Page 116 of Under Story

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Laurel still has Nita’s contact information. She calls on the thirtieth of December.

Nita sounds breathless. “Hello?”

“Nita? It’s Laurel, from McMurdo.”

For seconds, she hears no reply, only commotion. Then a door closes and the background noise muffles.

“Which one?” asks Nita.

“The second.”

“Ah.”

If Laurel detects disappointment, she tries not to hold it against Nita. She was the other Laurel’s friend first.

“Sorry for the chaos. We always have our New Year’s party a couple of days late. I snuck into the bathroom,” Nita says. “Are you okay?”

“More than okay,” says Laurel. “We found Silas.”

Nita gasps. “You didn’t.”

“I know.” Laurel laughs. “I still can’t believe it.” She tells Nita about the cruise. “The ship stops at McMurdo. Will you be there? I’d love to see you. I’m really sorry that I haven’t been in touch.”

As she says so, she feels even guiltier. Years have passed, and she hasn’t even sent an email. Life with Eli and Silas seemed to require all of her attention—and it does occur to her that Nita didn’t reach out, either.

People move on. You’ll see, Louis said.

“I’m in Seattle,” Nita says. “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. I have the data I need. And Sam and I—well, we aren’t together anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Nita.”

“That’s okay,” she says, tightly. “It isn’t for everyone, having multiple partners. In the end, Sam wanted a full-time wife—not just an ice one.”

Laurel hears someone knock on Nita’s door.

“Listen, I should go,” Nita says. “But Louis is at McMurdo this season. I’ll give you his email, though he only uses Google Hangouts. You’ll have to wait until he’s online and pounce.”

—

Laurel adds [email protected] to her contacts. For weeks, she keeps Google Hangouts open, but the circle by his name never turns green.

She has plenty of other things to focus on. Despite her doubts about the portal, Laurel and Eli develop a plan. The Astralis will spend two days at Ross Island. A tour of McMurdo is scheduled for the first. Eli and Silas will remain with the group, but Laurel has received permission to meet with a colleague. She’ll bring the Pelican case to shore, claiming that it contains samples; then she’ll join Louis at the coffee shop, if she can manage to contact him. After that, Laurel will take a PistenBully from the dive locker and drive to Cape Evans. She’ll leave the Pelican case in the hut to wait for Silas, should they need it.

For the second day, Astralis staff have organized a hike to Observation Hill. If the portal works, Eli and Laurel will need to sneak away with Silas. This is the patchiest part of the plan, the part that puts Laurel on edge. It’ll require quick thinking—and, of course, it involves Silas.

They spend Christmas at an Airbnb in North Carolina with an outdoor pool. Eli insulates the Pelican case with foam; Laurel adds a blanket and a flashlight. They show Silas how to climb inside, and how to breathe through the air tank. Eli latches the case shut and pulls it through the water with a rope. On their first attempt, Laurel panics.

“Stop!” she cries, and Eli heaves the case out of the pool. When they open it, Silas is curled on one side and breathing as instructed.

“Fun!” he says, removing the mouthpiece. “Again!”

If the portal still exists, they’ll have to frame the dive to him this way. Can you climb into the case? Just like our game!

Silas is the focus of Laurel’s worry, but it also extends beyond him. She feels like she’s lying to everyone she’s grown to love: Clare and Maisie, the Rosens and Gloria. How can she leave them without explanation?

Gloria is eighteen months younger than she was when Laurel first met her. Her hair is thicker, and she’s started lifting weights. As a sophomore, she lives with three roommates. One is a paranormal enthusiast, and though Gloria scoffs, she regales Laurel with stories about her Ouija board. She still makes her own clothes, patching holes with flannel, adding embroidery.