Page 126 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

And now I know what I have to do.

I have to find Elle.

And win her back.

For that is all there is.

June 2008

Star put the page down and turned to CeCe, who had tears in her eyes. It was still unusual for her to see, since her sister had always been a tower of fiery strength.

‘Oh Cee, come here,’ Star said, enveloping her in an embrace. ‘It’s so emotional reading about our families, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah,’ CeCe sniffed. ‘Just in case you were struggling to follow along, Sarah – the orphan girl on the ship – is my grandmother. I had no idea that she and Pa had ever met.’

‘More than that, CeCe. She saved him. Without her, he would have ended up throwing himself into the ocean. Without your granny, Pa wouldn’t have lived as long as he did. And none of us would be here either.’ Star squeezed her sister’s hand. ‘That’s amazing.’

CeCe managed to smile back at Star. ‘You’re right. It is pretty cool. But I could say exactly the same thing about the Vaughans. It sounds like Pa was so happy at High Weald.’

Star giggled. ‘Yes, that’s true. Flora in particular was amazing. But Grandpa Teddy nearly cost him everything! What a...’ – Star contemplated her next words carefully – ‘... bloody bastard!’ she squeaked, much to CeCe’s surprise.

CeCe began to chuckle too. ‘Yeah, sorry, Star. We can’tallhave hero ancestors.’ CeCe stood up and rubbed her eyes before crossing her cabin to the mini fridge, where she retrievedsome bottled water. ‘Want one? You’ve been narrating solidly for over a couple of hours.’ Star nodded, and CeCe threw a bottle across the room. It landed next to her sister on the double bed. ‘So. What do we think happened to Elle?’

Star cracked open her bottle. ‘I have no idea. It seems so strange. They were clearly deeply in love.’

CeCe perched herself on the edge of the cabin’s writing desk. ‘Unless Pa got it wrong.’

‘What do you mean?’ Star queried.

‘We’re accepting everything Pa says in the diary as fact. But it’s only his side of the story. Do you think it’s possible that Elle’s feelings weren’t as strong? Pa did have this psycho Kreeg guy chasing him across the world trying to kill him. I think even if you did love someone, it’d be a little much, you know?’ She took a glug from her water bottle.

Star considered CeCe’s observation. ‘They’d been through so much together. I don’t understand why she’d just abandon him on the dock. It’s all a bit weird.’

CeCe laughed. ‘That’s Pa Salt all right. A bit weird.’ She stood up and sprawled out on the bed next to Star.

There was a knock on the cabin door, and Electra appeared in an orange kaftan. ‘You guys done?’ she asked.

‘Yeah. Star’s just finished reading to me,’ CeCe replied.

Electra rushed in and joined her two sisters on the bed. ‘Holy shit. There’s so much to take in. You know that woman he met in NYC at the protest? That was my great-grandma! Well, kind of. She took care of my granny when she was little. What are the chances of that?’

‘Wow, Electra. We wondered if that was connected to you in any way.’ Star took her sister’s hand.

‘Oh, it is, big time. And can we just take a moment to discuss Georg and Claudia? What the hell?!’

Star shook her head in disbelief. ‘Yes, what a revelationthat was. No wonder Georg’s always been so loyal to Pa. He saved them both.’

‘Thanks to his super-rich grandmother,’ Electra snorted. ‘What a stroke of luck that was.’

CeCe was spiky in her reply. ‘I mean, I think Pa was due some, Electra. I’ve never known a person have so many bad things happen.’

‘Yeah, I guess,’ Electra conceded. ‘I don’t know about you guys, but I’m most curious about Russia.’

Star clapped her hands together in excitement. ‘Me too! We got a little snippet of it, didn’t we? Pa’s father worked for Tsar Nicholas II. Just wait until Orlando gets a load of that. He’ll probably explode.’

Electra sighed. ‘I won’t lie to you, Star, I’ve got no idea about any of that stuff. What does it mean?’

‘I’m definitely no expert. But I remember some bits and pieces from school. Tsar Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia. He abdicated in 1917.’