by S.A. Bodeen
Sarah jumped to her feet. Should she go look for him? But what happened if Cash or Yvonna needed her while she was gone? So she stayed there, petting Ahab, waiting for Nacho to come back or one of the others to wake up. She finally heard the other girl yawn. “It’s almost sunup. We made it.”
“Don’t speak so soon.”
Cash shot straight up as Sarah whirled around at the strange male voice.
The man who stood over them had a yellow-toothed grin that was seedy and vile. As he chewed on a twig stuck in the corner of his mouth, Sarah immediately guessed who he was. A glance at Cash’s stricken face confirmed it. The man there in dirty navy-blue shorts, mirrored aviator glasses, and a stupid-looking white safari hat was the one who had taken Sarge’s boat. He was Fox, the man who had stranded Cash, all alone, on the island. What kind of a person would do that?
Ahab barked.
Sarah’s heart pounded. She suddenly realized—convinced without a doubt—that she and the rest were in deep, deep trouble.
Cash’s eyes met Sarah’s.
Sarah swallowed her gasp. Cash had her sight back!
Cash asked, “Where’s my grandpa?”
The man pointed to the water. “On his boat. Tied up at the moment. I don’t trust him that much.”
Sarah sat there, unsure what to do. She looked down at the beach, where the bend went out of sight. Could she count on Marco and Leo to be back with her dad soon? They said they’d hurry and try to be back early in the morning.
Maybe she and Cash just needed to talk to this guy for a little while.
Maybe her dad was almost there.
Maybe he was down there, just around the corner, waiting.
“So, who do we have here?” The man was standing over Yvonna, looking down at her in a way that made Sarah very uncomfortable.
“That’s my mom,” said Sarah.
The man raised his eyebrows. Before he could say anything about them not looking a thing alike, Sarah added, “I’m adopted.”
“So how did you end up here?” The man plucked the twig out of his mouth and ran one end along his gruesome teeth.
Sarah faked a cough, giving herself a moment to think. She didn’t dare mention the rest of them. She hoped that Nacho knew enough to stay away. She said, “My mom and I were on a sailing trip.” She pointed to the wreck of the Moonflight, still sitting in the lagoon.
The man nodded as he gazed that way. “You expect me to believe just the two of you sailed that all the way here?”
“No,” said Sarah. “We had a skipper. We hit a really bad storm and he—” Unbidden, the tears welled up in her eyes as she let the memory of that night wash over her. From then on, it was simple to sound believable. “He got washed overboard. And we couldn’t do anything but ride it out.” She pointed to the lagoon. “We ended up here, the boat stuck on that rock.”
The man kicked at the dwindling fire, sending sparks into the air. “You made a fire?”
Sarah glanced at Cash. “She already had it going.” Before he could ask more, she offered, “And she helped us haul stuff from the boat. Set up camp.”
The man stared down at Cash with heavy lids. “Yeah, she’s resourceful, that one.”
Cash said, “And they shared their food with me. Since I didn’t have any.”
“Now, now. It’s only been a few days.” The man tapped on the brim of his hat with a dirty knuckle, tipping it up slightly.
“Did you find your treasure?” asked Cash.
Sarah shot her a look. Why would she bring that up?
The man shook his head. “We’re gonna head farther out. But, your grandfather refused to go any farther until we checked on you.” He shrugged. “Believe me, if I could handle that boat by myself, he’d be fish food.”
Cash’s eyes narrowed and her hands turned into fists.
Sarah said, “Could you please call for help for us? My mom is sick and we need to get home.”
The man made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Yeah, now … that is not gonna happen. See, I’m trying to keep a low profile. And the last thing I need is more people who can identify me. You understand?”
Sarah didn’t want to be around this man anymore, but if they left, there was no telling when someone else might come along. “I promise, I won’t say anything.”
“And I promise to give you a ride home.” The man laughed. “Sorry, sweetheart. You and your mom will just have to stay here. Maybe when we get back to Fiji I’ll put in a call.” He glanced at Cash. “Let’s go.”
Cash crossed her arms and widened her stance. “No. I’m not leaving.”
Suddenly, the man’s demeanor became tense. He grabbed Cash’s arm.
“Ow!”
Ahab barked.
“I said we’re going and we’re going.” He began to drag her across the sand.
“Leave her alone!” Sarah ran after him and grabbed his arm, trying to get him to let go of Cash. He shoved her away, and she landed on her butt in the sand.
Ahab barked again and moved between Fox and Sarah.
The man whirled and kicked at the dog.
“No!” Sarah crawled in front of Ahab and threw her hands up. “Don’t hurt him.”
Fox shook his head and continued to drag a struggling Cash. “Please! My mom is sick and needs help,” gasped Sarah. As he kept walking, she couldn’t help herself. “What kind of person are you?”
The man stopped and faced her. “You’re right. What kind of person would I be…” He set his free hand on his chest, most presumably over his heart, if he even had one, thought Sarah. “… if I left an ill woman and her daughter here on a deserted island.”
Sarah held her breath. Was he going to take them? What if he did? They couldn’t leave without her dad and Marco and Nacho! Then what would she do?
Still gripping Cash’s arm, the man bent over Yvonna and picked up a corner of the blanket. He began to drag her.
Sarah froze. Not only was he taking Cash, he was also taking Yvonna. “No!” She raced after him and grabbed the other end of the blanket and yanked. “We’re not going with you!”
The man’s hands were full, so he kicked out with his foot, landing a blow straight in Sarah’s stomach.
She doubled over and dropped to her knees, the wind knocked out of her.
Fox growled, “Sorry, sweetheart. But you’re not invited.”
She gasped, trying to get a breath as Ahab licked her face. Tears filled her eyes, and when she could finally squeak in some air, she watched as the man hauled Yvonna and Cash toward the water. Cash looked backward at Sarah, fear in her eyes.
Then her eyes shifted high and to the right.
Sarah turned around.
Nacho’s head peeked over the edge of the platform in the trees, his mouth gaping, eyes wide. Sarah gave him a swift shake of her head. He could do nothing to help them. Better that he remained safe to tell her dad and Marco what happened.
Sarah sucked in another breath as she held her stomach. She had to do something to keep that sailboat from leaving with Yvonna and Cash. She had to stall the man long enough for Marco and Leo to get back with her dad.
And then she knew. There was only one thing that would keep that man from leaving.
She waited another moment until she had her breath back, then called out, “You really should stay! This island is cool!”
The man ignored her as he dragged the blanket with Yvonna in one hand and yanked Cash with the other.
Cash stared back at her.
Louder, Sarah yelled, “There’s even a rock that LOOKS LIKE A FACE!”
The man froze. He dropped his hold on the blanket and let go of Cash. She fell to the sand and then scrambled away from him.
Fox turned back toward Sarah.
“What did you say?”
Sarah was still shaky, but got to her feet. Holding Ahab’s collar, she bravely took a few steps closer to Fox so she wouldn’t have to yell to be heard. “This island. It’s pretty cool.”
Th
e man looked annoyed. “After that.”
Sarah swallowed. “There’s a rock that looks like a face. We call it the face rock.”
His mouth dropped open for a moment, then closed, the corners turning up into a not-very-nice smile. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m gonna need you to show that to me.”
Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on whether you are going to help me or not.”
The man strode toward her.
She cringed, but stood her ground.
He got so close she could smell his cheap cologne. He reached out and snatched one of her braids. He wrapped it around his hand and pulled, not quite hard enough that it hurt, but definitely hard enough so that she couldn’t move away from him.
“Where’s that rock? I need you to take me there, now.”
Even though she wasn’t sure she could find it, she nodded.
He let go of her braid. “Well, okay then.” He spun around on one heel and walked briskly toward Cash. “Change in plans, doll. We’re staying.”
Sarah’s knees almost gave out. She set a shaking hand on her pounding heart. She’d done it. She’d kept him from leaving with Yvonna. But she also realized that now this horrible stranger was staying.
And until Marco and Leo showed up with her dad, she would be under the control of the man who abandoned Cash on the island.
If he’d leave a defenseless girl alone on a remote island, there’s no telling what else he would do.
Sarah went over to check on Yvonna, who was still asleep or maybe even unconscious. What if she was even worse? She had to keep that man away from her stepmother, and stall until the others got there.
She needed a plan, and there was only one that made any sense.
Sarah would have to show him the way to the face rock.
But what if that’s where he had left his treasure? What would happen to her when he realized it was gone?
She could only hope that her dad found her before then. Because if he didn’t …
A warm breeze blew her way. And despite its promise of a sweltering day, Sarah shivered.
Thank you for reading this Feiwel and Friends book.
The Friends who made
TRAPPED
possible are:
JEAN FEIWEL, Publisher
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. A. Bodeen is the author of several acclaimed teen novels, including The Compound, The Raft, and The Detour. The Shipwreck Island series is her first for middle-grade readers. She lives in Wisconsin with her family. Visit her on the Web at writersabodeen.com or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by S. A. Bodeen
A Feiwel and Friends Book
An Imprint of Macmillan
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
mackids.com
All rights reserved.
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bodeen, S. A. (Stephanie A.), 1965– author.
Title: Trapped / S. A. Bodeen.
Description: First Edition. | New York: Feiwel & Friends, 2016. | Series: Shipwreck Island; 3 | Summary: “It’s up to Sarah Robinson to save her shipwrecked family from a time-traveling ‘curator’ of souls and a treasure-hunting criminal in Book 3 of the Shipwreck Island series”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015026924 | ISBN 9781250027818 (hardback) | ISBN 9781250086921 (ebook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Shipwrecks—Fiction. | Survival—Fiction. | Stepfamilies—Fiction. | Time travel—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories.
Classification: LCC PZ7.B63515 Tr 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015026924
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].
First hardcover edition 2016
eBook edition July 2016
eISBN 9781250086921