noise now, practically drowned out by the creaking of floorboards and drafty walls. It seems like my eyes have closed for only the briefest of moments when someone is shaking me awake.
It is time to greet the sea.
THIRTEEN
ISAAC IS FRANTIC IN THE morning.
“Let’s get going,” he urges. “The Order’s been inspecting boats at random before they push off these last few weeks and I want to disappear before they start crawling the shore. Hurry, hurry!”
We are rushed through our good-byes. September promises to take care of Aiden and find him the very best of homes. We all peer into the bedroom before leaving, even the Forgery. Aiden’s dark hair is splayed out against his pillow, Rusty curled up at his feet.
We gather our gear and head out, Isaac mumbling about early departures and how we’re bound to get flagged down if we don’t pick up the pace. By the time we reach the docks, most of the team is stressed. Even Sammy seems flustered.
The vessel is larger than I expect, a looming giant emerging from thick morning fog. Sammy says it’s a fishing boat, a trawler , to be exact, but I can’t imagine sneaking up on any animal in something so massive. He laughs at this and says the boat is midsized, but when I look through the harbor, not many of the vessels surpass Isaac’s in scale.
The sky has barely started to lighten, but I can make out Catherine painted on the boat’s side. I wonder if the ship was named after Isaac’s daughter as a token of good luck or simply because he loves his child so much that her name helps him feel near her when he’s at sea. The captain left fruit by the fireplace when we set out this morning, along with a doll and wooden top, which makes me suspect the latter.
Isaac won’t let us board until he’s spit in the sea—yet another ritual for luck—and warned us again about leading with our right foot as we step on board.
“He’s something else, huh?” I say to Bree as we shuffle along the dock.
She stares ahead, hands grasping the straps of her pack.
“The captain,” I clarify. “All those superstitions.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, her face full of mock concern. “Were you saying something?”
“Bree, you can’t avoid talking to me forever.”
“Watch me,” she snarls, marching toward the boat.
“Ah-ah-AH!” Isaac scolds. “Your right foot first. Your right !”
Bree throws her hands up and even with her back to me, I’m positive she’s rolling her eyes. She switches her footing and continues forward.
Sammy nudges my shoulder. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing. Just Bree being Bree.”
He looks doubtful. “She scares the crap out of me, man. I don’t know how you put up with her.”
Bree’s arguing with Isaac now, something about ridiculous rules and delusional superstitions .
“She scares me, too,” I admit. “I think she scares everybody.”
Sammy gives me a look I can’t fully read. “Come on. Let’s board before Isaac finds something unlucky about us standing on the dock and delaying the departure.”
On deck, we are immediately put to work. Sammy and I end up struggling with the thickest ropes I have ever held, coiling them into organization as Isaac hurries off to start the boat. He keeps glancing at the shore, but with the exception of a few other fishermen, the town is still sleeping.
The boat rumbles to life a moment later and then we are pushing out to sea. The land fades away; Bone Harbor’s buildings shrink in height. Soon the people on the shore are nothing but minuscule silhouettes. I blink and they are swallowed by the fog. It’s just us and the boat now, battling against the choppy water as we sail northwest.
To be surrounded like this, blue in all directions, makes me feel like I’ve fallen into the sky. I get a little paranoid by the idea that the only visible “earth” is the deck I stand on. The whole thing makes me queasy and I take to wandering with Sammy as a distraction.
Everything
It is time to greet the sea.
THIRTEEN
ISAAC IS FRANTIC IN THE morning.
“Let’s get going,” he urges. “The Order’s been inspecting boats at random before they push off these last few weeks and I want to disappear before they start crawling the shore. Hurry, hurry!”
We are rushed through our good-byes. September promises to take care of Aiden and find him the very best of homes. We all peer into the bedroom before leaving, even the Forgery. Aiden’s dark hair is splayed out against his pillow, Rusty curled up at his feet.
We gather our gear and head out, Isaac mumbling about early departures and how we’re bound to get flagged down if we don’t pick up the pace. By the time we reach the docks, most of the team is stressed. Even Sammy seems flustered.
The vessel is larger than I expect, a looming giant emerging from thick morning fog. Sammy says it’s a fishing boat, a trawler , to be exact, but I can’t imagine sneaking up on any animal in something so massive. He laughs at this and says the boat is midsized, but when I look through the harbor, not many of the vessels surpass Isaac’s in scale.
The sky has barely started to lighten, but I can make out Catherine painted on the boat’s side. I wonder if the ship was named after Isaac’s daughter as a token of good luck or simply because he loves his child so much that her name helps him feel near her when he’s at sea. The captain left fruit by the fireplace when we set out this morning, along with a doll and wooden top, which makes me suspect the latter.
Isaac won’t let us board until he’s spit in the sea—yet another ritual for luck—and warned us again about leading with our right foot as we step on board.
“He’s something else, huh?” I say to Bree as we shuffle along the dock.
She stares ahead, hands grasping the straps of her pack.
“The captain,” I clarify. “All those superstitions.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, her face full of mock concern. “Were you saying something?”
“Bree, you can’t avoid talking to me forever.”
“Watch me,” she snarls, marching toward the boat.
“Ah-ah-AH!” Isaac scolds. “Your right foot first. Your right !”
Bree throws her hands up and even with her back to me, I’m positive she’s rolling her eyes. She switches her footing and continues forward.
Sammy nudges my shoulder. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing. Just Bree being Bree.”
He looks doubtful. “She scares the crap out of me, man. I don’t know how you put up with her.”
Bree’s arguing with Isaac now, something about ridiculous rules and delusional superstitions .
“She scares me, too,” I admit. “I think she scares everybody.”
Sammy gives me a look I can’t fully read. “Come on. Let’s board before Isaac finds something unlucky about us standing on the dock and delaying the departure.”
On deck, we are immediately put to work. Sammy and I end up struggling with the thickest ropes I have ever held, coiling them into organization as Isaac hurries off to start the boat. He keeps glancing at the shore, but with the exception of a few other fishermen, the town is still sleeping.
The boat rumbles to life a moment later and then we are pushing out to sea. The land fades away; Bone Harbor’s buildings shrink in height. Soon the people on the shore are nothing but minuscule silhouettes. I blink and they are swallowed by the fog. It’s just us and the boat now, battling against the choppy water as we sail northwest.
To be surrounded like this, blue in all directions, makes me feel like I’ve fallen into the sky. I get a little paranoid by the idea that the only visible “earth” is the deck I stand on. The whole thing makes me queasy and I take to wandering with Sammy as a distraction.
Everything
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