The Quest for the Kid

by Adrienne Kress

Evie laughed too. “Oh yeah.”

  Soon Catherine was there, and then the Kid was quick to follow, landing on the deck with a flourish.

  “Hey, Jason,” said the driver. She didn’t look particularly nemesis-y. She seemed nice, her brown hair back in a ponytail, her smile friendly.

  The Kid said nothing but moved over with a harrumph.

  Sebastian was next, peering down as he went. He was so focused, Evie could see, on each step, and then on the hand of the driver, as if he wanted to memorize everything. He didn’t even make eye contact with the driver, didn’t even look up, which Evie thought was a bit rude, but could be forgiven, she supposed. He’d been through a lot.

  Last was Benedict, who after clambering aboard gave a big shove against the submarine to push them off.

  “Take your seats!” The driver indicated the back of the boat, where a soft couch-like sitting area curved along the shape of the boat. Everyone started making their way to the cushion, except for the Kid, who stayed near the front on his own.

  And except for Sebastian.

  Evie looked at him, standing there holding on to a side rail. He seemed extra confused. She felt bad for him. “Okay. Tell me the thing you wanted to tell me earlier.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Clearly it’s on your mind, this decision of yours,” she said.

  The engines started up, and Evie was thrown a bit to the side. She reached out and grabbed the rail just in time. They were blasting away from the submarine, bumping over the choppy gray waves. It was amazing how fast they were traveling. It took her breath away. It also made the wind ten times colder, and she zipped her sweatshirt all the way to her chin.

  “No, it’s not that,” said Sebastian loudly over the roar of the engine and wind.

  Evie was so confused now. And she really wanted to not be on her feet. “Let’s sit!”

  Sebastian nodded, and they stumbled toward the back as the boat passed out of the North Sea and into the Thames. And suddenly the wide-open water narrowed, and banks could be seen in the distance on either side.

  They sat for a while in the noise. It was hard to speak, and really, when she thought about it, what could anyone say? It was all anticipation at this point. Waiting. It felt like everyone was relieved to have this moment of time to themselves, even though they were sitting side by side.

  She didn’t know how long they’d been going, maybe an hour, when the boat got slower and the sound got softer. The banks were so much closer to each other, and Evie could see buildings along their edges. Now and then they passed under bridges. They were getting closer to London. That was certain. Closer to the Cutty Sark. To her grandfather.

  Evie finally turned to Sebastian.

  “Tell me,” she ordered once it was quiet enough to talk again.

  “I’m having a weird sense of déjà vu,” he replied.

  “I don’t get it,” said Evie. Was that the decision he’d made?

  “It’s when you feel like you’ve experienced something before,” he explained.

  “I know what déjà vu is. It’s French. Like ‘already seen,’ ” said Evie, a little exasperated. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

  “The driver. There’s something familiar about her…” Sebastian trailed off.

  “The driver?” asked Evie. “You know her?”

  “I don’t know. It’s weird. I’m so good at remembering faces…”

  “Yes, you are.”

  He looked concerned, but it appeared as if it wasn’t with Evie or the driver or anyone else, but with himself. Like he was scared about why he couldn’t remember.

  “It’s okay, Sebastian,” she said.

  He nodded. But it really didn’t seem like he believed her.

  The buildings had become larger and more densely packed as the boat had gone along. There wasn’t a specific moment when they entered the city and went through some official gates or saw a sign that said YOU’RE IN LONDON. But there was a very specific moment when Sebastian realized that they were in fact in the city itself.

  First the boat slowed down and the traffic on the river increased. Secondly, there were tall buildings here, and in the distance he could see a city skyline. It hadn’t felt like it had taken them long to get into the city, but he was surprised to discover it had been almost two hours. He supposed his brain had been trying to solve the puzzle of why he wasn’t remembering properly, or why he was remembering something that he wasn’t supposed to. Or…

  It was definitely a time-consuming, and exhausting, activity.

  They turned a bend, and a dock appeared on the left. Sebastian could feel Evie get bouncy beside him. He saw a modern building and then, as they crept into the dock, the tall masts of an old-fashioned ship behind it, nearby, but not anywhere on the water’s edge.

  “I don’t get it,” said Evie.

  “Get what?” asked the Kid.

  “Why is the Cutty Sark so far back?”

  “It’s a historical site, a museum,” replied Benedict, standing and stretching. “If it had been kept in the water, it would not have lasted the centuries. As it was, it was burned to ashes in 2007.”

  “Wow,” said Evie, sounding as astonished as Sebastian felt.

  “Yes, this one is completely rebuilt. But it’s an accurate replica,” Benedict said, tossing a line to a waiting man, who caught it deftly.

  Sebastian stood and watched as their driver made her way over to help.

  Maybe he didn’t know her. Maybe he did. Maybe he was going crazy.

  Maybe he was just putting off telling Evie that he had decided a big thing. That he had finally decided.

  That he wanted to go home.

  That it was time for him to go home.

  They all disembarked onto the modern sleek dock, with the Kid muttering something under his breath.

  “Thank you so much,” said Doris to the driver. She smiled and gave them a small salute as they made their way toward the boardwalk. Doris linked her arm with the Kid’s. “That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

  The Kid shook his head. “I never trusted her,” he said.

  “We like you so much better,” replied Doris, giving him a squeeze. He smiled at her and seemed calmer.

  Didn’t trust her. Sebastian looked over his shoulder and stopped. The driver was bent over, working on something in the boat. He turned and watched as the gang made their way onto the boardwalk without him, not seeming to notice that he’d been left behind.

  He turned once more to look at the driver. Or at least at the back of her head.

  That jogged a memory. Much more than the front of her head had. Of another back of a head. In the driver’s seat of a taxi. In Seoul.

  “Guys!” he called out, still staring.

  He spun to search for them, but they’d disappeared. They were on land somewhere, making their way to the Cutty Sark.

  He felt a familiar panic, and he rushed off the dock and onto the boardwalk. He began to carefully examine everyone in the crowd. It was afternoon, and there were a couple of large school groups with kids a few years younger than Sebastian. All of the kids were dressed in matching uniforms, and they were blocking his path.

  “Guys!” he called out again as he saw the explorers buying tickets and heading toward the ship.

  The ship! It was amazing. It was a large beautiful old thing with tall wooden masts, and sails furled on high. Like Benedict had explained, it wasn’t sitting on the water. Instead it looked as if it was sailing on glass. There was a glass building at the bottom holding it. The ship was sitting inside it, like a tissue standing tall inside a Kleenex box. It kind of gave the impression that it was sailing on a glass sea, even though it wasn’t. It was pretty impressive, really.

  Sebastian ran to the others by the entrance.

  �
��Should we split up?” the Kid was asking.

  “No!” said Sebastian, huffing and puffing as he arrived. When was all this running to catch people going to start getting him into better shape already?

  “Are you okay?” asked Evie.

  “I remember,” wheezed Sebastian. He couldn’t get words out fast enough. What were the best words to use that would take as little air as possible? “It’s a trap.”

  “A trap?” Catherine peered at him closely.

  “Arch…nemesis…She’s one of them….”

  “What do you mean?” asked Evie. He could hear the panic now in her voice.

  “It means she’s one of us. It’s not that complicated.”

  Sebastian felt his heart drop. They were so good at sneaking up from behind. He turned. They all turned.

  “Mr. M.” Sebastian said it. He didn’t know why he said it. It wasn’t to identify the one-eyed man. Everyone knew who he was. It was more…It was more like he was saying, “Of course.” Which he supposed he could have just said instead.

  “Of course!” said the Kid. He almost looked happy. “I knew there was a reason not to trust her!”

  Evie stared. There he was, Mr. M. And flanking him, as they often did, were Mr. I and Mr. K. Of course. Of course they would be waiting for them. But she wasn’t scared. She had four tough explorers and one fellow member of the Daring Duo behind her.

  “Where is he?” she demanded. “Where’s my grandfather?” She was so ready for a fight that she balled her hands into fists and held them in front as if she’d totally know how to punch someone if she had to. Which she didn’t.

  Mr. M stepped forward, and she took in a breath. She wouldn’t be intimidated.

  “We know he kicked you out of the society and that’s why you want revenge. He had better be okay! Where is he?” She was getting a little desperate, a little scared, thinking that maybe he wasn’t okay. What if he wasn’t okay?

  “Evie,” said Catherine. Here was the typical warning Evie was getting pretty used to, that she was behaving badly, but how could you behave badly in the face of evil thugs? The only way would be to not behave badly. Yes! Behaving not badly was behaving badly.

  “We’ll take you to him,” said Mr. M in his customarily pleasant way. “Follow me, please.” He extended his arm.

  “It’s a trap,” said Evie.

  “What do you want with him? Ransom? The map? Is that why you’re holding him hostage?” asked the Kid. Evie could hear the emotion in his voice.

  “If you come with us, we’ll explain everything. Away from the tourists,” replied Mr. M, giving them a meaningful look with his one eye.

  “We don’t trust you,” said Catherine.

  “You don’t have to. But you don’t get to see him if you refuse.”

  Evie stared at him. Then at Catherine. At Benedict. The Kid. Doris. And lastly, Sebastian. They’d taken these men on at the airport. They could fight them again if they needed to.

  “Okay,” said Evie.

  “I agree,” said Benedict.

  “But tell me first,” said Evie quickly. “Tell me…” She swallowed and then raised her chin. “Is he still alive?”

  Mr. M stood, frozen for a moment. Then finally he said, “Yes.”

  Evie felt every muscle in her body relax, so much so that she almost collapsed, and had to steady herself.

  “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  —

  They were led away from the ship by Mr. M, with Mr. K glowering at them in the middle of their group, and Mr. I following in the rear. They must have appeared quite interesting to the tourists, walking along as they did. Seven solemn adults, two scared kids. Everyone in interesting outfits that didn’t seem practical for visiting tourist attractions. But Evie didn’t mind standing out. It made them memorable, and being remembered was important because, well, because…in case.

  They went back toward the boardwalk and turned and followed along it until they reached a very modern apartment building, low, with only three floors, made of glass and ironwork. They passed through the front doors and managed somehow to squeeze themselves together into the elevator.

  It was kind of funny. Especially watching Mr. K trying to keep his scowl while shifting about to get more room. Mr. M just seemed to be enjoying the whole thing.

  The door opened. All of them tumbled from the elevator into what turned out to be an apartment. Not even the hallway. Evie would have been impressed if she hadn’t been shaking with anticipation.

  “Where is he?” she demanded again, and then realized, right at this moment, that she was the only one demanding, and also that the others didn’t seem to be stopping her from demanding.

  She searched around, making her eyes wide so that she could see every nook and cranny. She took in the space. It was all white and gray, with windows that overlooked the Thames. A large gray world map was framed on the wall, and a big, silver globe sat in the corner. All the furniture was also white with gray, and had black accent pillows. And a spiral staircase in the middle of the room led to more space above. It was all very fancy and also kind of cold and impersonal.

  “Lots of maps,” said Sebastian under his breath, and Evie turned to him. He looked at her. She remembered sitting in his room, examining all the items from the puzzle box. The look of Sebastian’s maps on the walls. It felt like so long ago.

  Map on the wall…

  Why did it seem familiar?

  “What’s going on?” asked Catherine. Her voice had a hard edge.

  Evie saw that she and Sebastian were standing ahead of the group. The adults were standing in a row, slowly looking around in different directions, taking in the apartment, and then it clicked in her mind—where she’d seen the map before.

  In a picture.

  Behind the team.

  There was just one person missing.

  “My old friends,” said a voice from above.

  And suddenly time stopped. And Evie looked up.

  “Alistair,” said Catherine, stepping farther into the room. “What have you done?”

  Her grandfather was dressed impeccably and very much in the same style he had had in the photos she’d seen, with a tweed vest and tweed trousers, a crisp white shirt with a paisley burgundy cravat, and polished tan leather shoes that clicked as he walked down the spiral staircase. His face was a little more lined than in the photographs, but not much, and his slicked-back hair was whiter, though he still sported that well-groomed goatee.

  Evie felt light-headed and rooted to the spot. It was as if every single emotion she had ever felt in her short lifetime had come flooding up inside her and created the equivalent of the color brown. Just a sticky mud of feeling.

  “Catherine, it is so good to see you,” said Alistair. His voice was warm and calming, and it was then that Evie realized she’d never heard it before. This was the first time, and she didn’t know what to do with the hugeness of that thought.

  “Alistair, I…” But Catherine stopped. Evie was surprised. The animal expert was a woman of few words, but she was rarely speechless.

  What was going on?

  Why were the men in black simply standing off to the side like that?

  Alistair reached the floor and turned to take them all in. He smiled, and it was exactly like his voice, so very warm. There was a twinkle in his eye. He smiled at his former team and nodded as he appraised each of them, as if he approved. And then he finally looked at her. At Evie. He stopped.

  The smile faltered.

  His eyes got wide.

  Evie’s heart was in her throat.

  “Evie?”

  It was her name. It was who she was. But for a moment the muddy-feeling soup inside her made her feel like maybe it wasn’t and maybe she wasn’t. She had to think about it. Yes. The
answer was yes.

  “Yes.”

  “My goodness. You look just like your parents. Both of them.” Alistair stared at her as if he was seeing a ghost. He approached her carefully until he was right there. Close enough that she could smell him. He smelled like pine trees.

  Then he reached out as if he was going to touch her face, and Evie instinctively flinched. He withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “No, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. He was her family. Why was she feeling so strange right now? Why was she feeling a little afraid? She shouldn’t have recoiled like that. “Are you okay?” she asked, moving toward him. There didn’t seem to be any signs of a struggle, of bruises or anything, though maybe his sleeves were covering them.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  “I’m okay.” She smiled. He cared about her. Because of course he did. He was her grandfather. He smiled back, though his eyes still looked sad. His whole face that had seemed so full of life was now sunken and drawn. Like he’d been through too much. She didn’t want to think of what those evil men had done to him. She started to feel angry again.

  “Why…I’m sorry….I’m so stunned. Why are you here?” he asked.

  This question confused her. It was pretty obvious, wasn’t it? After all, he’d asked for her help, and here she was. Maybe he couldn’t believe that she’d actually followed through. Especially since her parents had done so much to keep them apart. “I’m here to rescue you.”

  Again he stared at her. This was not the joyous reunion she’d anticipated. There was way more staring and looking and furrowing of brows than she had anticipated.

  “But…why?”

  “Because you asked me to,” she said, her voice accidentally cracking and revealing the emotions she was so desperately trying to hide. Didn’t he want her to rescue him?

  “That’s not true,” he said, shaking his head firmly.

  “You did!” said Evie. It was impossible to stay calm now. The mud feelings were separating back into their distinct parts, and her anxiety was rising to the surface. “You sent me a letter.”