Neil smiled at her. It’s visible that the smile and the light hearted banter is a bit forced. Adele is trying to stall this conversation. Neil is all too used to such a thing, for he has done it more than once or twice after his parent’s death. He deflected the help from his friends, he deflected care from his uncle… he deflected concern from his teachers. But .. suddenly a light bulb went off in Neil’s head. ‘ This kind of dialogue … aren’t they specialties of teen romances ? doesn’t this mean Adele likes him too ? ‘ for a moment, his mind went blank with strange anticipation. His mouth moved before his brain could kick start and stop him. “ Adele ! Do you like me ? “ he asked, in the exact same tone as Adele. Adele’s expression froze at his words. She became solemn. ...…The silence stretched for so long, Neil’s all senses have become overactive. He could even hear the slight sloshing of the waves brush by the raft’s sides. Neil was about to open his mouth to say ‘ Just

While Neil is trying to distract himself with this and that adventure, Adele was exploding in confusion over their decision to start dating. One says date, but what is a date ? Back on earth, Date had a clear definition. They meet at a specified time on the day, they do some activity that’s a bit fun, then, they go back to their respective homes. Here … don’t they always stay together all the time? If they both go out to have fun, who watches the children ? When she’s wondering this ever so ‘auntie & uncle ‘ age question Neil was standing in front of the abyss, wondering whether he should go in or not. If there’s one thing Neil had learned through all of their escapades in the endless ocean, it is that going from ‘hundred percent safe’ to ‘Dead as a rock ‘ takes only one centimeter distance. That was the feeling he got right now. Yet, there are two messages persistently hung in front of him, flashing in the corner. One is Jack’s mess

“ Yes. “ Neil answered reflexively. He knows this girl. She goes to the Spanish school next door, and hangs out with the emo kids. She’s the only Mexican girl he has seen in gothic makeup. Now though, she looked like a veritable hawaiian. The girl is dressed in a patched up sarong, over a yellow bikini. She probably did not have many other clothes either. Neil never realized how big the shortage of clothes was. Most of the people who got swept away only brought one or two sets of clothes, unlike Adele, who packed her entire wardrobe. They do have clothes in their market, but they were sold out long ago. “ Who are you ? “ Adele asked the girl. “ I am PinkPrincess. You are ? “ The girl asked curiously. “ Evilwitchqueen “ Adele answered calmly. The girl was taken aback. “ Oh! “ She exclaimed in surprise. Then, the realization dawned on her, as she scanned the single gigantic raft with a duplex home atop it. “ OH ! Oh! Oh ! “ She exclaimed continuously as the situation dawne

The man’s face looked like he had eaten a lemon. ‘There is something fishy here ‘ Neil thought, as he looked at all the people mooring around his raft. Why are they so intent on keeping watch on his raft ? It’s like a school of orca following a blue whale. Sure, they can’t kill it alone, but with big enough numbers, they could any time.The boy in front of him looked at his father’s sour face, and Neil’s apprehensive one and realized he put his foot in his mouth. “ Where do you get one ? “ Neil asked. The boy looked at him strangely, as did the man. “ You always have it. What are you ? an NPC ? “ The boy snarked at Neil’s ignorance. Always have it ? But … he arrived on his paddle board. As for Adele … well her raft was eaten by the kraken. Children arrived at the islands. …...Why is he the only one missing this damn totem ? Neil explained to the father and child how to associate their inventory boxes to the shop. The father and son also bought a blueprint, just because

Ideally, Adele would stop her little sister from becoming a murderer. However, the way the eyes of paulo scanned over Morgana were still fresh in her eyes. While she had no proof he is a pedophile, she had enough proof to know he is their enemy. He also looked like a go-getter, who could go to any lengths to achieve what he wanted.Whether he wanted revenge on Neil or just plain wanted their riches, the man could not be allowed to live. Just as Paulo is about to croak, Adele tapped on Morgana’s shoulder. Morgana let down the men, allowing them to join the ocean. Then, as a whole, the family turned back, walked into their house. Even so, none of the present dared to walk to their raft any more. The father and son duo paddled away as fast as possible. Adele had a feeling they are running from Alejandro and Paulo's death more than they are running from their raft. Which proved Sarah’s information that there are two gangs in the area. Now Adele is sure that Alejandro and Paulo b