Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic

“That’s the best part about it!”

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

Where Giants and Monsters Be (#litres_trial_promo)

Diego surfaced beyond the public docks in front of their school. The Field Museum of Natural History loomed over its surrounding streets, a great stone building built back in 1893, sturdy enough to survive the Time Collision with only a few busted windows. With so many other structures destroyed, and with unknown seismic activity still lurking, the museum had been chosen to be the first primary and secondary school in the city. It still held most of its vast collection of artifacts and specimens, including skeletons of many giant creatures that had returned in the new world.

“Just in time!” Petey called, leaping out and tying off the ropes. “We should charge fares for getting kids to school in style. Diego and Petey’s Underwater Cab Service!”

Diego smiled. “Too bad there’s no room for more passengers.”

“The girls can sit on our laps!” Petey said. “Speaking of which . . .” He pointed toward a crowd gathered in front of school. “Get a load of this.”

Diego joined Petey at the edge of the crowd. Everyone watched as two girls skated on the stairs, grinding the rails. The crowd was a mix of times and culture, Steam Timers and Mids, even a few Elders here and there. A teen couple passed in front of them, an Elder boy and a Steam-Time girl, holding hands.

“Dating a Steam Timer would be swell,” Petey said, watching the couple wistfully.

“You’d never be able to handle all the proper manners,” Diego said.

“How do you know? Maybe I’ve been practicing on my own. Good day, m’lady,” he said, bowing like a gentleman.

“Hey.” Diego nudged him. “Not now.”

He nodded to the side of the crowd, where a group of older kids were catcalling at the Elder-Steam couple. The two hurried in the other direction, but not before enduring a barrage of insults. Diego recognized the boy at the center of the group, his fire-red hair springing from beneath a derby cap.

Petey slapped Diego on the shoulder. “Don’t pay him a nickel, D,” he said. “Come on, let’s get a closer look at this rumpus.”

“I should have guessed it was Paige Jordan,” Petey said as they watched. “She’s something, huh?” he said, leaning into Diego’s shoulder.

“She sure is,” Diego said, not talking about Paige.

“Uh-oh,” Petey said, noticing Diego’s stare. “Somebody’s got a doe in his headlights!”

The girl met his gaze, just as she was about to jump her board up onto the rail—

But the board hit wrong, and she crashed to the steps.

The crowd gasped. Paige hurried over to her.

“Girl, you know you’re gonna eat that rail if you pop your board up too soon,” Paige said, hands on her hips. But then she knelt down. “You all right?”

“Fine,” the girl muttered. Her eyes flashed to Diego again.

This time, Paige noticed, and when she saw that Diego was on the other end of that gaze, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, no way. You’re face-planting because of that boy? Get your head in the game, Lucy! He’s just some seventh-grade runt.”

A few in the crowd heard this and laughed in Diego’s direction. His cheeks burned.

“Hey . . . ,” Diego started, but Petey tugged on his arm.

“Settle down, D. You do not want to pick a fight with Paige Jordan.”

The school bell rang, and the crowd dispersed.

“Come on,” Petey said, pulling Diego along. He kept craning his neck, but he’d lost track of where the girl had gone. Lucy, Paige had said.

Petey and Diego were swept up by a group of their classmates. Everyone was chatting about the gossip of the day, but Diego barely paid attention.

“Hey, this way,” Petey said when Diego started toward their class. He saw that his classmates were heading the other way. “We’re touring the Ice Age exhibit today, remember? For science? Two hours less of class time.”

“Oh,” Diego said, catching up. “Right.”

“Uh-huh,” Petey said, grinning. “I know what’s got you distracted.”

They fought through crowds of lower-grade and high school students and visitors to the museum, finally catching up to the rest of the class as their teacher, Mr. Nelson, was taking attendance. “All right,” he said, “we’ll be joining the other upper-grade classes in the exhibit hall. Right this way.”

“Wait, hold on,” Petey said. He grabbed Diego by the shoulder and turned him toward Sue, the famous T. rex skeleton, a relic from before the Time Collision. “Is that the blond skater that was outside with Paige?”

“No way.” Diego saw that Lucy had traded in her skater clothes for a prim dress with a white collar and high boots, her hair tied back.

“Looks like your crush is actually a Steam Timer.” He punched Diego’s shoulder.

“Maybe,” Diego said. He couldn’t get over how different she looked.

“Come on, you’ve gotta say hi,” Petey said, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Nah,” Diego said. “She probably won’t even talk to me.”

“Come on, D. Besides, she’s gorgeous. If you won’t, I will.”

Diego took a deep breath. “Okay, fine, but you’re coming with me.” He dragged Petey along by the arm and made his way around the back of their class, keeping out of Mr. Nelson’s sight.

Paige spotted them approaching and whispered to Lucy. They shared a laugh, and Diego wanted to die. Still, he wasn’t going to turn back now. He willed one foot in front of the next until they were right beside the girls, who were now acting more interested in Sue, as if Diego and Petey didn’t exist.

“Hey,” Diego said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“What you want, North-sider?” Paige snapped.

Diego looked at Lucy. She eyed him curiously. “I’m Diego,” he said. “This is Petey. We just want to, um, welcome you to our school, and . . .”

Lucy smirked. “Are you the official Mid-Time welcoming committee?”

She had a thick accent, and it took Diego a second to decipher what she had said. “Oh, you’re from . . .” He was trying to place it. “Over there . . .”

“Over there?” Lucy said. “Indeed . . . if by ‘over there’ you mean across the Vastlantic. And how uninformed of you to think that you’re from here and we’re from there, as if one is superior to the other. If that were true, it would certainly be that there was here and here was there.”

“Wait,” Diego said. “I wasn’t, um, saying that. I just . . . your accent . . . it’s . . . Irish?”

The second he said it, Lucy’s mouth dropped open.