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Bell turns over the crate to her parents. They believe her about finding it on the beach. They open one can to celebrate, and then Shark very sensibly insists that the rest of it be stored until it is needed.
The next few days, leading up to Tony's victory tour's stop in Four, see her ferretting out her remaining stash and distributing it between her parents and Lynnis's family until it's all gone. They're assuming a ship lost a lot of merchandise at once. Bad weather, one assumes.
She stops replacing her shells by the doors. But she does show up to work, until the day before when she has to leave. Then, she fakes sick enough to stay home, spends the day sleeping, and - at night - is rested enough to execute her plan.
Dear Mom and Dad.
I'm going for Atlantis. It's okay! I have a plan! I'll come back and get you when I can and then we can all live there. Please tell Mr. Carrasen I'm sorry about the canoe. I'll bring him a new one after I get there! I love you! It's going to be great!
- Shell Bell
...the idea, after all, is to instantly convince them that she is dead. That she is too foolish and unprepared to have any chance. That there is no point in worrying about her any further, and they should move directly to grieving - certainly not wasting time looking for her or reporting her as a missing person. The fact that she's not swiping any of the cans and only one water container - is not even bringing a fishing rod - is another clue, of course.
Shell Bell wears her nice dress - it'll attract less attention in the town than work clothes, on a Victory Tour day where everyone's supposed to celebrate, and the town in question is big enough that her mere unfamiliarity won't catch her out immediately. She packs one more practical change of clothes, sticks her stick in her hair, and puts one salty roll in her pocket to eat at around midnight and a few strips of dried salmon to nibble on as necessary through the walk. She's also wearing the less remarkable-looking of the two protective amulets she traded for during her stay in Milliways. It looks like a lump of white glass - it could even pass for sea glass. The other stuff she obtained is waiting for her in her room in the bar.
She melts the lock on the canoe shed and buries it deep in the sand. She drags out a canoe. Briefly, she considers actually canoeing to the next town up, but while she knows how to row like any District Four resident does, she's worried about being noticed on her way in, and it'll be easier to avoid that if she's not in the place where all the actual industry goes on, namely the shore. She pushes it out to sea regretfully. Saltwater spatters her dress, but it dries as she goes.
She talks to her recorder in the dark silence.
And just before dawn peeps over the ocean, she's picked her way through the sleeping town to the train station and she's pretending to be a premature, eager celebrator.
she_sells_seashells
ferratus
The train pulls into the station far earlier than the itinerary would indicate, and Tony gets off it with a minimum of fanfare, bringing only Sherlock. He's been doing this the whole tour, because of course no one in the Districts is going to hear about him doing it at the previous stop. And he likes the quiet; it gives him time to gear up before all the speeches. Since he's been exquisitely well-behaved the whole time and is the quintessential crowd-pleaser, not to mention perfectly punctual, the crew are happy to indulge this little quirk.
Of course, no power on Earth will possess anyone but Sherlock and the train operator to be up this early.
Of course, no power on Earth will possess anyone but Sherlock and the train operator to be up this early.
she_sells_seashells
Bell waves! Hi Tony! (If anyone is watching, she still looks like a premature celebrator, waving at the celebrities she is there to celebrate.)
sicaria
Sherlock smiles indulgently and takes a few steps away from Tony to scan the area.
The coast, so to speak, is clear. She beckons Bell onto the train.
The coast, so to speak, is clear. She beckons Bell onto the train.
sicaria
"Good morning," she murmurs back, and leads Bell through the silent train to her room. After some initial shuffling, Sherlock has ended up with the back half of the very last compartment, Tony with the front half of same. Everyone else on the train is no end of pleased that this means they can sometimes go hours without seeing her, if she stays back there with the door shut.
ferratus
Tony follows.
"Okay, so brilliant plan," he says, opening the door between Sherlock's room and his.
"...Would have been to tuck you away in Milliways and come get you when we get home, but apparently today is not my day. I'll try again in a few hours."
"Okay, so brilliant plan," he says, opening the door between Sherlock's room and his.
"...Would have been to tuck you away in Milliways and come get you when we get home, but apparently today is not my day. I'll try again in a few hours."
she_sells_seashells
"That's the amount of time it takes not to count as a retry?" Bell asks, peering around in fascination.
sicaria
Despite the fact that she had no influence on the decor, the space is still very... Sherlock. Pretty in an understated way, but ultimately functional.
One thing she did do, however, is close the steel shutters on every window. They have been closed the entire trip. She can't sleep somewhere with a transparent window; everyone who knows her knows that.
One thing she did do, however, is close the steel shutters on every window. They have been closed the entire trip. She can't sleep somewhere with a transparent window; everyone who knows her knows that.
she_sells_seashells
"Where are we stashing me in the event that Milliways refuses you several times in a row?" Bell asks. Because these rooms are designed to hold one person apiece.
sicaria
"Here," says Sherlock. "I have discouraged the rest of them from ever entering my room under any circumstances."
she_sells_seashells
"Okay." Bell can sleep on the floor if she has to. The clam boat has been caught out in weather a few times and she's had to sleep on it. "That sounds useful. So as long as we're unsupervised..." She picks up the lump of glass. "I got some things. This is one of them; everything else is in my room at the bar. The guy I traded for it and the other, flashier one says it doesn't do anything overtly magical - it's like a defensive luck charm. I've been tripping less since I got it, is all I've noticed, but I haven't been doing anything physically dangerous either."
Bell trips a lot. Less, since she developed sea legs - dry land is comparatively simpler to navigate - but still a lot.
This is much of the reason she was flunked as a possible Career, when she went to the testing camp at age four.
Bell trips a lot. Less, since she developed sea legs - dry land is comparatively simpler to navigate - but still a lot.
This is much of the reason she was flunked as a possible Career, when she went to the testing camp at age four.
ferratus
"I better get out there," says Tony. "Gotta do the early morning routine. Sherry, you coming?"
sicaria
"When do I not?" she says, smiles over her shoulder at Bella, and follows him out.
The door, once closed behind her, looks comfortingly solid from this side. That is an illusion, but it's a nice one, isn't it?
The door, once closed behind her, looks comfortingly solid from this side. That is an illusion, but it's a nice one, isn't it?
she_sells_seashells
Bell stays put. Is there a TV in here? She wonders if she could have it on very quietly and get a live feed of the exterior goings-on.
ferratus
And there's Tony, soon enough: expressing his heartfelt condolences for Four's tributes, whom he remembers by name, and then making the crowd laugh twice and flirting with an old lady in the front row.
she_sells_seashells
Bell flips the TV off; it's now advertising shoes. "Hi again," she says. "You've got really good stage presence. Is it terrible?"
ferratus
"Yep," says Tony, and opens the door to his room, and gives it an annoyed look, and walks back through it and closes it again.