On Saturday, Señor L leads us to the metro. A few stops later, we hop off the train at a station that puts us at the end of La Rambla, near Port Vell. We cross the street, and the Mediterranean Sea comes into view, each wave a ripple of deep blue in the evening sunset.
In front of my team, Clara turns to Emmaline. “We must be eating on the beach!”
But Emmaline shakes her head. “There’d be nowhere to plug in Señor L’s projector.”
“Maybe a restaurant near the water?” Clara tries again.
I glance at Isa. “Where do you think we’re going?”
“Honestly? I don’t really care as long as we get to hang out together.”
Señor L doesn’t enter any of the restaurants when we get to the boardwalk. He leads us onto a dock.
“We’re having dinner on a boat?” Gibs asks. “This actually is gonna be cool.”
“Yes, Mr. Gibson,” Señor L calls over his shoulder, “occasionally teachers are cool.”
We file onto a bright blue boat, into a room set up with tables and chairs. Glass windows look out onto a deck that wraps around the entire ship.
Señor L sets up his projector screen at the front of the room.
“Drop your tablets up here,” he says, “then siéntense, todos, por favor.”
Isa follows Emmaline, Tess, and Cody to the front with our group tablet, then returns to the tables. Señor L didn’t say that we had to sit with our teams, but everyone does, except Cody, who sits beside Jake.
As servers pour us water, Señor L moves to the front table.
“Enhorabuena. You survived Barcelona, as far as I can tell.” He chuckles. “Tonight’s presentations serve as the capstone for this trip. I look forward to trying to figure out each of the clues y’all came up with.”
Isa nudges me, and a current of nerves shoots through my body.
“El primer equipo: Clara, Emmaline, Peter, Daniel, and Jake.”
They present their clue in Spanish, then we all throw out guesses.
The longer it takes to find the answer, the louder the room gets as kids laugh, clap, and sometimes clang silverware.
I thrum my fingers under the table, focusing on what I can control. A deep breath in, then a long, calming exhale.
“El siguiente equipo,” Señor L calls. “Andy, Noah-James, Ellen, and Isa.”
Isa turns to me. “Are you ready?”
I nod as Andy sprints over and plugs in our tablet. Isa and Gibs stand on either side of me, looking out at our classmates.
The screen bathes us in artificial light. Our collage is a blend of the locations we visited on our scavenger hunt, plus other places: La Sagrada Família and Park Güell. The subway near our hotel. The donut café.
Plus us: Gibs stuffing his face with a custard-filled donut. Andy in an FC Barcelona jersey he bought at the sports museum. Isa waving a tiny flag with yellow, white, purple, and black stripes. Abba’s drawing of us on the subway.
And my favorite: our shadow-selves waving at real-us on the roof at La Pedrera.
I spot Abba with the other chaperones. He leans back in his chair. Sends me a smile.
The screen goes dark, then lights up again, as a recording plays over the speakers.
My voice, in Spanish.
Yo nunca duermo,
ni por la noche.
Yo nunca como,
aunque hay tapas y paella en mis restaurantes.
I glance back. Shortened clips of my videos match the recorded words. Isa’s handiwork.
Encima de mí, un castillo.
Debajo de mí, un puerto con barcos.
En todas partes hay diseños de un famoso arquitecto llamado Gaudí.
My pronunciation isn’t perfect; r’s aren’t always rolled.
None of that matters because my teammates helped me come up with this clue. We chose it together.
Then, it’s over. The room fills with classmates translating and guessing.
“I don’t sleep—”
“Whose restaurants are filled with tapas and paella?”
I focus on Emmaline and her team, seated at the table closest to us.
“I think the second part’s about the clues we solved.…” Jake says.
He scrunches his eyebrows at the same moment that Emmaline’s eyes widen. “Barcelona?”
She aims the question at Gibs.
“What about it?” he asks, but the corners of his mouth quiver, like he’s holding back a smile.
“The answer,” Emmaline says. “It’s the city of Barcelona. All of it, right?”
Gibs gives her a small nod.
“Such a cool idea!”
The tips of his ears flush pink.
“It was indeed.” Señor L claps, and the others join in.
We return to our seats as Señor L calls up the next team, then finally Laurel’s. Their presentation is a series of pictures that look like they came from Google, their clue about Park Güell. Once we’ve solved it, it’s time for dinner.
Tapas fill trays on each table. I spot the patatas bravas and take a big serving.
At the adult table, Abba fills his plate, too. I can’t help trying to spot what he’s chosen. He catches me looking, and I hold his gaze, just long enough to let him know I’m okay. With whatever he’s going to eat. With how this whole trip turned out. Everything.
Everyone talks and eats and laughs while I soak it all in. My body starts to feel heavy, like it did after we got back from La Sagrada Família. I slip on my headphones and the noise blissfully lowers. No one tells me I’m being rude.
Soon, the servers clear away our plates, and we’re allowed to explore other parts of the ship. I make a beeline for the nearest exit, stopping only when Señor L holds up a hand.
“Just one final announcement. Actually, more of a reminder. Don’t forget to check in for our flight when we get back to the hotel tonight if you haven’t already. Beyond that, no horsing around on the deck,” he calls as kids stream out of the room. “I don’t want to spend my last night in this beautiful city fishing kids out of the sea.”
Outside, the air is hot and humid, but a salty breeze cuts through it. The last hint of light glimmers far out on the water as I find a quiet spot away from my classmates. I hold the rail and rock a little, my head back, letting the wind whip my curls.
“Hey, Elle?”
“Hi.” I turn toward Laurel. Her necklace glints under one of the ship’s lights.
“Your clue was really cool. It was also pretty awesome how Tess’s team used a person instead of a location for their clue.”
I nod. “If Señor L hadn’t given up on that one, we’d probably still be guessing.”
“Yeah.” She bites her lip. “So, I was wondering… did you want to check in when we get back to our room? So we can get seats together on the plane again?”
She fidgets as I take a moment to think through both questions. I should be thrilled that she’s asking me to sit with her.
But I have a feeling we would both like to sit with different people tomorrow. At the start of our trip, this would have bothered me. Not anymore. Not now.
“We sat together on the way here. I think you should sit with Sophie-Anne and Madison on the way back.”
She goes still. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” She pulls me into a quick hug. “Thanks, Elle.”
Then she’s gone, off to find her new friends, if I had to bet. Farther up the deck, Isa stands at the railing beside Andy and Gibs, looking out at the sea.
Call it destiny, or a pattern. The exact word doesn’t matter. I know where I’m meant to be.
I sprint down the deck to join my team.