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‘New? To kayaking?’
Liam laughed. ‘No, not to kayaking! To the ship. This is her first voyage with theVigilafter the last guy got a better job offer at the last minute. Now I have to spend my time training as well as looking after all the pax.’
In truth, she was glad for the distraction of the kayaking. She’d spent most of the night waiting for the internet to connect, missing dinner.Eventually she had to give up in favour of a few hours’ sleep, and even then she had tossed and turned.
Melissa came over to double-check her clothing was fully sealed, then went over her suit with the vacuum to pick up any lingering contaminants. ‘Ready?’ she asked.
‘I think so.’
‘Liam explained about your fear. I think it’s really brave of you to be coming out again.’
‘I … thank you,’ said Olivia.
‘But he also said that prior to that, you had some experience in a kayak? You’ve done a wet exit? You know how to sweep and draw?’
Olivia nodded.
‘Then you’re way ahead of most people here,’ she said with a wink, making Olivia smile. She caught eyes with Janine, who had a grim look of determination on herface. As Melissa moved on to check the others, Olivia moved closer to Janine.
‘Who are you kayaking with?’ she asked.
‘Some guy named Robert. I think he’s a fancy businessman as he’s been heads together with that CEO man this entire time.’ She shivered. ‘Apparently he’s done this sort of thing a lot, but I still wish I was in the boat with you.’
‘You’re right, Robert is one of the VIP guests, but he’s also pretty adventurous. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I don’t even know how I’ll be out there.’
As she spoke, Cutler and Ingrid started arguing – about what, Olivia didn’t care to listen. The husband and wife were sharing a boat too, but it didn’t look like it was going to be a pleasant experience.
Melissa signalled for her to wade through a shallow pool of disinfectant and towards the outer door. Melissa banged on it twice before swinging it open – and there, in front of them, was the water. It pulsed, as if it had its own heartbeat, lapping against the ship, threatening to spill inside. It took Olivia’s breath away just howdarkit was; it was thick and almost tarry from her vantage point.
She wondered whether it really was wise to make this her first-ever sea-kayaking adventure since the incident. Then her dad’s voice came to her.Let’s dive in.It didn’t matter what the activity was: going for a walk, a wild swim, a kayak – or a sail.
It was too late to back out now. She was tackling her fear head-on. She took a deep breath and lowered herself into the kayak Melissa had brought forward.
She settled into the cockpit, making sure the neoprene skirt was secured. It was amazing how quickly herbody adapted back into the skills she’d honed as a teen, and the gentle bobbing of the boat relaxed her. Melissa clambered in behind. Once they were settled, she gave a thumbs up to Melissa, then slipped the blade of her paddle into the water and pushed away from the ship.
And, just like that, they were free.
Olivia closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, which had become shallow and rapid. She gripped her paddle tightly. What was she doing? This was too much, too soon. Only Aaron understood the depths of what she had been through, and he wasn’t here.
‘Can you do a forward stroke for me?’ Melissa asked from behind.
But Olivia was paralysed. She shook her head, not wanting to even open her eyes.
‘Olivia? Forward stroke.’ Her voice was firm but gentle.
She opened one eye a crack, then placed the blade in the water. Even though her hands were shaking, she pulled the blade towards her. Then she did the same on the other side. The kayak slid through the water.
‘Good. Excellent. Now reverse stroke to slow us down – I have to make sure everyone is in the water first.’
Olivia did as she was told and was amazed to find that she had the control – she asked the kayak a question with her paddle, and it responded as she intended.
It was a small win, but it was a win all the same.
TheVigiltowered over them. She could see every rivet and mark in the blue paintwork. Higher up, some passengers in red jackets looked down at them from the deck. One lifted her hand to wave – Patty, Olivia thought, although it was hard to tell from that angle.
‘No sudden moves, but look to your left,’ said Melissa in a low voice.
Olivia turned just in time to see a leopard seal poking its head above the steel surface of the water, Antarctica’s sentinel. It stared them down with its glassy eyes before ducking back underneath, the glossy sheen of its body curling back beneath the waves.