1: How did I end up here!

Rose Sexton clawed into the steering wheel while she pressed down on the gas pedal. <i>I'm not going to be late!</i> She told herself over and over again as she fought through traffic. It was a Friday and it was getting dangerously close to rush hour. She cursed herself for sleeping in, she cursed the delivery guy who brought her breakfast late, and most of all she cursed her best friend for pushing her to do this!

Rose was in a rut, a very long and boring rut in life that was becoming more noticeable among her friends. Melissa Dickenson, her best friend and confidant, pushed her to get out and enjoy life. Every day as she sat in her cubical, Melissa would poke and prod her to finally get out of her comfortable apartment and meet someone special. At first Rose rejected each unsavory attempt of peer pressure. But when her younger sister got married last month, Rose realized that every single one of her friends and family were either married or soon to be.

Like a sickness her sense of loneliness grew in the back of her mind, and slowly spread through her soul. Days passed, then weeks, and one day Rose found herself clad only in her bathrobe eating an entire tub of strawberry ice cream on a Saturday afternoon. At twenty five years old, Rose looked herself in the mirror that night and did the only thing a rational young woman would do in her situation. She freaking panicked! Within minutes she was scouring the internet for anything that might alleviate her frightened senses. It was her friend Melissa that provided the answer.

"Go on a cruise!" Rose said to herself, reflecting on her friends words, "It'll be fun, she said." Of course if she got up earlier, ate something in her own kitchen, and packed the previous night she would've been at the loading dock by now. Miami was a crowded city year round, but she knew every back alley and side street. That was her only saving grace.

The radio was screaming rock n roll, the commercials in between were mainly news reels about blood drives and recent protests. It wasn't so long ago that vampires were merely myths, not too dissimilar from ghost stories. When the first Vampire clan introduced itself to the world ten years ago, it sent shockwaves across the globe. Soon hundreds of others followed suite, and it was realized that nearly a quarter of the population were vampires or descendants of vampires. They had done a really good job of hiding themselves over the millennia, however even they knew that was almost impossible in the digital age.

At first the idea of Vampires being real frightened the hell out of her, but as the years went by the world went on as usual. It probably made sense that it would, seeing as they've been around all this time. Turns out most of the stories about vampires was just that...stories. Yes they craved blood, but there were ways for them to control their urges. Or so she hoped. Truth was Rose never actually met a vampire, but she hoped she wouldn't have too.

She sped past a truck, then a pink minivan, counting the minutes as they flew by. Rose was so close, so very close she could practically smell the ocean breeze. She was starting to doubt whether going on a singles cruise was a good idea, she had been wondering that every day since she booked the trip.

Once a pair of cruise ships came into view along with the Miami bay she breathed a sigh of relief. Her hands were clammy as she pulled her truck into the dockyard parking lot, and grew frustrated that all the good spots were taken. It took fifteen minutes of searching to find a spot at the end of the lot. Unevenly parked, Rose took a moment to collect herself. Her long chestnut hair was a mess, and her vibrant green eyes looked back at her in the rearview mirror. She had her fathers eyes and a plain narrow face that resembled her late mothers. Her face was devoid of any makeup, that was another thing she didn't have time for. Rose leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath to gather her courage. Part of her still wanted to turn around and go home, she wondered if this was a bad idea.

A horn blew in the distance alerting her to the actual time. She jumped out of the car, letting the ocean breeze impact her tanned skin, and grabbed a suitcase from the back of her truck. She ran in her sandals as fast as she could to the front offices. There wasn't a line, which wasn't a good sign. The horns blew louder making her increase her pace. She blew the front office, and rushed toward one of the gentlemen monitoring the forward ladder.

<i>Please don't be late!</i> Rose pleaded to herself as she saw one of the ramps was absent, its adjoining Cruise liner about to depart. She swallowed hoping that wasn't her ship. She ran to the booth still open, albeit just barely. The man was in a sailors uniform and was adjusting his cap when she rushed toward him.

"Please, I need to get on this boat!" Rose held her passport and ticket in the air, she didn't even bother to hand it to him or make sure this was the correct boat.

The Sailor looked up at her in surprise. "Aye, its a ship! But I believe everyones already accounted for?"

Rose wouldn't take no for an answer, she slammed the ticket on the counter and rushed past him, "No its not! I'm not too late!" She ran up the ramp with her hair blowing in the wind. The man at the forward booth was trying to get her attention, but she wouldn't have it. Rose feared if she paused for even a moment her anxiety would get the better of her, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her from having a good time.

"All aboard!" An announcement boomed on the ships loudspeakers just as her feet met the solid wood of the deck.

The young man raced behind her, he seemed pale up close, "Excuse me ma'am but this ticket isn't for—"

The ship lurched suddenly forward, and the ramp was already lifting upward.

"Thank god," Rose sighed in relief, "By the skin of my teeth!"

The young steward was scratching the back of his head and not pleased, "Ma'am you realize you're on the wrong cruise ship right?"

Rose looked at him with a puzzled expression, "What do you mean?"

"This ticket is for the HMS Volley, but you just boarded the HMS Sanguine! This cruise was reserved only for vampires!"

Rose had her eyes closed, her smile suddenly froze in an awkward grin, "Say what?"

The ship sounded its horn again as it continued to depart, the HMS Sanguine had begun its seven day cruise with four thousand vampires...and a single human on board.