Page 17 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

Fumbling for his phone, Shinji tapped the screen to see it was 2:43 a.m., way too early for anyone to be up and about. Nonetheless he swung his legs off the bed and stood, reaching for his shirt. He couldn’t stay in bed with his brain spinning in circles; he had to get up and move.

Grasping the handle, he pulled his door open, wincing as it gave a rusty squeak that sounded very loud to his ears. The ship wasn’t exactly silent; Shinji could hear the muted drone of different machines, and a faint conversation down the hall between a pair of crew members who happened to be walking by.

Stepping into the hall, Shinji softly closed the door behind him, then went exploring for himself. As he crept through the narrow halls and tight ship corridors, theSeas the Dayfelt even more mazelike and labyrinthine than before. But Shinji was used to ship life, and even though theGood Ternwas many times smaller than the research vessel, he could still navigate the larger ship fairly easily. And without any grown-ups ushering him along, peering over his shoulder, he could wander around the ship at his own pace.

In a dusty storage room, he found nearly a dozen old steamer trunks stacked in a corner, covered in stickers from around the world. Africa, Cancún, Taiwan, the Bahamas, and more. Another room held a collection of fossils and marine skeletons in glass cases. Shinji paused at the display of a long white tooth the size of his hand. For a second, he thought it might be a tooth of a megalodon, the giant shark that lived around the time of the dinosaurs. But then he read the sign below the case.Sea serpent fang. Gakkel Ridge, 2001.

Phoebe would probably love this place.

As he stepped back into the hallway, a cold breeze blew down the corridor, ruffling his hair and making his skin prickle. Shinji paused, rubbing his arm and gazing warily down the hall. Mysterious breezes belowdecks were definitely not normal. There were no windows down here; everything was airtight. Maybe—and Shinji’s heart beat faster at the thought—was it the Coatl, trying to tell him something?

The wind was coming down the corridor that led to the

cargo hold. Curious and wary, Shinji headed in that direction. Surprisingly, the metal door to the cargo hold was unlocked, and he pushed it open with a faint creak.

The space beyond the frame was cloaked in darkness. TheSeabeetlestill sat in the center of the room, yellow hull glittering faintly in the light coming through the door. Shinji’s nerves prickled a warning. For a second, he was almost sure he had seen a shadow dart behind the submarine, but that might’ve been a trick of the light.

Cautious now, Shinji stepped into the room and gazed around, all senses alert for anything out of place. He heard the hum of the engine and felt the ship gently rocking beneath him, but other than that, everything was still.

“Hello?” Shinji took another step into the room. His voice echoed weirdly in the empty space overhead. “Anyone here?” No answer, though Shinji didn’t actually expect one. “I know you’re there,” he went on, even though he really didn’t. “You might as well come out. I saw you try to hide.”

“Not very smart, are you? What if I was an ax murderer, and you’re down here all alone?”

Shinji’s heart jumped. A figure stepped away from theSeabeetle, arms crossed, a faint smirk on its face. He recognized the longish, unkempt hair, the dark eyes, the challenging look on the face. Glancing around, he realized he was alone in a dark room with the thief they’d met the other day, and Shinji was blocking the only way out.

“Roux,” Shinji exclaimed, and the other boy raised an amused eyebrow. “What are you doing here? How did you even get on the ship?”

Roux made an offhand gesture. “Easy.” He grinned. “I snuck on board while you guys were having your fun little tour. Everyone was so busy with you and the tourist girl, no one even noticed me. That’s how I get into most places.” He gave Shinji a mocking salute. “Thanks for being a good distraction.”

“Yeah, sure,” Shinji said. “It’s what I’m good at. Butwhyare you here?”

“Why not?” Roux said casually, running his palm over

the side of theSeabeetle. “I was curious. I’ve never seen a boat like this before. Seemed like a good time to take a vacation. Besides, I’d jump at any chance to get off that island.” He held both hands up and edged toward the door, as if Shinji would just move out of the way and let him pass. “Don’t mind me; you won’t even know I’m here.”

“Hold on,” Shinji said. “Have you done this before? Stowed away on a stranger’s boat and hoped they didn’t see you?”

The other boy shook his head. “Nah, this is my first time off the island,” he admitted. “Don’t turn around on my account, though. It’s not like I have anything to go back to.”

“What about your home?” Shinji asked. “And your parents? They won’t miss you?”

“They might.” Roux shrugged. “If I had any.”

“Oh.” Shinji sobered. “You’re an orphan, then.”

“That’s usually what having no parents means.” Roux gave a twisted little smirk. “Don’t look at me like I’m some baby deer whose mama just got shot. My parents have been gone for years; I don’t even miss them.”

Shinji knew what it was like to be an orphan. He’d lost his parents in a fire when he was just a toddler. He also knew Roux was lying. He was acting like he didn’t care, trying not to appear weak, but Shinji knew that it was just a mask. Because he had done the same thing himself.

“I don’t need anyone’s help,” Roux insisted. “But there’s nothing on that island, and I’m sick of staring at the same

things every day. Look…” He held up a pair of long-fingered, grime-stained hands in a placating gesture. “You don’t have to say anything, okay? I’ll stay down here, keep out of everyone’s way, and when this ship stops at any port, I’ll leave. I’ll disappear, like a ghost. No one will have to know I existed at all.If”—and he narrowed his eyes at Shinji—“you don’t squeal on me. Deal?”

“I…” Shinji hesitated. On the one hand, he didn’t want to get Roux in trouble. He wasn’t a snitch, and he could sympathize with a fellow orphan. On the other, Roux had stolen from Lucy, run off with Tinker, and stowed away on their ship. If he agreed to hide Roux and not say anything, he would be siding against the Society, which he was now a part of. He would be turning against the ones who had saved his life on numerous occasions. And if Roux stole from his friends or did anything to the ship, Shinji would be the one responsible.

He remembered the panic in Lucy’s voice when Tinker had been taken, and set his jaw.

“No.” Shinji shook his head. “Sorry, Roux, but I can’t agree to that. I’m going to have to tell the others that you’re here.”

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