The light in his eyes is back in an instant, and he jumps up off the floor, knocking the castle down and sending blocks scattering.
“Yes! Yes! Let’s play!” He jumps up and down with each word, a huge grin on his face.
“Let’s clean this up first,” I say, reaching over to pile the wooden blocks into an empty basket next to the crumbling castle.
Fin is still bouncing with excitement once the floor is clear and immediately launches into initiating the game.
“You can hide first, Lennox, since you haven’t played before. I should go tell mister Weston so he can play too!” He runs for the steps, but I stop him.
“No, Fin, how about it’s just you and me today?” I still want to be as far away from Weston as possible during waking hours. Fin hasn’t picked up on the coldness between us, but it is obvious everyone else has. As soon as Weston and I are remotely close to each other, whoever happens to be around gives us a wide berth.
“Alright!” he yells and hops off the step.
“Tell me the rules,” I say.
“I have to count to one hundred, and while I’m counting, you go hide somewhere. You have to stay real quiet until I find you.”
“What happens if you don’t find me?” I ask.
“That won’t happen!” he giggles. “Mister Weston always finds me. That’s how the game ends!”
I try to hide my smile. “When can I come out if you don’t find me?”
“You can’t. I have to find you.” His eyebrows crunch together, like he can’t fathom the game ending any other way.
I guess I am not moving all day.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
“Ready, set, go!” Fin dives face first into one of the cushions and covers his eyes. Numbers ring out into the room as he counts.
“Seven, eight, nine, twelve, eleven, fourteen.”
I stifle a giggle and tiptoe out of the lounge. There will be plenty of time before he searches for me, so I don’t rush.
Spending time with Fin isn’t my only motivation behind the game today. Searching for a place to hide gives me a perfectly innocent reason to wander around the ship. Sig said nothing was off limits, but there has to be something more they aren’t telling me.
I can’t shake the feeling they are hiding something. Whether it is physical, or just being elusive about their motives and plans, I don’t know. But there’s a secret somewhere. If there wasn’t, I’d already know everything about having a shift.
The Castaways are mainly on deck today, or tucked away in their quarters. Not many are roaming below deck, and the few I heard are in the mess. Checking over my shoulders to make sure I am still alone, I pull open a door in the hallway and peek in, only to find a small supply closet. I continue looking behind every door, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary. Closets, supplies, tools, bedding. Everything is neat and tidy, and I wonder if it is someone’s ship duty to stock them, or if the island does it.
The bottom floor with the brig wasn’t included on Sig’s tour, but I don’t want to go back down there yet. I spent enough time down there for now. I can check it another day. Heading backtoward the lounge, I can still hear Fin counting. His numbers are quickly approaching the end, so I need to think fast.
The infirmary is the closest door to me, so I quietly turn the knob and slide in. Choosing somewhere so close to him puts me at risk of being discovered quickly, but it’s fine. It’s only the first round.
The room is small, with only a stool and rectangular table, I assume for injuries that may require someone lying down to be treated. Looking around for a hiding place that will give Fin a little challenge seems of no use in the sparse room until I spot a tall cabinet door on the wall. I peek inside, finding enough room to sit comfortably, so I climb in quickly and shut the door behind me.
Fin’s counting drifts through the air, and I listen as he finally finishes.
“I’m coming!” he shouts loudly, and his footsteps pound on the wood as he climbs steps to the first floor.
So much for thinking he was going to find me quickly.
I sit inside the small cabinet, and it is the first time I have truly been alone with my thoughts since being let out of the brig. There’s no Weston, or Sig, or even Fin, to distract me from the tidal wave of emotions and thoughts about how my entire situation has changed. With all of my time spent plotting a way to escape or fighting with Weston, I have barely had a chance to process everything and let the change settle over me.
The weight of my situation feels like it is crushing me in this small, dark corner of the ship. Everything I came here for, I’ve been denied, and everything I found was taken from me. I have no healing waters, no friends, no family. No Dane.
Silent tears fall on my cheeks and I don’t stop them. None of Edmond’s hostility training had prepared me for this, nor the finality of it. Succumbing to the enemy was never part of thetraining, but you can’t really comprehend how it feels unless you are in it.
