Exotics #1: The Floating Menagerie Read online

  “Mr. Hightower told me to wait here.”

  “I don’t care. This is my office. Get out.”

  Mr. Hightower said, “Carol. Please leave.”

  “No.”

  “I’m sorry to do this to you,” Mr. Hightower said.

  “Don’t be ridiculous; you’re not sorry about anything.”

  “You know what will happen if we don’t get what we need.”

  “This is not how we do things!” Dr. Menney yelled.

  Mr. Hightower shrugged and pulled out his walkie talkie. “Captain.”

  Dr. Menney pushed the walkie talkie away from Mr. Hightower’s face. “All right. Do what you want. But leave the captain out of this.” Dr. Menney stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

  Mr. Hightower raised the walkie talkie to his mouth. “Never mind.”

  Tapeworm said, “What’s up?”

  “This little girl has promised to tell me what I want to know, but only if you beat up her friend for her.”

  “What?” Rachael screeched. “You liar.”

  Tapeworm grinned. “Glad to oblige.”

  Chapter 18

  Tapeworm pushed open the door to the Raul’s room, and Mr. Hightower followed him.

  Rachael was too scared to look, so she stood in a corner and hid her face.

  She heard Raul’s voice say, “Who is it?” then, “You!”

  Tapeworm laughed. “Come on, kid. Just try it.”

  “Ow!” Raul yelled.

  Rachael put her arms down and forced herself to turn around. She had to save Raul somehow, so she rushed into the room and charged at Tapeworm’s back. He was holding Raul by one arm and had his other arm pulled back so he could hit Raul in the face.

  Rachael only saw Raul for a second—she was too busy trying to fight Tapeworm—but his face looked bruised and was covered with bandages. Even worse, he looked terrified.

  From behind, Rachael yelled and side-kicked Tapeworm in the back of the knee. Tapeworm stumbled and started to tip backward, toward Rachael. Rachael ducked out of the way and grabbed his arm where he was holding onto Raul. She twisted his arm around and slammed her elbow into his face.

  She had never hit somebody so hard in her life, definitely never in karate practice, and she had no idea how to figure out what to do next. Tapeworm grabbed his nose and howled, taking two steps backward and falling onto the floor.

  She suddenly remembered what Sensei always said to do next: run. She headed for the door.

  Raul screamed, and Rachael looked back. The boy was clawing at the black box strapped to his leg. The light on the box was flashing red.

  Mr. Hightower said, “My dear, I can make it hurt worse if you like.” He turned something on his walkie talkie, and Raul screamed even louder. He was tearing at his leg so hard that blood was all over his leg and his fingers.

  “Stop!” Rachael said.

  “Why should I stop?” Mr. Hightower asked gently.

  “Please stop!”

  Mr. Hightower shook his head. “No, dear. Not until I get what I want. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is.”

  “You’re not sorry!” Rachael screamed.

  Mr. Hightower twisted the dial again. Raul sobbed and dropped to the floor with a thud, still clawing at his leg.

  Tapeworm groaned and rolled over. “I’m going to get you, kid.”

  Rachael had only half a second to decide: run or tell her mom’s password. She took one step toward the door and stopped. Raul was rolling on the floor, screaming again. She couldn’t think. Tapeworm pushed himself to his hands and knees. His nose was dripping blood onto the floor.

  She really, really wanted to kick Tapeworm in the face. But they were on a boat. Where was she going to run? She had to think. She needed time to think.

  She looked at Mr. Hightower and put up her hands. “I’ll talk.”

  Mr. Hightower couldn’t have heard her over Raul’s screaming, but he did. He turned the dial on the walkie talkie, and Raul stopped screaming, then curled up in a ball and whimpered.

  “Just don’t let Tapeworm beat me or Raul up.”

  “It may be a little late for that,” Mr. Hightower said.

  “If he hurts us, I won’t tell you.” She heard Tapeworm get to his feet behind her. She didn’t dare look at him. She could feel herself shaking.

  “Password?” Mr. Hightower said.

  “Promise!”

  “Promises mean nothing on this ship. Tell me the password.”

  “You promise me first!”

  Tapeworm grabbed her by the back of her neck. “Want to find out what a broken nose feels like?”

  Mr. Hightower snorted. “I promise. You know it means nothing.”

  “Let go of me!”

  Tapeworm shook her by the neck, which gave her a terrible headache. Then he shifted his grip from her neck to her hair and jerked her sideways. Suddenly she was looking right at his upraised fist.

  “I suggest you talk, my dear,” Mr. Hightower said.

  “It’s—it’s tiGerleely2319.”

  “Spell that,” Mr. Hightower said.

  “Lower case t-i-capital-G-e-r-l-e-e-l-y-2-3-1-9.”

  “Thank you.” Mr. Hightower left without looking back.

  Tapeworm chuckled. “He got what he wanted. Now I’m going to get something, too.”

  Then he hit Rachael in the face. Lights sparkled in her eyes. It hurt so bad she thought she was going to throw up. She landed on the ground next to Raul.

  She heard the door slam as they left and started crying. “He promised. He promised.”

  Raul whimpered.

  Chapter 19

  After a while, Dr. Menney came into the room. When she saw the two kids, she yelled. She yelled at Mr. Hightower; she yelled at Rachael; she yelled at Raul; she yelled at Tapeworm. But mostly she yelled at the captain, who wasn’t there.

  She lifted Raul onto the bed. The light on the black box had gone from flashing red to a steady green. She cleaned up Raul’s leg and put bandages on it, then gave him a shot that put him to sleep.

  Then she glared at Rachael and said, “You stupid girl. You stupid, stupid girl.”

  Rachael didn’t know what to say. She was still crying.

  “Why couldn’t you just—” Dr. Menney threw a stack of papers from her desk onto the floor. “Get out. Get out of here. And don’t come back.”

  Rachael got up and walked slowly toward the door. Her face hurt terribly every time she blinked or moved her mouth.

  “Stop,” Dr. Menney said.

  Rachael froze and turned around slowly. Dr. Menney shoved a paper cup at her; the cup had a small pill in it.

  “For pain and swelling,” Dr. Menney said. She closed Rachael’s hand over the cup, crushing the cup so the pill couldn’t spill out, then shoved her out of the infirmary and out of her office, slamming and locking the door behind her.

  Sponge was standing outside the door. “Ouch,” he said.

  Rachael looked at her feet. Even crying hurt.

  “Yeah, it hurts. But I saw what you did to Tapeworm. He definitely got it worse than you did.” Sponge laughed to himself. “You should stay away from that guy. He definitely has it in for you now. I think you scared him.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Rachael said. Tears rolled down her face.

  “Come on,” Sponge said. “Let’s take you back to your room. There’s gotta be, like, some clean clothes around here or something.”

  He led her up another two flights of stairs and stopped outside a room. “You’re with Cassie, right?”

  Rachael was still staring at her feet. “Yeah.”

  Sponge pushed a button on his walkie talkie, and the red light by the door knob turned green. Sponge turned the handle and pushed open the door a fraction.

  “It’s me,” he said. “Sponge. I’m bringing Rachael back.”

  Something growled from behind the door.

  “Come on, Cassie,” Sponge whined. “Tapeworm hit her. The last t
hing anybody needs right now is another fight.”

  Rachael heard something move on the other side of the door.

  After a few seconds, Cassie said, “You can come in now.”

  Sponge pushed open the door. Cassie was lying on the top bunk, reading another comic book.

  “Take a look at that eye,” Cassie said.

  Rachael burst into tears, crying so hard she dropped the paper cup she still had clenched in her hand.

  Sponge picked it up and set it on the top bunk next to Cassie. “Make sure she takes this. I’m, uh, gonna find her some clean clothes. I’ll be back.”

  Cassie slid down off the top bunk, holding the paper cup. She pulled Rachael down onto the bottom bunk and put her arm around Rachael’s shoulders.

  Rachael put her arms around Cassie’s neck, laid her head on her shoulder, and cried.

  After a while, Cassie pulled back the covers and tucked Rachael into bed. She gave Rachael a small glass of water.

  “Too late to worry about germs now,” she said. “Sit up.”

  Rachael sat up.

  Cassie held out the small pill. “Can you swallow this without chewing on it?”

  Rachael took the pill from Cassie and tried to gulp it down, but her throat was too tight. Cassie handed her the water, and Rachael took a big gulp. The pill washed down her throat. Rachael drank until the water was gone.

  “More?”

  Rachael shook her head, which made her face hurt worse than ever. She lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over her head.

  She said, “I’m going to escape. With Raul.”

  “What?” Cassie asked, still sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “We’re going to escape. Do you want to come with us or not?”

  Cassie paused. “It’s a ship in the middle of the ocean. How are you going to escape? You know Tapeworm will beat you up again if they catch you.”

  “Do you want to escape or not?” Rachael asked.

  Cassie didn’t say anything for a long time. “I’m sorry, Rachael. I can’t help you. It’s too dangerous for you to even try.”

  “I thought so,” Rachael said.

  Chapter 20

  After a while, Sponge came back with a tan uniform. Rachael wouldn’t get up to put it on, so Cassie left it at the end of her bunk.

  Rachael would have liked to have everyone leave her alone for the rest of forever, but she had to use the bathroom and she was hungry, so when the buzzer sounded and the lock on the door went clunk, she followed Cassie out of the room.

  Babra gasped when she saw Rachael’s face. Digger looked worried.

  Hideo said, “I suppose you think that makes you look tough.”

  “Stuff it, Hideo, you stupid spy,” Cassie said.

  “You don’t fool me,” Hideo said.

  Cassie turned and ran toward Hideo so fast that he took a step backward. She shoved him, and he went back a few more steps. “I said stuff it, Hideo!”

  Hideo rushed toward Cassie and shoved her back.

  Babra started crying. Rachael took her hand and led her up the stairs. She didn’t want to talk to Babra; she wanted to stay angry and come up with a good plan to escape. But after a few seconds of listening to Babra cry, she couldn’t stay angry anymore.

  “It’s okay, Babra,” Rachael told her. “Let’s go to the bathroom. I really have to go. And I want to wash my face.”

  “It’s this way,” Babra said in a tiny voice.

  Behind them, Rachael heard a loud thump. She looked back and saw Digger throw Cassie up against the wall. Hideo was already on the floor, holding his nose.

  Digger didn’t say anything, just glared at Cassie. Cassie put up her hands and said, “Okay, okay. We’re done. Right, Hideo? We’re done?”

  Hideo grunted something, and Digger let go of Cassie, then stomped away.

  Babra sighed and led Rachael to the bathroom.

  When Rachael was done using the toilet, she washed her hands and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eye was purple all across the top and bottom on the right side, and it was so puffy that it looked like her eye was completely swollen shut. Rachael could see just a little out of it anyway.

  She touched her eyelid. “Ouch.” But it hurt less than it had a little while ago.

  Rachael took some paper towels and washed her face very gently. Her clothes really were dirty. She should change into the uniform, so the adults would think she was cooperating, not thinking of ways to escape.

  She couldn’t ask Babra for help. Her dad was the captain of the ship. As nice as Babra was, she probably didn’t want to run away.

  She’d already asked Cassie, the scaredy cat.

  Hideo was a jerk.

  But Digger might help her.

  Rachael threw the paper towels away and said, “Okay, I’m ready. I’m really hungry.”

  Babra said, “Me, too. Come on.”

  Rachael followed Babra into a different room. Babra said, “This is the mess hall. Where everybody eats.”

  The mess hall was a long, narrow room with blue and white floor tiles and white tables with white chairs all bolted to the floor. Babra went to a counter. The man with the eye patch was behind the counter, on the side with the food.

  “Yar,” he said.

  “Did you cook today, Ken?” Babra asked.

  “Yar, I did,” he said. “Somebody caused a ruckus, so I had to take over for Sponge.” He glared at Rachael with his one eye. “And I see that somebody right there.”

  “I’m sure you did much better this time,” Babra said.

  “I wouldn’t be too sure,” Ken said. “It’s meatloaf.” He gave her a slice of meatloaf, a huge scoop of potatoes, and a glass of orange juice.

  “Thank you.”

  Rachael stepped up to the counter.

  “Whaddya want? Yar,” the man said.

  Rachael had to ask. “Did you really lose an eye?”

  The man flipped up the eyepatch to reveal a regular-looking eye.

  “I didn’t think so,” Rachael said.

  “Watch this,” Ken announced. He dug his finger into his eye socket and popped out his eye.

  Rachael gasped, while Cassie hooted with laughter.

  Ken popped the eye back into the hole and flipped down the patch. “Yar! It’s a good day, I freaked out another kid! Have some meatloaf!” Ken handed her a tray.

  Rachael walked over to the table where Babra was sitting and sat down.

  The mess hall door opened, and the captain and Tapeworm walked in. Tapeworm’s face was a covered with bandages, a big white square over his nose with big strips of white tape to hold it in place. He had cotton balls sticking out of his nose.

  “You!” he said. He sounded like he had a bad cold.

  The captain said, “You’ve already done your damage, Tapeworm. Get your food and have a seat.”

  “Huh,” Tapeworm said.

  Ken handed him a tray with about six slices of meatloaf and a pile of mashed potatoes that looked bigger than his head. Tapeworm grabbed the tray and sat at the table farthest from Rachael and Babra.

  The captain took another tray and sat next to Babra, who smiled at him. “Hello, daddy,” she said.

  “Hello, darling. Miss Rachael.” He nodded at her.

  Suddenly, Rachael had an idea about how to escape: she wouldn’t need Digger’s help at all.

  It was probably going to get Babra in trouble, though.

  Chapter 21

  Bedtime finally came. Rachael had been on The Floating Menagerie only one day, but it had been a very long day, and she was tired.

  She was going to have to be careful, or she was going to fall asleep.

  In the bathroom, Cassie and Babra changed into sleep shorts and t-shirts. Babra had brought a set for Rachael, too, and shyly handed them to her.

  Rachael took a shower and put the clean shorts, t-shirt, and underwear on.

  Maybe Babra wouldn’t get in trouble for what Rachael was about to do. Maybe she wouldn�
�t get in too much trouble.

  Rachael followed Cassie back to her room.

  “Goodnight, Babra,” Rachael said.

  “I hope you have a better day tomorrow,” Babra said.

  Rachael nodded. “You, too.”

  As soon as the door was closed, Cassie said, “You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

  Rachael said, “Who, me?”

  “Whatcha going to do?”

  Rachael was tempted to tell Cassie her plan; she’d been on the ship for a while and might be able to help her get out of the room tonight.

  The doors went clunk as the automatic locks slid into place.

  She decided to tell Cassie only a part of her plan. “I want to escape from our room tonight,” she said. “I have to see if Raul is okay. Can you help me?”

  Cassie said, “Sure.”

  Huh? If Cassie was too scared to try to escape, how was she brave enough to help Rachael break out of their room at night?

  Cassie said, “If you get caught, though, you have to tell them that you figured this out all by yourself and did it after I was asleep.”

  “Okay.”

  “We’ll have to wait until the middle of the night, when all the adults are asleep. Do you think you can stay awake that long?”

  “Yes,” Rachael said. “But I don’t think you can stay awake that long. Tell me how to do it, in case you fall asleep.”

  Cassie frowned at Rachael. “I won’t fall asleep if you don’t.”

  “Are you too scared to tell me? Or are you just faking about knowing a way to get out of the room?”

  Cassie said, “Promise me you won’t try to get even with Tapeworm, all right?”

  Rachael said, “I just want to see Raul. That’s all.”

  “Fine. Then what you do is, climb up on the top bunk and shove open the ceiling tile. On the wall, there’s a hole for wires and stuff to go through. Go through the hole, really carefully. Babra’s room is on the other side. They don’t lock her door. She sleeps on the bottom bunk, so be really careful not to jiggle the bed and wake her up.”

  “Thanks,” Rachael said.

  “You can have the top bunk tonight,” Cassie said. “But I still don’t think you can stay up that late.”

  Rachael looked around the room. “Is there a clock anywhere?”

  Cassie said, “There was, but I got mad one day about being locked up, and I broke it.”

  “How can I tell whether it’s after midnight?” Rachael asked. “Wait. Let me borrow some of your comic books.”

  Cassie looked scared then. “What are you going to do with my comic books?”

  “Just read them. It’s after eight o’clock because I saw the captain’s watch when we left supper, and it was eight o’clock then. It takes me about half an hour to read a comic book, which makes two comic books an hour. Four hours times two comic books is eight comic books. So give me ten comic books just in case I read them too fast. When I’m done, it should be after midnight.”