Prologue

It all started on that bitter, cold January morning. My dad had accepted a job to work with the Disney cruise line for a five day photo shoot gig. He was a lighting technician for film and photo crews and he got a call asking if he would help with the photos they would be using to market the new cruise ship, the Dream. My family had never been on a cruise before and my sister thought it was a dream come true, ironically. I guess it was. For her at least. For me, it was awful. I mean, the five day weekend was awesome, but there would be no friends, no cell phone, and no computer for five days! I survive in this world by having my phone and not having it for five days was going to kill me. Or a computer! It may not seem so bad to you, but to me it's just about the worst that could happen. Oh sure, warm sunny beaches, no school, rolling misty waves, room service, and not having to clean up after yourself. And then there's the chance of having a romantic fling with a really hot guy only to realize he has a terminal illness and has to return to France for the remainder of his life. Yeah, loads of fun. But it would be lonely without my friends.

So - being the brilliant person I am - I had an idea. Why not invite my friends along! It was a perfect idea. The trip was an all expense paid trip for my family and half price for friends. My problems were resolved.

I told my parents about the idea and asked for their permission. They gave the OK sign to continue with my plan. So I called up some of my friends parents and gave them the basics of my idea. Most were very doubtful and gave me a flat "No" right there. Some were hesitant with only a "Maybe", but in the end only one said "Yes". And it surprised me who had actually agreed to my idea. But I wasn't complaining. She was one of my best friends and a fellow fan of my favorite video game: Kingdom Hearts.

So, that's how we got here. That's how everything started. How my destiny intertwined with the fate of those I'd never expected. My name is Samantha and this is why dreams are much better staying just that.

Dreams.