Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun (7 page)

“What news is that?” Archie asked, smiling broadly at Millie. Honestly, those two were
so
loved up — they were worse than Mom and Dad!

“We’re going on a vacation!” Aaron said, making a bit more effort to sound as though he believed it were true and didn’t actually know that we were being sent to a place so scary and so dangerous that Neptune himself didn’t want to go there.

“That’s wonderful,” Archie said, still smiling. “All of us?”

“No — just Emily and Aaron,” Millie trilled. “It’s Neptune’s treat!”

Archie’s smile faded instantly, like a dark cloud coming out of nowhere to cover the sun and make everything cold. “Neptune’s
what
? Neptune’s sending them away? Where are they going?”

Mr. Beeston took a step forward and cleared his throat in his I-know-you-work-for-Neptune-but-I’m-clearly-the-most-important-person-here kind of way. “It is by way of a thank-you, a reward, as it were,” he said. “Emily and Aaron have done some great things lately, and this is Neptune’s way of showing his gratitude.”

Archie nodded slowly. “I understand,” he said. “In that case, I have to go to see Neptune now. They will need escorting. I must insist I go with them.”

“Oh, darling, you’re so lovely,” Millie said gently stroking his cheek. “You’d do anything to help Neptune, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course I would,” Archie said.

“Ah, well, actually, it’s all sorted out,” Mr. Beeston said. “I have already been asked to escort them. So, on this occasion, you won’t be needed.”

Archie’s face paled. He stared at Mr. Beeston, no doubt angry at being shown up in front of us all. “I have to go,” he said eventually. “I’ll see you later.” And with that, he flicked his tail, dived back down to the lower deck, and swam away.

“Huh!” Millie said. “He didn’t even kiss me good-bye!”

“Well, at least he seemed pleased for us,” I said sarcastically. I mean, what exactly was his problem?

“He’s probably just jealous that he wasn’t Neptune’s first choice as chaperone,” Mr. Beeston said, a little smugly.

“Hey, did he mention that we popped over to see you on Monday, by the way, about five o’clock?” I asked Millie.

“No. Are you sure?” Millie asked.

“Positive,” Aaron replied. “Archie was there. He said he’d come over to take you out on a surprise date.”

Millie smiled indulgently. “How sweet, but you must have the wrong day. Archie knows full well that I have my Aura Reading class then. I wouldn’t cancel it for anything — not even a date with him!”

We hadn’t gotten the wrong day, but I didn’t say anything. If Millie wanted to believe Archie was the most romantic being on the planet, let her. I wasn’t quite so sure
what
he was. Right now, he seemed to be turning into someone who just acted strangely. Or maybe I was letting everything get to me too much.

I suddenly felt the need to escape. “I’m going out,” I said.

“But you can’t; you’ve got to pack for your vacation!” Mom exclaimed.

“Are you all right?” Dad asked.

“Shall I come with you?” Aaron added.

“I’m fine. I can pack later. I just need to be on my own for a bit,” I said. I didn’t want to be with any of them right now.

It was only once I’d left the boat that I knew exactly where I needed to go, and who I needed to see. And I couldn’t get there fast enough.

“Emily!” Shona opened her front door and swam out to meet me. She took hold of my arm. “Come on in; Mom and I are making crab cakes.”

“Can you come out instead?” I asked.

“What’s wrong? Are you OK?”

“I just want to hang out on our own.”

Shona smiled. “Swishy — it’s been ages! I’ll tell Mom I’m going out.” She disappeared inside.

I felt guilty at that. I knew she meant that I was always with Aaron nowadays.

“Mom says I have to be back in an hour,” Shona said, swimming back and shutting their big porthole door behind her. “Where do you want to go?”

“Rainbow Rocks?” That was where I’d first met Shona, and who knew — maybe this would be the last time I’d ever see her, if it all went wrong.

We swam to the biggest of the rocks and pulled ourselves to the water’s edge. Shona perched on the edge of the rock, her tail flapping in the water. I lay on my tummy at the sea’s edge, flicking my tail in the waves behind me.

“Shona, I’ve got something important to tell you,” I said.

Shona’s tail stopped flapping. “What is it?” she asked. “Is it you and Aaron? Have you broken up?”

“What? No! Of course we haven’t!”

“Oh, good,” Shona said, although I’m sure I saw a tiny flicker of disappointment in her eyes. “What, then?”

“I . . . I’ve got to go away,” I began.

“Away where? For how long? When?” Shona fired questions at me.

“I don’t know for how long,” I said. “I’m leaving the day after tomorrow.”

“How come you haven’t told me this till now?” She looked hurt. Then her face seemed to close up. “Are you going with Aaron?”

How was I supposed to explain? I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone anything, but I really wanted to give her something. I didn’t want her to think I was just going off with Aaron on a big adventure that she was excluded from.

Then I realized what I could give her. I reached into my tail pocket and pulled out something that I always carried with me: my friendship pebble. Shona and I had given each other these ages ago as a symbol of our friendship — and of the fact that we would always be there for each other, no matter what.

“I want you to have this,” I said.

“But it’s yours!” Shona said. “If I take it, what will you have?” Then her eyes danced with an idea. She reached into her own tail pocket and pulled out her identical pebble. “Let’s swap them! That way, we both have something really special of each other’s.”

“Kind of like saying we’re not really apart?”

“Exactly!”

We swapped pebbles, and Shona looked a bit happier. But it still wasn’t enough. I wanted to give her more. Then I had a thought. I had my shell from Neptune on me. What if I gave it to Shona? We’d still have Aaron’s, so we could talk to Neptune, but it would mean I could keep in touch with Shona while we were away, too. And it would
really
show her how important she was to me.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I pulled the shell out of my pocket. “Shona, take this,” I said.

She looked at the shell. “What is it?”

I took a breath. How much could I tell her? “Neptune has organized this trip,” I said. “He’s told everyone it’s a vacation, but . . .” I stopped. “Look,
promise
you won’t tell anyone.”

“Of course I won’t. I thought you knew you could trust me.”

“I do. That’s why I’m telling you.” I glanced around nervously and lowered my voice. “It’s not a vacation,” I whispered.

Shona leaned in and whispered back, “What is it?”

“A mission.”

Shona’s eyes widened. “A mission? That sounds exciting!”

I thought of Neptune’s nightmares, his fears. “Hmm,” I said. “Maybe. But listen — he’s given us these shell phones. We can talk to each other with them. I want you to have mine.” I held out the shell for her. “We’ve still got Aaron’s to talk to Neptune, and you can call me on that one. Just say ‘silver’ into the shell, and Aaron’s phone will light up.”

Shona took the shell phone and turned it around in her hands. “Really? You’re sure?”

I nodded. “For emergencies only, OK?”

Shona closed her hand around the shell. “Like if I’m missing you too much, or have some gossip that I absolutely
have
to share with you,” she said, smiling.

I smiled back. “Exactly!”

Shona laughed softly. “No, I know it’s not for that. I probably won’t use it. I don’t want to get you into trouble. But I’m glad you gave it to me.”

“You’re my best friend,” I said simply.

Shona smiled and threw her arms around my neck. “You’re the
best
best friend in the world,” she said.

I knew I wasn’t, especially considering how much I’d neglected her lately. But I was really glad she still thought I was. I silently promised myself I would be a much better friend when this was all over.

Shona swished her tail and dived under the water. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go back to my house. I bet the crab cakes are done by now.”

And for the first time all week, as Shona and I swam along, chatting about all the trivial details of our lives, I briefly forgot about Neptune and his nightmares.

Friday morning came around far too quickly.

Neptune had told us to wait at the end of the pier. He’d organized a boat to pick us up and take us to where the cruise ship was waiting; it was one of those underwater pellet-shaped things that was half speedboat, half submarine. In any other circumstances, the adrenaline coursing through my blood would have been because of excitement. Not today. My body was shaking with nerves.

“It’s going to be OK,” Aaron told me.

Mom was on the other side of me. She put her arm around my shoulders. “Hey, cheer up, you two — anyone would think you were being sent off to war, not on a vacation!”

She had no idea how close to the truth she was.

“Yes, of course, ha, ha,” I said, forcing a jolly laugh into my voice. “I’m just sad to be leaving you.”

“Me too, sausage,” Mom said, giving me a squeeze. I could see how difficult she was finding it, and how hard she was trying not to show it. “You’ll be back soon enough, though, won’t you?”

“We’ll be back before you know it!” Mr. Beeston chipped in, coming up fast behind us. “And don’t worry,” he added. “I’ll be there to look after them all the time.”

We reached the end of the pier just as Dad popped his head up from under the water. “It’s here,” he said.

A moment later, the boat rose high enough for us to see a door open at the top.

I turned to give Mom one last hug and pretended not to notice the tear on her cheek wetting my own face as she held me close.

And then Aaron and I headed over to the ladder at the end of the jetty.

“WAAAAIIIIT! Hold on!”

I turned to see someone running down the jetty toward us, a suitcase with clothes bursting out of it in her hand. Millie!

“Wait for me!” she shouted. “I’m coming, too!”

She caught up with us and, panting for breath, explained. “Archie knows someone at the boat company, and he managed to snag me a place! Isn’t that great?”

“Well, yes, it’s brilliant,” I said. “But how come? I don’t understand.”

“He’s so well connected with his work. He said it was his gift to me because I’ve been under so much pressure lately.”

Millie had been under pressure? It was the first I’d heard of it.

“My bad dreams, and starting the new class and everything,” she explained stiffly, seeing my surprise. “Anyway, you know how romantic he is — always surprising me with this, that, and the other. So he arranged it. I just have to do a few tarot readings and a chakra session or two for the crew, and the captain said I can come!”

“Millie, that’s wonderful,” Mom said. “I’m glad you’ll be there to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re OK.”

Mr. Beeston coughed pointedly.

“As well as the fine job that Mr. Beeston will obviously be doing,” Mom added quickly.

“Hmm,” Mr. Beeston said. “I suppose it can’t do any harm having two of us to watch them.”

“Exactly.” Millie beamed. “Right, let’s go.”

She passed her suitcase to Aaron and he clambered down the ladder with it above his head.

And then we were on the submarine, waving through the door at the top till Mom and Dad and Aaron’s mom were specks in the distance.

A voice came over the loudspeaker. “Everybody inside. Going under.”

We closed the door and took our seats down below.

This was it, then. After all the talking, the planning, the preparing — we were finally on our way to the world of Neptune’s nightmares.