Heart of the story Secrets of Stone and Sea
Published by Matthew Turner on
Kai gritted his teeth. “All the more reason to find them now. To stop the Sea now.”
It was so clear to Kai. It would be to Peter, too, in a moment.
Kai watched, waiting for Peter to give in.
Then Peter shook his head. “No.”
“No what?”
“No, I'm not going to help you. I won't risk Sophie's, or anyone else's, life just because you want to play the hero.”
Anger boiled inside Kai. “That's not what this is about. This is you not wanting to actually do anything, isn't it? Our sister was captured by a monster, and you want to do nothing?”
“If the alternative is making things worse, then yes!”
“We make things worse by doing nothing.”
“Yeah?” Peter leaned forward, fists clenched. “And how would you make this better? If you go off looking for Sophie, what happens? Maybe you find her. And then the Sea will try to stop you, and you'll fight it, and lose, and it will take out its anger on Sophie and the other hostages. Have you even stopped to think about the cost?”
The word “cost” cut like shark's teeth. “There won't be a cost! We're going to save them, and that's how it's going to be.”
Peter stared at Kai. “Do what you want,” he said. “But I'm going back to the Widow's Walk to come up with a plan. Try not to get the whole town flooded before the thought that this might not be the best idea finally makes it into your thick skull.”
Peter shoved his hands in his pockets and started the trudge across town to the Widow's Walk.
Kai seethed. How could Peter sit idly by when Sophie needed their help? Didn't he care more about her than about his fear that he'd mess up somehow? Didn't he care about Sophie at all?
Secrets of Stone and Sea by Roaring Brook Press ISBN 978-1-250-79947-0 (hardcover)
This is the heart of the story: Twins, one who wants to jump into action; the other wants to stop and make a plan. Both of them think that the other “doesn't care” because the other does not align with their own worldview. How quite alike they are.