“I think she’s right,” Willa said.
“Are you kidding?” Philby protested. “With our Disney DHIs in use most of the day, we can’t risk trying to cross him over. It’s never been done. It’s too risky.”
“If there was ever a time to take a risk,” Charlene said, “it’s now.”
* * *
The search for Maybeck’s DHI began in earnest the following morning, the first chance Philby had to switch on the 2.0 cloud-based server. It was Panama Canal Day, meaning the Keepers’ DHIs and the Keepers themselves had a bunch of separate appearances to make.
As a precaution, the Keepers had all adopted disguises, some more convincing than others. They hoped to move around the ship unrecognized.
“Remember,” Philby reminded them, “by noon we have to be out of the disguises for the ribbon cutting.”
Finn and Charlene (he didn’t want to let her out of his sight) headed to the Atrium photo alcove, where before dinner, families posed in front of various backgrounds. The photo alcove, one of two locations on board the ship that DHI crossovers occurred, had been chosen by Philby to render Maybeck’s hologram.
Waiting there, Finn could see worry on Charlene’s face—about her own situation or Maybeck’s? he wondered. He said, “Even in a disguise, you’re way too pretty.”
Charlene had her hair up in a bun tucked beneath a Disney Dream ball cap. She wore no earrings, and no makeup. She felt ugly.
“I can’t say the same for you,” she said. “You look different.”
Finn’s disguise consisted of a stupid-looking hat, a Band-Aid on his left cheek, and mirrored sunglasses.
“Isn’t there something you can do to make yourself at least a little less pretty?” he asked her. “Don’t girls have ways to do that?”
His sincerity caused her chest to tighten. “You really think I’m pretty?”
“Honestly?” Finn said, “you are…you look…I think you’re more you without all that stuff on your face.”
“Duh. Hence the expression ‘natural.’”
“As in: way hotter.” Finn blushed. The elevator doors opened; he stepped out and walked away.
Maybe everything was getting better. Charlene didn’t believe that a person could change overnight, but in that last meeting, something about Philby seemed different. Like he’d lost at least some of his aloofness and bossiness. The tension between him and Finn had subsided as well, almost wasn’t there. She assumed it all had to do with Maybeck’s being in trouble. The team came together when in crisis mode.
Finn and Charlene awaited Maybeck’s DHI. When it failed to cross over, Finn tried texting Philby but didn’t get a reply.
They headed back to stateroom 816. Charlene recalled Willa’s words about not “having a life,” and frowned. Belonging to something felt good to her.
As they were admitted into the stateroom by Willa, Philby called out.
“So?”
“Nothing,” Finn said. “I texted you.”
“Texted me? I don’t even know where my phone is. My laptop froze. It took me until maybe a minute ago to cross him over.”
“Well, we were halfway back here by then. So he crossed over without our being there.”
“Terrific!” Charlene said in frustration.
Philby’s freckles were covered with foundation; baby powder in his hair turned it a milky strawberry blond. Even without the baseball cap, his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him.
Looking up from his laptop, he saw Willa for the first time. She’d been in the room for the past ten minutes.
“You look…wow,” said an astonished Philby.
“What about Maybeck?” Finn asked. No one seemed to hear him.
“Wow as in good, or wow as in bad?” Willa asked, setting a trap most boys Philby’s age would have had no idea was waiting. But Philby was smarter than most, by a long shot. He seemed to understand immediately: if he said she looked prettier, it implied she didn’t normally strike him that way; if he said she looked older—which she did—then he was telling her she looked girlish the rest of the time.
“As in, no one will recognize you. That’s the point, right? You did a good job.”
“Earth to Philby!” Finn said. “What about Maybeck?”
“The fact is,” Philby said, “if Maybeck crossed over, no one was there when it happened.”
“Because you didn’t answer my text.”
“It doesn’t matter why,” Philby said. “It just is.”
“Well, if I crossed over feeling like he’s probably feeling,” Finn said, “the first thing I’d do is look for a place to hide. He couldn’t have gone far.”