by London Shah
Back in the Den, we throw our bags into the small rooms we’ve been given—Ari’s is a few doors down from mine—and join the others at the long dining table filling up with food. My tummy rumbles as my appetite returns. Everyone chats over one another as they eat and drink, and I’m soon scarfing down the delicious lamb casserole and warm bread.
It feels strange—different, being with Ari around others. I can’t place it. Everyone else here are strangers, and I keep seeking him out every few minutes. And I feel as if he’s doing the same. It’s actually reassuring to know he’s here with me.
After dinner, Bia agrees to secure a quick chat for me with the twins. She’s unable to do the same with Gramps, though, she explains with a preoccupied look—she knows for sure he’s under Blackwatch’s surveillance as of a few hours ago. My legs tremble with what this could mean for Grandpa, but she assures me he’ll already be aware. I have to trust she’s right.
I catch up with the twins from inside the small room I’ll be staying at, quickly summarizing everything that’s happened. The sight of Theo and Tabby pulls at my heart. They’re both in tears even though I sail over the more painful details. We move on to chatting about the Den and I lower my voice.
“Theo, these people are definitely up to something—you should see this place. What if it’s connected to Papa’s situation? How will I find out anything concrete if they don’t tell me?”
Theo chews on his lip, his gaze hesitant. “It’s not ideal, but there is something you can do if you think they’re holding back from you.”
We whisper for a while, before the chat turns to Captain Sebastian.
“Hopefully, with the anti-tracking device, you’ll remain one step ahead of him. Nobody can hold the Blackwatch off forever, though. . . . But as we’d discussed, as long as you avoid attracting the authorities, steer clear of all security bases, and my modification continues to work, then you should try not to worry too much about it yet. I’m running scans all over the place trying to keep my ear to the seabed. And . . . you must keep that moon pool door locked when it’s not in use.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Thank God he’s with you—Ari. I’m so glad you’re not on your own, Leyla.”
“Where is he right now?” Tabby asks, her expression suddenly changing for the first time since we started chatting. There’s a glint in her eye and her mouth quirks. “He’s . . . quite something, right? I saw him on the sub.”
Theo whirls around to face her. “Tabs! Leyla and Jojo have just been hurt and—”
Warmth floods my cheeks.
“Are you telling me,” Tabby says, ignoring Theo’s stare, “that you haven’t even noticed him, Leyla? No bloody way. Because he’s noticed you. Oh . . . you do like him—I can tell!”
I want the stark, cold floor of the small room to open up and fold me inside it because I can’t control the heat rushing up my neck. Both twins watch me closely now. How has he noticed me? I want to ask. What does she mean? I recall their betrayal and the distraction is heavenly. “Hey, you guys knew! Why didn’t you tell me he was on board? I can’t believe—”
“Because you’d never have agreed to it, of course,” Tabby says, not at all remorseful. “And you’ve seen—you’ve bloody witnessed—how horrific it can get out there. You need all the help offered to you. I mean, there were two of those monsters on board!”
“Sorry about that,” Theo says. “But yes, Tabs was right to—” The call is abruptly cut.
I return to the Den, where Bia explains time was up, and any longer would’ve resulted in the call possibly being traced. It’s disappointing, but at least I did get to speak with them.
I spot Ari in the far corner; he’s pacing the area, completely unwilling to hide his displeasure at being here. Jojo is cradled in his arms. He looks up and meets my gaze. For a moment, both of us pause. We just stare at each other. I don’t know why I’m doing it.
Because you like him. Not at all . . . I hardly know him.
His eyes flicker now, questioning. Always questioning . . . He makes me feel safe. And happy. He makes me feel good.
I like Ari. I really, really like him. My cheeks and neck flush with warmth again. What did Tabby mean when she said, Because he’s noticed you?
I jump when Charlie approaches me, yawning. “What’s his story?” he says, nodding in Ari’s direction. “He’s a bit much, I reckon.”
Ari squints at him from across the large space, and Charlie quickly averts his gaze. He slumps into one of the sofas, stretching his arms above him.
I take a deep breath as I watch Charlie. He might be just tired enough to let his guard down and tell me something of use. Like what my chances are of acting on Theo’s words.
I sit beside him and lower my voice. “I guess you better be off soon, Charlie. I don’t know about Cambridge, but traffic’s a bloody nightmare in London after six—”
“Yer having a laugh, aren’t you?” Charlie grins. “I stay here—have done ever since I met Bia. Even the boss herself doesn’t budge from this place!”
In no time, Charlie’s telling me when and where everyone sleeps.
I’ll never get this close to finding out more about what’s happened to Papa, and—despite wishing I could just hide somewhere instead—I don’t intend on wasting this night.
I bolt up, trembling, and immediately command the light on. My eyes narrow at the strange surroundings. Sweat clings to my face, neck, and chest. I focus on calming my breathing and remember I’m in the Den, at the Trading Post. The quiet buzzing of the alarm still sounds and I switch it off, so utterly relieved now that I’d set it. I was having a nightmare. I was back in the engine room with the thing. This time I wasn’t so lucky; the brolly refused to work.
I shudder and bring my knees to my chest. Remembering why I’d set the alarm for three a.m., I shake myself alert and grab my robe, ignoring the quiver in my legs. I edge the door open, and slip into the main area of the Den.
Low lights blink and beam. It seems to be empty, but I scan every corner, twice. I look around and sigh; where to even begin? I want to search everything, but that would require at least two people. And then I remember Theo’s words to me back in the control room.
I can merge Navigation duties with Housekeeping, kind of like a super-Housekeeper, if you want, Leyla?
Of course! Oscar isn’t only a Navigator; he’s also my Housekeeper, connected via my Bracelet and programmed to be available twenty-four/ seven—no matter where I am!
“Oscar?” I whisper into my Bracelet, and hold my breath.
The Navigator materializes before me. Yes. I set him on silent before he can say a word.
“Oscar, see if you’re able to access their systems. Download any information that might mention Papa. Understood?” The Navigator nods and sets to work.
Meanwhile, I go through everything I can. It’s mostly wipe-boards, so I start on those, trying to decipher all the info scribbled across an entire stack of them, with no luck.
“Oscar? Find anything?” I whisper, trying to ignore the nausea spreading inside.
The Navigator shakes his head and continues scanning their systems. I don’t want to follow Theo’s instructions for snooping unless I absolutely have to. Determined to find info by some other means, I take a long look around the room. A pile of large notebooks catches my eye.
I flick through several indecipherable volumes until I stumble on one where the content is straightforward enough. It’s a thick book with pages and pages about the Explorers and their efforts to find a way for us to return to the surface. Why would they be interested in the Explorers, of all things?
I scan it, half-heartedly. There are copies of reports registered by Explorers over the past decade. Following each report is the official statement released to the public at that time. And . . . the two are vastly different. I straighten, more focused now.
There’s a report from a scientist, Dr. Varsha Patel, dated September 2093, and one of the paragraphs is highlighted:
In
conclusion, the commonly cited standard atmospheric oxygen levels of 21 percent do not correspond with my own findings (app. 1c). Despite breathing filtered air, I experienced adverse physical ailments attributed to the environment. The exact levels of the greenhouse gases, including water vapor levels, all proved significantly higher than is widely believed (app. 3c). My equipment was rendered ineffective in a matter of hours due to a violent magnetic storm. Within days I was forced back into the depths with acute sunburn, and—despite my respiratory equipment—my blood oxygen levels were critical (app. 4b). The conditions on the surface are hostile and deadly, and there is absolutely no indication of this changing in the foreseeable future.
The public statement following this report was an entirely inaccurate interpretation of Dr. Patel’s findings:
Though oxygen levels are lower post-disaster, enough oxygen remains in the atmosphere that, with minimum effort and adaptation, could prove more than adequate to sustain human life.
That’s it? The Explorer’s report states the ecosystem is—at best—perilously volatile. And the air poisonous. The public statement has totally ignored the majority of the problems.
I don’t understand it. At all. But there’s no reason to doubt it—both the reports and subsequent statements are completely official. I flick through page after page, but everything I see says only one thing:
All this time, the government has been lying about the findings of the Explorers.
According to the Explorers’ reports, there’s never been even the slightest hope of us ever living on the surface of the water again. Not here in Great Britain—not anywhere in the world.
It’s as if a mighty wave has rolled in, knocking me off-balance.
It can’t be true. . . . And yet there it is.
After all that, all those promises, all the talk about us ensuring we’re ready to return any day, there was never even the tiniest chance of it happening. Not in our lifetimes.
I realize I’m more shocked and terrified at the brazen lie from the government than the possibility of never living up on the surface of the water. I’ve never before bothered to read the monthly Explorer reports, never been interested in following their progress.
But why have they lied? What’s the government really up to?
My legs start shaking. The possible scenarios—and the not-knowing—swirl round and around in my head until I think it might burst. I stumble back.
Straight into somebody’s arms.
A hand clamps down on my mouth and twists me around to face them.
Ari. He jerks his chin to indicate the far corner of the space.
Charlie’s entered the open area; I’d have never spotted him from this angle. Ari removes his hand.
Charlie goes straight to the kitchen and sets about making a warm drink. I dismiss Oscar via my Bracelet. Ari points to the nearest sofa. We cower behind it until Charlie leaves the space. I let out a long sigh.
“Sorry,” Ari says quietly, indicating the hand he’d clamped over my mouth. “I was coming over to you when I saw him. What are you doing? You’re putting yourself at risk.”
I point toward the notebooks, and we make our way over. I finally find my voice and fill Ari in, whispering.
“So you see, all this time the government have been lying to us. Can you believe that? They’re meant to look out for us. They’re meant to serve us!”
Ari nods, his expression suddenly studious. “We should always question everything,” he says quietly, his eyes burning into me. “Everything, Leyla.”
Papa’s voice rings in my ears: The facts, Pickle. Always. Only cold, hard facts. My papa. A great astronomer. My heart aches for him now. Everything in his absence is too confusing. So many truths revealed to be lies. He would never accept the lies. We mustn’t accept them. How dare they tell us we’ll be living up on the surface very soon when we clearly won’t be?
I meet Ari’s questioning gaze. “Explorers have died trying to find ways for us to live on the surface. And yet the authorities still send them up there. No matter where you are on the globe, the surface is hell—it’s a death trap. It’s all here in the official reports. For one thing, we’re breathing filtered oxygen down here. We’d have to wear masks and carry filtration systems all the time if we were up there. We’d be fighting the environment twenty-four/seven. Our numbers would drop even further. Yet they still encourage the idea. And all those poor people who work so hard to meet their payment to the Explorers Fund every month! For what? And, Ari . . .”
His eyes flicker bright with anticipation when I say his name, his gaze unwavering now.
“If the authorities can lie about that—if they could make people believe such a huge lie—then we have to ask ourselves not only why, but what else are they lying about?”
He’s so incredibly still as he searches my face . . . as if he’s holding his breath. A glimmer of something flashes across his expression, but it’s gone before I can pinpoint it. Was it sadness? Apprehension?
“What’s the government up to, Ari? What’s really going on with my papa?” My voice cracks.
He moves closer to me until his face is inches from mine. In the dim glow of the room his eyes are almost hypnotic, and his face more mysterious than ever. It breaks into the softest expression and pulls at me. I step toward him just as he closes the few inches between us and wraps his arms around me. I breathe him in as I bury my face in his chest.
Deep breaths. His smell is how I imagine the Old World outdoors to have smelled. Fresh, foresty, wild. Despite the alarming discovery just now, this is the safest I’ve felt in far too long. And my insides . . . they just flutter. His arms feel so comfortable around me, and yet he’s incredibly, undeniably exciting. It’s like he’s both home and the unknown. And though anything unknown always leaves me reeling in terror, Ari doesn’t.
“I . . . I can stay on,” he says, his voice hesitant and low. I hear him swallow before he continues. “Once we reach your grandfather’s cottage. If you need me, I can stay longer. To help you search for your father.” His chest expands against my face as he takes in a long breath, releasing it slowly. He sounds exhausted. “Too many families have been lost to their lies. Let me help you find yours, Leyla. I want to do this for you.”
There is so much pain in his voice I can’t bear it.
And I can no longer imagine going on without him on board. I whisper against his chest. “Yes . . . Please stay longer if you can. If your family will be all right without you for a while.”
It takes a moment for me to realize his hand is ever so slightly stroking my hair in a reassuring gesture. I never want it to stop.
A sound in the far corner pulls us apart and I glance over. Nothing. My gaze returns to Ari and our eyes lock; the most tender look shines in his. His shoulders rise and fall. I feel the warmth in my face and swallow, remembering where I am.
I shake myself out of my thoughts and take a few steps back. Clearing my throat, I beckon him toward the sofa.
I fill him in on what Theo said. “Because I still don’t have any info on what’s going on here, or with Papa, you see. And Theo said we might have some luck with that system there,” I say to him, pointing to the largest of a specific group of screens and trying so hard to block out the feeling of being against his chest. Focus. I flick my wrist to indicate my Bracelet. “Theo sent help, and it’s specific to Papa.”
Ari nods and we make our way over to the row of screens, pausing by the main one. I glance at the blinking visual display. If only Theo were here himself!
I follow his instructions and upload the coding he passed on to me. Immediately a bright white insignia appears on-screen, rotating forebodingly. Oh no.
“Theo said if that particular security crest appears, then there’s a risk my transferring any info might leave a trace.” I bite my lip.
Ari glances at the screen and back at my face. “What do you want to do?”
“Well . . . I mean we’re out of here first thing in the morning, r
ight? He said it could take them a while to discover a breach if this happened. We can’t leave this place without trying. I just have a feeling these guys know more about Papa’s situation. I want to risk it,” I say.
“Yes?” Ari cocks an eyebrow.
“Yes. We continue to upload this coding, transfer the results, and then get out of this area before anyone else wakes up.” I offer a quiet prayer that I’ve made the right choice.
It all seems to take forever. Anywhere Papa’s name is mentioned on this tech, Theo’s coding will capture it for Oscar to identify. At last we’re done, and I can’t move away from the screens fast enough.
We pause where we must part ways and I stare at my Bracelet, mumbling something that’s meant to be Good night. Ari twists the beaded necklace around his neck as he nods in reply, and I hurry to my room.
When I climb back into bed, sleep is a million leagues away.
Possible mention of Papa in the downloaded info and the lie about the Explorers’ progress both work together to keep me awake for too long. And the sense of Ari’s arms wrapped around me doesn’t lessen at all as the hours tick by. His words also linger.
He’s right; we must question everything. Without Gramps and the twins with me, Ari’s the only person left who I can trust. No governmental body or representative can be trusted. It’s just one terrible lie after another. I must stay focused on finding Papa myself.
I trace my Bracelet. I finally have something, I’m certain. At Grandpa’s place in King’s Lynn I’ll decide my next move based on whatever the download might reveal.
Please, God, let it be something hopeful, positive.
I try not to think about Bia and her people possibly finding out what I’ve done. If they do discover the security breach, I pray it’s when we’re leagues away from here.
God knows what these people are up to, and I wouldn’t want to ever cross them.
I wake up light-headed. Ari’s arms around me is the very first thing that pops into my head, and I just want to lie here thinking about it. Unfortunately the rest of last night also kicks in, and I hasten out of bed, yawning away.
