Vampire Of The New World

Lisa wanted to strip off her wet clothes and change into dry ones shortly after boarding the ferry. The crew were quick to guide her to a private cabin to change clothes. She soon emerged from the cabin more comfortable and energized. Together with the passenger she rescued, Lisa was given hot soup as they were interviewed by one of the ferry's crews for their incident report. The captain was also there to personally thank Lisa for her bravery and to check if both women were comfortable and properly attended to.

The passenger Lisa rescued was also in better spirits and thanked Lisa for her help. The woman's boyfriend was always at the woman's side and tried to explain his helplessness when she fell overboard, stating that he could not swim. The woman merely avoided looking at her boyfriend and was quickly comforted by her other friends.

"Looks like it would not be a happy ending for Kate and Leo," Nestie remarked when he and Lisa were back at the cabin. They were allowed by the captain to use the private cabin for the duration of the journey.

Lisa merely smiled and changed the topic, "It was kind of the captain to let us use this room. I just want to rest peacefully away from the other passengers after that ordeal."

"I join the crew in thinking that you were stupid in jumping overboard, but given that you were successful and none were harmed, I will just shower you with praises. You deserve a medal and a plaque in a formal ceremony."

Lisa laughed. "Thanks, Nestie. I just think I would not be able to live with myself had I not done what I did. By the way, we'll be arriving in Cardena soon. Don't you want to know what we're going to do in the next few days?" asked Lisa.

"I'm sure you had that all figured out," said Nestie.

Lisa grinned and nodded. "Actually, it's going to be Celie who will be running the show. She knows all the best spots in the city and she promised to give us a grand tour."

"Wow! I'm excited already!" exclaimed Nestie.

"There's a catch though," said Lisa.

"What's that?" asked Nestie, suddenly suspicious.

"She just asked me if we can join her as she performs her functions as the city's first daughter."

"You mean like an entourage?" Nestie asked bewildered.

"I mean exactly like an entourage! We'll be playing a big part in her birthday celebration." replied Lisa.

"I'm excited already! How does it feel rubbing elbows with high society, Princess Lisa?" Nestie made a quick bow.

"Stop it, Nestie!" Lisa laughed. "Don't expect extravagance and lush parties. We're actually accompanying her when she visits a home for the elderly. It's an annual thing for her during her birthday."

"Quite a philanthropist, your cousin. Regardless, she's still high society. We may even be front page news!" Nestie chuckled.

There was a knock to the door of the cabin to inform Lisa and Nestie that they were approaching the dock. In less than an hour, the two friends disembarked from the ferry and found a small restaurant where they had a late lunch of rice topped with fish and tofu. They talked more about how their research was going as well as their plans once they finished their seaweed project.

"I'm thinking of continuing with pharmaceutical research. This project has given me a new perspective on the importance of developing new drugs. How about you?" asked Lisa.

"I don't really know. Maybe complete the requirements for my PhD and finally submit my thesis. Or, maybe I'll just drop everything and conquer the world!" said Nestie.

The two friends both laughed. Lisa suddenly became quiet before speaking at a lower tone. "I just hope Jon is okay. That storm we just experienced. I wonder if that was the kind of storm that Jon was talking about when he called me. Perhaps such freak storms are not that unusual in the seas surrounding Orsica."

"Freak storm it was. I thought it was highly unusual and I wouldn't have believed it, but given what I just saw, there is nothing for me to do but to agree."

It was getting late so the two friends left the restaurant and waited to ride a bus to the city. After waiting for almost two hours, the bus arrived. Both were exhausted from their trip at the ferry and were soon dozing off. It was twilight when Nestie realized that he had slept. He saw that Lisa was already awake and looking at the darkening sky. She seemed lost in her thoughts, but well rested.

"You're awake. Where are we?" asked Nestie.

"We're just a few kilometers away from Celie's house in the city center. She called while you were sleeping explaining that she would probably stay out late. She did say that my aunt will be there at the house to receive us."

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes. No problem. Celie tends to party well into the night. My uncle, her father, disapproves of course, but there's not much he can do. He just hopes not to hear any sensationalized news from the press. My aunt understands Celie and so do I. Celie just likes to socialize, that's her thing. Just as my thing is research and free diving."

"You did say you grew up as kids."

"Yes, I did. We were inseparable as kids. Celisa, they would call us because we're always together like conjoined twins."

"That's nice. I hope we get along."

"You will! Celie's really nice."

After a short silence, Lisa spoke. "By the way, I heard some news from Jon too."

"And…" Nestie urged her on.

"His office called…and they said that they got word from Orsica. The island did get affected by that freak storm we witnessed. Their power is down, their communications tower destroyed and their boat sustained some damage. They hope to get at least their communications tower operational as soon as possible so that they can better communicate with us, but fixing the boat may take a while."

"And you believe them?"

"To be honest, Nestie, I don't. I just feel that something is not right. It was Jon's boss who personally talked to me, but despite his warm reassurance, I still have a bad feeling as to Jon's situation on the island… But, I can't let my anxieties ruin our vacation. As you said, I'm sure Jon will contact me as soon as he can. For now, I will just concentrate on enjoying these rest days with you and Celie."