Gem shoots to his feet. ‘Professor?’
‘I’m fine,’ he wheezes. ‘Just overtaxed myself.’
I exchange a glance with Nelinha. Yeah, that’s a total lie.
‘Prefect Twain,’ Hewett gasps, ‘some assistance, please.’
Gem seems relieved to have something to do. He grabs Hewett’s arm and helps him up.
‘I’ll leave you for now, Prefect Dakkar,’ Hewett says. ‘Take some time to think. Our course of action will be up to you. We will follow your orders.’
I stare at him. Follow my orders? The idea terrifies me.
‘But … you’re leaving?’ I stammer. ‘This is your cabin.’
‘Oh, no,’ Hewett says. ‘It’s yours. I did say you’re the most important person on the planet, so suffice it to say you’re also the most important person on this ship. We will talk again in the morning. Mr Twain, if you will help me to the bridge …’
Before they reach the door, I call, ‘Sir.’
Hewett turns.
‘You mentioned artefacts …’ I don’t want to continue, but I force myself to. ‘You said Nemo’s sub was supposedly demolished. What my parents died trying to find –’
‘They succeeded, Ana,’ he tells me, his voice wistful, like he’s talking about Santa Claus. ‘After four generations of fruitless searching, your parents succeeded. They discovered the wreck of the Nautilus.’
What do you do with that information?
You’re now the most important person in the world. You have to decide the fate of your friends and classmates. By the way, your parents died during the discovery of a make-believe super sub from the 1800s.
Me … I call for a slumber party.
I ask Ester and Nelinha if they’ll bunk with me in the captain’s cabin. I don’t want to be alone in that huge room, even if I do have my teddy dolphin, Socrates. I want Ester’s reassuring puff-puff-snore nearby, and the rustle of Nelinha’s satin hair bonnet whenever she turns her head on her pillow. I want Top’s warm doggy smell and his contented sighs as he curls up at Ester’s feet.
Once we’ve settled in for the night, Gemini Twain checks on me one last time. He tells me that the bridge is maintaining a general westerly course until I say otherwise. He will check back with us in the morning.
‘Okay,’ I say. ‘Thanks. Goodnight.’
Gem gives me an uneasy look. Maybe he sees me differently now that he knows I’m related to a famous outlaw/madman/genius/submarine captain. Or maybe he’s contemplating sleeping outside our door all night in case someone else tries to kidnap me. I hope it’s the former.
Nelinha and Ester insist that I take the bed. They are happy with their bedrolls. I figure we’ll stay up talking for hours. This day has been a smoking crater of misery. My mind is racing, and I have so many emotions to process. How could I possibly sleep? But, as soon as I lie down on that comfy full-size mattress, exhaustion kicks in. My body says, Nope, you’re done, girl. And I pass out.
I always sleep well at sea.
That night I have vivid, fragmented dreams, mostly about smells. After temple, sandalwood incense clings to my mother’s sari as she hugs me close, laughing at some silly joke I’ve made. We stand together in the kitchen during Holi, watching pastries bake in the oven. My mouth waters from the maddeningly delicious scents of cardamom, khoya and coconut. Then my father is carrying a very small me. I pretend to remain asleep so I can enjoy the feel of my cheek pressed against the warm crook of his neck. His clove-scented aftershave makes me think of pumpkin pie. Then my brother is holding my hand as he walks me home after a fistfight in elementary school. He’s really not much older than me, but he seems so mature. Dev’s voice is soothing but also deeply offended. He tells me other people are stupid not to respect me. I am brilliant and powerful and deserve the world. My busted mouth tastes of copper. We walk past the honeysuckle blooming at the end of our block. From then on, the sweet smell of honeysuckle will always make me happy. It makes me want to hit Maddy White on the playground all over again, just so my brother will compliment me and walk me home.
I wake to the sound of voices. Ester and Nelinha are standing over me, having a hushed argument. Somehow, I’ve slept through them getting up, hitting the showers and getting dressed. Outside, it’s daylight. Socrates’s giant aquatic hamster tube is empty. He must be out hunting for breakfast. I can’t remember the last time I slept past dawn.
Nelinha notices my eyes are open. ‘Hey, babe. How are you feeling?’