‘Did you slither up through the drains?’ Stella shot back.
The boy glared at her. ‘I’m here for an expedition. The Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club are going to be the first explorers ever to reach the coldest part of the Icelands.’
Stella gaped at him. ‘You can’t be. That’s what we’re going to do!’
‘Not likely,’ the boy said.
Stella didn’t like the way he was staring so openly at her hair, which she had tied back into a long ponytail. It wasn’t unusual for people to be curious about her appearance on first meeting her, especially when they’d never seen white hair like hers before, but even so, it was terribly rude to stare like that.
Stella lifted her head a little higher, calmly smoothed an imaginary wrinkle from the dove-coloured skirts of her travelling dress, and said, ‘I still don’t understand why you’re even here, when you’re not a Polar Bear club member.’
The boy gave her a superior look. ‘Don’t you know anything? We’re being hosted as guest explorers. Our two expeditions will take the same ship to the Icelands. It’s less expensive that way.’
‘So what’s your role, then?’ Stella asked. ‘Are you a squidologist? You look like a squidologist to me.’
‘I am not a squidologist!’ The boy drew himself up to his full height. ‘My name is Ethan Edward Rook, and I’m a magician.’
‘Do some magic, then.’
Ethan looked momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered himself and said, ‘All right, if you want me to. Hold out your hand, girl.’
‘Don’t call me “girl”. My name is Stella. Stella Starflake Pearl.’
Ethan looked down his nose at her. She gave him her fiercest stare right back.
‘Only explorers have three names,’ he said.
‘That must make me an explorer, then.’
Ethan shrugged and gestured impatiently for her hand. Stella held it out palm upwards. One side of Ethan’s mouth twisted in a half smile as he held both his hands over hers and said, ‘I hope you’re not afraid of snakes.’
Stella was a little bit unsure about snakes, but she gritted her teeth and promised herself that she absolutely would not flinch if one magically appeared on her hand. Ethan’s eyes narrowed in concentration and the air between their two hands shimmered, causing Stella’s skin to tingle. But perhaps part of Ethan’s mind was still thinking of the polar beans painted on the ceiling above them, because, when the shimmering air formed into a solid shape, there was no fearsome snake – but five polar beans all jumping up and down on Stella’s palm, giggling and laughing and clapping their tiny hands together.
Stella gave a snort of laughter, and glanced at Ethan to see that his pale face was flushed with embarrassment. He clenched his hand into a fist and thumped it against the wall hard enough to rattle the framed flag that hung there.
‘Drat!’ he exclaimed.
‘No need to be a sore loser about it,’ Stella laughed. She leaned down to set the polar beans on the floor where they skipped, cartwheeled and frolicked their way around the hall. ‘Squidologists can’t make beans out of thin air, so I believe you’re a magician now at least – just not a very good one.’
Ethan fixed her with an icy grey stare. Stella distinctly saw his nostrils flare. ‘I am an excellent magician,’ he said. ‘You’re just a stupid girl who doesn’t know what she’s talking about.’
Stella was about to offer the nastiest insult she could think of in return when the door opened behind them, and Felix walked in. ‘Ah, there you are,’ he said. ‘I’ve been looking high and low for you.’
He didn’t raise his voice or sound angry, but Stella could hear the edge of disappointment in his tone, which was somehow worse. Suddenly, she felt no bigger than the polar beans merrily sliding up and down the polished floor of the hall.
‘I’m sorry, Felix,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to see the Map Room.’
Felix raised an eyebrow slightly. ‘This is the Hall of Flags.’
‘I got lost,’ Stella admitted.
Ethan gave a snort beside her.
‘Well, I’m glad to see you’re making friends, at least,’ Felix said, walking over to them. He held his hand out to Ethan and said, ‘Felix Evelyn Pearl. Delighted to meet you.’
Ethan looked at Felix’s outstretched hand with an expression of distaste, and Stella decided – right then and there – that if Ethan didn’t shake Felix’s hand within the next five seconds, she was going to bop him on the nose. Really, really hard. Fortunately for Ethan, he eventually took Felix’s hand and said, ‘Ethan Edward Rook.’
‘How do you do?’ Felix said. ‘I just met your father in the corridor.’
Ethan instantly looked a little shifty, and Stella wondered whether he had wandered off against instructions too.
Felix turned to her and said, ‘You’ll be pleased to hear that the president has agreed you can come on the expedition with us. You’ll need to take the explorers’ pledge, and then we’ll be off.’ He turned back to Ethan and said, ‘We’ll see you on the ship, Master Rook.’
Stella felt a sense of smug satisfaction at the stunned expression on Ethan’s face, and couldn’t resist poking her tongue out at him as she followed Felix from the room. She really was going on the expedition! The president hadn’t forbidden it after all. And there was nothing Ethan Edward Rook, or anyone else, could do to stop her.
CHAPTER SIX
‘I really am sorry,’ Stella said to Felix as they walked down the corridor.
‘What are you sorry for, Stella?’ he asked.
‘Well, for not staying outside like you asked me to. And for … for disappointing you.’
Felix stopped and turned towards her. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘this is your first expedition so everything is going to seem new and strange and exciting to you. But, Stella, you absolutely must do as I say from now on. It wasn’t easy getting the president to agree to you coming along. And if anything goes wrong with the expedition as a result, then I will certainly
