My email.
My account.
That changed everything.
They thought I stopped mattering once the payment went through.
They forgot the entire reservation still belonged to me.
At 8:01 the next morning, I called the travel agency.
A cheerful woman named Audrey answered.
I gave her the booking number.
“This looks like a wonderful family vacation,” she said.
I almost laughed.
“It was supposed to be,” I replied. “I need to make some changes.”
First, I canceled every premium dining package.
Then the drink packages.
Then the Wi-Fi.
Then every excursion.
Snorkeling.
Ziplining.
Private beach access.
Gone.
Refunded.
Sent straight back to my account.
Then I asked about the cabins.
Audrey paused. “What would you like changed?”
“The rooms under Julian Sterling, Eleanor Sterling, Sienna Sterling, Ethan Vance, and the others?”
“Yes?”
“Move them to the cheapest cabins available.”
Another pause.
“The interior cabins?”
“Yes.”
“The ones without windows?”
“Yes.”
“The ones near the engine room?”
“Those sound perfect.”
She hesitated. “And your penthouse suite?”
I looked out at the sunrise beyond my condo window.
“Leave mine exactly as it is.”
For the first time since Mom’s message, I smiled.
“I’ll be going after all.”
Two weeks later, I boarded the ship alone.
Not ashamed.
Not sorry.
Just free.
My penthouse suite was bigger than the first apartment I ever rented.
Private balcony.
Marble bathroom.
Complimentary champagne.
A welcome card with only my name on it.
For once, something I had paid for belonged completely to me.
I didn’t run into my relatives on the first day.
But the next evening, I saw them at the buffet.
They looked miserable.
Dad was furious.
Mom looked drained.
Sienna was complaining loudly to anyone close enough to hear.
Then Mom saw me.
She froze.
Dad turned.
Sienna followed his eyes.
Their faces changed all at once.
I stayed by the window and kept eating.
Slowly.
Peacefully.
They stormed toward my table.
Dad reached me first.
“What are you doing here?”
I folded my napkin and smiled.
“Enjoying my vacation.”
Sienna’s gaze dropped to the gold penthouse wristband on my arm.
Then she looked down at the basic blue band on hers…
Part 2
Sienna’s eyes darted back and forth between my shimmering gold penthouse band and her own cheap blue plastic strip. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“You…” Dad’s voice trembled, a vein in his neck bulging as his face turned a dangerous shade of crimson. “You did this to us!”
“Did what, Julian?” I asked, taking a calm sip of iced tea. “I’m just sitting here eating my dinner.”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Clara!” he barked, slamming his palm onto the table. A few nearby diners turned their heads, murmuring among themselves. “We got to the port, and the check-in agent handed us keycards for room 2014! Room 2014! It’s in the dark belly of the ship, Clara! We are directly above the engine room! The walls shake every time the propeller turns, and it smells like diesel!”
“And where are our drink packages?!” Sienna shrieked, finding her voice at last. “Ethan and I went to the bar to get piña coladas, and the bartender charged my credit card fifty dollars! He said our packages were canceled!”
