Page 15 of Not So Stranded
“One boat has all kinds of supplies on it,” Hiaka said, “and the other seems a lot more lived in. Nobody’s on either one of them now.”
“Do you seriously think we can just take it?” Why did he feel like he was the pirate?
“If it’s yours, technically, we’ll be recovering it.”
Zenori didn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore because they started swimming toward the boats. Kit tried to psych himself up for what was about to happen. He’d climb up onto the empty boat, pull the anchor, start it, and off they’d go to…
“Where should we go, though?” he had to ask.
“Away,” Zenori said.
“It’ll depend on how much fuel there is,” Hiaka said.
“If it’s my boat, there’s more fuel on it. For my return trip.”
“Well, then,” Hiaka said, “maybe we go to Cecaelia Bay.”
“Cecaelia Bay?”
“Where I was born.”
Kit wanted to askso manyquestions, but since they’d arrived at the boats, he bit his bottom lip and kept quiet. Without hesitation, Zenori used arms and tentacles to haul themself and Kit up the side of the boat Hiaka pointed to and right onto the deck. Kit’s knees felt weak when he stood up and stopped clinging to Zenori. He had to look back to the beach, afraid someone would shout about them being on the boat.
“We’ll get the anchor,” Hiaka said, “while you see about getting us moving.”
“Right.”
Kit headed into the cockpit as he heard the whirring of the anchor coming up. Immediately, he saw the photo of his entire team that he’d tucked into the framing near the steering wheel. “Itismy boat!”
“Fantastic. Now drive it.”
They’d left the key in the ignition just like he had—what an idiot he’d been—and so he twisted it and actually smiled when the boat came to life.Nowhe heard voices shouting behind them, the men on the beach no doubt realizing they were being robbed. Knowing they could absolutely come after them, Kit put the boat in gear and floored it. Tentacles suddenly appeared on either side of him and wrapping around whatever they could reach, Hiaka and Zenori clearly trying to hold on as the boat sped away from the island.
“Does this make us pirates?” Kit asked with a laugh.
Kit drove southeast until sunrise when they finally accepted that no one was coming after them. They agreed to be vigilant, but it seemed like a clean getaway. Maybe those people hadn’t been bad people willing to hurt someone, they’d just been opportunists. It was possible they might not even stay on the island to do any damage to the lagoon or the turtles, too, since they no longer had anything to hide. Theoretically, the three of them could potentially go back there.
“But the beauty of that place is gone now,” Hiaka said with clear regret.
Zenori tucked Hiaka closer to them with an arm around their shoulders.
They were all sitting on the deck, taking a break for breakfast. Kit was trying not to make a big deal over having an omelette with cheese and vegetables because he hadn’t been eating badly on the island once he got their help, but dear lord, it was a truly delicious omelette.
Refocusing, Kit asked, “Can you follow through on your plans when we get to Cecaelia Bay?”
“Oh, sure,” Hiaka said. “They’ll be happy to have us. My parents will be thrilled. We just…” They sighed.
“Wanted a place of our own,” Zenori finished.
Kit could sympathize. “I grew up in the foster system. There was a lot of uncertainty to that because you never really knew how long you’d get to stay somewhere. And some of the places were crowded to the point of never being alone. Which is good sometimes and bad sometimes.” He cocked his head at them as he realized… “Sorry, do you know what the foster care system is among humans?”
“I’ve read about it,” Hiaka said and wound a tentacle around Kit’s leg. “Did you get adopted?”
“No.” Kit patted that tentacle when Hiaka squeezed. “It’s okay. I worked hard in school and got scholarships and then fellowships and here I am now.” He grinned at them, hoping it didn’t sound sad. “I might not have blood relatives, but I have friends.”
“What is foster care system and adopted?” Zenori asked with a frown, their gaze tracking Hiaka’s comforting tentacle. “Are they dangerous?”
“No, not dangerous,” Kit said on a chuckle. “Foster care makes it so kids who don’t have anyone else can be taken care of on a temporary or long-term basis. Foster parents are compensated for their service, and I had a few who only did it for the money. Adoption, though, is when a child is taken in as a full member of the family because they want a child in their lives.It was the goal of being in foster care, but it never happened for me.”
