The Shipwreck: An Official Minecraft Novel
Page 30
Jake shrugs. “We’re working on it. He used to work all the time, too, and he still does, but we’re both talking about it.”
“That’s all any of us can do,” Ellen says. “Thank you, for showing her the game. I don’t know if I ever would have had the courage. I know I just gave up there. But seeing the three of you play, how much fun you had solving the riddles, seeing what you’d built together, reminds me of why I made it in the first place.”
Jake throws himself forward into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. “Thank you,” he says, muffled into her bathrobe.
Ellen stiffens like she’s surprised, and then pats him gently on the back, accepting it. “You’re welcome,” she says. “I’m glad you found the server and enjoyed the game. Makes me feel young again.” She laughs, wiping at her eyes. “Thank you for the adventure.”
Jake smiles at her before he makes his way back home. He passes by Tank and Viv in the courtyard and waves to them.
“Science experiment,” Tank explains. “Go ahead, drop it in.”
Viv pours white powder from a measuring cup into a bottle filled with clear liquid on the ground, squeals and runs away just as it bubbles up and over Jake’s shoes. He skips backward, shaking his feet.
“Sorry, man. It’s just vinegar and baking soda, should come out easy. Your shoes okay?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jake says, and then does a double take. Tank is wearing brand-new stylish sneakers. “Great shoes!”
Tank grins. “Thanks. My dad got these for me as a back-to-school gift.” He glances at Viv, who is taking pictures of the now inert bottle and the aftermath. “Hey, we still on for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, for sure! Hey, have you ever built a beacon before? Emily really wants to have one in our new base.”
“Never. But I’m excited to try,” Tank says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Jake calls out.
* * *
—
The apartment is filled with the scent of freshly baked bread and in the living room is something new, covered in plastic. “Oh, check it out! It was delivered earlier. I wanted to wait until you were home to unwrap it.”
Jake approaches the bulky object and grabs the sheet of plastic. Dad takes the other side and together they reveal a soft-looking couch, with big fluffy pillows. It looks quirky, with a weird, offbeat stripe pattern of blues and greens that reminds Jake of running water.
“I went with the color you said looked good,” Dad says. “What do you think?”
“Looks great!”
Dad flops down onto the couch and says, “You nervous about school starting next week?”
Jake shakes his head and smiles. “Not at all.” He settles onto the couch next to Dad, thinking of all the adventures waiting for him and his friends.
“Everything feels just right,” Jake says.
It feels like home.
For anyone who’s ever wanted to build something new, in themselves and in the world
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This story could not exist without so many incredible people, and I’m thankful to everyone who has been a part of my universe, whether in this particular world or the next.
I’d like to thank my incredible agent, Thao Le. Thank you for believing in all the possibilities, for helping me grow as a writer and a person. Every day I am so lucky to be on this adventure with you, and I can’t wait for the stories to come.
To Sarah Peed, for seeing the story that could come from the seed of an idea. Without you it could not grow into the flourishing tree I’m proud of. Thank you for your steadfast wisdom and support and being the best editor and fellow adventurer on this journey.
Thank you to Mojang for creating a world so many people have gotten to be endlessly creative in and build not only dreams but connections, and for letting me be a part of it.
To the Tomodachi Cuties and the Pleading Mantou crew, thank you for the late-night voicechat camaderie, to giant sheep and parkour and talking circles, to endless adventures and builds, adei0s, BlerpityBlorp, ZhangMayi, artze, _vagues, missemperor, feyuca, kyuoko-tan, you all are the best. To Michael, for your patience and sense of humor, the quests, and the worldbuilding, thank you for the initiative to create. To Daniel, for combing the ends of the earth for coral to help me decorate my underwater pavilion and general terra-cotta shenanigans and laughter and support. To Katie, for the bees and joy and to hatching (and protecting!) turtles together under constant attack. To Mason, for your constant kindness and patience and occasional dry snark and construction inspiration. To Kevin, for the farms and all the UWU times. To Jeremy, for being the first to survive a first night in Minecraft with me, thank you for being my friend from the very beginning. I would go to the End and back with all of you, thank you.
To the wonderful team at Interlude Press—Annie, Candy, and Choi—for believing in me and taking a chance on my selkie story once upon a time. I would not be the writer I am today without you.
My dear friends, Lisa and TingTing, thank you for the joy and support, the companionship, the spontaneous adventures in hotpot nights and crab carnage and desert night stargazing, I couldn’t ask for a better TLC household. To Michelle, Katrina, and Kate, thank you for being there for the good times and the rough times, for the memes and the jokes and the cry sessions. My writing partners and friends, Amy, Nilah, Jayden, Jackie, and Nina, may we one day meet in a coffeeshop and write together again. To Keely, Cass, Angela, Jessie, and Sylvia—thank you for being there and making the time go by with joy and laughter.
Thank you to all the irreplaceable and wonderful folks in the Procrastination Zone, the Yellow Gardens, and Inkwell, to the endless group chats and channels and gifsets and joy. Thank you for all your love and support, to my friends, named and unnamed, thank you for being there for me, for sharing your time and energy.
And finally, and perhaps most importantly—I’d like to thank you, the reader, for being here and taking a part in this adventure.
BY C. B. LEE
Seven Tears at High Tide
Not Your Sidekick
Not Your Villain
Not Your Backup
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Ben 10 Vol 1: The Truth Is Out There
Ben 10 Vol 2: For Science!
Ben 10 Vol 3: Mecha Madness
Ben 10 Vol 4: The Manchester Mystery
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. B. LEE is an author of young adult science fiction and fantasy and a Lambda Literary fellow. Her works include the critically acclaimed Sidekick Squad series (Duet Books), and Ben 10 graphic novels (Boom! Studios). Lee’s work has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and also featured on NPR, and in Teen Vogue, Wired, Hypable, Tor’s Best of Fantasy and Sci Fi, and the American Library Association’s Rainbow List.
cb-lee.com
Twitter: @cblee_cblee
Instagram: @cblee_cblee
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