The Revelation

On the rocks

Julie's pov

Onboard ship

So we're finally on our cruise. It's day three technically. The first day was mostly just the trip over here. We had to get up super early to catch our first flight, then we had a ninety minute layover until our connecting flight, then we had to wait for like two hours in line to get on the ship.

By the time we were finally onboard, we were all starving and exhausted so we grabbed a bite to eat and took a nap until the stupid lifeboat drill. After the drill, we walked around exploring the various decks of the ship until dinner. By the time we were done eating, we were all just fighting to stay awake so after relaxing out on deck for a bit, we decided to give in and just call it a night.

The second day, we spent the whole day at sea so we slept in and had a late breakfast then my sisters and I got our swimsuits on and hung out by the pool until it was time to get showered and changed for dinner. After dinner, we went to the show with Mike and Shane. It was really good. The entertainment staff re-enacted several scenes from different Disney movies with singing and dancing and beautiful costumes and scenery. After the show, we walked around deck for awhile then my sisters and I got changed and hung out in the hot tub for an hour before going to bed.

Today, we are docked in the Bahamas near Nassau. We had to get up early so we could grab a light breakfast at the buffet before going on our snorkeling trip. It was an all day trip with three different stops for snorkeling, an amazing seafood lunch buffet at a local restaurant and three hours at a private beach. We had a blast seeing all kinds of cool tropical fish and colorful coral and swimming, relaxing, and suntanning at the beach was awesome too.

By the time we got back onboard, we were sunburnt, sweaty, sandy, and sleepy. We decided to shower and grab dinner at the buffet as none of us thought we'd be able to stay awake through a two hour sit down dinner service. After the buffet, Shane and Mike went to the show. I went for a walk on deck for a bit and my sisters went to watch Castaway at the little movie theater onboard.

After walking around deck a few times, I got tired and laid down in one of the deck chairs to rest and enjoy some star gazing. I must have fallen asleep pretty quickly because I don't remember seeing too many stars. Checking my phone, I realized I slept for almost two hours in the deck chair. Hopefully I wasn't drooling or snoring cuz that would've been really embarrassing. Now that I had my second wind, I decided to go to one of the lounges and listen to the piano player.

As soon as I sat down, one of the bartenders came and asked if I would like to order a drink. He told me what the drink of the day was and offered some other suggestions for tasty cocktails I could try.

"I'll try the Bahama Mama," I told the cute young drink steward. When he brought my drink, I sipped it slowly while listening to the live entertainment. Shortly after I finished my drink, the piano player went on break so I ordered another drink, a different one this time as the Bahama Mama was good but I didn't want another one. I took my drink outside on deck and sat down at one of the little cafe tables outside the lounge to enjoy the beautiful night sky.

Picking up my second drink of the night, I suddenly felt an unexpected chill in the air. Shaking it off as an anomaly, I brought the rim to my lips, ready to partake in another sip of that sweet nectar of the gods, otherwise known as Malibu and pineapple, when I was rudely interrupted.

"That had better be a virgin drink in your hands, young lady."

I would recognize that threatening tone even if we were twenty thousand leagues under the sea. Turning to face Mike, I clumsily, or perhaps purposefully, spilled the contents of my drink onto the small round table. I quickly wiped the liquid and ice cubes with a cocktail napkin as I kept my gaze focused on my less than amused guardian.

"Oops," I exclaimed, as I continued to soak up the last drops remaining on the shiny veneer.

Grabbing my arm none too gently, Mike hissed in my ear, "Seriously, Julie! Did you really think that would work?"

"Relax, Mike, it's just some pineapple juice. My glass was almost empty anyway," I said casually, hoping to pacify him and avoid escalating this situation into a whole big scene.

Unfortunately, my guardian had other plans. Releasing the hold he had on my bicep, Mike swiftly picked up my glass in his left hand and roughly grabbed my chin in his right.

Squeezing my cheeks tightly, he locked my eyes with his icy glare as he sternly questioned me, "I'm only going to ask you this one time and keep in mind, I already know the answer, Julie. Was this a virgin cocktail?"

I'm not one hundred percent sure that Mike actually knows there was alcohol in my drink but I'm leaning towards cutting my losses because most likely he could easily find out and if I lie to him, my punishment will be exponentially more severe.

So I squeaked out a quiet, "No," as Mike still had a death grip on my jaw.

Mike released me, setting my glass down, he placed his hands on his hips. Inhaling sharply through his nose, he pressed his lips tightly together as he narrowed his eyes into cold dark slits.

"Get down to your cabin immediately and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I'm calm enough to belt you with enough restraint not to leave permanent marks on your soon to be incredibly sorry behind," Mike commanded, in an eerily smooth tone.

"You know, technically we're in port and the legal drinking age in the Bahamas is eighteen so I really didn't even do anything wrong," I muttered under my breath, stupidly trying to justify my behavior.

Mike shook his head in disbelief and chuckled derisively. Momentarily turning his back to me, he took a deep breath.

"Tell me you did not just say what I think you said because you cannot possibly be that ignorant, Julie Elizabeth."

I held off responding, sensing Mike had more to say.

Turning to once again face me, he repeated, "Go ahead, Julie. Tell me again how you did nothing wrong, even though the legal drinking age aboard ship is twenty-one and Shane and I expressly forbade you and your sisters from consuming any alcohol during this trip."

I just stood silently, not wanting to dig my grave any deeper.

Mike glared at me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"So, go ahead and tell me, Julie. What are you waiting for?"

I bit my lower lip and looked down at the floor, hoping it would open up suddenly and swallow me whole.

"That's what I thought," Mike said coldly. Grabbing my arm and pulling me close enough to slap my behind, he whispered harshly in my ear, "You should know your little remark earned you six extra strokes. Now get moving!" Mike slapped my rear again before releasing his hold. "GO!" he ordered forcefully.

Not wanting to cause more of a scene in public, even though no one was paying any attention to us, I kept my mouth shut and went back to my cabin. Thankfully when I entered our room, I saw that my sisters weren't there so they wouldn't have to bear witness to Mike's rant and my punishment. I sighed and laid down on my bed, suddenly feeling very alone and quite sorry for myself.

I wasn't aware I had fallen asleep until I felt someone's hand gently shaking my shoulder and heard, "Julie, get up, we need to talk." I woke up with a gasp, startled and confused as to where I was since I didn't immediately recognize my surroundings. I must have been in a deep state of sleep.

"Relax, Julie, it's just me, you're alright." Sensing my panic, Mike reassured me by speaking calmly and gently rubbing my shoulder.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes as I tried to take some calming breaths and slow my rapidly beating heart after bolting upright into a sitting position upon awakening so suddenly. Seeing the mixture of hurt and anger adorning Mike's facial expressions, my memory began to return quickly as I recalled our exchange earlier outside the lounge. I swallowed hard and backed up further on the tiny bed, pushing myself up against the wall. My sleep clouded vision disappeared, providing me a clear picture of the thick brown leather belt Mike held doubled over in his left hand.