A Change of Plans

by Donna K. Weaver

  “All right!” She jumped to her feet, arms straight and rigid by her sides, hands clenched.

  He continued to hold out his hand to her. I thought he would have to go ahead without her, but then her shoulders drooped, and she slowly reached out to take his hand. Once she clung to it, he took mine with his other.

  “Maria, do you want to say anything?”

  Crossing herself, Maria said something in Spanish. Braedon bowed his head, and I said my own silent prayer, taking shallow breaths and trying to ignore the stench.

  I needed a different memory of Jimmy—not like this and not him lying pale and bleeding. Him on the stage at the end of the song, the audience screaming its approval. I hummed the descant Braedon had written. His eyes darted to me, and he took up the melody.

  Still humming softly, he released our hands and took one end of the shroud. Maria and I grabbed the other, stumbling as we carried Jimmy to the edge of the boat and dropped his body into the water. Maria spun and dashed to the rear of the catamaran.

  I turned into Braedon’s chest, keeping my eyes on the water. With his arms around me, we stared as the body drifted away.

  “I wish ....” I coughed, rubbing at the cramp in my throat. “I wish we had coordinates to give Jimmy’s parents. I’d want to know where my son was buried.”

  Finally, Braedon dropped his arms and nodded toward the sail. “You ready to get to work?”

  I blinked and shook my head, feeling that to just move on would be disrespectful.

  Braedon’s voice was soft. “It will help to distract us.”

  With a sigh, I followed him to the corner of the deck. He took hold of the rope while I grabbed the corner of the sail. “Was that stuff about the currents true?” he asked.

  I frowned. “Of course. I spent a lot of my spare time last winter studying the locations on our itinerary. I thought it would help me decide which places to visit.”

  Braedon checked the direction of the little SOS flag at the top of the mast, looked at the sun again, and adjusted the sail before doing the final knot. The catamaran jerked a little in the light breeze, and the sense of purposeful movement made my heart jump. Maybe Braedon was right. Maybe we would beat the odds.

  I followed him back to the captain’s seat, where he steered the catamaran toward the setting sun and tinkered with a small gray box on the console. Letting go of the wheel, he paused as though waiting for something. When the catamaran didn’t shift, he gave a hint of a smile.

  “This thing has cruise control?”

  Now he did grin. “Looks like the captain jury-rigged an autopilot. Powered from the solar panel, I think.”

  Later, after using our makeshift restroom, I reached over the trampoline toward the water to rinse my hands. A large and distinctive shadow flashed by.

  I lurched back and scurried away from the edge. Three forms zigzagged underneath my feet.

  “Lyn?” Braedon asked from behind me.

  I pushed against the netting and flew off the trampoline, crashing into him. He caught my shoulders, and we fell back, landing in the settee with a thud.

  “What is it?”

  “Sharks,” I gasped.

  With a low curse, he gave me a gentle push, freeing his legs from underneath me and rising. He peered at the trampoline as he helped me to my feet.

  A wave of nausea squeezed my stomach. “Do you think they ate Jimmy?”

  “It’s possible,” Braedon whispered, his face pinched. “They may have been drawn here when we threw the toilet overboard.”

  We had dumped Jimmy’s body in shark-infested water. The pain in my gut magnified and my stomach convulsed. I flung myself toward one of the buckets, dropping to my knees and retching. Braedon knelt beside me and stroked my hair until it stopped. Weakly, I leaned against him. “Do you think they’ll go away when no more food shows up?”

  “We can hope. I’m hardly an authority on shark behavior.” He reached over and grabbed my half-full water bottle, handing it to me.

  I took a swallow, wishing I could rinse away the image of sharks eating Jimmy along with the bitter taste in my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Maria sitting in the shade, using the binoculars to check the horizon. She mustn’t know.

  THE WIND’S picking up. Wake me if it gets too strong,” Braedon told Maria when she came to take the watch from him. “I don’t want to risk stripping the autopilot’s gears or capsizing.”

  “That’s an encouraging thought,” I muttered.

  He pointed off in the distance at what must have been northeast. “Pay special attention to that direction. I thought I might have seen a shadow that way. Let me know if you see any lights.”

  Maria put a hand on her hip. “I say we check it out.”

  I wanted to placate her, so I stood beside her in a show of solidarity.

  Braedon shot me a look of betrayal. “Just know we can’t chase every shadow out there.” He turned to the jury-rigged autopilot box, adjusted it, and did something to the sails before returning to us. “I’ll take the second watch and drop the sails then, unless it gets stormy sooner.”

  Maria grabbed the watch gear and climbed on the canopy.

  I faced the trampoline and shuddered.

  “What?” Braedon asked from behind me.

  “Is there enough tarp to lie on and cover up too?”

  He glanced at the tarp in his hand and back at me. “If you don’t mind sleeping close. Why?”

  Like we hadn’t slept close last night. “Sharks, of course.”

  He was silent for a moment, and then he laughed.

  “Yeah, he’s a real keeper, Lyn.” Maria snarked from her perch.

  Braedon frowned and heaved a tired sigh. “Shut up, Maria.” He caught my arm as I turned away. “I’m sorry I laughed.” He pulled me around to face him. “Let’s be logical, though. If there was a shark of movie-sized proportions that could come through that netting, the tarp isn’t going to offer more protection.”

  I closed my eyes. “I’m not stupid, but this is like the monsters that used to live in my closet when I was a little girl.” I opened my eyes, pleading with him to understand. “My dad told me it didn’t make sense that my blanket would protect me, but knowing it was there let me sleep.”

  He regarded me for a moment and shrugged. “Okay. Whatever works.”

  The decent-sized tarp still did require us to lay right next to each other. Instead of thinking about Jimmy or the sharks or how much our odds of being found had dropped since passing the twenty-four-hour mark, I considered how much windier it was tonight.

  As tired as I was, sleep wouldn’t come. Back home, I would have gone running. Lying so close to Braedon, I couldn’t even roll over. He had taken the open end of the tarp and would be uncovered if I shifted too much.

  He heaved out a heavy breath. “You can’t sleep.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll get up.”

  “No. You need a distraction.”

  My mind flashed to that night before Hawaii when Braedon had been too much of a distraction. My face went hot, and I was glad for the shadows, especially when he rolled over to face me.

  He supported his head with one hand and tugged at the tarp to cover his back. “So, tell me something about you I don’t know.”

  Okay, so not what had been on my mind. I thought for a moment. “Lyn is the short version of my first name. I don’t particularly like my name.”

  When I didn’t continue, he asked, “And ...?”

  I sighed. “Gwendolyn.”

  “That’s a pretty name.” He pondered it for a moment. “It’s old. I can’t remember—”

  “In some legends, Merlin had a wife named Gwendolyn,” I interrupted. “And there was a mythical queen of the Britons who defeated her cheating husband in battle.” I paused, not having thought of that little bit of trivia since I was young. Ironic about the cheating. “It was our names that first drew Elle and me together.”

  “Elle is short for something?”

  �
��Adelaide. Her parents tried to call her Addy, but once she started school she insisted they call her Elle.” I giggled. “She refused to answer if they called her anything else.”

  I thought of her rigid bare back as she had faced the pirates. “Do you think she’s okay?” I whispered.

  His voice was rough. “I hope so.” He rolled over onto his back, the tarp pulling me a little closer.

  KICKING MY feet, I swam from the monster, arms flailing. The blood pounded in my ears. Jimmy’s pale face loomed beside me, his eyes sad as he pointed at the growing shape below, light gleaming from the crystalline triangles that filled the shark’s mouth.

  I jerked, starting awake with a sharp intake of breath ... and relaxed as I felt the warmth of Braedon’s body against my back. It was just a nightmare. I sighed, sagging against him, until the tug came again.

  Disoriented from sleep and the unexpected darkness, I lifted my head to find Maria lurching as a small wave capped the side of the catamaran behind her. A surge pushed up under the trampoline, soaking Braedon and me.

  I cried out and Braedon cursed. We scrambled to untangle ourselves from the tarp and each other. The sky lit up, lightning scattering spider-like legs through the ominous black clouds.

  Finally free, he tossed the tarp aside and leapt to the deck. I landed behind him, clutching his taut arm as a swell lifted the catamaran and then dropped it. My stomach stayed up in my throat.

  Braedon staggered to catch his balance. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” he shouted at Maria.

  Maria screamed back, “I fell asleep, all right?” A new wave crested the side of the catamaran and flooded the settee area.

  In spite of already being wet, I sensed a cold sweat break out over my body. I wouldn’t think about the sharks. I wouldn’t. I reached my shaking hands toward a bucket.

  “No.” Braedon grabbed my hand, turning me toward the trampoline again. “You have to help me get the sails down. Maria, take the wheel and keep it pointed into the waves.”

  Even with Braedon supporting me from behind, I staggered on the uneven rope. Without the moon’s glow, there was nothing to help me find the way. Lighting pierced the sky, followed by a boom of thunder. Like a sick amusement park ride in the dark, the catamaran shot up into the air, freezing at the top of the wave for a precarious moment.

  The boat dropped at an angle and my stomach flipped. I careened to the side, a powerful gust of wind throwing me off my feet.

  “No!” Braedon roared, his hands digging into my arms.

  My fingers clawed into the trampoline ropes, legs kicking wildly. A wave caught us head-on. The force of the water pushed me farther over the side.

  Braedon planted his feet against the catamaran’s edge. Grunting, he straightened his knees and dragged me back onto the trampoline.

  My entire body shook as I clung to him. “We have to get the lifejackets.”

  “You—” A wave dashed against us, water flooding his mouth. He gasped and choked.

  I rolled off his chest, pulling him over onto his stomach. With a painful rasp, he forced in a breath, ending in a spasm of coughs. The ocean surged, lifting our end of the catamaran.

  “To the edge,” he wheezed, dragging me with him.

  A sudden flash of lightning nearly blinded me, but I saw the danger even as our weight on the edge brought us level with the heaving ocean again. We couldn’t let the wind capsize us. The sharks might still be out there.

  Braedon moved toward the canvass again. “We have to get the sail down.”

  “Here!” screamed Maria, her shadow barely discernible. As she tossed something, the catamaran heaved to the side. She cried out and fell with a curse.

  Two objects flew toward us, the wind catching one and almost blowing it past Braedon. He darted his hand out, stretching like a volleyball player in a save, and caught the lifejacket. Before I knew what he was doing, he was shoving my arms into it. I handed him the one I had caught, and he buckled it on while I snapped shut my belt.

  “The sail.” He scurried to the edge of the trampoline.

  The sail’s swollen rope wouldn’t give. A powerful gust of wind pushed against us. Lightning flashed in the sky. In a slow-motion kaleidoscope of grays and whites, the large sail veered down as though a giant hand had flicked it. My stomach contorted as the catamaran rose again. I slid, clutching the trampoline.

  Braedon and I clung to the netting. Our eyes met for an instant before a huge wave crashed against us, his body taking the brunt. I blinked and he was gone. Pain stabbed my chest and I screamed. In the light of a flash, the ocean seemed miles below. I couldn’t see him.

  Another gust of wind pushed against me. My cramping hand muscles slipped, and I fell.

  Part 2

  CHAPTER 14

  A SHARP PAIN in my foot jolted me awake. I jerked my leg toward my chest and peeled my eyes open, squinting at the sharp light. Another stab of pain pierced my foot, and I gathered the strength to sit up ... and found myself facing a seagull—a huge seagull. With a surge of adrenaline, I lunged forward at the bird with a pathetic kiai and fell onto my stomach. The bird flapped away.

  I crawled to my knees and stood up slowly, staggering to find my balance. I could only bear to open my eyelids a crack.

  My temples throbbed. I tried to rub my head against the pain, but it hurt to touch ... and my hand came away wet. I squinted at my fingers.

  Blood.

  Okay. I needed to focus. Where were the others? Had only I survived? My body shook. I hurt everywhere.

  Closing my eyes, I took some careful breaths, and calmed myself. Lifting my hand to shade my eyes from the sun, I glanced around.

  I was on a beach. The light blue water close to the shore transitioned to the dark blue cast of deep water not far out. Some nasty looking rocks and reefs painted the ocean closer in. Away from the shore, a small mountain rose in the distance, overgrown with vegetation. Could there be people here?

  “Braedon!” I called, my voice raw and raspy. I pressed my temples and grimaced as the pain sharpened. “Braedon! Maria!” It came out louder, but a slow burn in my throat triggered a coughing fit. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I swallowed rapidly, managing not to heave.

  I wanted to lie down. I wanted it to all go away. My knees went weak, and I almost gave in. But Braedon and Maria might be hurt, lying unconscious on the shore. If the tide came in, they could drown.

  Taking it slowly, I trudged along the curving shore. The longer I was up and moving, the better I felt. After a few minutes, I scanned the horizon again. And found Braedon halfway in a tidal pool. He wasn’t moving.

  Stumbling toward him on the uneven beach, I forgot about the pain in my head. I dropped to my knees and felt for a pulse. When I felt the steady thump, thump of his heartbeat, I slumped over, laid my head on his life vest, and cried.

  I lay on him until my muscles finally complained. Taking a deep breath, I straightened. “Braedon.” I shook his shoulder.

  No response.

  “Braedon.” He was alive now, but what if he died like Jimmy? “Please, Braedon. Please don’t leave me here alone.”

  I reached toward his eyelids, my fingers shaking, but pulled back. I jammed my clenched fist to my mouth. Blinking, I tried again, lifting his eyelids one at a time, moving my head in and out of the sun shining on his face. When his irises reacted evenly to the light, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding.

  With gentle fingers, I felt around his head, finding an egg-sized lump toward the back. Because of his damp hair, I checked my hand for blood and stared at the red smeared on my fingers and palm. A moan escaped me, but then I remembered it could be my own blood.

  Resting on one hand, I leaned toward the water and rinsed the other. Braedon grabbed my wrist.

  I screamed in surprise. My arm slipped, and I collapsed beside him. “Braedon,” I breathed, scrambling to my knees, blinking against a new onslaught of tears. “You’re awake.” I brushed some hair from his forehead.
“You’ve got a nice lump on your head.”

  “Yeah, I’m lying on it,” he rasped, his eyes still closed. He shifted his head slightly and groaned.

  “Hang on,” I sniffed. “I can’t tell if your head’s bleeding. I need to rinse my own blood off first ...”

  He sat up too fast and groaned, holding his head. I took advantage of his distraction to rinse off the remaining blood and then touched his lump. He jerked away.

  “Sorry.” I dropped my hand. “I think your pupils are dilating okay, and there’s no blood on your lump.”

  He lifted his head, slower this time, keeping his eyes narrowed. He grunted at the bright light and reached for my face. “Let me see.” He turned the bloody side of my head toward him. “We’ll need to rinse this off.”

  We shrugged off our life vests, and I sat there with a stupid grin as Braedon cleaned off the sand and blood, not even wincing at the sting of the salt water. Until he probed the cut. I tried to pull away, but his strong hands held my head firmly in place.

  “It’s stopped bleeding and is a pretty clean cut, if a little deep. Anything else hurt?” He scrutinized me through half-closed eyes.

  “My lungs when I take deep breaths. My foot where a bird pecked me.”

  Braedon examined my leg and found the two bruises on my foot. “It didn’t break the skin, but something else did here.” He examined a series of scratches along the back of my left knee. “You probably got that from a rock coming in.” He looked at me. “Do you know how lucky we are to be alive?”

  My throat choked up, and all I could do was nod.

  “Where’s Maria?” he asked.

  With that, my momentary relief shattered. “I haven’t found her yet,” I whispered.

  Braedon swore under his breath. “Which direction did you come from?”

  I pointed, and we helped each other up. My balance was more stable than his was at first, probably because I had been conscious longer. Braedon used me for support, and we made our wobbly way down the beach in search of Maria.

  I cried out as a sharp pain went through my foot.