Time Castaways #2

by Liesl Shurtliff

  “Aye aye, Captain!” said Brocco, saluting, and he and Wiley went belowdecks.

  Jia watched as Captain Vincent paced back and forth on the deck, fingers continually circling the Obsidian Compass. A few minutes later Albert appeared, followed closely by Pike in her pillowcase dress lined with safety pins and cinched at the waist with a knotted and frayed rope. She looked curiously up at Captain Vincent. Jia didn’t know what to make of Pike anymore. She had always thought Pike was more loyal to her than Captain Vincent. She had even helped the Hudsons break into Captain Vincent’s office when they’d been trying to get home, but in the end, it seemed she really was loyal to the captain. Only Jia was the traitor.

  Albert was still dressed in a long nightshirt. There hadn’t been much of a schedule on board the Vermillion in the last few weeks. Captain Vincent roused the crew at all hours, day or night, and traveled without warning. You had to sleep when you could. Albert hastily put on his spectacles over sleepy eyes.

  “Yes, Captain?” said Albert eagerly as though he’d been waiting to be called, like a dog to his master. Jia was disgusted by him. She could not believe she’d ever considered him a friend. He didn’t know the first thing about friendship or loyalty. Captain Vincent knew this, too, Jia realized, and he would use it to his advantage.

  “You see the Ferris wheel?” said Captain Vincent.

  Albert glanced uneasily at the giant, rotating wheel in the distance. He nodded. Jia knew he didn’t like it. She’d heard him say it was the devil’s device and would topple over in the wind and kill a thousand people.

  “I want you to go ride it and keep watch for our friends, the Hudsons.”

  Albert didn’t even attempt to hide his disgust. “The Hudsons? I thought we’d gotten rid of them for good.”

  “No,” said Captain Vincent. “It seems we have unfinished business, and I need you to keep a lookout for them. The best views of the city are from the Ferris wheel.”

  Albert swallowed and stood straight, trying not to look scared. “Can’t Jia do that?”

  Captain Vincent stiffened, his nostrils flared a little. Albert flinched and stuttered. “I j-just mean . . . she has better eyesight, sir. She’d spot them easier, and she’s better with strange contraptions. What if it breaks while I’m at the top?”

  At this Pike looked directly toward Jia, as if she knew exactly where she was. Jia pulled back.

  “Yes, but I can’t trust Jia anymore, can I?” said Captain Vincent. “Her loyalties appear to be with the Hudsons, and I can’t risk her interfering, giving us away. You are the only one I trust to fulfill this mission, Albert.”

  With these words Albert squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “Yes, sir, I won’t let you down.”

  “Good. Now go change into something suitable. It won’t be nearly as satisfying to thwart your nemesis while wearing your nightshirt, will it?”

  Albert flushed but nodded and went belowdecks. Jia remained hidden as Captain Vincent stood on the deck, his fingers circling the compass.

  “It’s only a matter of time, Santiago,” said Captain Vincent. “Soon we’ll be unstoppable. No . . . invincible. How do you like the sound of that? Vince the Invincible. Ha! That’s what they’ll call me throughout the world and beyond, perhaps. But first, we must find Mateo Hudson.”

  Santiago hissed, baring his long white teeth. At first Jia thought he had spotted her, but then she realized he wasn’t hissing at her. He was hissing at the mention of Matt.

  “Yes, I know he isn’t your favorite,” said Captain Vincent. “He’s not mine either. He has a weak stomach, and he lacks charm, but we can’t mistake strength or charm for importance or usefulness. He is important, perhaps even essential to our cause. It was wise of our Bonbon to keep the letter hidden from me.”

  Jia wondered what letter he was speaking about. What did it say? What did it have to do with Matt? And what did Captain Vincent mean by invincible?

  Captain Vincent turned the dials of the Obsidian Compass. The water rushed around the side of the ship, and the Vermillion started to transform. Jia braced herself as the floor beneath her began to shrink. The sails lowered and folded in on themselves, sinking into the deck of the ship while water shot up all around. The Vermillion plunged into the lake and then reappeared on land.

  The ship had turned into a streetcar. Jia was sitting on the back of it. The horn beeped as it drove through the crowds. She looked for familiar faces. There were so many people it overwhelmed her, but she would have to find Matt before Captain Vincent did. This was her one chance. She had to warn him and hopefully get away with him.

  When the Vermillion slowed, Jia hopped down and slipped through the heavy throng. She was so busy searching for her friends, she didn’t see the white rat scurrying behind her.

  5

  Birthday Surprises

  June 1, 2019

  Hudson River Valley, New York

  “Wake up, brother!” Matt woke to Corey jumping on top of him like a giant puppy. He groaned and tried to shove him off, but it didn’t work. He just kept bouncing. The old couch he was sleeping on in the basement was very bouncy.

  “Corey, get off of him,” said Ruby. “It won’t do any good to kill him on his birthday.”

  His birthday? Had that much time really passed? Matt had forgotten. He’d lost track of the date. He’d lost track of just about everything.

  Corey finally rolled off of him. Matt sat up, his head spinning a little.

  Ruby gasped. “Matt . . .” She stared at him like he was a ghost or something.

  “What?” he said, looking all around.

  “Bro,” said Corey. “What is that?” He pointed at something. Matt looked down at his lap and realized what they were staring at.

  “Oh. That. That’s nothing.” He tried to slip it in his pocket, but Corey was too fast. He snatched the thing away from Matt.

  “Hey! Give it back!” Matt swiped at Corey, but he dodged him and jumped over the couch.

  “Dude,” said Corey. “This doesn’t look like nothing.”

  “Matt,” said Ruby, her voice full of reverence and awe. “You built a compass. I mean, like the Obsidian Compass.”

  “It looks just like the real compass, doesn’t it?” said Corey. “Except not obsidian, obviously.”

  “Also, it doesn’t work.” Matt was finally able to snatch his compass away from Corey. “And it’s not yours.” He looked down at the hunk of metal. It did indeed look a great deal like the Obsidian Compass, made with a mix of metals—aluminum, titanium, copper, silver, gold.

  “But maybe it could work,” said Ruby. “I mean, we know the Obsidian Compass works, so why can’t this one?”

  “I don’t know,” said Matt. “Maybe because it’s not magical?”

  “Maybe you just need the magic ingredient.”

  “Har har,” said Matt. He suddenly felt very grumpy. And stupid.

  “So this is what you’ve been doing all this time,” said Ruby. “Why wouldn’t you tell us?”

  Matt shrugged. “I didn’t want you to laugh at me, I guess, or think it was stupid.” Also he didn’t want to talk about it or have to explain anything. It was supposed to be just for him. Something to keep his mind off things, give him hope, but now that Corey and Ruby had seen it, hope withered, and he suddenly felt foolish.

  “Neither of us are laughing, bro,” said Corey. “And that’s saying something. You know I like to laugh as much as possible.”

  “And it’s not stupid,” said Ruby. “It’s brilliant. If anyone could build a time-traveling compass, it’s you.”

  “Yeah well, it won’t work,” said Matt, “and this is the last day the Vermillion can travel.”

  Corey and Ruby didn’t say anything to that. They just let it hang in the air for a moment, heavy and full. A door was closing, and Matt didn’t know how to keep it open. He was beginning to think he’d imagined seeing himself that day in the vineyard. It had been a hopeful hallucination.

  Finally, Cor
ey broke the silence. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you definitely got the mad scientist look going for you. When’s the last time you showered?”

  Matt glared at Corey, but he was right. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d showered or changed his clothes or had a decent meal. He smelled something cooking upstairs and his stomach rumbled.

  “Mom’s making strawberry crepes!” said Ruby. “And we’re going for a hike. She says you have to come out of this hole and get some fresh air today, no matter what.”

  Matt guessed that was a fair demand. He also couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the light of day or breathed fresh air.

  “So come on!” said Ruby, pulling Matt by the hand. “I want breakfast.”

  Matt slipped his compass in the pocket of his shorts, grabbed his Mets hat, and followed Corey and Ruby upstairs.

  For some reason it didn’t feel like his birthday. Maybe it was because he was away from home. If they were still in New York they would go for pizza in Brooklyn, see a Mets game, or if the Mets were away, they might play a family game in Central Park, then go for banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery. They couldn’t do any of that here.

  Or maybe the real reason it didn’t feel like his birthday was because it wasn’t, at least not in terms of the actual days, months, and years he’d been alive. If he were going by that measure, instead of the calendar date, he had likely turned twelve weeks ago, while traveling on the Vermillion. He remembered how Jia didn’t really know how old she was exactly. He’d thought that was very odd at the time, but he was starting to understand. When you’re time-traveling, timelines get a bit jumbled and confusing. He guessed he was experiencing that a little bit now.

  After breakfast, the family packed some lunches and went out for their hike. There were several trails not far from Gaga’s house, in the Catskill Mountains (or just the Catskills, as Mr. Hudson always called them). Mrs. Hudson had chosen a hike that would lead to a waterfall. Matt was surprised at how relaxed his parents seemed. If they were worried that something might happen today, they were hiding it well.

  Matt was glad to have the sun on his face again. He was just beginning to realize how cooped up he’d been these last few weeks, how good it felt to get fresh air and move and make his lungs expand. The sky was blue and cloudless, and the air was refreshingly cool with just a faint breeze.

  Finally, they reached the crest of a ridge and were faced with a waterfall cascading over stacks and layers of rocks covered in green moss and vines. A cool mist sprayed on Matt’s face and arms. It was a beautiful place, and they were the only people here. It almost made him feel like he was in a different time altogether, or at least like time was removed.

  They found a dry spot and spread out a picnic blanket. They ate fruit and veggies and sandwiches. It reminded Matt of picnics on the deck of the Vermillion. Sometimes they’d had food fights. Once Jia threw an entire blueberry pie in his face. The memory made him all at once happy and sad and confused.

  After they ate, Corey and Mr. Hudson started playing catch, and Ruby was fighting a tree with her stick. Matt found himself alone with his mom, a rare thing indeed. He wanted to make the most of it, ask her more about Marius Quine, the Obsidian Compass, and this mysterious “powerful thing” Captain Vincent was searching for. But he didn’t know how to ask about those things directly, not without rousing her suspicions.

  “Mom?” said Matt.

  “Yes, chéri?”

  “Do you ever miss it? The Vermillion, I mean, and being Captain Bonnaire.” He had learned only little bits and pieces of his mother’s life as captain of the Vermillion. It wasn’t like she told them grand tales of her adventures around the fire. Unless one of the kids had asked her a direct question, she’d hardly spoken of anything to do with time travel. Matt wondered if that’s because it would surface memories she didn’t want to relive. Maybe it was a life she wanted to forget.

  “In some ways, yes,” said Mrs. Hudson. “I miss the adventure every now and then, the magic of the ship and the compass. And I miss my friends.”

  Matt knew that the crew he’d known on the Vermillion had not been the same crew his mother had commanded when she had been captain, save for Captain Vincent and the moody French cook, Agnes. “What happened to them?” Matt asked.

  Mrs. Hudson’s face contracted ever so slightly, as though the very thought of her friends caused her pain. “I don’t know,” she said. “I thought I took precautions for them to be safe without me, but things did not go as planned. When I knew that Vincent had the compass, I feared the worst. He did not always see eye to eye with some of my crew, and naturally they would distrust him once I had disappeared. I hope they were safe and lived happy lives, but it’s likely Captain Vincent discarded them.”

  Matt winced. In his head he knew the same was likely true of Jia. He just didn’t know if he could say it out loud like that, so blunt and ugly.

  His mom put a hand over his. “It’s not your fault, you know, what happened to your friend? You mustn’t blame yourself. I know it’s hard, but you mustn’t.”

  Matt nodded, but he felt a lump form in his throat, and he didn’t think he could talk about Jia. He hastily changed the subject.

  “You never meant for Captain Vincent to have the compass then?” he asked.

  “No,” said Mrs. Hudson. “I mean, I did intend it for him at one time. We were . . . close, but I had reasons to mistrust him, and when I finally decided to leave, I arranged for another member of my crew to take over the Vermillion and the compass, one whom I could trust to use it wisely. Or as wisely as possible, at least.”

  “Then how did he get it?”

  “Truthfully I don’t know,” said Mrs. Hudson. “I thought I’d planned everything so carefully, but even the best-laid plans can go wrong. I knew just after the twins were born. We were coming home from the hospital and a volunteer hailed us a minivan taxi. We almost got inside, the whole family, including Grandma Gloria, and then I saw the mark of the Vermillion on the hood, and I knew. It’s funny, for a brief moment I was thrilled. I thought, Oh, the old crew’s come to congratulate me! We’ll have a little party, relive old times! And then I saw Vincent. I saw the hatred and anger in his face, and there was none of my old crew, and I knew it had all gone wrong. The moment he saw that I’d seen him he disappeared.”

  “Didn’t you ever think about trying to save them?” said Matt. “Your old crew, I mean.”

  “How could I?” said Mrs. Hudson. “I had given up the compass.”

  “Couldn’t you have gotten in contact with someone who could help?”

  “Like who?”

  “Like the inventor, Marius Quine. He’d be able to help, wouldn’t he? I mean, he gave you the compass in the first place, didn’t he? So he must be on your side.”

  Mrs. Hudson bristled a bit. “Maybe he is, but I have no way of contacting him. Any dealings I’ve had with him have been strictly on his terms. I’ve never been able to contact him or find him. He can only come to me.”

  “Who is he anyway?”

  His mom was thoughtful for a moment. “I suppose he’s a dreamer, like you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. You’ve always had big ideas, big plans. I’ve always known you would do great things, Mateo. But keep in mind, try as we might, we all make mistakes. We all have regrets. Some we can fix, and some we can’t. It’s important to know the difference, understand?”

  Matt nodded, though he wasn’t certain he did understand. Was he supposed to give up? Move on? Was it just wishful thinking to believe their time-travel adventures weren’t over? Would he never see Jia again? He reached for his own compass inside his pocket. He had felt hopeful while making it, and now he just felt sad and heavy. His optimism that it might work was quickly chipping away. He clutched it tightly, wondering if he needed to let go.

  They cleaned up their picnic, took a few family pictures by the waterfall, and began their hike out. Corey sang “This Is the Song That Never Ends�
� about fifty times until Ruby threatened to end him if he didn’t shut up, and then he started singing “99 Bottles” while Ruby plugged her ears.

  Mrs. Hudson suddenly stopped in front of them on the trail and held up her hand. “Quiet,” she said as she cocked her ear. Matt could hear a faint, steady beat. It got louder and louder. He suddenly felt his body lock up.

  “Helicopter,” said Mr. Hudson.

  Matt felt like the world was spinning around him, like the earth was slipping beneath his feet. He was falling. Falling toward the ocean . . .

  Someone grabbed him by the arm. His mom yanked him off the path and into the shelter of the trees. The Hudsons all huddled together. Matt was pressed against his mom, her arms wrapped tightly around his chest. The helicopter passed, and the beat of its rotating blades faded, and there was nothing but the sounds of birds and little critters rustling around in the shrubs.

  Mr. Hudson told them to wait while he searched the area. Matt looked over at Corey and Ruby. They were huddled up against a tree, while Matt was still held tightly by his mother. He could feel her trembling. He searched his memory and suddenly realized that she always held on to him, not Corey or Ruby. Why? Did she think he was in more danger than them for some reason?

  A few minutes later, Mr. Hudson returned and told them it was all clear. Mrs. Hudson loosened her grip on Matt, but she kept a hand on his arm for the next half mile, and he felt her twitch at every sound and movement. Finally, she let him go and told him to walk ahead of her, said that he should set the pace. Matt knew she just wanted to be able to keep her eyes on him.

  When they arrived home, Gaga was waiting for them with a dinner of fettucine Alfredo, asparagus, fruit salad, and a big pitcher of grape juice for the kids and a bottle of wine for the adults. There was triple-layer cake sitting on the counter too. Chocolate with peanut butter frosting. Matt could smell it. All this peanut butter was making him nostalgic for the Vermillion. He imagined the crew bursting into the house. Wouldn’t that be a sight?