Jules: Then I guess I sit here and twiddle my thumbs.
Eli: I can think of much better uses for those thumbs. And your fingers. And my God, your tongue!
“Oh, Eli. You are priceless.” I typed my next two words and sent them with hardly a thought.
Jules: Love you
For a moment, my stomach twisted. Should I have said that?
Eli: Wow. We did say that, didn’t we? No going back now. Love you too, boo. Talk to you soon.
Laughing and much more relieved than I wanted to admit to myself, I set my phone down. I felt lighter, yet incredibly curious as to what might be brewing beneath Eli’s teasing words. With a sigh, I returned to my book, attempting to immerse myself in another world. But just as I settled into the rhythm of Verne’s prose, the doorbell rang, jolting me from my thoughts.
A courier stood on my doorstep, package in hand. “Delivery for Julianne Verne?”
“That’s me,” I said, puzzled. I wasn’t expecting anything.
I signed for the package and retreated inside, turning the small, brown-paper-wrapped parcel over in my hands. No return address, and my name and address were typed on a generic label.
I tore open the wrapping and opened the cardboard box.
My breath caught as I recognized the contents immediately—Eli’s magnetic dive slate. It was battered and framed in blue plastic, an integral part of him. And I glimpsed a scrawled hand forming an okay signal with the thumb and first finger. “What the…?”
I lifted the slate out, my eyes widening as I read the message written next to the cartoon hand.
Mom gave me the official okay signal. I’m not kidding. Smooth seas ahead! To find out how, head to where I first helped you jump into the unknown. Also where you learned walls are better underwater than in offices.
My heart raced. What did this mean? And where was I supposed to go?
Without wasting another moment, I set the slate down and picked up my phone, grinning widely. My fingers flew across my phone screen as I fired off a text to Eli.
Jules: Care to explain the mysterious package that just arrived at my door?
His reply came moments later.
Eli: Package? What package?
I snorted.
Jules: Nice try, beach boy. I know your handwriting. And your dive slate.
Eli: Ooh, intriguing! Maybe you should follow the instructions and see where they lead.
I could practically hear the playful lilt in his voice.
Jules: You’re really going to play dumb?
Eli: Who, me? Never.But if strange packages containing puzzles are arriving at your doorstep, it might be worth investigating, don’t you think?
My smile widened.
Jules: You’re impossible.
Eli: Impossibly charming, you mean. Now go on, Ms. Verne. Sounds like an adventure awaits!
I shook my head, intrigued. It was clear what he was up to. Eli was sending me on a scavenger hunt. And the first clue indicated he had already talked to his mother and secured her blessing for us. But what now?
I read the clue again. “…where I first helped you jump into the unknown.”
