‘No,’ Spinner said, ‘you did the right thing.’
‘What are you going to do with it now?’
‘I’m going to put it somewhere safe,’ Spinner said. ‘Thank you for looking after it.’
Later that day, Annalie was lying on her bunk reading a book she’d found in the canteen. Essie came in, clean, pressed, and smelling of conditioner, her hair a shiny miracle.
‘You smell nice,’ Annalie said. ‘Is it good to be clean again?’
‘It’s heaven,’ Essie said. ‘Did you know they have a hairdresser here on staff? She gave me a trim.’
‘Oh, so she did,’ Annalie said. She was not very tuned in to details of personal grooming. ‘It looks nice.’
‘Thanks,’ Essie said. But she had not really come to talk about hair. She had more pressing things on her mind. ‘Can I talk to you about something?’
Annalie looked at her curiously, then put her book aside. ‘Of course.’
‘We always said,’ Essie said slowly, ‘that this journey was about finding Spinner. Right?’
‘Right,’ Annalie said.
‘And I was glad to come. I’ve loved it—mostly—except for the bad bits. I could’ve done without getting shipwrecked and then nearly starving to death on the raft. But this has been the most amazing adventure.’
‘We couldn’t have done it without you,’ Annalie said.
‘The thing is…I’ve been thinking…’ Essie said, coming to the crux of what she wanted to say. ‘Now that we have found Spinner…’
‘Oh,’ Annalie said, suddenly realising what Essie was getting at. ‘You want to go home.’
Essie was stricken by the look of sudden disappointment on Annalie’s face. ‘It doesn’t have to be straight away. I mean I know we’re still a long way from Dux. I just…it’s been so long now and…When I finally got to message my dad, I realised how much I missed him.’
Essie’s eyes were welling up as she blurted out her feelings. Seeing this, Annalie began to get teary too. ‘Oh, don’t cry!’ she said. ‘Of course you have to go home. We’ve been so selfish, dragging you all the way round the world like this. It’s time we let you go home.’
‘You don’t mind?’ Essie said.
‘Of course I mind,’ Annalie said. ‘I’m going to miss you heaps. I’ve never had a friend like you.’
‘I’ve never had a friend like you, either,’ Essie said, gulping back tears.
‘But you’re right. It’s time. Send him a message. Tell him you’re coming home.’
‘Are you sure?’ Essie asked.
‘Of course I’m sure,’ Annalie said. ‘Sola’s working on a plan to get us home. I don’t know when it’s going to happen exactly but with a bit of luck, we’re probably only a few weeks away from Dux.’
Essie smiled, filled with a mixture of joy, relief and sadness. ‘Shall I message him now?’
‘Yes! Right now! Why not?’
Essie sat down on her own bunk and began to type a message into My Monster. The message went off with a growl. To her surprise, moments later, her shell began to ring.
She looked at the caller ID and squeaked with surprise. ‘Dad, is that you?’
‘Essie! It’s so good to hear your voice! Where are you, are you all right?’
‘I’m fine, but what about you? How come you can call me? I thought they were monitoring your calls?’
‘That’s all over. I’m free.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The trial, it’s over, and they set me free.’
‘I knew you were innocent!’ Essie cried. ‘Oh Dad, that’s so amazing! I can’t believe it!’
‘I’m not exactly innocent,’ her father said sadly. ‘I was found not guilty of the charges laid against me, but as a company we’ve got a lot to answer for. Things are going to change at Tower Corp, you can count on that. But that’s not something for you to worry about. The good news is, I’m a free man again. But you still haven’t told me where you are.’
‘I’m not sure if I should say,’ Essie said. ‘That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about. Our mission is over now—well, pretty much—and I’m ready to come home.’
Her dad gave a happy sigh. ‘Thank goodness! I’ll come and get you myself.’
‘You don’t have to do that. We’re coming home very soon.’ Essie paused. ‘What happened about the house? Did we lose the house?’
‘The house? Well. That’s a little complicated. But don’t worry—there’ll always be a place for you, even if it’s not quite as grand as you’re used to.’
‘I don’t care about grand,’ Essie said. ‘I just want to see you.’
‘Same here, darling,’ Essie’s dad said, his voice sounding a little choked. ‘I won’t hound you about where you are. But can you promise me you’re somewhere safe?’
Essie pulled a face. Was she somewhere safe? She wasn’t entirely sure. ‘Safe enough, I think,’ she said.
‘And what happened to your friend, the one who was kidnapped by pirates. Did you get her back?’
‘Oh yes,’ Essie said. ‘She managed to escape all by herself. We didn’t need the ransom money in the end.’
‘So where is it now?’
‘Oh, I’ve still got it,’ Essie said, feeling slightly embarrassed. ‘I can give it back to you.’
‘Maybe you should hang onto it, in case something else comes up.’ He paused. ‘You know, whatever trouble your friends are in, I might be able to help. You know I’ve got great lawyers.’
Essie hesitated, attracted by the thought of getting some high-powered help. ‘It’s a good idea, Dad. I’ll talk to the others.’
‘I have to go,’ her father said. ‘But stay in touch, okay? Don’t disappear on me.’
‘Okay.’
‘I love you, Essie. I can’t wait to see you again.’
‘I love you, too,’ Essie said.
‘I’ll see you soon,’ her father said, and ended the call.
Essie sat there for a moment, a feeling of giddy relief washing over her. In the space of a few moments, it felt like all her troubles and worries and fears had been swept away. Her journey was over, her father was free (not exonerated exactly but free), and now she could go home. It had been so wonderful to hear her father’s voice again, and it had brought with it
