At Anchor
- (We continue our story six months later…)
- Matt is trying to get close to the display of the cloud cat's skeleton (the one they pulled from the tree, not the one we saw fly off into the sunset).
- There are tons of high-society people crowding the artifact. Good for Kate.
- Matt has already seen Kate successfully give her lecture to a large audience, and he's in awe of her when she comes up to say hello.
- Although some scientists are already trying to find a way to prove it is all a hoax, she's been largely accepted as an up-and-coming famous scientist. Yay.
- Kate and Matt are kind of awkward around each other—so much has happened in the past six months that the ease with which they interacted on the ship is missing.
- Apparently, although Miss Simpkins is there somewhere, she and Kate have come to an agreement: Kate won't tell her parents how totally worthless she was aboard the Aurora, and her chaperone will give her considerably more freedom.
- Matt and Kate go off together to get a cup of tea.
- It turns out they're in Paris. Not too shabby.
- Kate gets Matt to agree that Paris is the finest place on earth… but airborne is still preferable.
- Matt has been at the Airship Academy. It turns out there'd been a sizeable reward for information regarding Szpirglas and his pirates. The minute they'd landed the Aurora in Sydney they'd reported the coordinates of the pirates' base, and the Air Guard had captured the lot of them.
- (Sidenote: Theodore Szpirglas has been placed in an orphanage. Matt hopes he still has someone to tell him wonderful stories.)
- Matt's share of the reward was sizeable enough that it paid for tuition to the Academy, as well as provide for his family while he is away at school. There's even some in savings in a large bank in Lionsgate City. Matt feels pretty rich.
- Matt confides that although it took a while, he's finally able to not feel so claustrophobic and miserable while he's landlocked—and he has learned how to dream of his father even without being on the ship, so everything is all good.
- Kate is doing equally well. She has a tour of museums that want to display her artifact, and her parents have agreed to let her attend university.
- Kate finally breaks the ice by giving Matt his compass back. He's disappointed she didn't wrap it in her underwear.
- Kate's going back to the island as soon she can raise money for a proper expedition, and she wants Matt to come. He says he'll fly her there himself if she waits until he graduates.
- Matt is going to be the best man at Baz's wedding this summer. Things are turning up roses, huh?
- Matt asks if Kate has decided where she'll go to university. He hints that the one in Paris, just around the corner from the Airship Academy, is pretty darn respectable; she says she'll keep that in mind.
- They hold hands.
- The End.