Voyage (Powerless Nation #2) by Ellisa Barr

don’t have any idea what they’re carrying, unless it’s flammable or dangerous. They don’t always declare that either. A few years ago a news team wanted to make a point about the lack of oversight in the shipping industry and they actually shipped a container of spent uranium to Los Angeles.”
    “Isn’t that the stuff they make bombs out of?”
    “Yes, and run nuclear reactors. Of course, after 9/11, security was improved, but shipping is still probably the biggest industry that no one knows anything about. Do you guys think you own anything that was ever on a transport ship?”
    The students looked at themselves and at each other.
    “Maybe our phones?” asked someone.
    “Yes. What else?”
    “Our clothes?”
    “What about back home? How many things in your houses got there via container ship?”
    The class was silent, thinking of their homes and families. Sena heard a few sniffles, and thought to herself that Mr. Stoddard’s lecture probably wasn’t having the intended effect.
    “Would you be surprised if I told you almost everything in your homes, at your jobs, and in the classroom came to the U.S. on a boat like that? Ninety percent of all goods in the world are shipped on container boats.”
    Charity rolled her eyes. “Not my Ray-Bans. They were made in Italy.”
    Sena was kind of glad that Charity was back to normal.
    “As nice as it is to imagine your designer sunglasses flying first class from Italy and enjoying the in-flight movie, most Ray-Bans are made in China and cross the ocean on a slow-moving boat piled high with boxes.”
    “What- ev -er,” said Charity under her breath. “Do you guys want to get out of here?”
    Sena looked around and realized Charity was including her. Maybe she wasn’t completely back to normal.
    “Come on,” she whispered, and moved slowly away from the lecture and into the crowd of passengers. They regrouped at the buffet and Sena stepped in something slippery.
    “Ew,” she said, stepping back. Rivulets of cooking oil and grease flowed from the shutdown hamburger bar and across the deck. She got out her camera and took a picture.
    A woman in a crumpled house dress and floppy hat said, “The boat is listing so much, the grease spilled out of the fryers.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hope they get it cleaned up by lunch time, it really stinks.”
    Sena didn’t see anyone dealing with it, and figured the crew wasn’t going to keep doing all the menial tasks onboard for much longer. They probably weren’t going to get paid for this trip, so there wasn’t any compelling reason for them to spend the morning cleaning up someone else’s greasy mess. 
    She saw an Asian man in a white crew uniform arrive with a cleaning cart. She tried to tell him thanks but he refused to meet her eyes. She took a photo of him as he scrubbed to document how hardworking the crew was through the ordeal.
    “What do you guys want to do?” Charity said. Sena moved to rejoin the group.
    Jessica said, “I heard there’s bingo this morning.”
    “Tell me you did not just suggest we play bingo with the old folks.” Charity rolled her eyes.
    “Have you ever tried it? They are like striking cobras with those stampers.”
    “I don’t think I even want to know what you’re talking about,” said Charity. “Come on, who else has an idea? Something inside, it’s freezing up here.”
    Sena looked at the sky and saw a mass of gray clouds on the northern horizon. She hoped it wasn’t heading towards them. The thought of cold rain soaking all of the mattresses and bedding on deck made her shiver.
    Spending another afternoon in the library sounded like fun to her, though she wasn’t about to suggest it. She was still trying to take in the fact she’d been invited to join Charity’s circle and didn’t want to risk spoiling it.
    “Did you have something in mind?” That was Kade.
    “I was thinking we could go exploring,” Sena suggested.
    “Like where? Maybe the crew only area?