Page 55 of Leveling

Chapter 36

Beckett descendedto the galley and slid into a booth. Captain Aria had loaned him some navigational maps. He used a ruler and pencil and marked the path the ship had traveled, southwest, along the shipping lines. Then the vessel had turned north. Beckett had been below quarters during all of that, which was just as well—Anna had headed north. It wasn’t until they passed the Outpost that he needed to pay attention. Beckett felt the boat turn, and the small hum of the motor as the sails collapsed. They anchored.

Beckett focused on the maps, keeping his mind misdirected from the impending storm. Next, the H2OPE would sail to the northwest corner of the sanctuary. Then it would turn east toward land and follow the coast, returning to port in two weeks.

Beckett had drawn a big square on the ocean. He hoped that along one of the edges he would come across Anna. If Anna continued north, she would be there somewhere. Even if she was floating, not steering, that was where she would end.

He had one shot.

After this voyage the crew of the H2OPE would take a few days rest and relaxation then head back to sea. They actually had a lot in common with Waterfolk, a desire to be out on the water, but for Beckett this was it. He had to find her because he wouldn’t go out again. He hated the water. Also, he probably would be in a lot of trouble for not reporting for duty. He would have to deal with that. He had to find her.

But what if he didn’t?

Beckett had only two weeks to cross paths with Nomads. Two weeks. He would ask if the Nomads had seen Anna Barlow, find out where she had gone. His worst-case scenario—he never found her. Then he would do...what?

Jump ship in the Zodiac or something?

He chuckled. Really, steal from Captain Aria? She was funny, but had a sharpness that he wouldn’t want to subject himself to. And what then, search the inlets and islands to the north of the sanctuary and how?

He tried to imagine becoming the guy who would steal a Zodiac and drive it around the inlets looking for a lone Nomad, but who was he kidding? He couldn’t even take the Zodiac to the Outpost when he probably could have asked permission, and one of the crew might have accompanied him. He could have offered everyone fresh-picked strawberries.

But he didn’t have the guts. He was a coward, planning what he would do with courage to find a girl that likely didn’t want to be found.

His story was a tragedy, really.

A woman had entered his life, unsettled it, and then paddled away, breaking his heart. Thinking about her settled pain in his bones. He felt weak and tired and like he might fall apart. Like the panic attack of before was nothing compared to what would happen if he stopped acting, pretending to be Beckett, Nomad-Hunter, and instead stopped to think about what had really happened—she had lied about her name. Possibly hadn’t told him anything at all that was truthful, and had left lying to him. Leaving him broken. And she was probably fine.

Except he couldn’t shake the look in her eyes when she said, “You can’t say that Beckett,we, unless you mean it.”

The light changed as the storm settled in.

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