A/N: I... didn't realize this was going to be a serious chapter until I got to it. Four attempts later and I'm still cringing, but this is probably as good as it's going to get. Just hang on a bit longer, and things will get less serious.
Response to Random Fan: That was wholly intentional. XD Thanks, I did! Mostly!
Fontaine didn't take two steps onto the bridge before Ant crashed into her. Fontaine stumbled back and fell on her butt. Ant caught himself on her shoulders.
"Ant!" Fontaine snapped.
"You'll never guess what!" Ant yelped, right in Fontaine's face.
Fontaine just shoved Ant away and stood. It was late and she still didn't know what had happened to Finn; she wasn't in the mood for Ant's nonsense.
"Ducts are clear," Fontaine said. She put her hand against Ant's head to hold her brother back. "I'm going to bed."
Will and Kaiko had only been paying half attention to the kids, but they both looked at Fontaine when she made her announcement. Fontaine saw Kaiko's face crease in worry. Luckily, Will spoke first.
"Still nothing?" Will said. "How can anyone stay hidden for so long?"
Ant finally abandoned his attempts to cling to Fontaine -maybe he hadn't recovered from lack of air- to dart to Will. He draped himself over the back of his dad's chair.
"I told you how!"
Fontaine couldn't help herself. "How?"
"It was a ghost!" Ant happily exclaimed.
Fontaine snorted. "A ghost?"
"Yeah!" Ant ran to Kaiko. "Show Fontaine the footage, Mum!"
"You recorded a ghost on the Aronnax?" Fontaine asked, amused despite herself.
"That's what Ant suggests," Kaiko said as she turned back to her console.
Kaiko pulled up the same footage from the hall outside the hold. Fontaine watched Finn trot up the hall, but nothing really said "ghost" to her.
"I don't get it," Fontaine said.
"He didn't make a single sound!" Ant exclaimed. "And then he vanished into thin air!"
"You think the Aronnax is haunted?" Fontaine really wasn't in the mood. "Su-ure."
Fontaine looked at Kaiko, expecting her mom to be watching Ant in amusement. But, Kaiko's eyes were on Fontaine. Kaiko grinned a bit sheepishly.
"Mum, don't tell me you believe Ant?" Fontaine asked incredulously. "Dad?"
"We've seen stranger things," Will said.
"Not you, too, Dad!" Fontaine groaned. "Is everyone getting enough air?"
"Hey, Jeffrey agrees, too!" Ant said, pointing to the fishtank on the console.
"You think a ghost is haunting the Aronnax? Where do you even pick up a ghost? And why would a ghost mess with our wiring?"
"Because he thinks one ghost on the sub is enough?" Ant suggested.
"Ant, as your sister, I feel obligated to point out that a ghost would probably want company."
"So you admit there's a ghost!"
Fontaine snorted. "Sure, whatever you say." She turned away. "See you in the morning."
"Fontaine, are you-" Kaiko started.
"I'm fine!" Fontaine interrupted. "I'm just tired. Night!"
Fontaine rushed from the bridge before anyone could stop her, not willing to admit that she was not fine. Her stomach hurt and her chest felt tight.
She didn't know why she didn't just confess about Finn then and there. Kaiko would probably have an idea on how to find Finn; surely Fontaine was just missing something obvious?
Well… Fontaine had to admit that she did kind of know. She'd told Finn she'd keep his presence a secret until he was able to explain himself. Him vanishing probably broke the agreement, but telling Finn's secret without his permission felt wrong.
But not saying anything felt wrong, too. Finn pretty obviously wasn't okay. After the low-oxygen ordeal, Finn probably needed to be checked. Especially since he passed out, while nobody else had.
Fontaine groaned in indecision as she opened the door to her room. Whatever the right choice was didn't really matter anymore. Finn was gone.
"He's probably not even on the sub," Fontaine thought, closing the door behind her. "Pirate boy probably knows a hundred ways to-"
In the corner of the room, something shifted.
Fontaine was so on edge, her first reaction was to kick the closest object toward the movement. She punted her skateboard across the room, where it slammed against the wall a good three feet from a slumped-over Finn.
"Finn?!" Fontaine snapped. "You scared me! What are you doing?! Where have you… have you been here this whole time?" Fontaine shook her head, grinning. "Brilliant, actually. Dad and Ant stay out of my room, and I completely forgot to check. But how did you know… Finn?"
Finn sat against the corner of the wall with his face pressed against his drawn-up knees. His arms were hidden behind his knees. His helmet sat beside him. Besides his mussed hair, Fontaine could only see the grey of his wetsuit.
"Finn?" Fontaine tried again. "Finn, are you okay?"
Finn's head rocked back-and-forth slightly. Though his answer had been in the negative, Fontaine was just glad for a response.
"Are you hurt?"
Another tiny shake.
"Then what's wrong?"
Silence.
Fontaine crept closer. "Finn, what's wrong?"
A small, raspy voice came from behind Finn's knees. "I just wanted to say bye."
"Bye?"
"Yeah." Finn unfolded himself slowly. He wouldn't meet Fontaine's eyes. "I didn't want to leave without saying anything."
"Okay..." Fontaine sat down. "Why are you leaving?"
Finn shrugged. "Ant saw me."
"And he's convinced Mum and Dad that you're a ghost," Fontaine assured him.
"Then they won't notice when I leave."
"Maybe. Maybe not. I doubt Mum really thinks there's a ghost aboard."
"...how do I get outside without being seen?"
"Finn, you don't have to. I was talking to Mum-"
Finn looked quickly at her and cut in, "You didn't tell her, did you?"
"No, but why-"
"Because she can't know. She'd send me back."
"I don't think so, Finn."
"I know so!"
"How can you know?"
"It's happened before!" Finn dropped his face behind his knees again. "I've been sent back before…"
Happened before? Then, this wasn't the first time Finn had left the pirates? He'd left before, and been sent back. Probably more than once, if he was this adamant about nobody knowing.
"Finn," Fontaine said carefully. "What if-"
"I have to go," Finn interrupted again. "I just didn't want you to wonder."
Finn shot to his feet and made for the door. Luckily, Fontaine was able to react just as fast. Springing to her feet, Fontaine snatched Finn's wrist and pulled.
Finn flinched, head darting toward Fontaine.
Fontaine jerked her hand away. Finn didn't move away, but he was stiff as a board. He didn't even lower his hand. He angled his head away, but Fontaine had already seen his expression.
"Sorry," Fontaine said. "I just didn't want you to go. If you don't want me to, I won't say a thing to Mum and Dad. Just don't take off when we're in the middle of the ocean!"
Finn's posture slowly loosened. When he turned to Fontaine, his eyes were open and relieved.
Fontaine didn't know what to think of his reaction. So, she didn't. She pushed aside her thoughts and focused on the present issue.
"Deal?" Fontaine said. "Just stick around until we come up with something better than you taking off in the middle of the ocean."
"Deal," Finn said softly. "Thanks."
"What are friends for?"
Again, Finn looked at her in shock at being called a friend, as if she hadn't been serious.
But Fontaine had never been more serious in her life. She abandoned her plans to convince Finn to let her family know about him. That decision would be fully up to Finn.
Because Fontaine never wanted to see such terror in Finn's eyes again.
A/N: Emotional abuse is a new realm for my writing. I tried. And I won't be ignoring it in later chapters, Finn's relaxed around Fontaine and he's just good at hiding it.
Oh, and Finn's got a theme song: Scars by TobyMac. I recommend checking it out!
