Anchored Read online

  When we first left Seattle, checking out a bay would have been easy. We would have taken down the sails and motored in. An electric navigation system would have told us the depth beneath us, and the GPS, the location where we were. But those luxuries went away when the boat was knocked down with the tsunamis.

  The little diesel we had left came from what the Commander had given us in Santa Cruz. It was only for emergencies. Luckily, we had all become pretty good sailors.

  Zoë came up on deck and sat behind Dylan.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  “Better,” Zoë said. “For now, at least. It would help if you could keep the boat from rocking so much.”

  I almost rolled my eyes.

  “We’re heading into a bay. The water should be much calmer.” Dylan adjusted the wheel,

  “About time,” Zoë mumbled and then stared down at her phone. She was always the first one to charge her cell when the batteries were connected, although she hadn’t heard a word from her parents since before the disaster. “Did I show you guys this picture from when my parents took me to dinner at the Space Needle?” She grinned and handed the phone to Takumi and me.

  I’d seen the picture at least five times, but commented anyway. “You look just like your mom.”

  “Everyone says that.” She put her phone into her pocket. “I’m so annoyed. They’ve always been bad with technology, but you’d think they could find someone to help them message me.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Her parents had been in Hawaii when it was destroyed. If she hadn’t gotten word from them by now, chances were pretty good she never would. I avoided the question by suddenly pointing out a floating piece of what looked like a broken mast.

  Dylan swerved the boat. We missed crashing into it, although we lost control of the sails.

  “What are you doing? You said you were going to make the ride smoother!” Zoë yelled.

  I was just letting the main sail back out when Takumi sighted a red marker just inside the opening. It was something to go by.

  The bay we entered opened wide, becoming more like a small sea than a harbor. There were almost as many boats floating and anchored in this bay as Santa Barbara, but the area was much larger––there were boats and ships from everywhere. Most flew U.S., Canadian, or Mexican flags. A couple of ships flew flags I didn’t recognize.

  “Keep watching for sunken ships!” Dylan yelled.

  “Antenna!” Takumi gestured at a metal pole sticking up out of the water, dead ahead.

  Once again, we swerved to miss hitting a boat that was just under the water. When we were safe, we lowered the sails and let ourselves drift while we tried to figure out where to go.

  “If this is the way you’re going to drive the boat, I’m going below!” Zoë yelled and stormed away.

  I waited until she was below. “It’s been over a month. Why hasn’t the military put markers on these sunken ships? At night, there would be no way anyone would see them.”

  Before anyone could respond, Angelina and Makala popped up on deck. Makala had a huge grin on her face and couldn’t stop bouncing. Angelina held her cell phone high in the air. “Guys. We have service. Mom made it to Tijuana. She said she was crossing the border three days ago.”

  “Yeah!” I high-fived Makala. Their mom had made it to the border. That was great news.

  Angelina’s face grew grim. “Mom also said that there isn’t U.S. cell service in Mexico.”

  Dylan and I exchanged a look.

  Nick raced below to get his phone. Takumi pulled his cell out of his coat pocket, checked the screen, and put it back. For a while, he stared at the water directly below us.

  I felt bad for Takumi. He’d pretty much accepted that his parents were gone, but I’m sure there was a flicker of hope every time we had service.

  Nick came back with his phone. We heard a ding and his face lit up. He read silently, then raised his head. “After they got my text, they found some maps of Arizona and headed there instead of Texas. They found this huge National Wildlife area south of Phoenix. It’s always been a desert, but with the cooler weather and added rainfall, it is perfect grazing land. They plan to stop at a place called Ajo this week. It’s less than fifty miles from the Sea of Cortez.” He went back to reading and his face fell. “Half the herd froze to death or was stolen on the journey. All but two of the horses made it.” He stared up at me. “My dad. He got shot. By a gang of rustlers.” He went back to reading. “He’s going to be okay. Complains about riding in the wagon. My sister hates everything about the trip. She’s dirty, sick of beans … but can’t wait to see me.”

  “They’re going to end up only fifty miles from the Sea of Cortez? That’s great. We can sail you most of the way.” I smiled at him.

  “I know. I miss them. My sister wrote the text. She’s the only one with a cell they keep charged now. Somewhere they picked up a small generator, but they don’t have any extra gasoline for it.”

  As I wrapped the lines on the deck, I couldn’t stop thinking about our plan. Nick’s sister’s cell wouldn’t be much use after we crossed the border. I don’t know why we didn’t think about not being able to get cell service in Mexico.

  After the tsunamis, the U.S. Government nationalized all the cell towers in the U.S. Everyone close to any tower could get text messages. But of course, Mexico would have a different plan. And now, there was the threat of war.

  I was anxious to see if my parents had left a message too, but checking would have to wait until we anchored. I dug out our depth finder, a brick tied to a long rope we’d made at the beginning of the trip, and held it ready.

  Dylan stared at a large cargo vessel and a fishing boat. “Let’s sail over there and test the depth. It looks more sheltered and might be easier to anchor.”

  “What if part of this bay is in Mexico? It matters which country we anchor in. Once our anchor hits bottom, we’re in that country.” I tried to see a pattern to the flags on the boats around us.

  “Makala and I have Mexican passports.” Angelina narrowed her eyes and glanced at Nick.

  “I know you do, but the rest of us don’t. Not everyone here even has a passport. This boat is a U.S. registered boat.” I scanned the water and pointed. Off to the left were four U.S. cargo ships, a couple of private sailing boats, and two fishing vessels. All of them, flying American flags. “We should anchor there.”

  Dylan and Nick moved to the bow of Whistler. They discussed our options, but in the end, they took my advice and we anchored near one of the sailboats and the shore.

  “Does your boat have a flag?” Takumi stared at the huge flag that flew off the stern of a patrol boat.

  I followed his gaze. “Our flag is below deck. We also have a Canadian courtesy flag we fly when we’re in Canada, but maybe we shouldn’t advertise who we are until we know for sure what’s going on.”

  “Why don’t you have a Mexican courtesy flag,” Angelina stared at me.

  What was going on with Angelina? “This is our boat’s first time to Mexico. We sailed the Canadian Gulf Islands every summer. We’ll try to find a Mexican flag when we go ashore.” I looked at Nick. He shrugged.

  “What’s a curtsy flag?” Makala asked.

  “It’s a small flag of the country you’re visiting. You mount it up high on your boat to say you appreciate and honor the country you’re in,” I said.

  “Sissy and I have two countries.” Makala smiled.

  “You are so lucky.” I grinned at her, then went back to searching the shore for some sign of where we were.

  If this was San Diego, the city was gone. There were no marinas. No resorts or restaurants. Just endless destroyed buildings, cars on top of cars, and broken chunks of concrete that looked like they had been tossed haphazardly around like a child’s set of building blocks.

  Makala ran to the rail and peered down in the water. Angelina joined her and they played a game Angelina called ‘name that debris.’ Makala was great at identifying plasti
c bins and outhouses.

  Once we were anchored, I climbed below to get my phone. Dylan yelled for me to bring his up too. I powered on my cell and held my breath.

  Two text messages popped up: One from my friend. The other from my parents.

  I exhaled. “They’re alive!”

  Chapter Three

  My hand shook as I read the text message from Dad.

  Toni, Cole, and Dylan! We are so relieved to hear that you are okay and safe on Whistler. Mom hasn’t been well, but she can’t stop smiling. Even at me. The good news has been the best medicine.

  I can’t believe we just missed one another on Santa Cruz. Commander Wilson stopped the boat we were on, and told us to wait for you at the border. The captain of the boat we were on heard rumors of war, and decided to head back to Santa Cruz. He dropped us off near what used to be L.A. We will be hiking to Tijuana.

  I had only a few minutes to charge my phone at a military base outside of L.A. where we rested last night. It won’t stay charged long.

  But even if I don’t find a way to contact you, we will find you at the border. Can’t wait to be a family again.

  Until then, know we love you. Be safe.

  I checked the date. The message was two days old.

  Dad mentioned mom was sick. How sick was she? Would she be strong enough to walk from Los Angeles to Tijuana? I needed to check the map to see how far that was. They might not even be at the border yet.

  I raced up the steps. “Dylan, where’s that map?”

  “Was there a text from Mom and Dad?” He gripped the wheel and stared at the cell in my hand.

  I shoved my phone at him and looked at Takumi. “Dad says Mom is not well. They were dropped off in L.A. and are hiking to Tijuana. I don’t know how far they have to go, or how sick Mom is.”

  Takumi handed me the map. I checked the distance guide at the bottom. It looked like it was over a hundred miles from L.A. to the border. That was a long hike for mom if she was ill.

  I looked at Dylan. He was chewing his lower lip, and handed me back the phone. “They don’t know about Cole.”

  “No. They don’t,” I said softly.

  Jervis climbed up on deck and moved to the rail beside me. “Did you guys figure out where we are?” He surveyed the wreckage. “Is that part of a plane?”

  I finally pulled my attention away from the map, and glanced around at the land. Across from where we were anchored, I saw what looked like a tail piece and broken wings from a plane. A huge building had collapsed on top of it.

  “There’s a fuselage. Check the map for an airport. Looks like we are anchored close to one.” I handed the map to Takumi.

  He studied the map with Jervis. As they began pointing out landmarks they found on the map and searching for them on land, I plopped down on top of the cabin, and read the message from my best friend.

  I’m still alive. Got your message. Can’t believe you rode the tsunami in your boat. That is so awesome.

  We almost didn’t survive on the mountain. We ran out of food. We prayed for a miracle. We had firewood, so we were able to keep warm at least. The rescue helicopters saw the smoke from our chimney and that’s what saved us.

  Some of our neighbors weren’t so lucky.

  We were flown to a re-settlement camp near what’s left of San Francisco. It’s pretty awful. No privacy and a lot of sickness. But we are luckier than most. We have camping supplies. Many people weren’t prepared and only have the thin blankets the camp provides.

  My uncle and my dad insist that we keep to ourselves. We can’t trust anyone. Thieves pretend to be friends.

  They’re making plans to leave the camp. I don’t know where they think we can go. It is cold here, but not as freezing as the mountains were.

  Dad wants me to ask you if you know where we should go. Lots of people are talking about Mexico. Are you still sailing south? Have you seen the sun? Should we head to Mexico?

  Can we get a ride with you?

  I miss you. I miss the sun.

  I sat on top of the cabin with my phone in my lap. What should I write back? I looked around the destroyed landscape. This place couldn’t be any better than where she was. And so far, Mexico wasn’t welcoming immigrants. Maybe she should go away from the coast. Travel inland to a place the tsunamis hadn’t traveled and the ice hadn’t come. While I was thinking, a shadow came over me. It was Takumi.

  I held up my phone. “My friend is alive. She and her family were rescued and helicoptered to San Francisco. But they don’t feel safe in the camp. They want to catch a ride with us.”

  “What are you going to tell her?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. We could squeeze her and her brother onboard. Maybe even her parents, but not her aunt, uncle, and all her cousins.”

  “No. Not now. But maybe after we drop off Angelina and…”

  I shook my head. “I can’t make her any promises. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”

  “I know.”

  I stared out across the bay. “That was an airport, wasn’t it?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “I wonder if there is any food, or anything we could use, still left on any of the planes.”

  Takumi grinned slightly. “Like little bottles of wine.”

  “That’s right. And tiny bags of peanuts.”

  Jervis joined us. “They don’t do peanuts anymore. It’s itty bitty bags of pretzels and snack mixes now.”

  I hadn’t had junk food for what seemed forever. “That sounds incredible. Some of the meals came with small bags of potato chips. And they sold pepperoni and cheese, too.” I grinned. “I’m excited.”

  “About what? The snacks or the booze?” Dylan was tightening the straps that held the dropped sail on top of the main.

  I recalled how drunk Dylan got after Cole died. “The alcohol was good for trading. It would be nice to have a stash.”

  Takumi looked around. “Yeah, but it has been a couple of months. There’s a big city

  here. I’m sure lots of people have scavenged everything edible already. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

  Jervis scanned the shore and the boats sunken and anchored around us. “This place gives me the creeps. It is so… dead.”

  I followed his gaze. “The airport was probably evacuated way before the tsunami.”

  “That’s true, but not what I mean. There’s nothing alive out there. There’s no fish jumping. No seals. And where are the seagulls? Everywhere we’ve been, there have been seagulls and lots of crows.” Jervis gestured at the cloudy sky.

  I sat up and looked closer. Nothing moved except the gentle waves.

  A gust of wind hit the boat. The anchor held, but an acidy odor floated over me. “What is that smell?”

  Takumi climbed to the rail and peered down in the water. “Look!” he cried.

  I followed his gaze. The water had a sheen over it a little off the starboard side. The gentle ripple of waves appeared to be covered in rainbow colors. “Some of the broken ships must have leaked diesel.”

  “This doesn’t smell like diesel. It smells like creosote mixed with something. Something dead and rotting,” Takumi said.

  I scanned the shore. Blackish goo appeared in clumps on the beach. There were lumps here and there that could be dead seagulls or even seals. They were covered in what looked like tar.

  Takumi ran to the port side of the boat. “That’s crude oil. There’s even more oil in the water and on the beach over here. I bet an oil rig tipped over, or a tanker full of crude broke apart. There is too much here for it to be a small spill. And we are only at the mouth of the bay.”

  We stared at one another for a moment. “This has been collecting for a month! Those poor creatures. And it is heading out to sea! What will that do to the ocean?” I asked.

  “And the whales.” Jervis stood behind me.

  “It must have spread from further in the bay. Why hasn’t the military sent people to clean it up?” I stared in disbelie
f.

  Takumi put his arm around me. “I think everyone, even the military, has their hands full just staying alive.”

  “Okay. I get it. But we have to do something.” I walked to the port side of the boat and surveyed the oil damage.

  Dylan shook his head. “There’s too much. And we don’t have any equipment.”

  “Maybe we can talk to the Navy or Coast Guard, or whatever the military is calling itself now. If there is a settlement camp, I bet some people would volunteer to help with the clean-up if they had a way to do it. I feel so helpless. We don’t much soap left. I only have a couple of bars left from the ones Takumi brought back from the military base. Zoë still has some, but good luck getting it from her to wash birds,” I said.

  Takumi began arranging pieces of wood in the cockpit barbecue. “The little bit you and Zoë have wouldn’t be enough to help any of those creatures. And we might have to use our stash to get the stuff off of us.”

  Jervis stared down at the hull. “We should warn everyone not to use the seawater for cooking or cleaning. It smells…” he made a face, “…toxic!”

  I leaned as far over as I could to inspect the hull. “What about the boat? There’s goo on it already. Will the crude hurt the fiberglass or the paint?”

  Jervis and Dylan stared back at me, their faces blank.

  Takumi scowled. “We need everyone on deck. We need to talk about this.”

  Dylan started toward the stairs.

  “Wait!” I cried. “Not everyone. Don’t bring the kids up. And we don’t need Zoë either.”

  Dylan gave me a strange look, then went below.

  “I just didn’t want to worry her,” I mumbled.

  “Right.” Takumi looked at Jervis.

  Jervis chuckled.

  “All right. I’m starting to lose patience with her, okay? It’s not her fault she feels sick, but…”

  “Living in close quarters is hard.” Jervis nodded.

  “Did your sisters agree to move into the girls’ cabin?” I asked.

  Jervis grabbed a sail line and began wrapping it around the winch. “Not yet.”

  Chapter Four