Chapter 2: The Surprise Visit's Surprise

Luca and Giulia are excited to return to Portorosso until they receive some bad news.

Ercole sat on the couch watching TV. It was a luxury in Portorosso; most people didn't have anything beyond the basics of electricity. After being publicly humiliated and losing his winning streak for the Portorosso Cup, Ercole didn't have much to do anymore. He didn't even have Guido and Ciccio to boss around. So, he spent nearly all of his time indoors, still licking his wounds months later.

From the other room, an elderly lady yelled at him in fast Italian. Ercole sat up, pursing his fingers.

"Oddio, Nonna! Can't you see I am trying to enjoy the televisione?" He shouted, then sat back down. The black and white pictures flashed from scene to scene. His grandmother shouted some more, and Ercole stomped to his feet.

"Fine– fine! I'll take the trash out."

Ercole dragged his feet out the backyard. Disgusting, he thought as he dropped the bag of garbage. He should be kicking back on the beach under some shade, enjoying the breeze and the sea spray as the town watched him eat a sandwich. Now he couldn't walk out of the house without someone pointing and laughing at his face.

The backyard had a decent view of the bay. Ercole stared at the beautiful sight, hating every bit of it. More specifically, he hated every bit of what was in it, or at least, what was supposed to be in it. He couldn't believe Portorosso had changed its ways on sea monsters in less than a day. The town was renowned for their folklore and legends telling of mighty men slaying the monsters of the deep; so what if they could disguise themselves as people? That made them even more dangerous!

Scowling, Ercole kicked the garbage can. He cursed and held his now hurt foot in his hand. He was about to go back inside when a curious sight caught his eye.

Two men he'd never seen before were riding a vespa. Ercole wanted to cry; he had fallen into recent debt and was forced to sell his. Grabbing the door, he intended to slam it hard enough to make the walls crack, but paused. The men were hauling what looked to be a crate on a trailer. It looked suspiciously like it held untold goods and treasures.

"Is this the right place?" One of the men asked in a hushed voice.

"I'm not sure. All these streets look the same."

"I'd be much more comfortable doing this at night."

"Hush– no one's around, see? We're fine."

Ercole ducked behind the trash can. He peered around to watch, now absolutely certain they were up to something– something lucrative.

"Still, I feel like– wait. Someone's coming."

A third person came walking down the street with a wheelbarrow. He shook hands with the other two. They spoke too quietly for Ercole to hear. Ercole leaned forward, straining his ears. After a few more murmurs, the first two men walked to the crate with the third man watching intently.

Buried treasure? Ercole guessed wildly. Bags and bags of soldi?

Then, after glancing up and down the street, the men opened the lid.

Ercole stared.

The third man was shaking his head, impressed. They closed the lid and, shaking hands again, exchanged a bag of coins before hauling the crate onto the wheelbarrow. The crate sloshed like it was filled with water. The man with the wheelbarrow went one way while the remaining two returned to their vespa.

"See? It's a victimless crime. No one gets hurt." The one man said to his comrade, and they rode away. Ercole stood to his normal height.

Maybe it was a trick of the light. Maybe his revenge fantasies were getting to his head. But he could have sworn he saw the spines of a familiar sea monster in that crate.

Luca could hardly sit still.

He tried– really, he did– only to find himself on his feet again and pacing the compartment, moving from the window to his seat. He could have made a permanent indent in the floor with how many times he did this. Giulia reached for his knee to stop him from getting up again.

"Luca, per favore, will you relax?" She asked with a laugh. "And I thought I was stir crazy!"

"Sorry! I just can't wait to get back to Portorosso." Luca scraped his fingers against the leather seat. He hadn't seen Alberto since the day he first left for Genova. He was also excited to see his parents and grandma, and Massimo and Machiavelli. Going to school was one of the greatest things that had ever happened to him, but he had gotten homesick rather quickly.

"It's okay," Giulia flopped back in her seat, knocking over some of her book bags. She didn't bother picking them up off the floor. "I'm excited, too. We should be there anytime now." She then grinned in anticipation. "I can't wait to see the look on Alberto's face when he sees us!"

Luca's anxiety eased at her enthusiasm. "I know! He's going to be so surprised." He watched the passing trees and valleys for a moment. "Is your dad going to be meeting us at the train station?"

Giulia swung her legs back and forth. "No, he thought that'd give the surprise away. Papà's going to act like he's taking Alberto out fishing, but we'll be waiting for them in the backyard. It's completely foolproof!"

When Luca continued staring out the window, Giulia nudged him. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Luca said a little too quickly, and Giulia tipped her head at him. Luca deflated. "I don't know. It probably doesn't mean anything, but… I didn't get any letters from Alberto last week. He's never skipped sending any– ever! What if…" He chewed on his lower lip. "...what if he isn't that excited to see me?"

Giulia was motionless. Then she bowled over laughing. Luca was so surprised he didn't know how to respond.

"You're kidding, right?" Giulia asked once she caught her breath. "Luca, you're Alberto's best friend! I don't think I've ever seen anyone more jealous than him when we first started hanging out."

Luca felt a little embarrassed now. He tugged at his shirt collar. "Maybe, but I've been gone for a while now, and Alberto makes his letters sound like he's really happy in Portorosso. What if he doesn't… need me anymore?"

Seeing the raw worry on his face, Giulia stopped laughing. She wore a thoughtful look, then reached out to grab his shoulder. "When you first came to Genova with me, was it easy to leave everyone you knew behind?"

"Well, no," Luca replied, and Giulia continued.

"And when you've been living with me and mamma for the last few months, did you ever once think you didn't miss Alberto anymore?"

"No, of course not!" Luca exclaimed, and Giulia raised her eyebrows. Luca scratched the back of his neck. "I guess I'm overthinking it, aren't I?"

"Yep," Giulia confirmed, and Luca smiled sheepishly.

The rest of the train ride went by quickly. Giulia taught Luca how to play "I spy", and they were on their fifth round when it suddenly got very dark.

"The Portorosso tunnel!" Giulia gasped, throwing herself to her feet. "Luca, we're almost there!"

Luca shot to his feet, all his irrational fears coming back to haunt him. For days he had been anticipating his return to Portorosso. Now that he was so close to arriving, he felt almost sick. He and Giulia pressed their faces against the window, watching the light at the end of the tunnel grow bigger, until at last they were in the open.

The bay sparkled under the sunset. Tiny boats were fishing in the harbor, some even as far out as the island. Portorosso was a red orange color in the sinking light. Genova was a sight to behold, but this view beat all others in Luca's mind.

The train boarded gradually into the station. Luca and Giulia gathered their belongings and set out down the hall and, at last, stepped out of the train. There wasn't a crowd here like there was when they boarded off in Genova. The Italian city was always busy, but Portorosso was home to very few. Luca and Giulia didn't have to look through crowds of passerbyers to find Daniela, Lorenzo, and Libera waiting expectantly.

"Mom–!" Luca hardly got the word out. Daniela scooped him in the biggest hug anyone had ever seen. She kissed his forehead a dozen times, all while squeezing him tighter in her arms.

"Luca! At last you're home! Have you been eating enough? Of course you have, you've been under very good care. Were you safe? Of course you were, you're standing right here now perfectly unharmed– and look at you!" Daniela stood beside him for reference, her mouth agape. "You've grown a whole fin-length! Oh, I'm so proud of you–"

"Daniela, you're smothering him," Lorenzo chided jokingly, and he too hugged Luca. "Good to see you, son!"

Luca pulled them both into a hug.

"How's my little guppy?" His grandmother Libera asked, and Luca embraced her next.

"It's good to see you– all of you." He was surprised to find himself a little teary-eyed. He missed them a lot more than he realized. Daniela noticed this.

"Hey. You ready to go?" She asked gently.

Sniffing, Luca blinked back the tears, his excitement returning in full swing. "Yeah!"

"Then let's go!" Daniela exclaimed, and she hurried them all out of the station.

The trek to town was a blur. Luca looked at everything like it was the first time. The cobblestone, the balconies, the houses on rolling hills. Within time, they reached the piazza. The prominent sea monster hunter fountain was still there, but Luca had no reason to fear anymore. Almost everyone in Portorosso had accepted him and all the other sea folk. His parents had even made good friends with some of the townspeople. It helped that the Aragosta sisters and his grandma had already had some lasting relationships there. Plus, all the children loved him, though they especially loved Alberto.

The Pescheria was just on the corner of the piazza. Luca's heart hammered in his chest. Only ten feet away was his best friend. Forgetting the surprise plan, he put on a sudden burst of speed, his family and Giulia racing after him.

Luca didn't hear anyone from outside the gate. He pushed through and found the yard empty. He next ran to the door just as the others caught up to him, and collectively they stumbled in the room, shouting as one: "SURPRISE!"

Massimo sat at the table with an espresso in hand. As usual, Machiavelli was perched on his shoulder. The other chairs were empty. Neither Massimo nor Machiavelli reacted to Giulia and the Paguro's announcement. Then again, he had been expecting them. Though something was clearly wrong.

Luca was the first to break out of the stupor. He stepped in front of Massimo nervously, his fingers laced together.

"Um… Sir? Where's Alberto?" He asked.

Massimo looked at Luca like he hadn't realized he was there. It was then Luca realized just how exhausted the fisherman appeared to be. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair wasn't as kept as it normally was. Giulia took a concerned breath at the state of her father. Then, Massimo heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry, ragazzo." He said, almost mournfully. "I wish I knew."

"What do you mean, 'you wish you knew?'" Daniela demanded for perhaps the fifth time that evening. Luca and Giulia were seated across from Massimo at the table with glasses of water in their hands. Libera was next to them nursing her own espresso. Daniela paced the room angrily while Lorenzo watched her with concern. Daniela whirled on Massimo. "You had a guppy under your care! How could you lose him?"

"I told you, I don't know," Massimo replied, though there was no contempt in his voice. He sounded defeated, hopeless. It scared Luca that the seemingly indestructible fisherman could ever sound that way, and he exchanged a frightened look with Giuila. "I'm sorry, but there's not much to tell."

Daniela scowled and put her fists on her hips. "Well, we've got time."

"Daniela…" Lorenzo put a placating hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Massimo has a good explanation."

"I'm afraid I don't, Lorenzo. Daniela's right," Massimo lowered his head, staring into his coffee. "I did everything I could to find him, but no one has seen Alberto. Not for two days–"

"You mean he's been gone for TWO DAYS?" Daniela slammed her hands on the table. "Why didn't you say anything!"

"Because I don't have gills, Daniela," Massimo snapped. However Daniela didn't act as if she heard. Lorenzo tried calming her down, and Libera merely watched the interaction sadly.

"All this time, we could have been out looking for him too, and we might have found him by now if we had only known…"

As she went through another rant, Libera placed a gentle hand on Massimo's. "Was there any clue as to what could have happened to him?" She asked, and her question effectively quieted Daniela as they all waited for an answer.

Massimo looked deeply troubled. He shuffled a little, then pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and laid it on the table. "This was in his room the morning he went missing," he explained, his voice tight. Worried and a little afraid, everyone gathered in close to read it.

Dear Luca,

Genova sounds great. And so does Giulia's mamma, Maria. You have to send me one of her paintings sometime!

Portorosso is amazing, as usual. I wanted to ask you something. It's about Massimo; I think I've been letting him down a lot lately. I want to make it up to him. Any ideas?

The next part of the letter was scribbled out and half-erased. It was still legible, but Luca had to squint to comprehend it.

Life used to be a lot easier on my own. When it's just you, you don't have to worry about disappointing anyone. Sometimes I wish

The words died from there. Luca had to read it over and over again to believe it. Even then, he still couldn't believe it. Apparently neither could anyone else. The room was completely stunned.

"No," Luca said, breaking the tension. "This can't be right."

Daniela was staring at the paper like it might potentially harm someone. "Massimo, was there anything else you found? Maybe a second letter?"

Regretfully Massimo shook his head. "No. This was it."

"It can't be it," Luca insisted, but again no one acknowledged him.

"There's got to be more to the story," Lorenzo reasoned, though he was beginning to sound doubtful. "Sure, the kid was prone to disappearing sometimes, but…"

Daniela gasped. "You don't think he'd actually…?"

Lorenzo sighed sadly. "I don't know what he'd do."

Luca stood up fast, his chair scraping behind him. "Well, I do. Alberto would never just leave– not without saying anything!" Everyone looked at him with wide eyes. "Alberto loves Portorosso. More importantly, he cares for all of us. He'd never run away like this."

Even as Luca was saying this with so strong a conviction, he felt a flicker of uncertainty. What if…? Luca shoved the intrusive thought away. Silenzio Bruno! It was just that dumb voice in his head. He just had to shut it up and believe in his friend.

Alberto would never leave. At least, not like this.

But, didn't he already try to leave once before? A cold block settled in the pit of Luca's stomach. Was it possible that Alberto did leave, for good this time? But where could he possibly go?

A thought occurred to him. "Segnor Marcovaldo– you said you checked everywhere in Portorosso for him. What about outside of Portorosso?"

"I traveled out of town and even as far as the wilderness," Massimo said. Giulia was catching on.

"Luca, do you think he might be–?" She began to say, but Luca didn't let her finish. He ran out the door, ignoring everyone's surprised calls for his name. He banged open the garden gate, raced down the harbor, and dove in the sea.

Luca wasn't as fast a swimmer as Alberto, but at that time he might have rivaled him. He swam over and around rock faces, not slowing down for a second. The sea floor came up to meet him, and he ascended up, up, and leaped onto the island.

"Alberto?" Luca's voice rang in the empty air. Shaking the water out of his scales, he ran up the beach, looking up and down the pebbly shore. "Alberto!"

The only signs of life were seagulls and a few beetles. Luca climbed up the path to the lighthouse.

It was dark and eerie. The sun was too low by now to shed any light over the tower. Luca looked from the broken rope ladder to the top of the tower. Rubbing his hands together, he leapt to climb up the jagged rocks.

"Alberto," He puffed, pulling himself over the edge. "Are you up here?"

The tower was in the same shape he'd last seen it– ransacked. The only thing that was different was the coating of dust over everything. No one had been here in some time.

Luca rummaged through the human stuff. He had no idea what he was looking for, holding on to some crazy idea that he would find Alberto under the piles of instruments and farm tools. Still, he found nothing.

He made his way to the tower roof. It overlooked nearly the whole island, and had a perfect view of Portorosso. The last rays of the sunset were just dipping under the horizon. Luca watched it sink, and then get swallowed up by the sea. His throat tightened. He sat down at the edge of the tower.

"Alberto!" He called, in the slim chance his friend was somewhere else on the island and would hear him. "Alberto, where are you?"

He thought his parents would be mad at him when he returned to the Pescheria. Luca expected a scolding, or at least a stern look, but neither of them offered anything of the sort. Instead Daniela hugged him, and Lorenzo set a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You went to the island, didn't you?" Daniela asked soothingly, and Luca nodded.

"He wasn't there." Luca said, knowing he was stating the obvious. He expected to feel saddened, but in truth he didn't feel much of anything. The idea that Alberto was gone just… didn't feel real.

He felt more than saw his parents exchange a look. "Well, we'll keep looking tomorrow." Daniela decided, and something inside Luca snapped.

How could his best friend just leave like that, without saying goodbye? How could he have left Massimo, with nothing but a vague letter as explanation? How could he have left him? Luca didn't know if it was fair that he was angry. He didn't understand all that led up to this. It's not like he wanted to be mad. He just knew that he was so furious with Alberto it hurt.

He let his parents lead him back to their cove. It had been a long time since Luca had slept underwater. He thought it might comfort him to some extent. If anything, it reminded him of his life before he went to the surface. Before he met Alberto.

Luca faced the wall in his seaweed bed. At least underwater, he didn't have to worry about hiding his tears.