Page 18 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

Roux’s dark eyes narrowed, and a dangerous smile crept over his face. “So, that’s how it is, huh?” he said. “I should’ve known you were just like everyone else.” He shifted his weight, glancing at the door behind Shinji, as if preparing to make a break for it. Shinji took a step forward, and Roux’s

expression turned threatening. “Get outta my way, tourist. I’d hate to break your nose.”

“You can’t run,” Shinji said quickly. “I know you’re here, and we’re in the middle of the ocean. Even if you hide, there’s nowhere to go. You’re just going to be found again.” Roux’s expression didn’t change, and Shinji tried keeping his voice reasonable. “Look, just come with me. We’ll go and see Oliver; he’ll know what to do. He can talk to the captain, and we’ll figure this out. It’s not like we’re going to throw you overboard to the sharks or anything like that.”

For a few seconds, the other boy didn’t move, glaring at Shinji with dark eyes. But then he slumped and made a disgusted motion. “Fine,” he muttered. “If you’re going to be a rat anyway, I guess that’s how it’s gonna be.” He gave Shinji a resigned look and rolled his eyes. “Come on, then. Let’s get this over with.”

“It won’t be that bad,” Shinji promised, turning toward the door. “The Society is okay. They helped me out when I was in trouble—”

Movement from the corner of his eye was all the warning Shinji had. He spun back just as Roux lunged, his shoulders hunched like a linebacker with a football, in order to knock him aside and bolt past him into the ship.

Shinji only had a second to act, and in that moment, the self-defense lessons he had received from Oliver over the past few months suddenly kicked in. Instead of letting Roux slam into him, he spun aside, letting the other boy barrel

past, and gave him a hard shove as he did. Roux lost his balance, tripped, and went tumbling into the opposite wall with a clatter of mops and metal buckets. Grimacing, he looked up as Shinji loomed over him, fists clenched, ready to act if the other boy leaped up and threw a punch. Roux blinked, staring up at him, then gave a weak laugh.

“Okay, wow. So, the tourist actually has some moves. I wasn’t expecting that. Good to know.”

Shinji didn’t smile. “Are you done now?”

“Yeah.” Roux struggled to get himself upright, shoving mops and broom handles aside. “I’m done. This is stupid. Let’s go talk to your Oliver friend or whatever he is and get this over with.”

Shinji took a step back, gesturing to the door that led to the hall. He wasn’t about to allow Roux to get behind him again. “You first.”

The other boy smirked, as if he knew what Shinji was thinking. But he got to his feet and started walking out of the room. Shinji followed, ready to lunge if Roux suddenly took off. But the other boy didn’t try to escape, and together they walked through the lower ship halls, climbed the ladder to the upper decks, and started down the hall to the guest quarters.

As they turned a corner, a body in a bright teal coat suddenly blocked their path. Roux jumped, flinching back and nearly running into Shinji. Phoebe blinked in the relative dark and then broke into a wide smile.

“Oh, Shinji. Hello!” Her voice echoed through the corridor, making Roux wince. “You’re up early. You know, if you’re not doing anything, I would love to ask you a few more questions about…” Suddenly she noticed Roux. “Oh, I didn’t see you there. Wait. Isn’t this the boy from yesterday? How did he get here?”

“I swam,” Roux told her. Phoebe’s brows arched, like she really believed him. Shinji spoke up before she could ask any more questions.

“I’m looking for Oliver,” he told Phoebe. “Have you seen him? Is he still asleep?”

“Oliver?” Phoebe shook her head. “No, he’s up on the deck right now, staring at the moon or something. Why?”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Oh well, come on, then,” Phoebe said, and gestured down the hallway. “We can all go see Oliver. I have to ask him something as well.”

Shinji saw Roux set his jaw before he marched down the hall after the SEA agent. Phoebe moved quickly, striding along with her head high, humming to herself. Roux wouldn’t be getting around her so easily, and with Shinji guarding his back, there was nowhere for him to go. He was probably feeling very trapped as they escorted him through the ship halls and onto the upper deck. As a cool ocean breeze hit Shinji’s face, he briefly hoped Roux wouldn’t do something completely stupid like jump overboard into the dark water.

Shinji spotted Oliver near the railings, long coat flapping behind him, seemingly staring at the moon or out over the ocean as Phoebe had said. He seemed fascinated or deep in thought but turned his head as Shinji approached and gave a puzzled smile.

“Hey, kiddo. You’re up early. Couldn’t…” His gaze strayed to Roux, and both brows arched. “That’s funny. I don’t remember inviting anyone else aboard. Isn’t this the kid you ran into yesterday? The one with whom you had your ‘misunderstanding’?”

“Oliver.” Shinji took a step forward as Roux’s gaze narrowed. “This is Roux. He’s—”

“A stowaway?” Oliver interrupted. “Yeah, I can see that.”

“A stowaway?” Phoebe echoed, staring at Roux. “Well, I suppose that makes sense now that I think about it. How else could he have gotten aboard?” She shot a questioning glance at Oliver. “What is the protocol in dealing with stowaways? Should we toss him in the brig?”

“We don’t have a brig,” Oliver said, making Roux slump a bit in relief. “Though Mano is not going to be happy with this little development. Captains do not look kindly on stowaways, just a friendly warning.” He glanced at Roux and raised an eyebrow. “Sneaking on board a vessel; you got guts, kid. I’ve done that a time or two in my life. Though I don’t know why you picked theSeas the Day. There’s nothing on this boat but sciencey things and no valuables. As far as targets go, you would’ve done better with a yacht.”

“If I wanted to steal stuff, I would have,” Roux said. “I just needed a ride off the island, that’s all.” He shot an annoyed glance at Shinji. “If this snitch didn’t find me, you wouldn’t even know I was here.”

“Yep, that’s Shinji,” Oliver said in a cheerful voice. “Always ruining someone’s slightly nefarious plans. But the question is, now what do we do with you?” A contemplative look crossed his face. “You know, on a couple ships I’ve been on, they make stowaways walk the plank.”

“Oh dear,” Phoebe said as Roux went rather pale. “That seems a little extreme. Are we really pirates? Do we even have a plank? Oh,” she added, smiling and waving a hand at Oliver, “that was a joke. You were joking, right?”

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