‘But instead she kidnapped you?’ Pepper snarls.
‘Not at first,’ Samuel says. ‘Miss Bunnock made me show her the gun and she said it was just a pretend one that didn’t even work and that she didn’t know who the photo was of but it couldn’t be anything important and that she’d ask Mr Lomax about the gun and that I shouldn’t say anything to anybody about it as it might frighten them. And she stayed near me the whole time, except once when Mr Lomax called her away for something which was when I snuck the photo upstairs and wrote in my notebook and left them both in the hiding place in the bedroom. And I still would’ve told Evie, but—’
‘But we’d gone missing by then,’ Josh says.
‘Exactly. And then later, after going-to-bed time, when everyone was asleep, I woke up and Miss Bunnock was pressing some bit of cloth down on my face, and it smelled odd, and then I don’t remember anything until I woke up here, in the boathouse. Which was “three”.’
‘Whoa,’ Pepper whistles.
Josh shakes his head. Hearing Samuel explain everything so matter-of-factly somehow makes it sound even worse. I feel in my jacket pocket for the shoes. In all the turmoil, I forgot I have them back now. It’s reassuring to touch their soft leather.
‘Wait a minute!’ Pepper’s eyes widen and she throws up her arms. ‘You must have been here while we were outside this morning . . . me, Evie and Josh, clearing the rubbish from the storm outside the boathouse door.’
‘Yes, I could hear you, but I was tied up so I couldn’t shout or anything. That was “four”. Miss Bunnock came down after you went and untied me so I could eat. She said that now I know about her being involved she can’t kill Evie the original way . . .’
‘By luring me to Easter Rock, pushing me off and making it look like I jumped,’ I mutter. ‘That’s why she put the knife under my pillow, so that Mr Lomax and everyone would think I wanted to top myself.’
‘Anyway, now she’s probably going to find a new way to kill you,’ Samuel continues. ‘And she’s going to kill me at the same time.’
‘Oh man.’ Josh lets out a long, jagged breath. ‘What do we do now?’
‘We have to get out of here.’ Pepper jumps to her feet, a look of determination on her face.
Josh looks around the cellar. ‘The only way out is through the trapdoor.’
‘That won’t work,’ Pepper says. ‘Did you see the size of that padlock?’
‘So . . .’ I take a deep breath. ‘Our situation is that we have no weapons, no tools and no way of getting out of the cellar.’
‘Yeah, thanks for putting such a positive spin on it,’ Pepper grumbles.
‘We’ve got to shout,’ I say. ‘Think about it. The others are going to wonder where we are soon. They’ll come looking for us.’
‘Suppose Anna or Buttockbreath tells them some lie about where we are?’ Pepper says.
‘Suppose the others are in on it?’ Josh adds darkly. ‘Bradley is probably involved, maybe even Moncrieff. And we can’t be sure about Kit either.’
‘Kit isn’t involved,’ I say.
‘How do you know?’ Josh asked.
My thoughts drift to the way Kit looked at me earlier, the way he kissed me. He’s surely the last person who would want me to come to any harm. I look up, into Josh’s enquiring eyes. My cheeks burn. ‘Kit just wouldn’t,’ I say.
‘Even if no one else is involved, it’s possible Buttockbreath will hear us before anyone else does.’ Pepper groans. ‘Then she’ll gag us on top of everything else. What a cow. I never liked that woman.’
‘All that’s true, but as shouting is our only chance we might as well give it a try,’ Josh says.
No one can think of anything to say to that, so I clap my hands together to get us started.
‘Everyone together,’ I urge. ‘One . . . two . . . three . . . HELP!’ I yell as loudly as I can, the others joining in.
‘Again.’ Josh scrambles to his feet, pulling me up beside him. ‘One . . . two . . . three . . . HELP!’
The four of us shout until our lungs burn with the effort. But no one comes.
‘We should time it, space it out,’ Josh says. ‘Otherwise, we’ll have no voices left. Every couple of minutes or so, we yell.’
‘I’ll keep the count,’ Samuel says. ‘I’m good at counting in my head.’
An hour or so passes. Then another. And another. It’s hard to keep track of time, though from the sounds of wind and rain that reach us through the walls it’s obvious the storm has been building up again. The sea will be at high tide now. I can just picture huge waves crashing against the cliffs and over the dark rocks that stick up out of the water.
The candle burns about a quarter of the way down inside the lamp. In spite of Josh’s plan to stagger our yells and Samuel’s careful counting, we’re all growing hoarse and the bread and water are gone.
‘It must be night by now,’ I muse. ‘Do you think there’s any chance a boat’s made it here from the mainland?’
‘No way,’ Pepper says. ‘The storm’s too bad. I’ve done a lot of sailing on my dad’s yacht and there’s no way any ordinary boat would set out in a sea like that unless it was a total emergency.’
‘Oh man.’ Josh catches his breath. ‘Bunnock could be back any second.’
There’s a long pause.
‘I don’t want to die,’ Samuel says.
‘Me neither,’ I say.
Into the silence that falls, a set of footsteps sounds above our heads. Josh and I exchange worried glances. Is that Miss Bunnock coming back for us?
I hold my breath as the padlock releases with a click and the trapdoor slowly opens.
Broken Dawn
Thirty-one
Kit’s face appears in the trapdoor opening: glistening with rain, as handsome as ever.
‘Evie?’ He squints into the gloom of the cellar.
‘I’m here,’ I say, rushing out of the shadows so that I’m directly under the trapdoor. ‘We’re all here. How did you find us?’
‘Anna told me everything,’ he says.
‘What?’ I freeze.
‘Where is she?’ Pepper peers up at Kit.
‘We can’t trust her,’ Josh adds.
‘I’m here.’ Anna’s voice echoes down the ladder.
Josh and Pepper look at me in alarm.
‘We can trust her,’ Kit insists. ‘She told me where you were and about pretending to be the ghost. And she helped me get the key to this padlock from where Bunnock keeps it. I can’t believe what Bunnock—’
‘We can talk later. Come on, guys, let’s go.’ Pepper is already on the ladder. She clambers up and disappears through the hole above our heads as Josh ushers Samuel to the bottom rung. Samuel slowly, anxiously makes the climb.
‘You next, Evie,’ Josh says. He puts his hand on my back and my heart gives a little skip. Then I remember Kit is at the top of the ladder and a wave of guilt washes over me. Pushing it away, I hurry after Samuel.
Kit is kneeling by the trapdoor. As Samuel scrambles out, Kit reaches for me, helping me up the last step and onto my feet. He pulls me into a huge hug. His arms are strong around my back, his damp cheek cool against mine. Outside the wind howls, louder here than it was in the cellar. Rain lashes on the boathouse roof. There’s a huge crash as something heavy thuds to the ground.
‘Sounds like a tree falling,’ Anna says, looking worried.
Kit pulls me tighter. ‘Thank goodness you’re all right,’ he breathes into my ear. ‘Anna was practically hysterical when she found me, said Miss Bunnock was about to kill you. What’s going on?’
‘I’m so sorry, Evie.’ Anna is hopping up and down beside me.
I extricate myself from Kit in order to look at her. Her pretty face is creased with misery, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.
‘Please forgive me,’ Anna babbles on. ‘Miss Bunnock said it was like . . . like a psychological experiment and . . . and I didn’t think it would mean anything. I had no idea she was going to try an
d kill you or Samuel.’
‘She’s trying to kill all of us actually,’ Pepper says with feeling.
‘And she could come back at any moment,’ Josh adds as he climbs out too. ‘We need to get out of here.’
‘He’s right,’ I say.
‘Let’s go then,’ says Kit.
The wind whips round our heads as we emerge into the fading light outside. Rain tears at our faces. The path ahead of us is completely blocked by a fallen tree.
‘Oh no!’ Anna whimpers. ‘That’s the tree we just heard.’
‘Try and get past it,’ Pepper urges.
But the way through to the rest of the island is completely cut off. The rain pounds down as the six of us pull at the branches, trying in vain to clear the track.
‘It’s no good,’ Kit says, panting with the effort.
‘Maybe we can go along the beach.’ Josh sets off, the rest of us following. We squeeze past the debris we collected earlier, down to the pebble-strewn beach. The white-tipped waves smash and suck at the stones. It’s instantly obvious that the beach with its high cliffs is as impassable as the path.
‘We’re trapped,’ Pepper says, her voice hollow.
Rain teems down, plastering our hair to our heads and our clothes to our skin.
‘At least if we can’t get out then Bunnock can’t get through to us either,’ Kit reasons.
‘She’ll just go back and fetch Bradley to help her cut through the branches so she can reach us,’ Pepper says bitterly.
‘Yeah, and if Bradley isn’t in on the whole thing she’ll kill him along with the rest of us,’ I add.
‘Surely, when she realises we’ve disappeared, Mrs Moncrieff will do something,’ Anna says. ‘I’m certain she doesn’t know anything about—’
‘No way.’ Pepper snorts. ‘Even if she’s not involved, Mrs Moncrieff would be about as much use against Bradley and Buttockbreath as one of her cucumbers.’
‘So where do we go?’ Kit asks.
Josh peers along the beach, now covered with water, to the cave where we found the Aurora earlier. He turns and meets my gaze.
‘What about the boat?’ he suggests. ‘We found it hidden along the beach earlier. We can swim round, sail it out of the cave and get to a safer bit of the island. Then we moor the boat and hide until the storm passes.’
‘Yes!’ Pepper’s eyes light up. ‘Genius.’
I gulp, thinking of the dangerous water between us and the cave and my own inability to swim.
‘But the storm is really bad,’ Kit says doubtfully. ‘Plus, none of us know how to handle a motorboat,’ he adds. ‘Unless Samuel actually does, like they said?’
Everyone looks at Samuel. He shakes his head.
‘I went out in a rowing boat once,’ I say uncertainly. ‘But there’s no way I could operate something like the Aurora.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Pepper drawls. ‘I’ve been in boats like that millions of times. My dad has one for goodness’ sake. I’ve watched him sailing it loads of times. How hard can it be? I’m sure I could do it.’
Kit looks at me. ‘What do you think, Evie?’
I glance from face to face, at Anna, riddled with shame and fear, at Samuel, cowering against the boathouse wall, at Pepper, chin jutting out, defiant and confident, and at Josh, whose eyes meet mine with an intensity that makes me shiver. Then I turn back to Kit.
‘If we stay here then Bunnock and Bradley will find us. I think using the boat is our only chance,’ I say. ‘So we’d better take it.’
Thirty-two
‘You’re saying we have to swim to the cave with the boat?’ Anna asks, paling.
Rain streams down my face. I’m already trembling at the prospect of having to attempt the crossing.
‘It’s not too dangerous if we stay close to the shore,’ Pepper says. ‘The underwater rocks are all further out to sea; we just have to be careful of the current.’
Josh looks at me. I can tell he’s remembering that I can’t swim.
‘We don’t all need to go,’ he says softly. ‘Two of us will be enough. We can bring the boat back for everyone else.’
‘I’ll go with Pepper.’ Kit crouches down and begins undoing his bootlaces.
‘No, I’ll do it,’ Josh says. ‘I’m a good swimmer and I’ve been there before.’
‘But I’m stronger than you,’ Kit argues. ‘I won the two hundred and the four hundred-metre freestyle races at my school and—’
‘This isn’t a pigging race,’ Josh snaps. ‘And it isn’t about showing off either.’
Kit stiffens. Clenching his fists, he moves right in front of Josh. ‘I’m not showing off, I’m just—’
‘Enough!’ Pepper shouts. ‘We can’t afford to waste time on some macho who-can-impress-Evie-the-most contest.’
My cheeks burn. The rain stings my face as I turn away into the wind.
‘I say Josh comes with me because he knows exactly where we’re going,’ Pepper goes on, ignoring my embarrassment. ‘We’ll pick up the rest of you in the boat.’
I sigh with relief.
‘But—’ Kit starts.
‘Shut up, Kit,’ Pepper snaps. ‘Just be a hero and help the others swim out to where we’ll pick you up.’
Swim out? I glance at Josh.
‘Can’t we bring the boat up to the shore?’ he asks. ‘Or round to the boathouse?’
Pepper stares at him as if he was mad. ‘It’ll take twice as long to get to the boathouse and it’s too shallow to bring the boat close to the shore.’ She points to a spot about three metres out into the bay. ‘The others will have to meet us there, in the water. It’s not far and there aren’t any hidden rocks, you just have to be careful of the current.’
I gaze out to sea. Even in the bay, the waves are choppy and restless. My blood chills as I imagine the cold of the sea, the way the tide might suck me under. I look up. Josh is watching me, his eyebrows raised.
I give a quick shake of the head. ‘I’ll be fine,’ I say.
‘Come on, Josh, let’s go,’ Pepper says.
For one horrible second, I think Josh is going to tell everyone that I can’t swim. Instead, he simply steps forward and whispers something in Kit’s ear. A few moments later, he and Pepper are both in the water, fighting hard to stay on course against the current which keeps drawing them away from the shore.
Kit watches them, a worried expression on his face. ‘The tide has turned, it’s going out,’ he says, wiping his dripping hair out of his eyes. ‘Soon we won’t be able to get the boat out of the cave.’
I strain my eyes as Josh and Pepper make their slow, agonizing way through the water.
‘Evie?’ Anna sidles up beside me. ‘I just wanted to say again how sorry I am. I honestly thought it was a proper experiment. I would never have—’
‘You made me think my mum’s spirit was here, trying to communicate with me.’ I meet her gaze. ‘Even if you really thought it was just some stupid experiment it was cruel . . . and wrong. Josh and I nearly died in that cave where you left the initials. That was you, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Anna admits, tears welling in her eyes. ‘Miss Bunnock told me to do that. She told me about the passageway out too. I’m so, so sorry.’
I study her face, feeling torn. I can’t bring myself to forgive her, but I can’t help feeling a bit sorry for her too. ‘Well, we’ve got more important things to worry about now.’
‘Oh, Evie.’ Anna bursts into sobs and flings her arms around me.
I stiffen, then pull away. Over Anna’s shoulder Samuel looks alarmed at this sudden display of emotion. I smile at him and he carefully forms his lips into a curve and offers me a smile back.
Kit clears his throat. ‘Josh says you can’t swim,’ he says. ‘Is that true?’
Samuel and Anna stare at me. I nod, feeling my cheeks colouring again. ‘OK, well, I’ll help you get to the boat,’ Kit says.
I hang my head. It’s stupid to feel embarrassed about something so minor as no
t being able to swim when all our lives are in danger. But I would still rather have kept it a secret.
Across the water, Pepper and Josh are clawing their way through the waves. Josh reaches the cave first. He waits, treading water, until Pepper joins him, then together they disappear inside.
Kit glances anxiously at Anna and Samuel. ‘How strong swimmers are you two?’
‘I’m OK,’ Anna says with a shrug.
Samuel makes a face. ‘In one lifetime, the average person produces enough spit to fill two swimming pools.’
Kit and I exchange worried looks.
‘Er, that’s fascinating, Samuel,’ I say, ‘but how are you at swimming yourself?’
‘I can do doggy-paddle,’ Samuel says solemnly, ‘in an indoor pool.’
‘Great.’ Kit blows out his breath.
‘Look, here they come.’ Anna points.
We follow her finger in time to see the motorboat chugging out of the cave. It rocks madly on the waves that smash against the cave wall, but it’s moving steadily forward.
Pepper sits at the back, her hair whipping across her face, her hand on the tiller. Josh is at the front of the boat. He points ahead of him to the spot in the sea that Pepper indicated earlier.
‘It’s time,’ I say.
‘OK. ‘Kit rubs his hands together. ‘Take off anything that will weigh you down. Then into the water.’
I’m trembling as I slip off my pumps. I keep my jacket on, the pocket containing Irina’s ballet shoes carefully zipped. I’m not losing those again.
Kit ushers Anna into the water, then turns to Samuel. ‘Off you go. I’ll be right behind.’
Obediently, Samuel wades into the sea after Anna. He is soon out of his depth, paddling furiously with his hands.
‘Now us.’ Kit puts his arm around my waist. ‘It would be easier to do this on our backs, but we wouldn’t be able to see the boat and the tide could easily take us off course, so . . .’
‘We’ll be fine,’ I say, though inside I feel terrified.
‘Course we will.’ Kit gives me an anxious smile.
We walk into the water. It is seriously cold. My trousers stick to my legs. I can already feel the current tugging at my body, trying to draw me away.
All My Secrets Page 18