The Quest for the Kid

by Adrienne Kress

  “No.” Alistair said it more to himself than to her.

  “You did. Mrs. Anderson gave me the letter.” She was not going to back down. This was important. She had done what he’d asked.

  “I sent the Andersons a letter, yes,” he said slowly. “I sent them a letter asking them to protect the key. And I sent the team letters….”

  “But in the letter to the Andersons you said…” Evie stopped. Her hand went over her mouth in shock. It was her turn to stare at her grandfather, wide-eyed.

  “What’s going on?” asked the Kid, removing his sunglasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

  “I know,” said Benedict, slowly and calmly, as always.

  Everyone stared at him. Except Sebastian. That was when Evie realized that he was watching her. It made her feel even more vulnerable. For the first time in their short friendship she kind of wished he wasn’t there.

  “Oh yes, Benedict. You do know everything, don’t you?” said Alistair with a heavy sigh, something akin to a roll of the eyes. This attitude really startled Evie and seemed so out of character for such a dignified man.

  “Tell me I’m wrong, then,” Benedict said.

  “About what?”

  “About how you were never in danger to begin with. That this was all a trick to get the team back together, that you need us for something. You knew that the only way we’d join up again was in response to our misplaced sense of loyalty to you. To each other. Tell me I’m wrong about how these men work for you. About how you have threatened the lives of children, of your own granddaughter—”

  “I had no idea about Evie or that one over there. None,” said Alistair, walking over to Benedict. “What kind of monster do you think I am?”

  They were standing almost nose to nose now. Her grandfather was clearly upset, but of course Benedict was as calm as ever. “Don’t ask me questions you won’t like the answers to,” Benedict replied.

  Evie couldn’t stand it anymore. “I don’t understand,” she said, and only then realized that tears were welling up. She choked them down as best she could. “I don’t…Are you in danger? You said you were in danger.”

  “He’s not in danger, Evie,” replied the Kid, sliding his sunglasses back on and sighing.

  “But the letter to the Andersons. The secret message in the letters to everyone else about the Cutty Sark. He said he was in danger.” It didn’t make sense; none of it made sense.

  “It was a lie,” said Doris.

  “No,” whispered Evie.

  “Yes,” said Alistair to her. “Oh, my dear girl, I’m so sorry. I had no intention for you to find yourself in this mess.”

  “I…thought you were dying. I thought…You lied?” Evie was shaking now. Her whole body was shaking.

  Alistair came over to her and crouched, placing a hand on each of her shoulders.

  “Don’t touch her,” said Sebastian.

  Evie didn’t turn to look at him. She was so mesmerized by her grandfather actually holding her. “It’s okay,” she said to Sebastian softly.

  “This is a very complicated situation. And yes, I lied. But not all lies are bad,” he said. His face was still sad, but his voice was warming up again. It was hard to know what to feel. A moment ago it had been really scary, watching him attempt to stare down Benedict, but now he seemed so kind and caring.

  “I don’t know,” she said. She didn’t really like most lies.

  “Will you let me explain?” he asked.

  She nodded. She definitely needed an explanation, that was for sure.

  Alistair stood. “Will you all let me explain?”

  Nobody said anything. No one made a sound. And then something that Evie never would have imagined happened.

  Benedict did the most astonishing thing she’d ever seen him do.

  He started to laugh.

  At first Sebastian worried that Benedict was choking on something. He raced through his memories, trying to recapture the facts of that one health and safety class he’d taken at school that one time. But just as he found the memory, he realized that Benedict wasn’t having trouble breathing. He was laughing. Actually laughing.

  It was really strange. Even unsettling. And Sebastian was clearly not the only person who thought so. No one said anything. Even the men in black, who had now made their way to the long white sofa along the wall and sat on it next to each other a bit like birds on a wire, looked concerned. Even Mr. I, who was still wearing his reflective sunglasses.

  Everyone allowed Benedict to finish, watching as the man finally sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I knew it. I knew it. I thought maybe he had changed. I thought he truly needed my help. It’s laughable, isn’t it?” He looked at Alistair, who was frowning at him now. “No, please. Please, Alistair. Explain. I’m sure whatever you have to say will make your actions perfectly acceptable. I’m so sure there’s a very clever explanation. As there always is.”

  There was another long pause.

  “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need to sit down,” said Doris, marching over to a tall white wingback chair and flopping down onto it. Her legs didn’t quite touch the ground.

  “Good idea. And I’ll make tea for everyone,” added the Kid. He walked over to the open-concept kitchen, all gleaming steel and black marble, and began to hunt around as if it was his own apartment.

  “So come on,” said Benedict, sitting on a hard wooden chair at the dining room table. “Tell us.”

  Sebastian watched closely as Alistair rose from his crouch in front of Evie and took a deep breath. It looked like he was trying to calm himself down, though why he needed to, Sebastian didn’t understand. Sebastian thought everyone was being pretty reasonable. Especially considering that Alistair had tricked them all.

  “Let’s sit,” Alistair said calmly. And he gestured for them to follow him into the living area, where Doris and the men in black were already waiting. Catherine took a seat on a small gray chaise longue, and Evie sat on the low ottoman next to Doris. Alistair took the second wingback chair. There was nowhere else really to sit, aside from the couch with the men in black on it, so Sebastian sat down on the shaggy white carpet and crossed his legs.

  No one said anything, just waited for Alistair to start. After a moment, he did.

  “It’s been a very long time since the team disbanded. And yet in that time there hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t thought of you, haven’t longed to see you. Some of you were more willing to communicate than others.” He looked at Catherine, who was staring at him hard. “And all I could think about was how fate had ended such a profound friendship. All I could think about were the explorations left unexplored, the plans left unfulfilled. It was hard.”

  He seemed genuinely upset as he spoke, but there was something Sebastian didn’t trust.

  “Get to the point, please,” said Benedict. He was calm again now, back to his old self.

  “This is the point, Benedict,” replied Alistair.

  “I understand your philosophy, and your longing. I want to know why you brought us together. Why we’re here. Why you lied to us.” Benedict leaned back against the wooden chair so far that the front feet rose off the floor.

  “I had to, don’t you see?” said Alistair, mirroring him by leaning far forward and gesturing with his hands. “None of you would be here if I’d just asked. Because of your own shame. I have tried so hard to convince you, to tell you that we are the good guys. We didn’t do anything wrong. We weren’t monsters.”

  Benedict shook his head but stayed perfectly neutral. “This was always your problem, Alistair. You always thought that things were so easy to divide between bad and good. But good people can do bad things. We did a bad thing.”

  “No, we didn’t!” Alistair was up on his feet, his face turning red. It was a little scary. “It w
as an accident. Accidents happen.”

  Sebastian looked over and stared at Evie hard. Hoping maybe the intensity with which he was staring would get her to look at him. He knew that made no sense. But short of calling out her name…

  “It was an accident,” said Catherine, finally speaking up. She looked calm and composed. “But it wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t been there. If we hadn’t pushed so hard. If I…”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” said Doris gently, standing up and putting a hand on Catherine’s shoulder. Doris whispered something into Catherine’s ear that Sebastian couldn’t hear.

  The Kid started laughing. “Oh man, I remember this,” he said from the kitchen, filling a teapot with steaming water from the kettle. “I remember this. Yeah, this was why, this was why.”

  Why what? Sebastian asked himself. Oh, forget letting the adults talk. They weren’t actually saying anything. “Why what?” he asked out loud. “Say things. You guys don’t say things!”

  Finally Evie looked at him. He was only just learning how to read expressions, and the look she gave him was too advanced for him to understand.

  “They don’t, do they?” she said to him. Then she turned and asked the Kid, “Why what?”

  The Kid walked into the room with the tea tray and placed it on the glass coffee table in the middle of the room. Then he took his cup and wandered to the windows overlooking the river. “Why I left. I’d forgotten. I’m not sure you’re old enough to have memories that look better than they really were. But when time passes, you forget about the petty stuff. The fighting. The egos. You only want a real adventure again.”

  “Yes, exactly!” said Alistair, jumping in. “That’s what I thought. You need adventure in your life. We all do.”

  The Kid raised an eyebrow at him. “You could just have asked, man. Because this is not the way to do it. I’m probably the only one who would have said yes, and now it’s a no.”

  “Yes to what?” asked Sebastian.

  “Who are you?” asked Alistair, finally turning to look at Sebastian.

  Sebastian was startled by being suddenly so noticed. It was also strange to be asked a direct question. “I’m Sebastian. I’m Evie’s friend.” He glanced at the men in black. Mr. M smiled at him. “They didn’t tell you about me?”

  Alistair stared at him for a moment. Then something seemed to occur to him. His eyes got wide, and he turned to the men. “This is the key,” he said. He even pointed to Sebastian to make it very clear.

  “We told you,” said Mr. M, sounding a little hurt.

  “You didn’t tell me it was a little boy,” replied Alistair, exasperated.

  “I’m not a little boy,” said Sebastian. There was no need to exaggerate.

  “Please. You can’t be older than twelve.” Alistair dismissed him with a wave.

  “That’s not little,” replied Sebastian, but Alistair was completely ignoring him.

  “You told us by any means necessary,” said Mr. K gruffly.

  “Within reason. Obviously within reason,” replied Alistair.

  Mr. I grunted. Mr. M glanced at him and then nodded in agreement. “Exactly. You never said within reason.”

  “That’s not something I thought needed to be said out loud.” Alistair’s voice cracked in frustration.

  “Maybe that’s the problem,” said Evie. Once again she startled everyone into noticing her. “I mean, that is to say…” She sort of shrank under the gaze of her grandfather. “All I meant was, you still haven’t explained why you did what you did.”

  Alistair nodded slowly. “My granddaughter is right.” He smiled. “I needed the team back together because I wanted to redo our final voyage. It’s time. Our names have been tarnished too long. And the waterfall could have been helping the world all these years, not remaining undiscovered and unused. Think of the lives that could have been saved. It’s time. Will you join me in one last adventure? Will you help me set things right?”

  He looked at each of the explorers. At the Kid leaning against the window sipping tea. At Doris standing protectively behind Catherine. At Benedict still on his chair.

  No one answered.

  Until someone did.

  “No,” said Catherine.

  “No?” asked Alistair, staring at Catherine. Evie stared at her too. Of all of them, she had always been the one most keen to help, most ready to “save” him. Back when they’d thought he needed saving, that is. But to be the one to say no? That didn’t make sense.

  “We are not going back down there. It was a mistake from the beginning. We never should have gone. And we should never go back.”

  “It was your mistake, not mine,” said her grandfather. He was calm, but Evie could sense that he was angry.

  “That’s not fair, Alistair,” said Doris.

  “Can we please stop pretending? Catherine’s love of animals is very admirable, to be sure, but it’s still no excuse. It was and is the reason all of this happened,” said Alistair. He sat down hard in his seat.

  “It’s not,” said Benedict. There was a slight thud as the front feet of his chair touched the ground again. “From the beginning, we knew the journey would be very dangerous. We knew we couldn’t predict what was in the trench. We all took the risk. Catherine prompted all of us to act in a way that could save an animal that might otherwise have become extinct. Saving that animal was our only choice.”

  “The beast’s life was not worth more than ours, and not worth the damage inflicted upon the island,” insisted Alistair.

  “Ha!” laughed Doris, but it didn’t sound like a real laugh. It was strange. It came from the same place as laughs do, but maybe from a slightly different, less happy neighborhood. “Now you care about the island?”

  “I never didn’t.”

  “You seemed at one time to care more about losing our fortune,” she replied.

  “They didn’t need us to fix everything. That wasn’t the first tidal wave to hit their community, and it wasn’t the last.” Alistair was extremely frustrated. Evie hated seeing him like this. Everyone was ganging up on him. And he wasn’t wrong. On the other hand, they weren’t wrong either. Sometimes the most violent arguments happened when both sides weren’t wrong.

  “Stop! Please!” she called out. She turned to Sebastian, to reasonable, logical Sebastian. “You aren’t being fair to him,” she said to the others. “There are two sides to every story. Right, Sebastian?”

  She stared at him hard, willing him to help her out. He seemed a little lost and kind of scared for some reason. But finally he spoke: “Yes…,” he said slowly. “There are.”

  Somewhere in the silence that followed was a lingering “but” floating in the air.

  “What? What is it?” she asked, her stomach in knots.

  “Logically there are always two sides to every story—at least two sides. But it doesn’t follow that they are both right, or that one isn’t the better version. And also…” He paused.

  “Also what?” She could feel anger mixed with disappointment rise up out of the muck and in behind her eyes.

  “Of all the people in this room, who was the one who lied? Who pretended to be in danger? Who lured everyone here for his own personal need? It seems that trusting the liar over the people who have been there for you, for us, over this entire journey…doesn’t make the most sense.” He stopped. He stared at her. She could see he knew that what he had said was going to hurt her.

  Impressive that he had learned that.

  And that he was right.

  “So you’re basically saying you don’t trust my grandfather,” she said carefully.

  “I…I’m saying that when trying to decide whether to trust someone, we need to consider their history,” he replied.

  There was a long, uncomfortable pause. For the first time the adults didn’t ha
ve an opinion. How convenient. “Well,” she said, pushing her tears back as far as she could. “I don’t know his history. I don’t know anything about him. I didn’t know he existed until basically half a month ago.”

  Alistair rose out of his chair and looked at Evie. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and she was frustrated about that. How was it she could understand everyone else in the room better than she could understand her own grandfather? Better than her own family?

  “I’m sorry, Evie. I wanted to know my granddaughter. I did,” he said. He reached out his arms to her. She stared at them.

  “Why didn’t you come find me? After they…after they died?” she asked, so quietly that she wasn’t sure he’d heard her.

  “It wasn’t what they wanted,” he replied. He was also quiet. She could see now the sadness in his eyes. He was better at hiding it than she was, but still. She could see it.

  Evie was trying very hard not to cry. Her whole body had started to shake now. “I miss them.” She could barely get the words out.

  “Me too.”

  She couldn’t hold back now. She ran into his arms, and he drew her in tightly as she sobbed into his chest. He held her close. She’d never felt this completely wrapped in a hug before. No, that wasn’t true. She had. With her parents. But that seemed a lifetime ago. Like a different Evie. Everything she’d been feeling, not only since she’d discovered the letter but from before that, from her time at the Wayward School too, from before even that, from the moment of leaving her home with the few things she owned. From hearing the news about her parents’ deaths. Everything, all of it, it burst out of her, and the release made her knees weak. She crumpled, but her grandfather caught her. He caught her.

  “I’ll come with you,” she said into his vest. “I want to come with you.”

  “I’d love that. Family together at last,” she heard him say into her hair.

  Finally she pulled away. He reached up and wiped her tears with his hand, smiling as he did.