Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Author:Laurel Snyder
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-04-05T04:00:00+00:00

15

Ben’s Turn

If things had gone as usual that night, the other kids would have withdrawn to their cabins, leaving Ben and Loo to get acquainted. Instead, Ben silently served up nine bowls of root soup, and then, finding himself out of bowls, poured his own dinner into a pewter mug and drank it down. They all ate more quickly and silently than usual that night, with their eyes on the new arrival, who seemed strangely at ease, and made a huge mess of his soup, not so much eating it as spilling it.

On the other side of Jinny, Ess sat extra close, so that their elbows brushed each time Jinny scooped another spoonful of soup. She glanced down, and Ess gave her a soft smile and bumped her elbow into Jinny’s again. There was that, at least. But when Ess spilled her soup, getting up from the table, and Jinny moved to help her wipe up the puddle, Ess said quickly, “No. I can do it my own self.” Jinny didn’t understand, exactly, but she felt like everyone was watching her, so she just nodded and went back to her dinner.

Usually, on the night after a Changing, the kids wouldn’t have gathered at the fire circle after dinner, but Jinny hadn’t left in the boat, so everyone was a little unsure of what to do. What was supposed to happen now? Jinny took the lead and started for the fire. And though the job of storyteller would have otherwise gone to Ben, it was Jinny who picked up where she’d left off the night before, reading from a book about an intergalactic traveler in love with a rose.

Though they all did the same thing they did every night, there was tension in the air, a nervous silence. Nobody argued or joked. Oz and Jak didn’t shove or punch each other, and even Eevie offered none of her usual commentary. Sam looked stricken. Only Loo was squirmy, fidgeting and grunting. He seemed to be struggling to sit still, itchy in his skin, so after only a few pages, Jinny closed the book and said, “Let’s make it an early night, shall we?” There was an audible sigh of relief as everyone rose from the fire circle to seek the privacy and rest of their own cabins.

When she stood up, Jinny reached automatically to her right for Ess’s hand. Then she reached to her left for Loo’s. “Come on, guys!” she said to them both. “You look tuckered. Let’s get you to bed.”

Eevie looked over sharply at that. “Wait, what?” she said. “Are you taking Loo?”

“Um, yeah,” said Jinny, across the dying embers. “I’m the Elder.”

“But it’s Ben’s turn,” argued Eevie. “Isn’t it? Isn’t Ben the Elder now?” For some reason she looked to Joon for help.

Joon nodded, a thin frown on her lips. “That’s right,” she said.

“No!” said Jinny, shaking her head in confusion. “That’s not right.”

“Of course Eevie’s right,” said Joon. “You got Ess, Jinny. Loo belongs to Ben. You know that.

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