Page 50 of Daughter of the Deep

Gem sops up the last of his lasagne with his garlic bread. ‘So, Dr Barsanti –’

‘Luca, please.’

Gem shifts uncomfortably. He likes formalities. ‘Er, did you and Dr –’

‘My surname is Artemesia,’ says Ophelia, ‘but call me Ophelia.’

Gem manages to process this without bursting a blood vessel. ‘Uh, Ophelia and Luca … you said you both went to Harding-Pencroft?’

Luca nods. ‘Like my father, and his father, and his father before him! In my senior year, I was Cephalopod captain.’

A few of the Cephalopods mumble ‘Yesss!’ and pump their fists in house pride.

‘That same year,’ says Ophelia, ‘I was Orca captain. I also completed Shark coursework top of the class.’

I look at her with new-found awe. Graduating from two houses is not unheard of, but it isextremelydifficult. It nearly doubles your workload. To be house captainandcomplete coursework summa cum laude for another house … Unbelievable.

On top of that, Sharks and Orcas are generally considered diametric opposites. Sharks are frontline fighters, tacticians, weapons specialists, commanders. Orcas are medics, community builders, archivists and support personnel. I can’t even wrap my mind around how someone could be good at both.

Gem’s forgotten bread hovers over his plate, dripping subaquatic simulated marinara sauce. ‘So … wow. Dr – I mean, Ophelia – you had Tarun Dakkar as your Shark captain?’

‘Indeed I did. And Sita was my best friend. I taught her everything she knew about terrorizing our younger classmates.’

‘You also terrorized me,’ Luca says with a grin. ‘The way you stole my heart!’

‘And I’ve been putting up with you ever since.’ Ophelia keeps a straight face, but she gives her husband a quick wink.

Luca laughs. ‘That much is true. By the way, Ana, your mother was a brilliant Dolphin captain. She would be very proud of you.’

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone talk about knowing my parents. But it’s strange to think of Luca and Ophelia and my parents as teenagers – swaggering around Harding-Pencroft together during their senior year like they owned the place, just like Dev does today … Or like he did before the attack …

I try to murmurThank you. It comes out more like ‘Unk.’

I set down my fork, hoping nobody notices my trembling fingers.

Of course Nelinha does. ‘SO, LUCA …’ She draws his attention with a volume level worthy of Ester. ‘Howmany generations was your family at HP?’

His eyes gleam. ‘Since the beginning. We were recruited because of my ancestor’s work on internal combustion.’

Nelinha’s expression of interest dials up a few notches. ‘Wait, your ancestor was Eugenio Barsanti? The guy who created the first internal-combustion engine?’

Luca spreads his hands. ‘Many famous families have been associated with HP for generations. The school needed the best minds to replicate Nemo’s technology! But surely this is no surprise. Your class has a Harding, a Dakkar …’ He glances at Gem. ‘Your surname is Twain, isn’t it? Wasn’t there a famous American author –?’

‘No relation,’ Gem mutters. ‘Anyway, that guy’s real name was Clemens.’

‘I see.’ Luca sounds vaguely disappointed, like he had wanted an autograph. ‘At any rate, each generation must prove its own worth at HP, as I’m sure you will!’

Around the table, my classmates’ expressions turn glum. I imagine they’re thinking the same thing I am. How can we prove our worth if HP no longer exists?

Maybe we would have made house captains some day. Maybe we would have found love among our peers, the way Luca and Ophelia did (though, frankly, I have a hard time imagining that). Maybe we would’ve had brilliant careers.

There’s no way to know. Four days ago, our futures were blasted off the side of a cliff.

Ophelia picks up on the change of mood. She sighs in exasperation. ‘Ah, Barsanti.’

Luca looks confused. ‘What did I do?’

I get the feeling Luca is the type of guy who would cheerfully skip through a minefield and somehow come out unharmed on the other side, while Ophelia would tear her hair out and chide him for being careless. I have no trouble imagining them being friends with my parents. They are just the right combination of caring, adventurous, brilliant and eccentric.

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