The Guardians of Island X (10 page)

Scarlet scanned the camp until she found exactly what she’d come for: Off to the left, two men sat on stumps, deep in discussion. One had pasty, pockmarked skin and meek, greenish-brown eyes. The other was her father. He looked older and even stonier than he had the previous day, with creases around his gray eyes and long lines on either side of his mouth. Though she couldn’t make out what he was saying, she was fairly certain it wasn’t about the nice weather they were having.

She pictured this father next to the one she used to sit with while he made canoes for the Islanders. They were so very different. The old father used to carve little stars for her to wear on a thread of twine around her neck. This father chopped the air with his hands when he spoke. The old father used to hum songs and tell jokes. This one’s glare could freeze an ocean.

Suddenly he stood and stalked off, leaving the pasty-skinned man looking like a dog that had been punished for chewing his master’s shoes. Ignoring another man’s offer of porridge, Admiral McCray headed toward the ragged path the yellow-belly had just cut. Scarlet followed him.

He marched down the path, hands balled into fists. But after a few minutes, a strange thing happened. The admiral’s shoulders suddenly slumped, and his march became a shuffle. When a droopy vine brushed his head, he barely noticed. And when a giant rhinoceros beetle buzzed in his ear, he simply flicked it away with a fingernail. The beetle took the blow right on its snout and tumbled to the ground while Admiral McCray drifted on unaware.

Scarlet paused to scoop up the insect. “You all right, beetle?” she whispered.

The beetle tottered around her palm for a moment, then took off in a loopy, off-balance flight.

Scarlet ran on tiptoes to catch up to her father, but stayed several yards behind him, congratulating herself on how quietly she could sneak through the jungle.

Maybe my Islander ways are coming back to me
, she
thought.
Maybe I don’t need boots after all. Or a—

She looked up just in time to see her father bending over to pick up one of her purple flowers, mere feet away. She dug her toes into the dirt and stopped short of running smack into him. Then she took a slow step back. And another. One more…

Admiral McCray twisted the flower between his fingers. He looked up as if searching for the tree that had dropped it. He looked left and he looked right.

Then he turned to look behind him.

Scarlet froze. Her father froze. He blinked. And blinked again. He took a step back. His mouth opened and shut, opened and shut. Suddenly he no longer looked like a hard-hearted King’s Man, but like one of the smallest Lost Souls waking up from a nightmare.

“No,” he whispered. “No, you’re not real.”

Scarlet took a step back, too. Did he really think—

“Don’t do this to me, island.” His voice rose. “Don’t show her to me unless she’s real!” His gray eyes darted around as if looking for more ghosts.

“Father,” Scarlet whispered. “Don’t shout. They’ll hear you.”

He glared at her, then shook his fist at the trees. “I said don’t do this to me—”

“Oh, stop now,” Scarlet interrupted, growing impatient. “The island’s not doing anything. It’s me, Father. Scarlet.”

Admiral McCray lowered his fist and looked at her suspiciously. “How do I know?”

Scarlet threw up her hands. “I don’t know. Here.
Pinch me.” She held out her arm, but he recoiled. “Oh, come on. Look here. I’m bleeding.” She raised her leg so he could see the bloody blue bandage. “There. Real blood.”

He stared at her toe until she lowered it. Then he opened his mouth as if to speak again, but all that came out was an odd choking noise. He bit his lip like he was about to cry.

“Oh no.” Scarlet was at his side in a second, laying a hand on his arm. “Oh, Father, don’t do that. It’s all right.”

He grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him. Then he engulfed her in a crushing hug.

Scarlet allowed it for a few moments before tapping him on the shoulder. “Father,” she gasped, “I can’t breathe.”

He released her, but he kept his hands on her shoulders, gray eyes wide. For an instant his frown lines softened, like a great worry had just up and left him, and Scarlet caught a glimpse of the father she used to know.

But only for an instant. Then he gripped her shoulders hard, giving her a shake. “Where have you
been
?” he shouted. “And what were you
thinking
, running away? Do you have any idea what you put me through?” He gave her shoulders another shake.

Scarlet squirmed out of his grasp, startled. “Well, I—”

“Look at you—you’re filthy! What on earth are you doing here?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “First of all, Father, what
I
put
you
through?
You
were the one who abandoned me with a witch. And, anyway, what do you
think you’re doing camped in our old village? Hmm?”

His face suddenly went pale. “Our what?”

“Our village. The place where I was born, where we lived with my mother and—”

“That’s…” Admiral McCray turned to look behind him. “That’s not…”

“You didn’t recognize it?” Scarlet couldn’t believe it. “How could you not? It’s—” She froze. “Wait, did you hear that?”

Her father looked around. “What?”

She put a finger to her lips, then grabbed his hand and yanked him off the trail and behind a tree. They both peered out as Liam marched by. By the look on his face, Scarlet knew he, too, had found the King’s Men’s camp.

“Who was that?” her father whispered, incredulous.

“Liam,” Scarlet answered. “One of my crew.”

“Your
crew
?”

Scarlet nodded. “I’ve got to get back to them.”

“What? You’re not leaving!”

“Shhh. I’ll come back. But I can’t stay now.”

“You’re
not
leaving,” the admiral commanded.

Scarlet rolled her eyes. She’d forgotten how tiresome grown-ups could be. “I am,” she said firmly. “But I’ll be back.” She turned to go, then turned back again. “You can’t tell anyone about me and my crew.”

“I don’t even know who your crew
is
!” he hissed.

“I have to go.”

Admiral McCray reached out to stop her, but Scarlet turned and sprinted after Liam.

Scarlet replayed her conversation with her father at least fourteen times that day and the night that followed. It was all she could think about—especially the part where he’d claimed he didn’t know he was camped on the remains of their old village. Not only had he forced her to forget her past, he’d also gone and erased his own memories.
What else had he forgotten?
she wondered.
Surely—

“Captain?”

Scarlet pulled herself back to the present. It was the morning after Operation Island Espionage, and Jem was squinting up at her from the grass, where he sat with his quill poised over his map. Several other crew members sat with him, all eyes on Scarlet.

“Um?”

“The King’s Men’s camp. It was about here?” He pointed to a spot east of the skull and crossbones that represented the pirates’ camp. Both he and Tim had come across the
Dark Ranger
’s camp while Scarlet was off having a McCray family reunion.

“Sure, that looks about right.” She shrugged.

Jem frowned. “It’s just that with cartography ‘about right’ isn’t good enough. You have to be very accurate…”

“Perfect, then. It’s perfect,” Scarlet snapped.

Jem looked surprised. “All right, all right,” he
muttered and drew a large crown on the map.

“That looks jolly,” said Tim. “But what do we do now? Are we actually going to attack them?”

“Sure, why not?” Smitty piped up. “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve become rather skilled with a bow and arrow.”

Scarlet gave him a tired look. Smitty’s arrow couldn’t hit the broadside of the
Hop
.

“And we won’t be alone!” Ronagh added. “The pigs’ll help. Scarlet gave them my letter, right, Scarlet?”

“Oh. Well, um…” Scarlet hadn’t actually gotten around to delivering the letter yet, partly because she’d had other things on her mind and partly because she didn’t want to pester the pigs.

“What’d they say, anyway?” Liam asked.

“They—uh—” Scarlet stammered, then sighed. “Look, Ro, I haven’t delivered it yet. But I will. I just don’t know…”
Blimey
, she thought,
if there were a medal for Worst Leader Ever, I’d be wearing it today.

Ronagh’s face fell. “You don’t think it’ll work? You think it’s a bad letter?” She blinked hard.

Oh no
, Scarlet thought.
No tears. I can’t deal with tears today.
“Your letter’s jolly, Ro. I’m sure it’ll work. I’m just waiting…for a good time.”

“Uh-huh.” Ronagh didn’t look convinced.

“Speaking of the pigs”—Jem looked up from his map—“did you know they were actually domestic in the Old World? The King’s Men brought them here not long ago.”

Scarlet looked down at him. “So?”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe that’s where they learned English,” Jem suggested.

Liam laughed. “That’s a good one, Fitz. And maybe they learned to read compasses and sail schooners, too.”

Cheeks red, Jem turned back to his map. “I think it’s a rather good theory.”

“All right,” Scarlet broke in. “I have an idea.” She didn’t really. She just wanted to distract Liam and Jem from an argument and Ronagh from her sniffles. “Ronagh, I’ll need your help. Liam, too.”

“What for?” Ronagh wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“To…” Scarlet paused, thinking fast. “To see if there’s some way we can hide the aras.” It wasn’t a great mission, but it couldn’t hurt.

“Okay.” Ronagh shrugged, and Liam climbed to his feet.

Minutes later they were standing beneath the ara rookery, watching sparkles of red through the leaves.

“Just as I thought,” said Scarlet. “They’re too easy to spot. A pirate could find those rubies in the dark.”

“Or a King’s Man,” Ronagh added. Scarlet cringed, thinking of her father.

Ronagh tapped her chin. “Maybe we can make a huge curtain with palm leaves.”

Liam snorted. “We might as well put up a big sign that says ‘Guess What’s Behind Door Number One?’” Ronagh poked him in the stomach. “Ow!” He reached for one of her braids just as someone came crashing
through the bushes behind them. They all turned to see Emmett, panting and flushed.

“A King’s Man,” he puffed. “Headed this way.”

“Already?” Scarlet cried. “I mean, what did he look like?”

Emmett paused to think. “Um…he wore a blue coat?”

“Forget it. I’ll go look. You warn the crew.”

“We’ll come with you!” said Ronagh.

Scarlet hesitated. If it was indeed the admiral, she couldn’t have her friends witnessing a father-daughter exchange. But if it wasn’t him, well, it would be nice to have some backup.

“All right. Which way?”

Emmett pointed, then ran for the clearing.

They tiptoed through the jungle, and with every step Scarlet grew more and more certain that the intruder was her father. She could feel his presence in her bones, just the way she used to when she lived with Scary Mary and would lie awake at night, listening for the sound of his footsteps on the stairs when he returned home for a visit.

“You two, go that way.” She pointed to the left. “If you see him heading toward the aras, distract him. I’ll go this way.”

Ronagh and Liam headed left, and Scarlet continued on, sneaking through the bushes until she spotted him.

It was indeed Admiral McCray, looking just as sour as the day before.

“Father,” Scarlet greeted him, slipping out of the trees.

He jumped, and for an instant his face brightened before he scowled again. “Scarlet,” he snapped, “I don’t like this one bit. I won’t have my daughter living like a…a…”

“A what?” Scarlet asked. “An Islander?” He shut his mouth. “Come on. You can’t be here.” She led him back down the path the way he’d come.

“Why not?” he asked, jogging to keep up with her. “You’re my daughter. I have a right to see how you live. And with whom.”

Scarlet grunted. He certainly hadn’t given a fig about how she lived after they’d left the island. Or with whom.

“Daughter.” He reached for her shoulder, and she turned to face him, hands on her hips. He looked flustered, as if realizing that commanding the King’s Men had nothing on commanding a twelve-year-old girl. “I must know what you’ve been doing these past years. You must tell me.”

Scarlet swallowed and looked away. “Fine. I’ve been…” Now she had to choose her words carefully. “I’ve been leading a crew.”

“A crew,” he repeated. “A crew of…”

“Children.”

“Children,” he said. “No parents?”

“Uh-uh.” Scarlet felt a tiny twinge of guilt for leaving out the crucial details.
Did that count as lying?
she wondered.
And did it even matter?
The Lost Souls’ most important rule was that their identity must be kept a secret from the rest of the world. That didn’t change, even if Lucas had spilled the beans to his new crew. Or
if one of them was reuniting with a long-lost parent. She went on to tell him that her crew’s mission was to protect Island X—skipping over the part about terrorizing the ships of both pirates and King’s Men.