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  Luna dug into the food, shoving heaping spoonfuls of eggs into her mouth.

  Dan said, “Plus, I have questions first, starting with, how many miles a day can you paddle?”

  Luna chewed a bit and swallowed it down. “Spring, with a blustery side-pushing wind? Or Fall, with a current pushing from behind?”

  Dan grinned. “I don’t know, average.”

  “Forty miles.”

  “Forty miles? Forty, that’s your average?”

  “Depends on the current, the wind, my mood, and my family—” She faltered for a second. “Everyone around me, how fast they’re going. But yes, forty miles. Easy.”

  “Easy?” Dan leaned back. “You’re a freaking ocean god. Sarah, do you hear this? We have a superhero on the ship. Can you take me out Luna, show me how?”

  Beckett came down the steps, beaming. That was Luna. Here, eating breakfast. Wrapped in his quilt. He said, “Dr Mags checked my hands, said they were better. The bandage is smaller.” He held them up and wiggled his fingers as he slid into the booth. He wrapped an arm through hers. She nestled her head onto his shoulder.

  He asked, “You good?”

  “Well let’s see, I feel better. I’m clean, dry and alive. You. And there’s a birthday party tonight, plus my new friend called me an ‘Ocean God,’ so, yes. But especially you.”

  He kissed the top of her damp forehead.

  Chapter 21

  After breakfast Luna went up to the main deck and solemnly looked at her pile of LITERALLY EVERYTHING SHE OWNED.

  Beckett lifted some sodden fabric off the pile. “This is your stuff, with some twigs and mud.”

  “It looks so sad.”

  “That’s exactly how I would describe it.”

  “Boosy is not supposed to have a crack through his middle.”

  “That wasn’t how I remembered him.”

  Tree was on the ground. Luna gingerly lifted the trunk and felt around the root ball. “Maybe with some new dirt?”

  “Possibly. We can get some when we stop. We’re going to the southern end of the islands, then straight home to Heighton Port.”

  Luna scrunched up her face. “That’s earlier by a few days.”

  “True. It’s easier to go back to Port than to stay out.”

  “So because of me?”

  “Probably more like because of me. I have some amends to make for coming aboard in the first place.”

  “I’ll help you make them.”

  Luna lifted the edge of her tent and scooped out a pile of soggy moldy smelling fabric. “Oh, my clothes.” She dug through the pile until she found the edge of a dark green shirt. She clutched it to her chest. “Good, your shirt is still here. I thought—”

  “I have more.”

  “Not this one. This one is mine fair and square. I scavenged it from the Outpost. Plus. . .” She tugged at a knot in the middle and spilled something into her palm. “It has your grandfather’s watch.” She held it toward him.

  “You can keep it.”

  “Nope. It was to remind me of you. Now I have you, so it’s yours again. But I keep the shirt.”

  Beckett secured the watch on his wrist and grinned. “See, now I’m super glad I came to get you.”

  Captain Aria appeared and Beckett introduced her to Luna. She asked, “Are you feeling better? You were completely out when you arrived.”

  Luna said, “I have a headache, and I was famished, but I’ve eaten now. Thank you for that, and for everything, really. I’m so grateful to be here and sorry about all the trouble I caused.”

  Captain Aria nodded. “You’re welcome. But as a Captain on the high seas I have a duty to rescue other vessels that I come across. I had to go out of my way to come across you, but that is simply a matter of semantics. And as long as my researchers were okay with the diversion, and they were, it was nothing but directing my vessel in a new direction.”

  “I hope that my being here hasn’t gotten Beckett in trouble. He…”

  Captain Aria smirked and spoke to Luna ignoring Beckett. “Let’s just say that since Beckett came on board he has made it exciting around here. Yet, somehow, he has ingratiated himself with everyone on board. It could be his incompetence as a seaman made him comedic relief, or his helplessness because of his injuries gave us a common cause, or his desperation to find you, but I suspect it’s his dimples. We hope to get him to shore before his smile causes real damage to this ship and crew.”

  Luna smiled. “He ingratiated himself to me too.”

  “I suppose he has what with all that heroism and all. And speaking of heroes. I’ve been out here three times this morning looking at this pile, marveling really. You travel out on the ocean with this little amount gear. I have been thinking about what I believe is essential to ocean travel and how none of that is in this pile. You really don’t use any communication or location equipment?”

  “No, we have ways of navigating and traveling without it.”

  “What about in emergencies, like if you find yourself alone?”

  Luna gulped and looked down at the deck. “I guess generally we think it’s too heavy for just in case. Unnecessary.”

  Captain Aria asked, “What about now, do you still think that?”

  “I know how to navigate by the stars, but it’s communicating over the distances, asking for help. That’s what’s so difficult.”

  “I imagine so.”

  Chapter 22

  Beckett stood at the upper railing watching Luna and Dan and Jeffrey on the level below, suiting up to get into the water. Or rather Dan and Jeffrey were suiting up, Luna had on simple yoga pants and top. Her paddle board, Steve, and the Zodiac had been lowered down in the water. Dan climbed down the ladder after Jeffrey.

  Luna casually said, “You’re going down the ladder, huh? Pretty Stiffneck of you.”

  Dan looked up. “What, but — how are you going to get in?”

  Luna looked up at Beckett with a question in her eyes.

  He called down, “Don’t worry about me, I won’t look.” He turned away from the railing as Sarah walked up and asked, “Are they in the water already?”

  There was a big splash.

  Luna came up and yelled, “Whoooo! Beckett I’m good!”

  Beckett turned back to the water and waved.

  Dan said, “If I had known you were going to jump, I would have jumped too.”

  Luna effortlessly lifted herself to the paddleboard and circled the Zodiac, giving Dan a lesson on holding the paddle and standing. Then she crawled effortlessly into the Zodiac while Dan moved to the paddleboard and sent it rocking. “Why’s it so small?” He got to his knees and sat there for a moment. “You made this look easy.”

  Luna laughed, “It is. It’s totally easy. Just stand up.”

  Dan got on his hands and knees trying to get a foot under him with the board shifting and rocking until he slid into the water.

  Sarah laughed and spoke to Beckett. “This is so fun to watch. It’s going to drive him crazy that she’s better at this than him.”

  Beckett said, “He’ll never get better than her, so he’ll need to get used to it.”

  “Never, but he’ll have fun trying.”

  Dan climbed back on with the paddleboard rocking up and down. He asked Luna, “Okay, how?”

  Luna laughed and shook her head. “Put one foot under you and then the other.”

  Dan jokingly glowered at her. “Very funny. The ground is moving.” He rose struggling and splashing until he had his feet under him, but was bent in half at the waist.

  Luna laughed. “Now you have to stand up straight, but loose.”

  “I’m not standing?” His top half was practically parallel with the board.

  Luna cocked her head to the side. “Maybe? Can you see the horizon?”

  “No! I can only see the board!”

  Luna giggled. “Okay that’s probably fine, let’s call that standing. Now put your paddle in the water and push it back.”

  Dan lo
wered the paddle to the water, lost his balance, spun his arms, dropped the paddle, it started floating away, and overturned the board. He hit the water with a giant, arms spiraling splash.

  He came up with a whoosh and pulled his top half up on the board with a grin. “Was I doing it?”

  Luna deftly fished the paddle out of the water. “Dan, I say this with kindness and gratitude, but it must be said — if you’re under the water, you’re not doing it right.”

  He hoisted himself back to the board with a laugh.

  He and Luna practiced for an hour. Dan finally got the hang of it and Jeffrey and Luna followed him in the Zodiac and returned him to the ship a while later. Dan climbed the ladder and called down over his shoulder to Luna still sitting in the Zodiac. “That is so tiring. How far did I go?”

  Luna called up. “Um, about a half mile?”

  He laughed and called up to Sarah, “Did you see me, baby?”

  She laughed, “I did, you looked like an ocean god battling your arch nemesis, gravity.”

  Dan climbed to the deck and flung the water from his hair. “I see how you guys are. Beckett do you hear how the love of my life is talking to me?”

  “I do, you should have awed her into silence by showing your ass.”

  “My luck is I’d get court-martialed. I’m not cute enough to get away with any of that.”

  Dan towel-dried his hair as he left for the galley. “I have a birthday cake to make. Better get busy.”

  Beckett watched Luna, remembering the first day when she paddled into his life, much like this, cheeky smile, paddling in lazy circles. She watched the horizon while Beckett watched her. Finally, she turned her board to the ship, shielded her eyes from the sun, and called up, “Beckett can you call Rebecca out?”

  Beckett and Sarah both yelled, “Rebecca!”

  Rebecca appeared a moment later, wiping her hands on a towel. “Yes?”

  Beckett gestured down at Luna, who called up, “Rebecca can you put on your bathing suit and come down? I have something to show you.”

  “Me? My bathing suit?”

  Luna grinned. “Come on, it will be worth it. And go quick, bring your camera.”

  Rebecca raced into the lab and came back a few minutes later in yoga pants and a bathing suit top. As she passed Beckett she asked, “Do you know what it is?”

  Sarah said, “I think she’s taking you out paddleboarding.”

  “Oh.” She climbed down the ladder to the lower deck and asked, “Should Jeffrey or Dan come, bring the Zodiac?”

  Luna said, “Nope, the engines would scare what I’m showing you.”

  “Really, what? Is it something cool, something big — tell me Luna.”

  “It’s a birthday surprise and you’re going to miss it if you don’t jump.”

  Rebecca took Luna seriously and instead of going down the ladder did an awkward jump out with an arm-flapping descent. She swam two short strokes to Luna who lifted her under her arms to the board and somehow kept them both balanced. Rebecca kneeled at the front and Luna paddled to the horizon fast, calling over her shoulder, “We’ll be back in a few minutes! Don’t leave!”

  _________________

  They were gone for over an hour. When they returned, Rebecca was exuberant. She began talking way before she got to the boat and continued nonstop. “Whales everyone, whales, Luna took me to see whales. And how do you think she saw them? She was paddling and noticed the water current. Then she saw a school of fish. She followed it with her eyes and in the distance she noticed a splash and she just knew. That’s all it took. She paddled me out there right in the middle of a pod.” Luna held the ladder while Rebecca climbed from the paddleboard. “Did you see how far away we were? Could you see the flukes?”

  Sarah said, “I didn’t see anything. How many were there?”

  “I think seven. One of them came so close I could have touched it. Gray whales.” She stood beside them on the deck. “It was the most amazing thing I ever saw.” She called down, “Luna do you need help?”

  Luna laughed as she pushed the paddleboard into the sling to be lifted to the ship. “Nope, carry on.” She climbed the ladder and joined Beckett. “I want to take you to see them, but I’m very tired, do you mind?”

  Beckett said, “I understand, we have always.”

  Rebecca said, “That was the most amazing birthday present I’ve ever had, thank you so much Luna. It meant the world to me. That was, wow.”

  “I’m happy to do it. You really haven’t seen that many? It must be the engines.”

  “Really? Maybe we need paddleboards for the next trip. Come on Sarah, I want to go tell Jeffrey about it.” They wandered off.

  Luna’s mouth gaped open in a big loud yawn.

  Beckett laughed. “How about I show you to my bunk so you can nap? I have about ten more chores to finish before I help everyone with the birthday party prep.”

  Chapter 23

  Sarah and Jeffrey had decorated the upper deck beautifully with small twinkle lights and a birthday sign. Everyone had taken showers and gotten as pretty as they could get on board a ship.

  At the agreed upon time they all clambered down the steps to the galley where Dan served heaping plates of orange pork with rice. Then they carried their plates to the deck to eat and drink in the moonlight with the open starry sky and the twinkly lights all around. They balanced plates on their laps and laughed and talked and Dr Mags turned on some of Rebecca’s music, a country musician named Pun Winston, causing Rebecca to clap happily.

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Again?”

  Rebecca said, “My favorite — my birthday.”

  After they were finished eating, Dan and Jeffrey took the piles of plates back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying a platter covered in a pile of small cakes with a candle burning in the middle. As soon as Dan’s foot hit the deck, he began singing a birthday song and everyone joined in, except Luna who watched, smiling, not knowing the words. Jeffrey begged everyone to use their hands to eat the cake because he, “Did not want to do this many dishes,” but Dan refused to, “Eat like barbarians,” and passed out more plates and forks, assuring everyone that, “Jeffrey will clean up everything. Don’t worry about it.”

  After the cake, Dr Mags turned the music up louder, some fancy mixed shots were passed to everyone who wanted to drink, and the laughing grew louder. Beckett requested a song by Blaise Portnoy and held out his hand to Luna who took it with a grin, and they did their sexy dance from the Outpost but with a lot of giggling, because Jeffrey was dancing a jig with Rebecca beside them, Dan was dancing with Captain Aria, Sarah was dancing with Lenny, and Dr Mags was dancing around alone through them all. In between songs, everyone except Beckett and Luna drank another shot, traded dance partners, and danced again and again and again.

  Finally exhausted, Luna collapsed in a deck chair and Beckett dropped into the one beside her. Dan dragged one across the deck, and he and Sarah dropped into it wrapping around each other. Captain Aria and Lenny took their leave to go to their quarters. Jeffrey grabbed a chair and Dr Mags returned to the radio and her DJ post. Dan said, “Rebecca! Birthday girl! Say a few words!”

  Rebecca stood wobbling a bit. “My friendth, old and new.” She hiccuped. “I think I might be a bit tipshy.” She giggled. “But I want to say I love you and thank you for my birthday. It was awesome.” She looked at her glass and seemed to lose her train of thought, then she said, “This world sucks. Most days. I’m the last one left in my family.”

  Dr Mags and Dan said, “Hear hear.”

  Rebecca tossed her pony tail. “I just — I lost them all in the epidemic. And I don’t understand why I survived. It doesn’t seem fair. Like I shouldn’t be here.”

  Beckett looked over at the side of Luna’s face. She was watching Rebecca her eyes wide.

  “But then I have days like today, where it seems like there’s a reason why I’m still here. Because those whales.” She hiccuped and raised her glass toward Luna. “T
hank you Luna. That was really good.”

  A tear streamed down Luna’s face.

  Rebecca said, “I’m shorry, I brought the mood down.”

  Sarah said, “That’s okay sweetie, we’re most of us orphans, we’re all of us the last of our line. But we’re family now, and we adore you. Happy Birthday.”

  Everyone raised their glasses and cheered Rebecca as tears spilled from Luna’s eyes.

  Then Jeffrey said, “I have news — speaking of, you know, orphans and all. I—”

  Dan said, “Out with it man, don’t leave us hanging here.”

  Rebecca giggled.

  Jeffrey said, “When I get back, I’m enlisted—”

  Dan said, “What?”

  Sarah said, “Oh no, Jeffrey, no.”

  Rebecca said, “But you’re in school, right? You don’t have to go if you’re in school, what about your family’s land?”

  Jeffrey said, “I was graduating from school this year, and I have this cousin, she’s got nothing, no land, no family. She’s really sweet, and they want to send her to the East. So I decided to go instead. I’ve had a pretty good time of it. I think it’s her turn to enjoy some—”

  Rebecca threw herself on his chest sobbing. “Jeffrey, that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard, but the East?”

  Dan said, “Why the East? Can’t you get a cushy assignment like Army here, sandbags?”

  Jeffrey said, “I don’t have any land or connections to bargain with.” He shrugged and looked down at the full shot glass Dr Mags had given him. “It is what it is.”

  Sarah said, “Jeffrey, you always have a place on our research team, when you come home from the East—”

  Rebecca sniffled into Jeffrey’s shirt, “Absolutely.”

  Dan said, “I want to joke something about needing someone to do the dishes, but man, this is tough news. You’ll be greatly missed.” Everyone raised their shot glasses. “Hear, hear.”

  Rebecca sat up and sniffled. “Well, since the trip is ending and our crew is splitting up and it’s my birthday, and I’m super drunk, I say we must dance again.”