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For Jessi Gile Eaton
1
Sarah Robinson huddled on the cold stone floor of the cavern, stunned that the villainous Curator was, in fact, the small, blond, freckle-faced boy in a blue jumpsuit currently pinned under her stepbrother Marco.
Her heart pounded as she recalled the events of the past few days. First on the list was the unexpected and brutal typhoon that swept their skipper overboard and led to the wreck of the Moonflight, marooning them on a place they christened Shipwreck Island. They being Sarah’s father, John Robinson; his new wife, Yvonna Murillo; and her two boys, Marco and Nacho, along with the skipper’s big black dog, a Newfoundland named Ahab.
Then came all the strange things they saw and heard on the island, leading up to their discovery of an unconscious girl on the beach. When she regained consciousness, Cashmere Bouchard told them how her grandfather Sarge owned a sailboat charter business and was hired by a man and woman who seemed like typical—and snobby—tourists. But the two were secretly hunting for a certain remote island that held a stash of mysterious treasure the man had left behind. Holding Sarge at gunpoint, the couple stranded Cash on Shipwreck Island and said they would come back for her once they found the island they sought.
Cash told the Robinsons that she had fended for herself before being captured by someone called the Curator. After a day or so she escaped, which is when the Robinson family encountered her on the beach. Sarah’s dad went looking for the Curator, but didn’t return. Then Nacho had gone missing with Ahab as well.
So Marco and Sarah went to find them. Along the way, they’d seen bizarre creatures, including a shark on legs that had nearly made a meal of Sarah’s new stepbrother. Then they reached a cavern full of white modules, each with a frosted glass window and an animal inside.
Sarah glanced at the three nearest her and gulped. Those held something else. And Sarah could do nothing about it while sitting on the floor.
“Marco!”
Sarah sucked in a breath and froze again, afraid to move. Before Marco took control, the blond boy had used a white tube to shoot a net at Sarah, which was stuck to her leg. Cash had warned them about the weapon, so Sarah knew that if the net became entangled with the rest of her, she’d be immobilized.
Marco got to his feet and pointed the tube at the boy, whose eyes remained closed as his chest rose up and down. Marco glanced at Sarah. “Did you see that?”
Marco could only mean one thing: The boy had actually changed bodies. When Marco had pinned him to the ground, hands on his throat, the boy first appeared as an elderly man in a jumpsuit, then changed to a red-haired woman, then morphed to a man with chestnut hair. Finally, when Marco threatened to choke the life out of him, he turned into the boy, a shape that seemed to stick longer than the others.
Perhaps this was who he really was. Sarah couldn’t be sure about anything anymore.
She nodded in the boy’s direction. “What is going on here?”
The boy coughed.
Marco quickly tightened his grip on the weapon.
The boy opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He held his palms out toward Marco.
“Please don’t. I mean you no harm.”
“‘No harm’?” Marco’s eyes narrowed. “Seriously?”
Sarah pointed toward the closest row of white modules, where her father stood motionless, like a specimen in a test tube. “You … you froze my dad!”
“And my brother.” Marco pointed down the row.
Sarah glanced at the modules, where Nacho and the dog, Ahab, stood in the same kind of cold stasis as her father. A rush of heat made its way up her insides.
“How could you do that?” she cried. She took in the strange scene around her—all those containers, all those animals. “How could you do that to them?”
The boy rubbed his throat for a moment as he noticed the net still stuck to Sarah’s leg. He told Marco, “Twist the end and you can remove the net.”
Marco stepped a few feet away from the boy, until he was next to Sarah. “And why should I trust you?”
“I don’t lie,” said the boy.
Sarah scowled. “No, you just take innocent people and animals and turn them into … into … Popsicles!”
“But they aren’t hurt,” protested the boy.
“Then let them out!” Sarah shouted.
Marco added, “Yeah. Then let them out.”
The boy shook his head.
Marco twisted the end of the white tube and pointed it at Sarah’s leg.
She gasped. “No, Marco! Wait! You don’t know what—”
But before she could do anything, a puff of steam came out of the tube. Her leg tingled, and as she watched and waited with a pounding heart, the netting dissolved.
Sarah exhaled.
A knife that had been tangled in the net dropped to the floor. Marco picked up the blade, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
Sarah rubbed her leg for a moment, then bent her knee a few times. Convinced that she was truly unharmed, she relaxed and took the hand Marco offered her.
“Okay?” he asked as he pulled her up.
She nodded. “Thanks.”
They both glared down at the boy. He darted a few looks their way before lowering his gaze to his feet, which were clad in taupe-colored woven shoes. “I’m not your enemy.”
“Then who are you?” asked Marco.
“What are you?” asked Sarah.
The boy held out his hand.
Sarah glanced at Marco, then stepped forward and helped the boy up.
“Thank you.” He brushed his palms on his blue jumpsuit.
“How did you do that?” asked Sarah. “Change bodies?”
Still looking at his feet, the boy said, “It’s a long story.”
Marco glanced at the modules. “Are you going to let them out?”
The boy’s shoulders slumped. “I … can’t.”
Marco pointed the white tube at the boy. “Then I guess we have time for your story.”
Sarah’s stomach growled.
Marco rolled his eyes.
“What?” Sarah scowled. “I can’t help it.”
“You’re hungry.” The boy’s words were quick and pointed, as if he was in a hurry. “I can feed you.”
Sarah and Marco exchanged a glance. Cash had told them about the food while she’d been imprisoned. How it had made her fall asleep. Sarah shook her head. “We’re not eating your food. Cash told us you drugged her.”
The boy sighed. “Yes, I did. But I won’t do that to you.”
Neither Sarah nor Marco said anything. Sarah was so hungry that she considered believing him. Actually, she was beyond consideration. She was ready to eat whatever he put in front of her.
The boy said, “I’ll sample it first. You can see.” He seemed eager as he pointed to one side of the cavern. “Please. Let me show you to my cabin.”
“Cabin?” asked Sarah. “Like on a ship?”
The boy nodded. Sarah and Marc
o glanced at each other as the boy led the way. Marco followed close behind, still brandishing the white tube, while Sarah brought up the rear. She stopped to take one more look behind her, at the modules that encased her dad and stepbrother and the dog.
“I’ll get you out,” she whispered. “I promise.” And then she turned to follow Marco, hoping that she’d be able to keep her word.
2
Marco trod carefully as he followed the boy. He kept the weapon raised; he would be stupid to trust him after what they’d just seen. He didn’t believe the boy when he said he couldn’t release Nacho and John, as well as Ahab and the other animals. In fact, he found it hard to believe anything the boy said, despite his assurance that he didn’t lie.
But Marco suspected that Sarah didn’t feel the same way. She was scared—and hungry. They would have to stick together if they were going to free Nacho and John and Ahab.
They left the cavern and continued down a narrow white hallway, the walls and floors made of a shiny, glittery tile like nothing he had ever seen. The air in there smelled much fresher than in the cave. They passed a few doors. Was one of them where Cash had been held? Because the last few moments had proved to Marco that—despite his original feeling to the contrary—the girl they found on the beach had been telling the truth about her ordeal. And this didn’t exactly ease Marco’s mind.
The boy stopped in front of a door, startling Marco. “You go in,” he told the boy. “And don’t try anything.”
The boy’s eyes were sad. “I am not going to try anything.” He waved a hand. With a whir, the door slipped open to the side.
“Cool,” said Sarah from behind Marco.
Marco locked his gaze on the boy and whispered to Sarah, “He’s probably trying to distract us. Help me keep an eye on him.”
The boy entered the room.
Sarah followed and whispered back to Marco, “I think you can relax a tad.”
But Marco didn’t think he should relax, even a little. He took a slow, deliberate step into the room, which was as white as the corridor. Cushioned seats lined the sides, not unlike the seats of the Moonflight, and a long table connected to one wall.
The boy walked over to a console and opened something that resembled a microwave. “What are you hungry for?”
Sarah said, “A grilled cheese sandwich.”
“Sarah!” said Marco.
She huffed. “What? He asked what I wanted and I told him.”
“Like he’s gonna have stuff to make grilled cheese.” Marco rolled his eyes.
“Cash said he gave her a sandwich.” Sarah told the boy, “We met Cashmere, you know. The girl you held here. Did you know that was her name?”
The boy shook his head slightly and shuffled through a stack of shiny discs. He inserted one into the side of the pseudo-microwave and pushed a button. A buzz began and then ended a moment later. The boy opened the door, pulled out a plate, and set it down on the table.
Orange cheese oozed enticingly out from between two perfectly browned pieces of bread. Sarah stuck her tongue out at Marco. “Told you.”
The boy slid out a chair for Sarah. She quickly sat down and pulled the plate toward her.
“No.” Marco pointed at the boy. “You eat first.”
Sarah licked her lips as the boy tore off a chunk of the sandwich, then popped it into his mouth and chewed. He swallowed. “Okay?”
Digging into the sandwich with gusto, Sarah didn’t wait for Marco’s reply. She spoke with her mouth full. “Ish really good.”
Marco’s mouth watered as he watched Sarah eat. His empty stomach rumbled. “What else can you make?” he asked.
The boy shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
“Cheeseburger. With fries. And ketchup.” Marco held his breath.
The boy chose a disc, inserted it, and after a brief buzz, opened the door and pulled out a plate with a steaming cheeseburger and crispy-looking waffle fries, an oblong pool of ketchup off to one side.
Marco’s mouth fell open. He sat down before the boy had even set the plate in front of him. Marco took a hefty bite of the cheeseburger and had to shut his eyes as he chewed.
Delicious.
Sarah said, “Don’t you want him to try it first?”
Marco’s eyes shot open and darted to the boy.
The boy shook his head. “There’s nothing in the food. I promise.” He sat down on one of the seats against the wall and watched them eat.
Sarah asked, “What’s your name?”
“I’m the Cur—”
“No!” interrupted Marco. “I don’t want to hear it. Who are you really?”
The boy sighed, as if resigned to finally tell the truth. “My name is Leonis.”
“Like the star?” asked Marco.
Sarah raised her eyebrows at him.
Marco shrugged. His stepsister obviously had no idea how impossible it was to live in the same house as Nacho without picking up a fair amount of astronomical knowledge—facts that Marco had considered useless, until now.
The boy nodded. “My mother calls me Leo for short.”
“Where are you from?” asked Sarah.
Leo’s gaze shifted from Sarah to Marco. “I don’t know if you want to know. Or if you’re ready to know.”
With a full mouth, Marco said, “We’re ready.”
Leo said, “You won’t believe me.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “After the past few days? I’d believe just about anything.” She stuffed the last of the grilled cheese in her mouth, and then wiped her greasy hands on her shorts.
Leo stood.
Marco quickly grabbed the white tube from where he’d set it on the table and aimed at the boy’s chest.
Leo frowned. “I meant it. I’m not going to try anything.” He walked over to a blank wall and waved his hand over it. A large square portion of the wall glowed, then flickered into a screen. Leo deftly touched several lit buttons along the side, and a view of the starry sky appeared.
Marco stopped chewing and stared.
“Cool.” Sarah leaned forward and put her elbows on the table.
Leo swiped the screen and the vision zoomed in, revealing one star in particular.
“This is Sirius.”
“The Dog Star,” said Marco. He took another bite of food.
“Yes. And behind Sirius…” Leo swept his hand across the star, and a green-and-blue planet—clearly more blue than green—popped into the space.
“Is that Earth?” asked Sarah.
“No. It’s my home.”
Marco swallowed, setting down both the tube and what remained of his cheeseburger. “You’re an alien.”
“Perhaps.”
Sarah said, “If you’re from outer space, then you’re definitely an alien.”
“Then I suppose I am.” Leo touched the screen and the wall was simply a wall once more. He sat back down. “Like I said, I am not sure you are ready to hear any of this.”
“Will you unfreeze my brother and stepdad?” asked Marco.
Leo hesitated, and then shook his head.
“Will hearing all this help unfreeze them?” asked Marco.
Leo said, “I don’t know. The problem is…”
“What?” asked Sarah.
“I need help,” said Leo.
“We can help,” said Sarah.
Marco nodded.
Leo sighed. “I don’t think anyone can.”
Marco finished his meal and stood up. “We will. If you unfreeze my brother and her dad.”
Sarah nodded. “My dad is smart. He can help.”
Marco said, “So can we work out a deal?”
The boy in the blue jumpsuit jumped up. “Yes.”
Marco patted the white tube. “No funny stuff.”
“Marco, seriously?” said Sarah.
Marco frowned. “What? I don’t trust him.”
Leo said, “This way.”
With Marco right on his heels with the white tube, and Sarah following, Leo led the wa
y out of the room and down the hall, where they left the brightly lit cabin for a dark passageway with a rough stone floor, lit only by torches on the sides.
Marco didn’t recognize that part of the cave. “This isn’t the way we came.”
Leo slowed. “This way is faster.” He began to turn left down another passageway, but suddenly leaped to the right and slipped inside a doorway.
“Hey!” Marco lunged for him, then tripped and fell.
Sarah was so close behind that her feet tangled in his and she landed on top of Marco with a nearly breathless “oomph!”
The white tube slid from Marco’s grasp. He stretched his arm out, trying to grab it.
But Leo snatched it up and leveled it at them.
“You said you didn’t lie!” said Sarah.
Marco slowly untangled himself from Sarah and sat up. “I knew we couldn’t trust him.”
“I’m sorry. There is far too much at stake. I have things to do.” Leo backed up so that he stood in the corridor, just outside the doorway.
Marco got to his feet and threw himself at the boy. His head slammed into something hard. He dropped to his knees, clasping his head in his hands. “Ow!”
Sarah set a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Do I look okay?” Marco rubbed his head. “What was that?”
Sarah reached out. Although she didn’t see anything, not even glass, a substance lay under her hand that prevented her from exiting the doorway. She glared at the boy. “We were going to help you.”
Leo shook his head. “But you cannot. And there is no more time to waste.” He paused a moment. “I am sorry I had to lie to you.” He turned to go.
“Wait!” yelled Marco. “You can’t leave us here. We have to get back to my mom. She’s sick.”
The boy faced them. He seemed about to say something when Marco felt a rumble under his feet, a rumble that soon intensified.
“It’s an earthquake!” shouted Sarah.
Although Marco had never been in an earthquake, he didn’t think that’s what it was.
Leo froze, his eyes wide as he stared down the corridor.
The ground under their feet shook so hard that Marco could barely stay upright, and lost his footing. He set a hand against the wall to keep from falling.