Daughter of the Deep

Ana invites Nelinha and Ester to bunk with her in the captain’s cabin, so she does not have to be alone. After Gem says goodnight and they fall asleep, Ana dreams of making Holi pastries with her mother, her father carrying her, and her brother walking her home. When she wakes up, Socrates is gone, and Nelinha and Ester argue. They take her to the sick bay, where Hewett is unconscious and sick. Linzi, an Orca, says regarding his illness, “our best guess is late-stage cancer, maybe pancreatic” (89). They need to get help, but Gem says they cannot send an SOS in case the Aronnax uses it to locate them, and suggests they instead find Nemo’s secret base.

Ana is surprised to find that the others follow her commands now. They all go to find Hewett’s map of the sea, and Ana uses her DNA to activate a paperweight that shows the students where Nemo’s base is, three days away. They will have to ration their supplies, but Ana decides to put the trip to a vote amongst all the students, saying “we’ll make this decision together” (94).