The Reckless Rescue

by Adrienne Kress

  Sebastian suddenly felt like he was prying, like he was getting too much personal information. “That’s horrible,” he said. It was all he could think to say.

  Kwan nodded. “But hyung helped him get out of it. And then hyung told us we shouldn’t go online. It wasn’t worth it. And he was right, you know?”

  Sebastian nodded, though he didn’t really know. This was totally foreign to him. He barely spent any time online except to do research. He hadn’t really cared to do anything else. Now he was kind of grateful for that. All of what Kwan had said sounded very reasonable, and yet Sebastian couldn’t shake the thought….“But no phones, either?”

  “Who are we going to call?” asked Kwan.

  “Your families!” said Sebastian, aghast.

  “Oh, well. Yeah. I guess them. Yeah.” Kwan stood up suddenly then and returned to the group, sitting on the floor and taking over playing one of the games. It was an abrupt change of attitude and surprised Sebastian, making him suspicious. Though the story about the Internet had made sense, he still was seriously doubting that everything was as wonderful here as it seemed.

  Once again he came to a determination, one that maybe, when he thought about it, he ought to have tattooed on his arm or something, so that he’d remember it. He’d never really wanted to have a tattoo before; they were so…permanent.*2 But this one seemed maybe necessary. It was time, once again, for him to escape.

  *1 The alarm clock, on the other hand, started each day feeling rather bitter and resentful that it never got to do its job, thank you very much.

  *2 Except for the nonpermanent kind, or the tattoos that get bored with sitting on your arm all day and decide to go visit friends.

  Evie lay on her stomach across the width of her bed, reading—no re-reading, no re-re-re-reading—her grandfather’s letter to Catherine. She tried not looking at it as an actual letter with information she was supposed to understand, but more like there was something hidden in words themselves instead. She tried putting together the first word of every line to see if it made a message. Then she tried the last word. Staring at the words so much made her eyes a bit fuzzy, and the writing before her blurred a little bit. It was then she noticed that some of the letters appeared darker in some of the words, like the last two in “can” and the first two in “adventures.” A couple of others as well. It felt like something, like a little hint of something she should understand. Were those words in particular more important? Did the dark letters spell something? Neither seemed to be the case, and her frustration returned.

  She sighed as she sat up and looked out the window. From the bed all she could see was the bright blue of the cove. She wasn’t going to solve this mystery by staring hard at a piece of paper. She’d read the words so many times by now that she had them memorized. No, sometimes in order to solve a problem you had to do quite the opposite: ignore it.

  Evie decided she’d go check out the town while her subconscious did some pondering. Of course, once she was back outside and standing on the steps of the inn, she had a new problem to solve. What exactly should she check out?

  The beach was empty again. Catherine had returned to her room, and Evie had spent more than enough time close to Steve the shark, thank you very much. So she resolved instead to wander along the main road, venturing in and out of various stores, looking at their goods. She felt a little guilty that she didn’t have any cash on her to help support the Steve-induced failing economy of the town. She noticed the eyes of the store owners widen with hope as she entered, and then get smaller and sadder as she left. Evie was starting to feel so terrible about producing this reaction that she decided to stop going into shops altogether, and instead walked up the road a bit to where the dense green forest began along the shoreline. She didn’t venture into it, though. There weren’t too many things Evie knew about Australia, but one thing she did know was that there were a lot of snakes and spiders and all kinds of other things that liked to kill humans. And considering that she was likely eventually to be facing some humans again who had no issue killing (or at the very least seriously maiming) humans, she wasn’t in the mood to face that risk with nature as well.

  As she walked alongside the lush greenery, she lost herself in thought. Long walks had always had that effect on her. Usually her thoughts were large and broad, about her life, her purpose, why we needed to have daylight saving time, that kind of thing. But today her long walk did only one thing: it made her miss Sebastian more than ever. It was hard not to feel horribly guilty. It didn’t matter what any of the members of the society told her. How could she not blame herself? How was his predicament not completely 100 percent her fault? The key he’d memorized that he’d been kidnapped for had been to help her grandfather. Her grandfather, not his. She was the one who’d gotten him involved in all this. She was the one who had convinced him to go against his very nature to help her, and why? Because she’d been too scared to do it alone? How selfish! She had been truly unfair to him, and now because of her he was in danger.

  The only thing that gave her hope, the only small thing, was that those nasty men couldn’t do anything truly horrible to him. Because they needed him. They needed what he knew. That was the only thing that made any of this somewhat bearable. That and, she reminded herself, the fact that he wasn’t entirely hopeless. Certainly he didn’t like taking risks and he maybe overthought things a bit too much, but he was also brilliant, and a good problem-solver, and Evie liked to think that she’d helped him a bit with his ability to just go with his gut sometimes.

  No, Sebastian was far from hopeless.

  It was just Evie who was feeling that way.

  The road seemed to go on forever, and after a while it made sense to turn around and head back to the inn. Once she was on the main strip next to the beach, she strolled out onto the sand and walked down to the water’s edge. The water was a much richer blue now that the sun was higher overhead, the part closest to her a saturated turquoise. Of course, she dared not go any farther—Steve was out there somewhere—but she bent over and stuck her fingers into the water as a wave rushed up to meet her. It danced over and around them and then retreated calmly. Hi there! it seemed to say. Friendly and quite warm.

  “Hi,” Evie said aloud. Then she stood up and drifted back up to the road.

  As she was crossing the street, she noticed something sparkle just a little to her left. It glinted in the sun, and Evie, never one to shy away from shiny objects, went over to it. It was a fish. A small fish. With scales that looked silver if you looked at them one way, but purple if you looked another. It was odd to see a fish just lying there in the middle of the street. It was too far away from the sea for the fish to have accidentally leapt in the wrong direction and landed there. It wasn’t particularly close to any markets that sold fish either.

  It seemed, well, as if the fish had been taking the road somewhere and then, alas, suddenly realized it wasn’t in water and hadn’t gotten to its destination. This made Evie surprisingly sad, even though she knew she was being fanciful, that there was no way a fish could ever be traveling along a road like that on its own, trying to get to another location. It didn’t look as if it had been there that long, but it did look like it was starting to cook in the midday sun, and Evie thought it best to leave it where it was. A mystery for others to stumble upon. If indeed anyone else bothered to come this way at all.

  So Evie left the fish behind and climbed the stairs into the inn* to find Catherine.

  * Truly, going “into” something called an “inn” is a very reasonable thing to do in general.

  “I saw a fish on the road,” said Evie a few hours later, leaning forward so Catherine and Ruby could hear her. She was sitting squished in the tiny backseat of Ruby’s dark green pickup truck. The windows were rolled all the way down, and though the warm wind felt amazing on her face, it did make it hard for the people in the front seats to
hear her when she spoke.

  “A what?” asked Ruby.

  “A fish, a small fish. It was in the middle of the road near the inn,” said Evie a little more loudly.

  “Oh, a fish,” said Ruby.

  “Yeah. It was weird. I was wondering how it got there.”

  They sped around another corner of the hill, heading farther inland. The farther they got, the more lush the foliage grew. If eyes could taste, they likely would have found it delicious.

  “Sometimes a bird drops a fish,” said Catherine. She looked over her shoulder to speak, her short red hair whipping around her face.

  “Really?” asked Evie. She’d never thought of that before, but she supposed it made sense.

  “Yes, sometimes a bird catches a fish and then it takes off and flies, and then suddenly for some reason, maybe the fish is wiggling or it turns out to be too heavy—”

  “Or the bird gets distracted by a neat-looking cloud,” offered Evie.

  “Sure,” said Catherine. “Well, whatever it is, the bird drops it and the fish lands in the middle of somewhere where fish aren’t normally meant to be.”

  Evie thought about this with wonder. It made sense, but how interesting. She now felt sorry for both the fish that had fallen and the bird that had lost its dinner.

  “Has anyone ever been hurt? By falling fish?” asked Evie.

  “Oh yes, it happens quite a bit, actually,” replied Catherine.

  Evie sat back in her seat and looked out at the foliage. She was able to glimpse the bright blue expanse of the sea every now and then through the trees. Great. Falling fish. Now she had something else to worry about.

  “We’re here!” Ruby called out just then.

  She turned down a dirt driveway that wound its way still farther up the hillside. The trees now completely blocked out the blue sky. Instead the truck was surrounded by green as they slowed down to a stop at the base of Ruby’s dad’s house. After Catherine climbed out of the truck, she pulled her seat forward so Evie could scramble out as well. Once outside, Evie stretched a little and then stared at the house. It was up above them a little ways, with a narrow path that cut through the trees leading up to a wooden staircase. The house itself was supported on twenty-foot-high stilts, around which vines wound themselves. The building looked almost as if it had grown there in the jungle, as opposed to having been built.

  Evie followed Ruby and Catherine up the stairs, looking around her all the while. The higher up they got, the brighter it got with the trees thinning out, and the more jungle she was able to see through the trees. To other trees. To the vastness that was trees.

  The three of them eventually made it to a solid front porch underneath a low slanted roof, and without even bothering to knock, Ruby led them inside. It was a small place but full of mottled leafy light and shadows, with windows running along the front wall by the entrance, and a skylight above. The wood the house was made of was a warm amber color, and the floors were covered in beautiful throw rugs of red and blue and green. Evie gazed at one wall, on which hung a large painting of what seemed to be a silhouette of a lizard on a deep burnt-orange background, its head black and its body an intricate design done in a rainbow of colors.

  “Aboriginal art,” said Catherine, coming up behind her. “Just beautiful.”

  “Yes,” said Evie. She knew it was wrong to touch. The painting was so tactile to look at that she had a hard time controlling herself. But she did.

  “My dad made that!” announced Ruby from deeper within the house. Evie turned and saw Ruby poking her head around a corner. “This way!” she said, and gestured for them to follow.

  “He did?” asked Evie as she walked over and turned the corner. They were now in a very pleasant great room. Evie found herself standing on a higher level, next to the open-concept kitchen. Down a few steps was a very comfortable-looking living room, with several plush couches and more art on the walls. But even more beautiful than the art was what she saw before her. Like the front wall, the rear one was also floor-to-ceiling windows. Yet unlike the front room, the view outside the windows was just a little bit more than trees.

  The sea spread out in front of them beyond the green jungle that separated them from it. The water stretched so wide and far that Evie wondered if she could see Newish Isle from here. But all she saw was blue, a dazzling blue, a blue that almost seemed as if it were showing off a bit, except for the fact that it just happened to be that fabulous.

  Evie didn’t realize her mouth was agape until the low rich voice beside her said, “I guess you approve.”

  Evie turned to see a man with graying black hair, wearing khaki shorts and a red Hawaiian shirt, standing by the stove next to a kettle. He looked at Evie with a small smile, and she felt a little embarrassed for just kind of staring like that.

  “I do” was all Evie could say. Who wouldn’t approve?

  “It’s a nice enough view, I suppose,” said the man.

  Nice enough? Evie was stunned. How could anyone use the word “nice” at a time like this? “Magnificent,” maybe; “fantastic,” absolutely; but “nice”…

  Evie noticed the man’s smile growing wider and realized he’d been teasing. Of course. Of course he had been. She smiled too.

  “It’s amazing. I, uh, I also like the artwork. Did you do all of these, too?” asked Evie.

  The man nodded and returned to the kettle. “I did, I did. A hobby, though, nothing more. My grandmother taught me what little I know. She was the true talent. Became quite famous. And not just among the Kuku Yalanji.” He looked at Evie’s puzzled expression. “Our people, mine and Ruby’s.” He fiddled with the kettle for a moment and then stood back, looking at it. “You know, they say a watched pot never boils, but I have never found that to be the case.” And just as he finished speaking, white steam rose from the mouth of the kettle. “Aha! See?” He turned to Evie triumphantly, and she nodded to demonstrate that she did indeed see.

  “Come on, Evie. Let’s go sit outside,” said Ruby, coming up beside her and placing a warm hand on her shoulder. There was something in her tone that made it sound less like a friendly suggestion and more like an order. Which confused Evie as she was ushered down the stairs and out through the glass back door onto the veranda. Ruby’s dad seemed very warm and friendly as far as she could tell, not someone who needed to be left alone or tiptoed around.

  Outside, the vastness of the view was all the more encompassing. It almost felt like it was drawing Evie into it, making her part of the vista. Which really made no sense, as she was the one looking out onto it. She sighed.

  “Have a seat!” said Ruby. She herself was already seated on a reclining wooden chair, and Catherine was sitting on a long outdoor couch, complete with water-resistant cushions.

  “Okay,” said Evie, sitting next to Catherine while trying to keep her focus on the view. It was almost as if she feared that if she turned around, it would vanish before she could look at it again.

  “Your father seems like a pleasant man,” said Catherine.

  “Oh, he does. And he is. Especially when he knows what’s going on and isn’t going to be helpful,” replied Ruby, closing her eyes and leaning back.

  “What?” said Evie. That made no sense to her.

  “Whenever he’s sure of himself, whenever he’s made up his mind about something, he gets pretty giddy,” said Ruby, still with her eyes shut. “I think he just feels so secure and calm in the decision that he can really relax. I told him I was bringing you; he knew why immediately. All this happiness means he’s not going to be particularly helpful.”

  Evie looked at Catherine, who wore a serious expression, but one Evie couldn’t quite read. She hoped Catherine was feeling as worried as she was. What would they do if he refused to help them?

  “He does make very good tea, though,” added Ruby.

  “It�
��s so hot out,” said Evie. It seemed more like a lemonade kind of day than a hot-beverage one.

  “Drinking something hot actually helps the body stay cool,” said Ruby.

  Evie just couldn’t believe that was right.

  “Okay, we have tea for everyone!” said Thom as he came outside to join them. He was carrying a large tea tray that wobbled as he brought it over.

  Ruby was on her feet in an instant. “Dad! Let me help with that.”

  “No, no, little Ruby. Your father can manage just fine,” replied Thom, refusing Ruby’s offered hand and making his way slowly to the low table in front of the couch.

  “You’re so stubborn,” said Ruby with a sigh, sitting back down.

  “You noticed, did you?” Her dad finally put the tray down, the cups dancing slightly on their saucers but otherwise everything staying in place. Then he sat in the other reclining wooden chair with a contented sigh. “Please, please, help yourselves! Enjoy!”

  There was a little awkward business as everyone tried to pour themselves tea and get comfy again, but eventually they all had a cup in hand and sat back to enjoy the view.

  “How’s the inn?” Thom asked.

  “Oh, well, you know,” replied Ruby with a sigh.

  “Still no luck with Steve, then?” asked Thom.

  “No luck. If it keeps up, I’m not sure what we’re going to do. Maybe close the inn for the season. Maybe for good. I can’t afford to keep it running without customers, and I owe rent.”

  Evie looked at Ruby. Her usually sunny disposition had faltered somewhat. Like the shadow of a cloud passing overhead.

  “Oh, Ruby. That’s terrible.” Thom reached over and took her hand. Ruby gave his a quick squeeze and smiled.

  “I’ll be okay, Dad. I always am.” She sounded not all that convinced of her own statement.