The Quest for the Kid

by Adrienne Kress

  Evie nodded shyly in return. Sebastian was still not used to seeing her act like that. It was unusual. Another thing to add to his list of why he disliked Alistair.

  Alistair faced forward again, and all of them watched as the submarine flew forward. Sebastian stared through the glass as they got higher and as the Kid maneuvered the ship slowly so that England went on a bit of an angle and then disappeared from view when the ship turned eastward.

  All that lay stretched out beneath them was the deep blue of the North Sea.

  “This is wild,” said Evie. Sebastian looked over at her, not expecting anything, but he was pleasantly surprised to see she was looking at him. She quickly looked away, almost embarrassed that she’d been caught.

  They mounted higher and higher until they were enveloped once more, but instead of deep blue and black it was white. And then it was very bright, so bright that Sebastian had to shield his eyes with his hand. The Kid leaned over and pushed a button, and the glass in front of them turned a shade darker and the outside world became more bearable. They were flying above the clouds now in the sunlight. The shaking was much less and everything felt rather calm.

  Though Sebastian didn’t want to seem interested, he nonetheless was, and he walked up onto the platform and past the explorers right to the windows. The sight was rather astonishing, to say the least. Up against the windows, with nothing but the vast view before him, the impression he got was as if he himself, and not the submarine, was flying. Clouds spread out before him, and he experienced a really mysterious mind thing. It seemed almost as if they were the clouds from the opera set, that maybe all of this was fake, that they were in a show.

  But that wasn’t true.

  “We’re flying,” he said.

  “We are.”

  Sebastian started. Alistair was standing right next to him, looking down at him with a smile. The explorer was probably trying to be warm and friendly, but from this angle, the skin drooped off his gaunt face and only made him seem more like a villain from a nightmare.

  “This is amazing!” said Evie. She had jumped onto the platform and was standing on the other side of her grandfather. “I had no idea the submarine could do this!” Sebastian watched as Alistair reached and took her hand in his. Evie startled and stared at their hands intertwined, then gazed up at him with watery eyes.

  Sebastian’s insides writhed with anger. This wasn’t right. He was manipulating her. Taking advantage of her feelings. Don’t fall for it, Evie!

  “We’re flying steadily,” said Doris, appearing on the bridge. Sebastian turned to see that the other explorers aside from the Kid were on their feet, standing together in a small group looking toward him. Or, more likely, toward Alistair.

  “Excellent,” said Alistair, turning to face them and still holding Evie’s hand. “What an excellent team I have.”

  “It’s not your team,” said Sebastian.

  Alistair just smiled more widely and walked past him with Evie. Neither even glanced in his direction.

  “We have twelve hours or so of flight. I suggest we all rest. The journey ahead is going to require us to be alert and ready for all possible eventualities.” Alistair stopped next to Catherine and put a hand on her shoulder. “Wouldn’t you agree, Catherine?”

  Catherine nodded, but her expression seemed pained. Sometimes Sebastian really wished people would say what they were thinking and be done with it.

  “So we’re really going to do this?” asked Sebastian, following behind Alistair as he walked over to the table with all the pieces of maps laid out on it. “We’re just going to do it?”

  Alistair sighed but said nothing.

  “Sebastian, we agreed. That’s all there is to it,” said Benedict. “You should get some rest. We’re going to need your help soon enough.”

  “That isn’t all there is to it, though. That makes no sense. You can reevaluate the situation, change your mind—”

  “Enough!” Alistair’s voice rang out and reverberated in the metal room. Sebastian took a step back in shock. The man looked severe. He let go of Evie’s hand. “Go to your room.”

  Sebastian couldn’t help it. He started to laugh. How absurd. His room? He wasn’t some kid at an adults-only party. Plus, Alistair wasn’t his grandfather. He had no authority over him. And if the men in black couldn’t convince Sebastian to follow their orders, this tired-looking old man certainly couldn’t.

  Speaking of the men in black…Mr. I suddenly materialized behind Alistair’s right shoulder. Evie looked up at him in fear. So did Sebastian, for that matter.

  “Take him to his room,” ordered Alistair coldly.

  “I really hate you guys,” said Sebastian as Mr. I gruffly grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him toward the exit. “I don’t think I’ve ever said I hated anyone before, but I really do hate you guys.”

  Mr. I grunted. Sebastian was pretty sure the man was saying “Likewise.” For the briefest of moments Sebastian wondered what it was like to be these thugs, being ordered around to do whatever some mean former explorer told you to do. He wondered if they had goals of their own, things they wanted to achieve in life.

  Mr. I yanked him hard.

  “Ow!” said Sebastian.

  “Hey!” called out Catherine, taking a step toward them.

  “Stay back, snake lady,” said Mr. K, pointing his ancient gun at her.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sebastian told Catherine. No one was getting hurt here because of him. That was one thing for sure. She looked furious but didn’t move. Her hand twitched and then rested on the whip at her side. To avoid any more explorers coming to his defense, he stopped struggling, walked with Mr. I to his room, and went inside without fighting back. The door slammed behind him, and the lock clicked.

  Sebastian stomped over to the porthole and stared out in frustration. The view was still astonishing to him even though he’d been in so many planes and helicopters in a few short weeks. There was something about knowing that the view had once been of undersea life and was now of the sky that was awe-inspiring.

  He couldn’t fight it, could he? He had to go along with everything. Just like everyone else was doing. Even though it was wrong. Even though they were all being put in a lot of danger. There was nothing that would change a madman’s mind. Sebastian had to stay and protect himself and Evie. Even if she hated him right now. Because there wasn’t anything else he could do. A man like Alistair could not be intimidated. And he certainly could not be reasoned with.

  There was nothing he could do.

  It was out of his hands now.

  Until he could think of something else, that is. Even though it felt impossible in this moment.

  But he would.

  He had to.

  Evie was used to feeling a lot of feelings. This was kind of her thing. Even when the feelings were so many that they turned muck-like, she still had a sense of what to do with them. She was less able, however, to understand not feeling feelings.

  Watching Sebastian being taken off by Mr. I had made her numb, hollow inside. Now staring at the back of her grandfather’s head as he sat in his chair and watched as the clouds glided past, she felt like even more of a shell. Where had her feelings all gone? Had she left them behind when the submarine had taken off into the air?

  It felt like she was floating as she walked over to Alistair. He didn’t see her at first, just stared out ahead. And she didn’t say anything at first either. She examined his profile. The jutting jaw, the strong nose, the white beard and hair. Then he started, and noticed her staring. He furrowed those thick eyebrows of his and looked angry for a tiny moment. Then—realizing it was her, she supposed—his face relaxed.

  “How are you doing?” he asked.

  She couldn’t answer truthfully since saying she was numb was probably a strange thing to admit to. At l
east to him. She probably could have told Sebastian, though. Not that she was speaking to him anymore. Even though she kind of wished she was.

  “Okay,” she said. She leaned against his armrest.

  “It must feel strange to see me, after all these years,” he said, smiling tentatively.

  “It is. I didn’t even know you were alive,” she replied.

  Alistair’s face fell a bit, and she realized that maybe that had been a bit difficult for him to hear.

  “Uh, not that I’m not happy that you are. I’m so happy to have family again!” she was quick to add.

  “I know that. I understand,” he said with a sad smile.

  “They didn’t tell me about you,” she explained once more. Now she was starting to feel something again, something small. It was the same grief that always overcame her when she talked about her parents. But it was tiny, almost like it was still trying to hide itself behind the numbness.

  Alistair nodded. He placed a hand on hers. “I understand,” he said again.

  The problem was that Evie didn’t. Why would her parents have kept the truth about his existence from her? They were kind, smart people. They weren’t closed-minded like the people at the Explorers Society. They wouldn’t have banned him too, would they? And yet for some reason she hadn’t known about him until the Andersons had given her the letter Alistair had written to them.

  The problem was, of course, that she couldn’t ask Alistair any of this. How would he have the answer?

  Also, maybe she didn’t want the answer.

  Maybe it was better to believe that it was all just a mistake on her parents’ part rather than something else. Maybe it was better to live in hope.

  “I’m glad I found you,” she said.

  “I’m glad you found me too.”

  She took in the moment, watching the clouds before her, the setting sun making them look pink and blue like cotton candy. The numbness was going away a bit. She was able to feel some happiness now. The only problem was that the grief had fewer places to hide. And behind it her anger at Sebastian was quietly diminishing, was becoming more a confused and messy kind of frustration. She still couldn’t believe that he would desert her, but at the same time she could totally understand his desire to go home, to be with his family, just as she’d needed so badly to be with hers. But he’d also lied to her, and that was almost the bigger thing. How could he not have trusted her? After all this time? That was so unkind of him. That’s not what a teammate does.

  But she also couldn’t believe that he’d been kidnapped, again. And this time kind of by her. Or if not by her…by her grandfather…

  The feeling she had was anger, yes, but it was mixed with…shame. That was the last feeling. Shame.

  Evie sighed hard. She leaned her head against her grandfather’s shoulder.

  “Evie,” said her grandfather.

  “Yes?”

  “Would you mind moving? I have some planning to do,” he said.

  “Oh!” She stood upright and took a step away. Of course, there wasn’t time for the big reunion she’d hoped for. Not yet. They’d have to wait until they were home. Until all this was over.

  Even though they had more than ten hours still to pass.

  Evie wandered to the large table and sat on one of the couches. She felt awkward. And kind of useless. Her whole purpose up until this point had been to convince people to rescue her grandfather. Now, well, they hadn’t really had to. He hadn’t needed her at all, really. It had all been a bit pointless, even. But now he was with them. And now she didn’t actually know what to do.

  And no one really wanted to talk to her. And she was kind of upset with them still too. And it was all kind of a mess.

  And…and…and…

  She lay on her side and watched Benedict and Catherine sit quietly talking with each other. How she wished she had someone to talk to. Could she really miss Sebastian even though he was still adventuring with her and it had only been a few hours since they’d fought?

  The anger within her stood up.

  She could. But she wasn’t ready to forgive him.

  Not yet.

  The hours passed.

  It’s what hours do.

  Sebastian slept through them in that kind of sleep where it doesn’t seem like you’ve slept at all but you must have because if you hadn’t, you’d have been really bored for all that time.

  Still.

  It didn’t much feel like he’d slept.

  But at some point he must have fallen asleep, because otherwise how could he be woken up? And woken up in such a fun way as having Mr. I yanking on his arm again?

  “Is this really necessary?” asked Sebastian, sitting up as he slid across to the end of his bed and managed to hop off and land on his feet. “Can’t you tap me? Write me a message?”

  Mr. I just pulled at him.

  “I guess it is,” muttered Sebastian to himself.

  It felt annoying, being dragged back down to the bridge of the ship as if he had no idea where he was going, as if he was being taken somewhere new, when in actuality he knew the route better than the thug pulling at him. It really ought to have been the other way around. But he’d never make anyone do anything they didn’t want to do. That was the difference.

  Okay, there were many differences between him and Mr. I.

  Sebastian was thrown unceremoniously toward the large table, where he stumbled and, fortunately, was caught by Catherine and helped to stand upright again. “That was quite unnecessary,” she said.

  “That’s what I said!” Sebastian was pleased to hear her defend him. He knew the other explorers were on his side. Still it had felt a little like he was on his own.

  Alistair was standing at the head of the table, with Evie beside him. Once again she wouldn’t make eye contact with Sebastian. His heart sank. Not that it had risen before this at all. It just sank lower. Into its own little trench.

  “Well, Sebastian, I hope you had a good sleep and are a bit calmer now that you are well rested,” said Alistair. Sebastian had not and was not. But he was pretty sure that Alistair didn’t want to hear the truth. “It’s time for you to help. The first step.” He leaned over the map pieces. They were placed together carefully to create one large map. In the bottom right-hand corner was a missing square. That was him. That was Sebastian.

  The missing square.

  Benedict was on the opposite side of the table, and he pointed to the top of the map. It was then that it finally clicked for Sebastian. This was not a map like a world map or a city map from the top down. This was instead a cross section. This was like opening up a doll’s house and seeing all the rooms and the levels. But this was a cross section of the trench and what lay beyond and around it. There were dotted lines running along the paper, and solid lines. And strange markings here and there. And numbers too.

  Sebastian looked where Benedict was pointing. There was a triangle and a diamond, small, drawn right at the top, at the waterline. He did the math in his head.

  For a moment Sebastian thought he should lie about what he knew as the key to the map, to send Alistair off in the totally wrong direction. He was getting really good at lying. And quite frankly, he didn’t think that anyone could have a worse reaction than Evie had. Sebastian would probably be willing to have a finger cut off, or maybe even an ear. It was way better than the feeling he felt now, like his heart had been torn from his chest.

  “Two hundred and twenty-three degrees,” he said in a monotone.

  He could sense that Alistair was staring at him hard. Then the old man looked down at the map. He thought long and carefully.

  “Good,” he said.

  There was a flurry of movement as the explorers made their way to their seats on the bridge. Evie went to the couch against the wall, and Sebastian suddenly felt himself bein
g yanked across the room to the other sofa by Mr. I.

  “Please just ask me to go to places,” said Sebastian as he was pushed into the seat between Mr. I and Mr. M.

  “We’ll try to remember that,” replied Mr. M, seeming to actually mean it. “How are you doing, Sebastian?”

  Sebastian turned to him. “Oh, you know, great,” he replied. Sarcasm, he was learning, could be deeply satisfying to use even if it was rather confusing to understand.

  “Awesome,” said Mr. M, smiling. Sebastian had no idea if the man got it or didn’t. He didn’t really care.

  “Jason, are you ready?” asked Alistair.

  The Kid didn’t answer, but Sebastian did see him give a little nod. Sebastian glanced over at Evie, who was staring intently toward the windows. Almost too much so, like she was trying to prove how intently she could stare at something.

  “Then let’s take her down,” said Alistair.

  It was Sebastian’s turn to stare intently out the front windows. He leaned forward a bit so that he could see around Mr. M’s bulk. Sure enough, they were beginning their descent. The nose of the ship dipped slightly so that the view was no longer of clouds on the horizon but of a vast lake of clouds they were about to plunge into. Sebastian held on to the side of the couch instinctively.

  As they passed through the clouds, they were surrounded by whiteness. It felt almost like the world around them had been erased and they were zooming across a blank page. It was off-putting.

  Then the dark blue of the ocean materialized before them, and Sebastian found that slightly more off-putting.

  As in pretty much terrifying, really.

  His knuckles turned white, clinging on to the couch as he was, and he noticed so were Mr. M’s. It really seemed like they were approaching at too steep an angle. Like they were falling to their doom. And who knew? Maybe they were. Maybe the Kid had decided to sacrifice them rather than go along with Alistair’s absurd plan. Or maybe the Kid wasn’t very good at flying this ship. That was also a possibility.

  Either way, Sebastian wasn’t ready to die.