liked a good mystery, and I had just found myself smack in the middle of a very odd one.

I put off going to dinner for as long as I could to puzzle it out, but finally decided to go up before they started putting the food away. On the way there, I stopped by the Student Life Desk. The wall across from it was covered in pictures of every student on the ship, like a giant yearbook page. It listed our names, birthdays, schools, majors, and expected graduation dates. I didn't know their last names, which was how the wall was organized, so I knew it would be a challenge. The pictures were all too small to be useful, so I had to scan every single name and squint at the corresponding picture. It took a few minutes, but I found them all. Mariana Bar — she must have kept her last name — was majoring in International Affairs at a school in New York. Thomas Clark and Tethys — which explained why he went by TS — Conall were majoring in International Affairs too. My breath caught. They went to the same school as Mariana. A minute later, I found a bio for Daniel Pelagos, and then, I spotted one for Charles Smith. A chill ran up my spine. There was no way that this was a coincidence. All of them went to the same school and had the same major?

It was satisfying to have confirmed that they must have known each other before the voyage, but the student bios left me with more questions than answers. I headed for the dining room, mulling over the new information. There was no line at the buffet, so I grabbed a plate and started loading up. Most of the lettuce had already been taken, and it looked like they weren’t going to replace it. I piled some veggies on my plate and moved on to the hot foods. The pasta looked rubbery and cold; I waited too long to go up. I scooped out of a spoonful of the International Choice, some beef dish it looked like, and grabbed a fillet of tonight's fish. I picked a couple of rolls out of the basket at the end of the buffet and looked around the dining room for a seat.

The professors had been and gone, and it looked like most of the students were finishing up. A table over by a window caught my eye, and I watched the occupants carefully. Charlie, TS, and Mariana sat next to each other, talking. Dani and Thomas were on the other side of the table, with a textbook between them. There was an empty place next to Dani. Thomas glanced up from his book, and his eyes met mine. He tilted his head at the empty spot and smiled. I squared my shoulders and walked over. I sat down and braced myself.

Good evening, Jennifer, Thomas said pleasantly.

Hiya, Jen, Charlie said, grinning from across the table.

TS grunted a hello from around a bunch of food and speared another forkful. Dani waved but kept his eyes on the notebook he was holding.

Mariana smiled at me too. The sea bass is really good.

Great. I grabbed a fork and cut off a chunk to try.

Then, they all returned to what they had been talking about before. I was content to eat quietly and observe the strange group. TS had a big pile of fish and International Choice on his plate, and there was a large pitcher of the evening’s juice next to him. Thomas grabbed it and refilled TS’s glass. TS said nothing, but started drinking. He looked sort of sick. He was pale and seemed more quiet than usual.

Eat up, Thomas said to him.

TS snorted softly in Thomas’ direction, but shoved another forkful of International Choice into his mouth. He wrinkled his nose and took another long drink.

Spicy isn’t it? Charlie asked with a big grin. He took another big bite and chewed happily. What country was this from again?

Ethiopia, Dani said absently. Thomas, you're killing me. He shoved the notebook away from him.

What class is that for? I asked.

Climate, Thomas said. And what? Is it wrong?

It's a disaster, Dani laughed. I'm getting a headache just looking at it.

Excuse me for not having a Master's Degree in Environmental Science, Thomas said.

Dani rolled his eyes and picked the notebook back up. I frowned. Was Thomas implying that Dani had a Master's Degree? Less than ten minutes ago, I read that he had another semester to go before getting a B.S. and was only turning twenty-two in the fall. Even if he had already graduated, there was no way Dani could have a Master's.

Are you just making stuff up? Dani demanded. He flipped through a couple of pages. This entire page is wrong too!

What? Thomas yelped. He frowned at the page in confusion. How is this wrong? Dani started to smirk and Thomas narrowed his eyes at him. "You're such a dick! Is any of this wrong?"

Nope.

Thomas glared. I might kill you.

Come on, Tommy. You know I only tease you because I have a secret crush on you.

God help me, Thomas muttered. And don't call me that.

He gets to. Dani jabbed his thumb in TS’s direction.

Thomas glared. That's because he isn't referring to the rock opera.

Can't prove that I am, Dani said.

Thomas sighed and rolled his eyes. Except I know that you are.

For a deaf, dumb, and blind kid, you really are observant, Dani said.

Thomas groaned. Charlie, do something, please.

Charlie held up his hands helplessly. Don't drag me into this; I'm innocent.

I’m knackered. I'm going to bed, TS announced. He stood slowly, grabbed his tray, and headed off.

Is he sick? I asked.

They all exchanged a strange look.

It’s a boat, Thomas said. We’ve all been sick.

Actually, it’s a ship, Dani corrected.

I will murder you in your sleep, Thomas told him.

I'll leave the door unlocked for you, Mariana said.

Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll make sure Teth finds his way to bed, Thomas stood and nodded to me. Night, guys. He turned to me. Sleep well. I’ll keep my promise if you will.

I nodded. I couldn’t meet this Jon guy fast enough. Charlie returned to his food, and Dani pushed the fish bones on his plate around. I followed their lead and quickly finished eating. The Ethiopian food was so spicy that I kept refilling my water. The pitcher ran out, and I looked around for more.

Can have mine. Charlie pushed his glass toward me. He kept eating, and I realized he hadn’t once taken a sip of water.

Aren’t you thirsty? This stuff is really spicy.

I like it hot, Charlie said with a wink. He winced and glared at Dani, who looked smug, and I assumed he had kicked Charlie under the table.

Dani slid out his chair and stood. I should get going. I still have that essay for L.A. History.

I’m done too, I said.

Yeah, me too, Mariana agreed.

The four of us took up our trays and headed down to Deck Four. Dani, Mariana, and I peeled off into the corridor, and Charlie continued down the stairs to Deck Three.

Night, Dani said, stopping at his room.

Sweet dreams, Mariana added.

Goodnight.

I curled up on my bed with a textbook and read. When Laurie came back to the room, she asked me to proofread her Latin American History essay. I offered her mine in exchange. When we were done reading and correcting, we turned on the TV. The first channel was the Ship channel. We watched for a moment, as the little icon of the ship sailed closer to Panama. When the screen changed to a display of announcements, we changed channels again; a special on the Panama Canal, a movie, and another movie. The second movie was just starting, so we put that on and laid back.

Before I knew it, Laurie’s alarm was going off. I rolled over and waited the twenty minutes until mine went off, before I got up to shower. I got out just as she got back from the gym. We went up to breakfast together and grabbed a table with Carrie from my Plants class and a girl from one of Laurie’s classes. TS walked by and nodded to me. I smiled and nodded back. He sat down with a couple of Professors nearby, but true to Thomas’ word, not at my table. Maybe they really were going to ease up. He looked a lot better this morning and dug right into what looked like nothing but bacon and sausage.

During Latin American History, Dani sat a couple of rows behind me, but once again not close enough to be a pain. Charlie walked near, but not with, me to our Plants class. I sat down next to Carrie, and Charlie sat on her other side. Nobody showed up to my other two classes. After Spanish, I got a smoothie and stretched out on deck in the sun. I noticed Thomas settle into a nearby lounge chair with a book a couple of minutes later, but he didn't talk to me. They left me alone during dinner as well. I noticed that TS, Thomas, and Charlie ate alone and wondered where Dani and Mariana were. I still didn’t see them when everyone gathered in the Latin American History classroom for an evening lecture about docking in Panama.

Later that night, I crept into a classroom to find a quiet place to study. A few people were studying, but most were finished and wandered the ship, being loud. About an hour went by before I heard voices outside the door. I recognized Charlie’s voice and closed my book to listen. It sounded like a study-group. I was about to return to my book, when a loud song started to play. I looked in the direction of the door curiously; it was Part of Your World from A Little Mermaid. A silhouette outside of the frosted glass door stood and started for the door.

Excuse me, Charlie said.

I could see his shadow moving toward the classroom door. Before I realized what I was doing, I dropped down out of my desk and slid behind a couch. Was I seriously hiding from Charlie? The door opened, and he stepped in, Part of Your World still blaring. He closed the door again, and I felt my heart beating wildly. This was ridiculous. Charlie was part of some strange secret, yes, but I felt almost scared. From the way my heart was pounding at the thought of him finding me, I could have been hiding from a murderer or something. I closed my eyes and pressed my back against the couch. Too late to stand back up. I'd look like a total idiot. The song stopped abruptly.

Hey, Charlie said. What’s up?... Danio? Why are you calling me on Mariana’s phone?

A cell phone ringtone, of course. I almost laughed at myself.

Toasty, Charlie said with a laugh. Well, I guess it’ll end up part of a coral reef or something... Of course, I’m laughing at you... What? You aren’t seriously considering looking for it. Do you realize how hard it would be to find a phone in the ocean?... I thought as much. Anyway, did you get there alright?... Of course I was worried! You know how I feel about water.

I frowned, what on earth was he talking about? I was pretty sure he was talking to Dani, I'd heard them call him Danio before. But where was he? Why would he call Charlie from somewhere else on the ship?

Yeah, yeah. Hey, what’s all that noise?... Oh, it’s Fend? Hi Fend! So Jon’s already there, then?

I froze. Jon?

"Yeah, sure... Hey, Jon!... Nah, everything’s toasty here. What’s the plan?... Dinner tomorrow?... Yeah, I’ll tell her. I think we dock at nine... Oh, I don’t know what her trip is tomorrow... No, it won’t be overnight; there aren’t any of those in Panama, but my trip will be out late... Hot! I’ll see you then... Hi, Mariana... Swim was good?... Toasty, toasty... Yeah, I heard... Where are you and Dani staying?... Oh, okay... Tell me there's a sauna there!... Keen!... Yeah, yeah... Why not, put him on... Hiya! So where’s dinner?... Right on the dock, huh? Do they have hot wings?... Phew! I miss spicy food. That’ll be great... Yeah, TS’ll be