XXVIII

Jayreenn, the Large Island

———

The thick layer of snow became thinner and thinner as they slogged away from the place where the trucks were. Also, the trees became farther from each other.

"I think we should borrow some horses from a ranch," Tom suggested and raised his right foot. "Look! Look! My foot hurts!"

"Yeah, for us to be fast in traveling," Sally said.

"But we are already outside the map. We don't have any idea where we are," William said.

They all agreed to what William said. While the layer of snow on the ground gets thin as they walk, the falling snow became rarer until the sign of winter was gone. The scorching heat made its way to make the Juniors sweat.

"Oh, it's really hot!" Tom complained. "Why did the snow disappear like boom?"

"Elise, do you know what's going on with the season?" William asked.

All of them, except for Amy who brushes the melting snow off her bonnet, looked at Elise on full attention.

"Well... I honestly don't know," Elise told them. "This winter has just started."

Elise looked over her shoulder then made an about-face. Her sight reached the place where the snow that falls is denser.

"That," she pointed at the snowy place, "is still covered with snow."

"We're goin' tropical over there!" Lance exclaimed. His voice commanded everyone to look where he is pointing at. His left pointing finger pointed at their left side where a port chiefly made of chopped woods stood.

"Cruise to Jayreenn!" a man shouted. "Twenty Portaeli per head!"

With curiosity, the Juniors headed nearer to the man who calls for the ships' passengers.

"Good..." Amy said and tilted his head upwards to see the sky's color, "afternoon, sir. Um... yeah? What is Jayreenn?"

"Oh, Jayreenn?" the man said.

They nodded.

"It's the large island you will see when you go through that," the man explained and moved his hand towards the sea, "sea. Well, that island is half-tropical and half-arid, so if I were you, I'd take the thick jackets off."

"You're right, sir," Sally commented and took her hat off. "It's really hot here."

"Okay, I've got enough Portaeli for the six of us," William said while looking down on his hands with one hundred and fifty Portaeli.

"You don't have to give Portaeli," Amy told William while getting something from her pockets. "I am the leader of the Juniors, and it's my responsibility to pay whatev—"

Without listening to Amy, William gave the one hundred and fifty Portaeli bills to the barker then said, "six people will be added to the passengers on ship." The barker humbly accepted the bills and gave the change of thirty Portaeli.

"Thank you for the treat, anyway," Amy rapidly said.

The six of them walked on the inclined plane leading to the deck of the ship. The ship looks rusty on its outside, but it looks so clean inside.

"You seem so fascinated about our ship's style, children." While walking, they searched for the source of the voice. Their eyes simultaneously hit a man in white uniform for a pilot.

"Yes, we are, s—sir pilot," Tom answered. The pilot smiled at him and left while folding the edge of his sleeves. After the pilot was out of their sight, they went in and found a seat. Then the ship started to move.

While the Juniors were uneasily holding their weapons, a staff ran and screamed through the aisle. Lance, who is by the aisle, carefully pulled the staff's arm.

"Help me!" the staff screamed at Lance. "Help me!"

"What happened?" Amy asked. She is sitting beside Lance, so she can hear it effortlessly.

"You look like the Juniors, and you have weapons... well, I don't care right now," the staff said. "Just follow me. Come on!"

---

In the deck where starved passengers are served with food, an active hostage took place. The artificial arm around the male chef's neck, built-in knife beside his head, and raspy breath of the chef made panic to the people in that deck.

"Dock this ship, and I will get down..." it demanded in monotone, "or else, I will cut this chef's throat."

The Juniors and the screaming staff sneaked behind the Kininva who hostages the chef.

"Oh, my..." The staff started to bite his nails as he shakes.

"Leave it to me," Elise said.

Elise stepped nearer to the Kininva and tapped the other base of the handle of her axe. A small red spearhead appeared on the other base. She sneaked nearer to the Kininva and thrusted her axe to its back. The Kininva, together with the knife, turned into ash.

"I am safe!" the chef exclaimed and took a bacon from one dish.

Elise bent down, grabbed a handful of ash from the ground, and hid it in her small bag.

"Why did you do that?" William asked Elise.

"The ash?" Elise asked back.

"Yes," William answered.

"For observation. I'll research," Elise said.

"Oh, okay," William said then nodded.

The whole Juniors made their way out of the kitchen and dining deck after listening to a thousand of grateful messages. By the deck, a green oval thing floated on the water—Jayreenn and its trees. The movement of the ship became gradual as the ship docked on the nearest port.

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[a/n:] Portaelus/Portaeli is the monetary unit of Portland Goldens and Jayreenn.