Page 52

I find Ester and Nelinha showered and dressed. They don’t seem worried about where I’ve been. They’re used to my morning dives.

‘Orangutan pastries?’ I offer.

‘Yes, please.’ Nelinha takes a turnover. She looks me up and down. ‘I’m glad you didn’t get zapped by any underwater defences in the lagoon.’

Her comment makes me feel dumb, because I didn’t even think of that.

Ester picks at the crust of a faux-apple tart. She’s wearing her pink blouse and pink leggings today. I assume that means she’s especially nervous, since pink is her comfort colour. Her hair, combed back in wet blond coils, is already drying and puffing out in different directions. Like Ester’s thought process, her hair always ends up doing what it wants.

‘I was thinking last night.’ She stares at my feet. ‘You remember how I said theNautilusis dangerous? How I think it killed your parents?’

I nod.

It’s not like I could forget.

‘I think I understand now,’ she says. ‘After listening to Luca and Ophelia talk last night, I don’t think you should –’

Someone knocks on our door.

Ophelia pokes her head inside. ‘Ah, good. You’re all up.’

Her tone makes me suspect that she already knew this. There must be security monitors throughout the base, maybe even in this room.

Ester blushes and looks down. Top sits in front of her protectively, staring up at Ophelia as if to say,My human.

‘Ready?’ Ophelia asks me. ‘Are your friends coming?’

It takes my brain a moment to catch up. Of course. She means am I ready to see theNautilus. Jupiter’s turnover does a turnover in my stomach. ‘Uh …’

‘Yes,’ Nelinha answers for me. ‘We’re coming.’

‘I’d like them to.’ I look at Ester. ‘If that’s okay.’

Ester nods. Her ears turn the colour of flame angelfish.

Behind her steel-framed glasses, Ophelia’s eyes look sad. I wonder if she’s remembering my parents. ‘Very well,’ she says. ‘This way.’

Top trots along beside us. He’s the only one who doesn’t look nervous. Ophelia leads us down a corridor that is perfectly round, like it was bored into the heart of the volcano by a single massive drill bit.

‘Is Luca coming?’ I ask.

‘He’s already there,’ Ophelia says.

I’m tempted to ask where exactlythereis, but I have a feeling I’ll find out soon enough. I wonder if I should have waited for Gem to come with us. I imagine he’ll give me a hard time about that later. Somehow, though, I’m not sure a hyper-protective, heavily armed bodyguard would make me any safer this morning.

At the far end of the corridor stands a metal hatch that reminds me of an old bank-vault door.

‘Was – was this here before?’ I ask. ‘I mean, in Nemo’s time?’

Ophelia looks at me curiously. ‘What makes you ask?’

I have to think about this. The door’s plating and gear work don’t show any signs of wear or corrosion. The style is similar to other alt-tech devices I’ve seen, like the LOCUS and the Leyden cannon. But the vault door seems to radiate weight and power.

‘It seems old,’ I decide. ‘Like,reallyold.’

Ophelia gives me a dry smile. ‘Very astute, Ana. From this point forward, we will be entering Nemo’s original base. This door was sealed by Cyrus Harding shortly after Nemo’s death. It remained shut until we excavated it two years ago, when your father opened it.’

Ester hugs her shivering arms. ‘But the volcanic eruption destroyed the island. It said that inThe Mysterious Island.’