Cruising By

January 12th...

The next morning Lorina clapped her hands together once. "Oh! I have never actually been to Charleston before! Why don't we all take a walk together? And when I say 'all', I do mean ALL of us! I'd love to get to know each and every one of you!"

"Sure!" Riley said.

"I hope you enjoy it! It's very nice here for the most part," Lina said.

Winter sighed, "If I have to..."

"Well, you DO have to," Riley said.

"It's always nice to meet new people," Umber said.

"Agreed!" Qibli said.

"She seems nice, at least," Moon said.

On the walk, Lorina was talking with Snow and Riley again.

"The city sure is quiet," Ocotillo said.

"Ooh... " Kinkajou said. "Look! There's a cruise at the port! If it's been abandoned, maybe there's stuff we can scavenge!"

"Then let's go!" Ocotillo said and started to walk towards the cruise.

Lorina quietly stared as Ocotillo and Kinkajou walked up the ramp to the cruise.

Lina raised an eyebrow at Lorina.

Riley looked at the cruise, perplexed. "If this cruise recently came into port, I guess the people must not have heard of the apocalypse. I wonder why."

"They could've heard about it through radio stuff. Maybe they've been surviving on the ship because they think gorillas haven't learned to use or build boats," Snow said.

"That sounds like a smart idea. Because cruise ships are pretty big, there are lots of places to hide and store weapons. And you could find a high outpost to shoot the gorillas if they come near," Lorina said. "Though, that ship is pretty small for a cruise. Only three stories and not that long."

When Kinkajou went inside the cruise, she screamed.

"What happened?!" Lina asked and dashed onto the ship.

"DEAD BODIES EVERYWHERE!" Kinkajou cried out.

"Ack! One fell on me!" Ocotillo grimaced and shoved the person off. It thumped to the floor. "WHY IS THIS PLACE FULL OF DEAD BODIES?!"

Everybody else went on to the cruise.

Ocotillo shuddered, "What's wrong with this place?"

"It's bloody here, so they were most likely murdered," Snow said.

"This one's throat is slit," Riley observed a dead woman's body.

"According to the state of their bodies, they have been dead for at least four to five hours," Snow said.

"Some of them have been shot though. If there were lots of people having been shot, you think we'd have heard it," Riley said.

"Maybe whoever had guns put silencers on them to mute the noise," Lorina said, adjusting her cloak slightly.

"But who could've done something like this...?" Riley wondered.

"Possibly gorillas. Though, we haven't seen any here yet. Could've been mass suicide. Or an outsider. Maybe they murdered each other," Lina said.

"Though... what if..." Eri started hesitantly.

"What if?" Lina asked.

"What if... the murderer... w-was someone in our group?!" Eri got out. "Maybe someone had a beef with these people. Or maybe these people are just stepping stones in attempt to show off that person's power?"

"I don't trust any of you now!" Lina said. "Except Eri, because the murderer wouldn't suggest a possibility in which they were a suspect."

"It wasn't me for once," Ocotillo said.

Winter scoffed, "How do we know that? It's not like you have an alibi."

"I was sleeping," Ocotillo said, "And it's not like you have an alibi either. It could have been you since you hate everything."

"Please, as if. We all know you're the one most likely to do it," Winter said.

"Come on guys, break it up," Moon said.

"Hey, how about Moon read's everybody's mind?" Lina suggested. "That's the easiest way, right?"

"Okay. Everyone who has skyfire, please take it off," Moon said. After they did so, Moon went through each person's mind.

"Winter... is safe," Moon said.

"You hesitated," Lina said suspiciously.

Moon gave Lina a quick glare before continuing with everyone else.

Everyone else was safe until Moon reached two people. "Ocotillo... her mind seems kinda clouded. I can't read it... And Lorina's mind is too confusing to read," Moon said.

Ocotillo looked slightly alarmed, and Lorina's eyes widened a little bit.

"Wait a minute!" Moon said. "Winter, I can sense you have some conflicting emotions about something. But it seems really repressed in your mind, and I can't tell what it is. Will you tell us?"

Winter looked away from her, "I'd... rather not."

"Well, now you're a suspect!" Lina said.

Moon looked disappointed and slightly sad. "Well, that's everyone."

"So what now?" Newt wondered.

Eri shifted from her spot so she wasn't as close to one of the dead bodies. "If we can't solve the case today, then we'll have to keep those three in confinement. At least three people should have to watch them at all times."

Riley had an unreadable expression on her face. She said, "I volunteer to guard them if we don't solve it tonight."

"Same," Snow said.

"I also volunteer to go," Lina said.

Eri raised an eyebrow at Lina, "Are you sure? That you could handle them?"

"I have my magical author powers to use against them," Lina said. "I'll be fine."

"Yeah, though, about Snow and Riley, maybe we should have more impartial guards? Not saying you guys would let Lorina go or anything, but still," Eri said.

"I'm fine with that," Snow said.

"Me too," Riley nodded.

"I'll guard Ocotillo!" Rabbit declared.

"AH HECK NAH!" Eri said, "That's dangerous in a whole other sense. Plus, you're not impartial at all."

"For once he used my real name," Ocotillo said.

"I'll stand guard," Hatter said, "I don't particularly have any close attachment to any of those three. No offense."

"None taken," Ocotillo said.

"I don't really know you, so it's fine," Lorina said.

"I am not attached to you either, the feeling is mutual," Winter said.

"I'll be the third guard," Annabeth said.

"Okay, that sounds better," Eri said. "Now back to the case."

"If any of you guys did it, just say so," Moon said.

"Moon, you know that's not gonna work," Qibli said.

Ocotillo looked annoyed, but slightly alarmed, "Well, I can say that I didn't do it. You guys know I haven't done anything crazy lately. At least since the WICKED thing in my back was taken out. About a month or so."

"We understand, but do you have an alibi to clear you from suspicion?" Turtle asked.

"I told you guys. I was sleeping," Ocotillo said.

"Exactly. Nobody can verify or deny that you were sleeping because everybody else was asleep!" Turtle said. "So how about you, Winter, do you have anything to prove you didn't do it?"

Winter let out an angry growl, "Well if I murdered someone, which I wouldn't, I'd probably leave stupid signs like frostbeath or claw marks. Plus I don't have a knife or gun which some of these people look like they were killed with," Winter said.

"True about the breath and claw marks," Turtle said, "But, you could've stolen guns and knives from these people."

"Whatever," Winter said.

"I don't have a confirmable alibi as well, so I'm still a suspect," Lorina said.

"So, I guess we should look for evidence now," Umber said.

"Definitely," Moon said.

"I guess we should look for the obvious stuff first," Turtle said.

"Like how Winter feels guilty for something, or how Lorina just did a weird stare when Kinkajou and Ocotillo went inside the ship," Lina said.

"I guess we start looking now," Eri said.

Lina grimaced, "Yeah."

"Well, I'm not going to touch the bodies, so I guess I'll search the rooms," Eri said.

"I'll join," Lina said.

"How about we look in the kitchen?" Eri asked.

"Sure, though we'll have to find it first. Never been here so, I don't know my way around," Lina said.

"Yeah, let's go and look for it," Eri said, and she and Lina went to look for the kitchen.

"What should us suspects do?" Ocotillo asked.

"I guess find something to do in one of the rooms," Annabeth said.

"But what about the bodies? And we might tamper evidence if we go in there," Lorina said.

"Riiight. I guess you guys can hang out on the ramp, and I'll stand guard," Annabeth said, and she started shuffling the three suspects out.

Eri and Lina found the kitchen.

Eri gagged, "There's a dead person on the cake..."

"Ew..." Lina said.

"One of the champagne bottles is empty, but I don't think that's important," Eri said.

"Maybe look for oddly cold places? Or any strands of dyed blonde hair?" Lina suggested.

"There's an opened ice chest on the counter, and... I don't see any blonde hair anywhere. There's not many dead bodies in this room, thankfully," Eri noted.

"Hey, was that man writing something?" Lina pointed at a man sitting in a chair with his upper body over a table. "He looks kinda weird."

"How so?" Eri asked.

"Well, he never dropped the pen he was writing with! That's weird," Lina said.

"Him not dropping the pen could be due to the stiffness of rigor mortis," Eri said. "Lemme see what he was writing."

The small piece of paper was written in cursive and read, "To those who have found us, our souls are already lo-"

"SOULS! Why is it always the souls?!" Lina wondered.

"Because it's poetic? Maybe this dude is a poet," Eri said.

"Could be," Lina shrugged.

"Was a poet," Eri corrected her previous sentence.

"Yeah... past tense," Lina said.

"I guess we should show this to the others," Eri said.

"Great. We can ask the suspects what they know about this soul business," Lina said and carefully removed the paper from underneath the man's hand.

"GUYS!" Eri yelled, "We found a mysterious paper and thought we'd show it to ya! It might be evidence!"

Annabeth brought the suspects from outside.

Ocotillo looked worried about the evidence.

"You know, we were having a very nice card game while you were finding this 'evidence,'" Lorina said.

"Lina... bring out.... the note," Eri said dramatically.

Lina read the note aloud, "The note says, 'To those who have found us, our souls are already lo-'"

"Lost. That's probably what the cut off word is," Ocotillo said, "It only makes sense."

"Now way!" Lorina gasped, "Lo ending as lost? No, it must mean loved!"

Ocotillo scowled, "Shut up! I don't feel like dealing with sarcasm right now."

"Sorry, I couldn't help it!" Lorina said.

"You couldn't help what you say?" Ocotillo raised an eyebrow.

"Can we stop investigating for today?" Lina asked. "All these bodies are making me nauseous."

"Same, but it just feels wrong leaving these bodies here," Eri said.

"Well we can't move them because of evidence reasons," Riley said.

"Yeah..." Eri said.

"Well, let's go," Snow said.

So, most of the group went back to the hotel. The suspects, along with Lina, the Hatter, and Annabeth went to a building near the hotel, so they would be away from the rest of the group.

"I hate this," Ocotillo said, "I didn't do anything!"

"Don't worry Ocotillo, I believe in your innocence! I just can't prove it," Lina said, "If I had powers to find out who the murderer was, I would definitely use it."

"Wait a minute! Remember all the romance drama?" Ocotillo asked.

Lina widely grinned, "Of course! That was greaaat."

"You used your magical author powers to temporarily gain telepathy. What if you used them now to have a power to find the murderer?" Ocotillo said.

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Lina said. She focused on trying to gain such a power.

"Well?" Ocotillo asked.

Lina frowned, "I can't seem to do it. I guess that's not what comes in the territory of my powers."

"Dang it!" Ocotillo said.

Lorina sprawled on the floor, "Well, we're gonna be here all night, so might as well get comfy."

Winter flopped on the floor, and shrugged, "She's right."

Ocotillo also sat on the ground.

"So are us guards just gonna have to awkwardly stare at you guys the entire time?" Lina asked.

"You don't have to. We can play cards," Lorina suggested.

"Is that okay?" Lina asked Annabeth.

"Why are you asking me?" Annabeth asked.

"'Cause you're the smart one," Lina said.

"Well, I think it's fine," Annabeth said.

"I've already joined in," The Hatter said.

"Wait, what are we playing?" Lina asked.

"Texas hold 'em poker," Lorina said.

"Oh cool. Wait, how do you play that version?" Annabeth asked.

"I'll show you," Lorina said, and started to explain this version of poker.

Sometime later, after multiple victories from Winter and Lina, Eri came in with a cart of food.

Eri bowed, "Hello people. Sorry, we skipped lunch. We kinda forgot about you guys. But for dinner, we have beef stew. The meat was cooked with carrots, mushrooms, green peas. All done by the great chef, Umber. I don't know where we got the beef from though."

"Thank you!" Lina said, receiving a bowl of soup from Eri.

"Mysterious beef stew. Interesting, but I will accept it," Winter said.

"Mmm, this is so good," Lorina said after having a spoonful of stew.

"My compliments to the chef," Ocotillo said.

"I'll make sure to shower Umber with compliments about his cooking when we get back," Eri said.

"Who is 'we?'" Lina asked.

"You and me," Eri said, "Abe said he had a question for you."

"Oh okay," Lina said, getting up.

"Nah, let's wait until y'all are all finished with the food, so I can bring all the dishes back. I don't think the question was urgent," Eri said. She leaned against the cart.

"Just in case if it's urgent, let's go. Okay?" Lina said.

Eri groaned, "Ah, fine. Now I have to make two trips to and from here." She started walking out of the building, and Lina followed her.

Back at the hotel, Abe was pacing the across the floor.

"Okay, Abe, what did you want to ask me?" Lina asked.

"Remember the man who wrote the note? Do you recall seeing his cause of death?" Abe asked.

"Cause of death...?" Lina scratched the side of her head. "Well, I guess he was probably shot or stabbed."

"Yes, but did you see any signs of those causes?" Abe asked.

"Come to think of it, no, I didn't," Lina said.

"No signs of how he died, not to mention, if he had enough time to write a cryptic note, he could've escaped. Yet, he didn't," Abe said.

"Wait, so the note could have been a set up!" Eri exclaimed. "And he might be alive."

"Exactly!" Abe said, and headed for the door, "Everybody, we need to head to the scene of the crime! We just might be one step closer to cracking this case!"

(I kept writing this throughout the entirety of 2018, but I just forgot to update the actual Wattpad story. Oops)