Alice-Miranda at Sea Read Online Free

marble bathroom complete with shower, toilet, vanity and an impressively large bath.
    Neville really hoped this room was his. He could be quite comfortable here for the next eight days.
    He sat down on the couch beside the bed and finally let go of the case, placing it on the floor in front of him. Neville began to think. But after a minute he realised that was a mistake. Thinking didn’t help at all. His mother would be worried sick and his father, well, it didn’t even bear considering what he would do when he found out.
    Instead he decided to focus on the mission ahead. ‘Positive self-talk, Neville, that’s what you need,’ he whispered to himself. When he’d suggested to his internet friend that perhaps he could help Neville with his project, there seemed a longer than usual delay in his response. As his friend was normally a big talker, Neville wondered if there was a problem. He decided to tell his friend that he’d worked out who he was. That was a big mistake – all contact had ceased immediately. Neville wondered if it had something to do with his public image. Maybe there was a reason why his friend didn’t want to tell everyone about his hobby. But Neville didn’t intend to tell anyone else. He just needed some help and this was the one person who could give it to him.
    And then the other morning, as Neville was riding the bus to school, he came face to face with the answer to his problem. A billboard showing a ship leaving Barcelona Port, with the Statue of Liberty superimposed in the background. That was it! He would go in person and then surely he couldn’t be ignored. It was something his dad had always said. ‘You’ve got to meet people. Turn up and they can’t give you the brush-off so easily.’
    Neville bought his ticket online using the 200 euros his nan had sent him for his birthday and Christmas. Luckily he kept his money in the bank and his parents trusted him to have his own access card. Then he’d shaken his savings from his piggy bank. He told his parents he was staying with a friend, Romeo, and that they were spending a long weekend at football camp.
    He’d even printed the permission note himself. It was lucky his mother’s Spanish was even worse than his, as Neville had copied the text straight from an article on the internet about a pet show.
    â€˜When are we going to meet this Romeo?’ Neville’s mother had asked as he grabbed his sports kit and headed out the door. His trumpet case was safely stowed in the back of the shed. He’d pick it up on the way.
    â€˜Soon, Mum,’ Neville mumbled. He didn’t want to disappoint her.
    But Neville’s mother was so grateful that her son had found a friend and joined a sporting team, she wasn’t concerned at all. She loved their new life in Spain. For her it was all about the beach and golf and friends at the country club just down the road from their villa. As long as her son was happy, she was happy too. Her husband’s earth-moving business was doing exceedingly well. It seemed as if half of Spain was being developed into villas for cashed-up retirees and bulldozers were in big demand. And ever since they’d met that charming Smedley Sykes their lives had taken a sharp turn for the better.
    Neville realised when he booked his passage that he’d be away for more than just the weekend. The ship would take eight days to reach New York and then he would have to find his way south to his ultimate destination. He’d heard that Americans were very friendly so he was hoping to get a lift to save money. Neville wished he could have flown but the cheapest fare was five times what he had saved up. He’d explained everything in a letter to his parents, which he posted on the way to the dock. They’d receive it early the following week and he hoped that at least then they wouldn’t worry too much. Neville could do all the worrying for them