Beached Read online

  “So, what’s it like on the island?” I asked as soon as Nick had the dinghy secured.

  “Muddy. Dirty.” Zoë wrinkled her nose.

  My shoulders slumped. We’d finally made it to the island we were seeking. We all needed to feel land beneath our feet. Even with the creepy guys around, I’d been excited to go ashore and explore.

  “But Angelina’s getting help?” Takumi stood at the cockpit opening, wiping his hands.

  Zoë thought for a moment. “Yeah! The medical dude seems to be a real doctor. He even built a little two-bed hut, made out of some of the wreckage. He and his daughter, Kat, keep it clean. I saw a number of bottles of antibiotics, some simple equipment, and sterile bandages.”

  “Sounds good.” Relief flooded over me and I glanced at Makala. She’d been listening to every word.

  Nick hurried below.

  Zoë joined us around the fire pit. “It isn’t a hospital. Not even close. No x-rays or anything, but it’s better than nothing. The doctor and Kat sleep close by in their own tents. The clinic beds are just a couple of sleeping bags on the ground.”

  “What did the doctor say about Angelina?” Jervis asked.

  Zoë warmed her hands over the fire. “He said we brought her to him just in time. I told him the infection had actually been worse, that we made our own antibiotics. He didn’t believe our tea stuff really helped, but then, he didn’t see her when her fever was high.”

  Jervis scowled. “He didn’t think my penicillin tea idea worked?”

  Zoë shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. He cleaned the wound, put on a fresh bandage, and started her on a z-pack antibiotic. She was already looking better when I left.”

  “Thank God!” I sighed.

  Makala closed her eyes and sucked her thumb. Takumi put the last piece of wood on the fire.

  Dylan wrapped his arm around Zoë and whispered, “Did he have what you needed to test for…?”

  She shook her head.

  I pretended I hadn’t heard while I tried to imagine life aboard the boat with a pregnant Zoë.

  “I’m starving.” Zoë raised her head. “What time is it? All they had to eat was hard-boiled seagull eggs. Do you guys know how small they are?” She stared at me. “Do you?”

  I shook my head and pulled out my cell. Every time I looked at my phone, my heart fluttered with hope. Maybe there would be a text from my parents. For two weeks we’d been without cell service. No one knew where their families were or if they were even still alive.

  The usual, “no service” message appeared on the screen.

  I stared at the wallpaper photo of my family. My twin brothers, Cole and Dylan, were kneeling with me in the sand on Alki Beach, a favorite Seattle spot. Dad stood behind us with his arm draped around Mom. We’d been so happy.

  I sighed and shoved my phone back into my pocket. “It’s ten o’clock,” I told Zoë, then heard a thump and turned. Nick was adjusting his backpack as he untied one of the kayaks.

  “What are you doing?” Dylan asked.

  Nick held the light plastic kayak over his head and carried it toward the stern. “I’m going back to stay with Angelina. You’ll need the dinghy to go ashore in the morning and I didn’t want to leave it unattended on the beach all night. We can’t trust anyone.”

  He dropped the kayak into the water and tied it to the swim step. “The jerky guys who came with the doctor arrived on the island just a few days ago. That’s their wrecked sailboat.” I could barely make out the top of a mast in the shallow water close to shore. “Everyone I met is scared of them. One man told me that just before the tsunami, guards opened up the prisons, and let everyone go free. He’s sure the creeps are released convicts.”

  Jervis bolted upright in his seat. “You went off and left Angelina alone with convicts?”

  Nick glanced back at the shore. “I waited until they were asleep. They were so drunk they fell into their tents and started snoring. Listen!”

  We faced the beach and concentrated. The island was about four hundred feet away, but it was amazing how clearly sound traveled across the water. In between the splashes of the gentle waves on the shore, we could hear the uneven snorts and snores of the drunks.

  “What if they wake up?” Jervis held Makala on his lap.

  “I’ll be back before they do.” Nick jumped down to the swim step, climbed into the kayak, and shoved off.

  We watched him paddle across the bay.

  “Why did Nick say we couldn’t trust anyone?” Dylan asked Zoë.

  She gazed across the bay at the beach. “The boats and kayaks on shore are beat up. I’m sure the Whistler looks like heaven to everyone. Even our dinghy is in better shape than anything I saw.”

  “Really? I didn’t think about Whistler being such a target.” Dylan’s eyes narrowed.

  Zoë shrugged. “Some people seemed nice. I talked to a few who were curious and desperate for news. Nick was right, though. They are all scared of the convict guys.”

  I stirred the fire. “How many people did you see?”

  “Let me think. There were three couples, two families with kids, and about six guys that seemed to be by themselves. That doesn’t include the two drunks. Some people might have been out exploring, though. All the campsites are up on the hill above the beach. Mostly they have small tents. Wood is scarce, so they share a fire made out of the wreckage they find.”

  She stood and walked to the rail. “A young woman told me that they take turns hiking to other beaches to find wood. She let me know that if anything burnable shows up on this beach, it’s theirs.”

  “Humph! She sounds real nice.” Jervis spoke softly as he rocked the thumb-sucking Makala.

  The fire crackled and a board splintered. Nick disappeared into the darkness.

  Zoë pointed to the east side of the beach. “A freshwater stream is right over there.”

  Dylan followed her gesture. “Good. We’ll use the plastic bins to haul water back to Whistler.”

  Zoë sat back down, leaned over, and stirred the fire. Sparks flew in the air and we scrambled to make sure they didn’t land on anything that might burn or melt. Then we listened to the sounds from the island.

  I stood, walked to the side of the boat, and then back to my seat. It wasn’t fair. We’d had enough to deal with. Why couldn’t the island be the safe haven it was supposed to be?

  I focused on the snores coming from the shore. The few times they stopped, I held my breath, and waited for the heavy breathing to continue. I exhaled when it did.

  Takumi announced that dinner was ready. He’d prepared a crab, fish, and seaweed mixture that he suggested we roll up in leftover pancakes. The salty taste of seaweed was beginning to grow on me. Even Makala didn’t complain about “green food” anymore.

  Zoë sucked the meat from a crab leg, and I wondered when she’d stopped being a vegetarian.

  I finally laid my plate down and yawned. The fire was dying and we were out of wood. I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt up over my head.

  “Go to bed. I’ll sleep on deck,” Dylan said.

  “No. We take turns guarding the boat,” I told Dylan.

  Zoë headed for their cabin. “The convicts were lucky they made it to shore, as drunk as they were. They aren’t going anywhere tonight. I’m going to bed.”

  “I’ll keep Boots up top with me. He’ll warn me if anyone comes near the boat.” Dylan lined a couple of seats cushions up, and lay down.

  “Dylan’s right.” Takumi picked up Boots. The little dog’s tail wagged and he licked Takumi’s face. “Boots is a pretty good little watchdog.”

  Makala had fallen asleep in Jervis’s arms and he carried her to bed.

  When I came out of the ship’s head, Makala was asleep on the couch where Nick usually slept. Jervis lay on his mattress in the middle of the floor, reading by flashlight.

  “Goodnight,” he mumbled, and went back to his novel.

  I tiptoed across the room to the girl’s cabin. Takumi was there, wai
ting for me. I stood in the doorway and shivered. Takumi pulled back the covers and I hurried to him. His body slowly warmed mine.

  “You are so beautiful.” Takumi traced the outline of my cheek with his finger.

  I reached to push his long hair away from his face. It bounced back over his dark eyes. “You’re not so bad yourself,” I grinned.

  He moved his lips to mine. “I want to be with you, Toni.”

  Our lips came together. I got a whiff of his berry-scented body and smiled.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You smell like strawberry body wash.” I grinned.

  He buried his nose in my hair. “You smell like fruit too.”

  “Is that good?”

  “Perfect!” Takumi stared into my eyes. “You know I would never do anything to hurt you. Trust me?”

  My grin faded. “With my life.”

  Our kisses deepened. I let myself go and became lost in his embrace. When we pulled apart, we both gasped, craving more. But in this dangerous new world, we’d agreed that we couldn’t risk my getting pregnant.

  I stared at the ceiling and sucked in air.

  Takumi cradled me in his arms.

  I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

  ****

  Boots’ barking woke me. Daylight streamed through the hatch above. Dylan and Zoë’s cabin door slammed open and Takumi and I leapt apart. We hurriedly added layers to the clothes we’d slept in, and started out the cabin door.

  Takumi stopped me. “I do love you,” he said, and pulled me around to face him.

  I flashed back on the first time I’d seen him standing alone at the Marina. I remembered the way he held me during the tsunami. He’d been there for me when Cole died, and every day since.

  I stared into his exotic eyes. “I love you, too,” I whispered.

  Chapter Three

  The cloudy sky seemed brighter somehow that morning. I had to shade my eyes as I searched the deck. Boots crouched on the bow, yipping non-stop.

  Dylan stretched out on the cockpit bench. “So. You going to tell me you were playing cards again last night?”

  Takumi stepped in front of me. “I told you. I would never put Toni in danger.”

  I’d had enough. “Dylan, let it go. Takumi and I are together. Get over it.” I stepped to the rail. “Why’s Boots barking?”

  The little dog was obsessed with something in the water. He growled and barked again.

  Dylan’s eyes were bloodshot. “Damn dog. He barks every time a seagull flies over or a seal swims by. Great guard dog, that one.”

  Takumi and I laughed. I pulled Takumi with me, toward the bow and Boots.

  “You’re just going to walk away?” Dylan snarled.

  “Yep,” I replied and bent down to pet Boots. “What’s wrong, boy?” I asked. His muscles were tense, and every bark shook him from his head to his tail. He was focused on something in the water. I looked down. A fin in the sea below us circled the ship.

  “Shark!” I jumped back, tripped on a cleat, and fell onto the railing.

  “Sharks?” Takumi steadied me.

  A fin in the water below us raced toward the stern. We were safe on the boat, but I trembled to think that we’d been swimming here the day before.

  Takumi smirked.

  “You like sharks?” I asked.

  “Actually, shark tastes pretty good,” he said. “But that’s not a shark.”

  As if on cue, the creature in the water leapt in the air. It was a dolphin. A large dolphin, which stood on its tail fin, squealed, and then scooted backwards.

  “Someone get Makala,” I yelled.

  Jervis hurried up on deck with Makala in his arms. “What? What’s going on?”

  Makala rubbed her eyes and whimpered for her sister. Boots continued to yip and bark.

  “Boots, stop it.” I nodded at ripples where the dolphin had gone under. “Makala, watch!” The dolphin flew out of the water, just in front of us. Makala’s face lit up, and all the signs of a sad little girl disappeared.

  Dylan and Zoë joined us on the bow. Two more gray dolphins came and frolicked with the first. Boots went crazy. I picked him up and tried to calm him down, but he fought to be free. Makala laughed and danced around the deck as the dolphins squeaked and played on and under the water.

  It was magical. I used valuable battery power on my phone and took a picture. The dolphins passed by the boat at least five times, always squealing and performing at our side. I think they enjoyed teasing Boots as much as entertaining Makala.

  Then, as quickly as they’d arrived, they dove beneath our boat and left the bay.

  Boots finally stopped making a fuss.

  “Time to go see your sister,” I said cheerfully before Makala’s whining started again.

  * ***

  Dylan offered to stay with Zoë and guard the boat.

  “No, I’m going ashore. She’s my patient,” Zoë argued.

  I finished tying Makala’s shoes and joined in the discussion. “You’ve already been on shore. Dylan hasn’t. But he’s offering to stay anyway. He needs back-up.”

  Zoë stomped to her cabin and slammed the door.

  Makala tugged on the bottom of my jacket. “Sissy and I brought flowers to Mommy in the hospital. Can I bring some now?”

  “Sorry, sweetie. We don’t have any flowers and there probably aren’t any on the island yet. It might be too cold. But it would be nice to bring her something.” I glanced around the boat.

  “She likes coffee,” Jervis said as he came out of the head. “So does Nick. Do we have any left?”

  I’d never become a fan of the bitter stuff, but my parents drank gallons of it. When we’d left Seattle there’d been a large bag of coffee grounds onboard. I didn’t know how much was left.

  Takumi checked the cupboard and pulled out an almost empty package hidden all the way in the back. “It’s decaf. But that’s better than nothing. There’s just enough to make one pot. Makala, maybe you can find a picture of a flower in one of the magazines and make a get well card?”

  Makala ran to what was left of the magazines.

  “Good idea. I’ll help.” Jervis searched the desk for pens and markers.

  I dug around in a deep storage space until I found a thermos. While I was rinsing it out with a small amount of boiled seawater, an idea popped in my head. I carried the thermos to Zoë’s cabin and pounded on her door.

  “Go away,” She snarled.

  “Open up. I need your help,” I insisted.

  The door opened a crack and Zoë peeked out. “What now?”

  I pushed my way into her room. “I want to put something in the coffee to knock the convicts out. What do you have?”

  Zoë thought for a moment, then rummaged through her stash from a mega yacht we’d found on our journey. “They’re big guys, but these sleeping pills are pretty strong. Do you want to kill them?”

  “No!” My voice croaked with shock. “Just knock them out.”

  She poured the entire bottle of sleeping pills into the thermos. “Just don’t let any one person drink the whole thing. Want me to take it to shore for you?”

  “I got it,” I said, and left.

  Zoë followed me and argued that she should be the one to go ashore.

  I kept saying no as we loaded the dinghy with empty bins to collect water, paper cups, the thermos, a full bottle of gin, and a half-empty bottle of rum. The few bottles of alcohol we had left were less than full.

  Dylan, Zoë, and I discussed our plan. We agreed that if Angelina were strong enough, we’d bring her back to Whistler with the medications, and sail to another bay. Jervis argued that it wasn’t safe for Makala to go ashore. He didn’t want her near the guy who had a gun.

  “They’ll know we are up to something if you don’t bring Makala,” Zoë insisted.

  I told Jervis and Dylan about the drugged coffee.

  Jervis eyebrows knitted together with concern. “Okay then … but at the first sign of
trouble, I’m getting her out of there. And I’m not waiting for the rest of you. Got it?”

  Zoë shrugged. “Those guys are so excited to get the booze. They won’t give you any trouble.”

  Jervis picked up Makala’s lifejacket. “I still say Makala should stay here.”

  Boots barked as we rowed to shore. It was early, and I’d hoped to land on the island unnoticed, but with all the noise he was making, there was no chance of that. We took turns rowing and I studied our new home as we approached. Although it was off the coast of California, it didn’t have palm trees. I was so disappointed. Instead, a few clusters of straggly pines dotted the cliffs above the beach. Ten pilings stood upright in the bay. They were all that was left of a wharf. The beach that had looked sandy was really coarse gravel. A high cliff-like bank rose above the sea. It was dotted with the colorful tents I’d seen from the boat. Up close, I saw that around these tents were elaborate campsites, with clotheslines and makeshift places to sit.

  I sighed. We’d found shelter and fresh water. And it was a big island. If we didn’t feel good about staying here, we could go to another part of the island. We’d just have to find a way to leave a message for my parents. This was the bay where Dad had suggested we meet.

  A small group of campers greeted us as we came ashore. Takumi threw them a line and two young guys pulled the dinghy up on the beach. My legs almost buckled when I climbed out of the boat. It had been so long since I’d been on land. Tears of joy welled in my eyes, and Takumi helped me to a log. I could still feel the rocking of the boat.

  “We made it,” he whispered. We watched Jervis tie the boat to a huge boulder then sit Makala down on the beach. “We made it!”

  “Where are you guys from?” a very tall guy with a dark beard asked.

  “Seattle,” Jervis answered.

  “Wow. You sailed a long way.” An older man studied our sailboat.

  “It’s been an adventure.” I took Takumi’s hand and wished with all my heart that Cole were here with us. He would have loved knowing we’d made it. “Thanks for your help,” I told the island guy.

  “Do you plan to stay here?” a thin guy made a face as he lifted the bottles of alcohol out of the boat and handed them to me.