Time Castaways #2

by Liesl Shurtliff

  The air was balmy, only a slight breeze, which carried the scent of oil mixed with seaweed.

  They came to the edge of the port where the cement ended abruptly and the water began. Several yachts and boats were docked to buoys. A cargo ship in the distance blew its horn. A large cruise ship moved slowly toward the open sea.

  A swift wind swept through, and the temperature dropped at least ten degrees. The sky clouded over, and it began to rain. Matt looked to Ruby.

  “Sometimes weather is just weather,” she said. “Not every little rainstorm is caused by time travel. Look for the Vermillion. It could be anything, a yacht or a cargo ship. Look for the symbol.”

  Matt searched all the vessels for the symbol of the Vermillion. It was difficult to see any details on the boats in the dark. He thought maybe he saw the symbol on the side of a yacht, but it turned out to be a picture of an anchor inside a life preserver. They waited and searched for what felt like a long time, at least an hour.

  “Maybe we got the wrong day,” said Matt.

  “Did you enter everything into the compass as I told you?” said Ruby.

  Matt double-checked. He confirmed that everything had been entered just as Ruby had told him.

  “Then we’re right where and when we need to be,” said Ruby. “I gave us a little time to be on the safe side. Just be patient.”

  Matt tried to be patient, but he was cold and wet, and he was starting to feel this plan wasn’t a very good idea after all.

  “There!” Corey pointed. Matt squinted and saw a little tugboat chugging right toward them. It looked like any other tugboat, but when the lightning flashed it illuminated the flag whipping in the rain, black with a compass star, a bold red V at the center.

  “Let’s get out of the way,” said Ruby. They all backed up to hide behind one of the big crates. Matt crouched down, and a few rats suddenly appeared from underneath.

  “Ah!” Matt shouted as one of the rats scurried over his foot, then disappeared beneath another crate.

  “Shh! Here it comes,” said Ruby.

  The Vermillion pulled right up to the edge of the port and came to a smooth and silent stop.

  A woman Matt didn’t recognize appeared at the front of the boat and scanned the area. She must be an old member of his mother’s crew, Matt realized, someone who Captain Vincent had discarded. If this worked, then they’d be saving this person’s life.

  “There’s Mom!” Corey said.

  Ruby put her hand over Corey’s mouth. “Shh! Could you just pretend we’re in a spy movie?”

  “Sorry,” Corey mouthed.

  Matt couldn’t see his mom very well. It was dark, and she was wearing a hoodie, but he could tell it was her by her build and her smooth, athletic movements. But perhaps the biggest giveaway was the man beside her, dressed all in black. Captain Vincent. Or just Vincent for a little while longer, and if they succeeded, never captain at all.

  The wind picked up, and the rain grew heavier. Matt started to shiver.

  “I wish Mom had chosen a different day to change her life,” said Corey, teeth chattering.

  “This will be over before you know it,” said Ruby. “Hang on.”

  Their mom turned toward some of her crew and said a few words, and then they all moved into different positions on the boat. Vincent lingered, whispered something in her ear, and then gave her a quick kiss and left.

  Their mom watched him go, and then she pulled the Obsidian Compass off from around her neck. Lightning flashed. Matt saw her expression for a brief moment as she looked down at the Obsidian Compass in her hand. She looked somber, but resolved, like she was saying goodbye to a close and faithful friend.

  Matt felt for his own compass inside his shirt. He wondered what would happen to it once they gave the Obsidian Compass to Tui. Would he still have his own compass? Or would it disappear? Without Captain Vincent he would have never built his own compass. Or maybe he would have, just for different reasons. He hoped that would be the case. He hated to think that all of that would be erased, but he was willing to sacrifice his compass if that’s what it took to fix this, to save Jia. He’d built it for her in the first place.

  Another crew member appeared next to their mother. Tui. Captain Bonnaire was speaking with her. Matt couldn’t see their expressions. All he could see was Tui shaking her head. Belamie pressed the compass into her hands, then lowered a ladder over the side of the Vermillion. Tui shouted something as Belamie climbed down. Matt couldn’t understand her words, but they sounded angry.

  “It will be fine, Tui!” Matt heard his mom shout. “Just do as I told you and everything will be fine!” She jumped the last few rungs of the ladder, landing in a crouched position. She sprinted toward another boat anchored at the edge of the port, a gleaming white yacht.

  “We gotta get on board now,” said Ruby. “Let’s go.”

  The wind swirled around them, lashing rain against Matt’s face and blocking his vision. He shivered with cold, or maybe with something else. Nerves, that was all. Adrenaline.

  They ran to the Vermillion and climbed up the ladder their mother had used to climb down. As Matt neared the top, he felt a gentle tugging from beneath him. He looked down to see a rat scurrying up the ladder. Matt tried to kick it, but the rat just hopped on his foot and climbed right up his leg, scampered up his back, and crawled on his head. Matt squealed and slapped at his hair. The rat jumped off, but Matt lost his balance in the process and nearly fell backward. Ruby reached up and grabbed his arm.

  “Calm down, Matt!” Ruby hissed. “It’s just a rat!”

  Just a rat, Matt, just a rat. Matt pulled himself over the side of the boat. His heart was racing. He saw a scaly tail disappear around the other side of the bridge. He decided he hated all rats.

  The Vermillion began to pull away from the port. “Come on,” said Ruby. “Tui went to the other side.”

  They all crawled on hands and knees to the other side of the boat where Tui stood with two other crew members, both of them female as far as Matt could tell. Tui gave the other two some instructions, and they moved toward the back of the boat.

  Thunder rumbled, and a flash of lightning illuminated Tui. Her back was to them, but Matt saw the Obsidian Compass in her right hand, the gold chain dangling. Vincent was nowhere to be seen. He must be in the bridge, Matt thought, driving the boat.

  The Vermillion moved slowly through the water, slipping between other boats, moving toward the yacht their mother had boarded. The Vermillion made a sharp 180-degree turn away from the yacht, then backed up.

  Lightning flashed. The sky rumbled. The rain was sharp needles on Matt’s skin. He could just see the silhouette of their mom standing on the bow of the yacht, waiting. One of the crew members at the back of the Vermillion pulled the winch, unraveling a length of the cable. When they were just a few feet from the yacht, she tossed the cable to Belamie, who hooked it to the railing of the yacht. Once it was secure, she gave a signal and the crew member whistled. The Vermillion began to pull forward. The winch unraveled until it reached the end, and then there was a jolt as they began to pull the yacht behind them. Belamie gave a brief wave and then she walked to the other end of the boat and disappeared from view. Tui watched all this while holding tight to the compass.

  “We have to get the compass now,” Ruby said. “Mom’s boat will explode any minute, and then Vincent will appear and take the compass from Tui.”

  They started to move closer. Matt’s skin suddenly crackled with static electricity. His hair stood on end. He felt a push on his chest, almost as if his compass were repelling something in its path, like reverse magnetism. He remembered how his compass had reacted when his mother had grabbed him, how it burned against his skin.

  “I can’t get any closer,” said Matt. “My compass . . . it’s reacting to the Obsidian Compass.”

  “I got it,” said Ruby. “You two wait here.”

  Ruby moved silently toward Tui until she was crouched right behind her, just benea
th the Obsidian Compass. She slowly reached up and grabbed ahold of the chain.

  BOOM!

  The yacht exploded with fiery plumes of smoke.

  “Captain!” Tui screamed. She yanked up her arms to her face. Ruby was able to pull the compass out of her hand, but the force of the blast caused her to also let go.

  The Obsidian Compass went flying into the rainy night. It landed on the deck of the boat and slid right toward Matt. He backed away, feeling the hair rise on his arms, the compass at his chest getting warmer. He couldn’t touch it.

  The door to the bridge opened, and Vincent jumped over the railing to the main deck. “Bel!” he shouted. He ran to the edge of the boat and jumped on the rail.

  “What are you doing?” Tui said, grabbing his leg.

  “The compass!” he shouted. “I have to get the compass!”

  The compass . . . It was still sliding toward Matt, but at the same time repelling him. Ruby was scrambling after it on her hands and knees. Corey was closer, but he slipped and fell.

  And then there was that crazy rat!

  The rat was scurrying toward the compass. Matt was the closest. They didn’t have a moment to confer or decide. He braced himself, dove for the compass, and clasped his hand around it just as the rat reached it.

  A fiery jolt shot through Matt’s entire body, and the compass burned in Matt’s grip. A bolt of electricity shot out of the compass, and at the same time lightning came down from the sky and the two connected in a jagged, twisted beam of light. Matt convulsed as the electricity shot through his hand and up his arm to his shoulder.

  The rat was still on top of the compass. The bolt of lightning enveloped its body, and the rat screamed and writhed, its tail whipping madly. Its dark fur was on fire, fading from black to white. Its eyes also paled, first to a fiery blue and then red. The rat looked directly at Matt and hissed.

  Matt pulled back his arm and flung the rat as hard as he could, like he was pitching a fast ball at a championship game. He had meant to get rid of the rat. Only the rat. But his brain wanted to get rid of the pain, too, and he accidentally let go of the compass. The rat soared into the rain-soaked night sky. It twisted and flipped through the air like an acrobat, holding tight to the compass still crackling with electricity. The rat and compass slowed and then paused, suspended in midair. Matt almost thought they would just stay that way, but gravity eventually remembered its job. The rat and compass came down. Before they hit the deck of the boat, a hand shot out and snatched the chain, and the rat and compass came to an abrupt halt.

  Vincent pulled the compass toward him, gazing at it with reverence and awe. He paid no mind to anything else, not the other crew, or the three strange children huddled on the other side, or the boat in flames. He didn’t even flinch as the white rat scampered up his arm and perched on his shoulder. It curled its tail around its body, stared out toward Matt with glowing red eyes, and hissed.

  Matt backed away, staring in openmouthed horror at Vincent holding the compass, and the white rat on his shoulder.

  Santiago . . .

  “We have to go,” said Corey. Matt hadn’t noticed that he and Ruby were now crouched beside him.

  “The compass,” said Ruby. “We have to get the compass.”

  “It’s too late,” said Corey. Vincent was already turning the dials of the compass. Tui and the others were yelling at him, pointing to the burning yacht, but he ignored them. Corey grabbed on to Ruby and Matt but let go of Matt when he received an electrical shock. Matt could feel it coursing through his body still, especially his arm. His veins felt like they were high-voltage wires.

  “Come on, Matt!” said Corey. He’d backed up to the side of the boat with Ruby. The boat was transforming now, lengthening and widening. A large wooden pole split from beneath the deck and grew like a tree in fast motion. Ruby climbed on the edge of the boat and jumped. Corey cannonballed himself over.

  Matt walked backward toward the edge of the boat, still keeping his eyes on Vincent and the white rat on his shoulder. Water shot up all around the boat, like a dozen geysers. Their time was up. Matt jumped overboard just before the ship shot down into the ocean. When he hit the water, he was momentarily sucked down into the funnel. He spun around and around, reaching wildly for anything to hold on to, to pull him to safety, but there was nothing. He thought he would be sucked into a time vortex. Or drown.

  The Vermillion disappeared, and the funnel suddenly closed in on him. The water rose like two towering walls and crashed down on Matt’s head. Matt clawed his way to the surface and gasped for air. He struggled to keep above the churning water, but then he saw Corey and Ruby holding on to a buoy. He gathered what little strength he had left and swam to them. They both reached for him. Whatever electricity had been running through his veins must have faded because he didn’t shock them. The three children stared at the spot where the Vermillion had been, the last waves disappearing.

  The rain continued. The remains of the yacht smoked and burned on the water. Sirens sounded in the distance. Of course someone would have seen the explosion and called 911.

  Matt saw a dark shape bob to the surface, not far from the burning yacht. It was their mom. She was wearing diving gear, a mask, a snorkel, and a tank of oxygen. She swam toward a small speedboat tied to a buoy. Matt saw the silhouette of a man standing on the back of the boat. He was fairly certain it was their dad. He reached down and helped their mom into the boat. She pulled off her mask and they embraced.

  Matt looked away. Not because he felt uncomfortable. He’d seen his parents kiss plenty of times. But they weren’t getting the happy ending that they thought they were, and it was his fault.

  Ruby shivered as she watched their parents. It was difficult to tell in the rain, but Matt thought she was crying.

  “Let’s get out of here,” said Corey.

  “No,” said Ruby in a choked voice. “We can’t go now. We have to get the compass. We have to . . .”

  “Ruby, it’s over,” said Corey. “We didn’t get the compass, and we’re not going to. Matt, turn the dials.”

  Matt pulled out his compass.

  “Wait,” said Ruby through chattering teeth. “We need to tie ourselves together.” She pulled out a sopping tangle of yarn. The sight of it made her cry all the harder.

  “Let’s just hold on to each other, okay?” said Corey. “I’ll hold on to you, Ruby, and you hold on to Matt. Matt will hold on to his compass. We get all smashed together anyway, so I don’t think the yarn is necessary. We won’t be separated. We’ll stick together, okay?”

  Matt nodded. Ruby kept crying and shaking.

  “Come on, bro,” said Corey. “Get us out of here.”

  Matt turned the dials of the compass. The water warmed and bubbled around them, and then they were all shoved together and sucked under, leaving their young and unsuspecting parents in each other’s arms on the back of a boat, and traveled toward their older and far more cautious parents who were now frantically searching for their three children in the Siberian Ice Age.

  16

  Past Faults

  February 22, 3021 BC

  Wrangel Island

  Matt, Ruby, and Corey landed in a sopping heap on the frozen ground, shivering and clinging tightly to one another.

  “Ev-v-veryone ok-kay?” Corey asked, teeth chattering.

  “Yeah,” said Matt. “R-ruby?”

  She didn’t answer. Matt shot up and looked around, his heart racing. What if she’d gotten left behind? Or worse, lost in transit? But he found her. She was curled up in a ball on the icy ground, shivering and crying.

  “Ruby . . .” Matt went to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She kept her eyes squeezed shut. Matt looked to Corey, wondering what they should do. Corey just shook his head. There was nothing to be done. They’d made a mess of things, and there was no fixing it.

  Footsteps sounded behind them. Someone took in a sharp gasp of air. “Captain! They’re here! I found the children!” It was Tui. A
minute later their parents came running.

  Mrs. Hudson came first. She rushed to her children, knelt down in the snow beside Matt and Corey. Mr. Hudson ran to the other side next to Ruby.

  Matt braced himself. He was certain his parents were about to start shouting at them, as they had when they’d landed here the first time. This was even worse. They had deliberately disobeyed them. They had done exactly what their mother said they should not do, and for that Matt knew they all deserved to be severely punished—screamed at, berated, grounded for life. But when he saw his mom and dad, saw their faces, he knew they weren’t going to yell.

  Briefly he thought of the two young people he’d just left behind, embracing on the back of a boat, free and innocent. These were not those same two people. The years had changed them, and the weight and worry of family, work, and life was clearly etched on their faces. He saw the wisdom that had been forged through time and experience. They’d dishonored that, he, Corey, and Ruby. They’d thought they knew better.

  “Ruby.” Mr. Hudson scooped up his daughter’s shivering little body and held her to his chest. She clutched at his shirt.

  Mrs. Hudson took Corey’s face in her hands, then Matt’s, searching them over. Matt winced as his mom brushed a bruise on his cheek, and then she gasped as she touched his right hand. For a moment he thought he’d shocked her.

  “Oh, Mateo, what happened?” his mom asked.

  “Whoa, b-bro,” said Corey. “Your ar-arm . . .”

  Matt gazed at his arm and almost felt a jolt himself. His hand and arm had been badly burned, but the burn marks looked like an intricate system of tree roots branded on his flesh from the tips of his fingers all the way up his arm, disappearing beneath his shirtsleeve. He turned over his hand and found the origin point at the center of his palm. An angry pucker of red flesh. “It’s from the compass,” he said.

  His mom frowned. “Your compass did this to you?”

  “No,” said Matt. “It was the Obsidian Compass. I had it. I was holding it, but then it burned me. . . .”