Island of Dragons (Unwanteds #7)(17)

“Oh,” Kaylee said, “it would be all over the news channels and the Internet in about ten seconds. Nobody would be able to keep a secret like that for long.”

“The Inter-what?” asked Alex.

Kaylee sighed, looking suddenly weary. “Nothing. Never mind. Nobody’s ever returned—you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

Lani bit her lip. “So,” she said softly, “now that we know where we are, and we know there’s no way back to your world, what can we do to help you?”

Kaylee blinked hard and tried to appear brave. “I think you keep doing what you’ve been doing all along. We make the best world we can, wherever we are. Because the next person to end up here will definitely be just as sad as I am right now.” She looked at the others. “But at least there’s a chance they can be sad with friends.”





Aaron’s Last Secret


When Aaron returned through the tube after many hours spent in the jungle playing stay and attack with Panther, the kitchenette and hallway were dark. He stayed in the tube for a moment, looking at the buttons in the dim light from the window. Would the button to Haluki’s house work now that the tube had been destroyed in the fire? What would happen if he tested it?

He was tempted to try them all out individually. Indeed if he had been feeling reckless, he might have. But now he had creatures and people counting on him. What if he pushed the button that led to the broken tube on Ishibashi’s island and he got stuck somewhere in the invisible in-between? There weren’t many things more frightening to Aaron than disappearing into thin air, never to be seen again.

He stepped out, thinking of his scientist friends. He was growing more and more anxious to go back. It seemed like a perfect time to leave now that the Quillens were settled in their little housing rows.

Aaron’s footsteps echoed down the wide hallway. Seeing light streaming from under the door that led to Alex’s living quarters, Aaron stopped and knocked.

“Come in,” Alex called.

Aaron opened the door and stepped inside. “Hi,” Aaron said. “Am I disturbing you?”

Alex looked up from the small desk, where books lay scattered about. On the floor were three or four tottering piles of them. “No, come in. Have a seat.” Alex shoved the hair off his forehead and pushed his chair back. He wore the slightly dazed look of someone who had just returned to real life after having been lost in another world for hours.

Aaron’s expression was similar. He sat on the bed. “Sorry about earlier.”

“It’s okay,” said Alex. “It’s actually really great that you’re so naturally magical. I mean, I know I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. You saved me. And Artimé. I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive about it.”

“Everybody fought hard,” Aaron said, shrugging off the compliment. “I just got lucky.”

“It’s more than luck,” Alex said. “I guess I’m a bit jealous that it comes so easily to you.”

“It doesn’t, actually, but whatever,” said Aaron lightly. He changed the subject. “How’s everything in the new Quill? Or are we calling everything Artimé now?”

“We’ll keep it Quill, I think,” said Alex. “It’s confusing otherwise, isn’t it?”

Aaron nodded. “Too confusing. Besides, the Quillens won’t call it Artimé, so why fight them on it?”

“Good point. It’s settled, then.” Alex folded his hands in his lap and tipped his chair back to balance on two legs. “What other crises can we solve today?”

Aaron glanced around the room, catching his reflection in the large mirror on Alex’s wall. Mirrors still startled Aaron at times, even in his own room, so he’d covered his up with paper. Now, though, he looked at his reflection and touched the scruff on his chin absently, studying it. There were some scratchy bits among the soft fuzz now, and he could see that the scratchy bits were as black as his sisters’ eyes. “We look like our father,” he said.

“Unfortunately,” Alex said with a wry grin, but the humor was lost on Aaron.

Aaron turned abruptly. “I was wondering . . . The reason I’ve come . . . Well, um, first, is everything going as it should?”

“How do you mean?” asked Alex.

“With Quill. Have I fulfilled my end of the agreement?”

Alex let his chair rest on all four legs. He leaned forward. “Yes,” he said. “Of course you have. More than.”

Aaron studied his brother, and found it suddenly difficult to speak. “If it’s all right with you, then, I’d like to go back to the Island of Shipwrecks,” he said.

Alex’s mouth twitched. He let out a sigh. “Oh,” he said. “Well, sure.” He stood abruptly and swung around to stand behind the chair, putting his hands on the back of it and leaning forward. “That is, if you really want to. You . . . you don’t have to. You know that, right? I—we like having you here. Most of us, anyway.”

Aaron dropped his gaze. “I know. I’d like to go, though. Ishibashi must be worried about me by now—it’s been months. So if we could leave as soon as it’s convenient for you to take me there, well, that would be good.”

Alex was quiet. “Sure,” he said. After a minute he nodded. “We can leave once we hear back from Pan to make sure Henry made it to the Island of Legends all right. Does that sound okay?”