“I’m sorry.”
“It was for the best.”
“So what do we do now?”
Samantha pointed to the left, where a trail snaked up from the beach. “That will take us into town. Then we can get your foot healed.”
“Is there a doctor in town?”
“Not exactly.”
“More of a medicine man?”
“Something like that.”
“What’s wrong? You look like you just lost your best friend.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just that I didn’t leave town on the best terms.”
“What’s that mean?”
She gave him an abbreviated version of what had happened her last day in town, ending with her screaming at Prudence, Rebecca, and the other children. “I know it was wrong. I was just so angry. I was tired of looking after them.”
“I get it. You had a lot on your shoulders. It wasn’t really fair at your age and with what happened to your memory.”
“Still, it was wrong of me to snap at them, especially Prudence. She was my friend.”
“I’m sure when we get there you can make it up to her.”
“I hope so. She might still be mad at me.”
“You kids will work it out.”
Samantha nodded. She forced herself to smile. “I guess there’s only one way to find out. We’d better get going.” She took up the net again and then began pulling him up the trail, into the forest.
***
Samantha almost made Uncle Hector scream again when she dropped the stretcher. She hadn’t meant to be so abrupt, but when she had seen the village, her hands had gone slack. “It’s gone,” she whispered. “It’s all gone.”
“What’s going on, Lucy?”
“The town. It’s destroyed.” All that remained standing was the church, which looked relatively untouched. The rest had been reduced to piles of wood and stone. The dormitories, Prudence’s shop, everything was gone. “This is awful.”
“If you want to leave me and go look for your friends—”
“No, I can’t leave you. We’ll go to the church. Someone might be there.”
The children might have gone somewhere else to find shelter from the storm. They could have gone down to the barns, Miss Brigham’s cabin, or even the Fountain of Youth cave. Or without her there to help Miss Brigham, maybe they hadn’t gone anywhere. Maybe the dormitories had collapsed on them.
She bit down on her lip to keep herself from crying. She couldn’t jump to conclusions yet. Not only for herself, but for Uncle Hector as well. He needed her help; she couldn’t fall to pieces on him.
Her silent prayers were answered when the front door of the church opened. Little Annie burst from the church to race towards Samantha. “Samantha’s back!” she shouted. “Samantha’s back!”
Samantha had to let Uncle Hector’s stretcher go so she could catch Annie. The little girl threw her arms around Samantha in a hug. She felt Annie’s tears on her cheek. “It’s all right,” Samantha said. She ran a hand through Annie’s platinum hair. “I’m fine.”
“We were all so worried. Helena said you were dead.”
“Well she was wrong. I’m just fine. See?”
Annie leaned back and then nodded. Her eyes widened a little as she must have noticed Uncle Hector. “Who’s that old man?”
“He’s not an old man. He’s my…friend. His name is Hector.”
“Hi there,” Uncle Hector said. “You must be a friend of Samantha?”
“Yes. I’m her bestest friend.”
“You sure are.” Samantha set Annie on the ground. “Can you run and tell Miss Brigham I’m here?”
“All right.” Annie took off running, resuming her shouts of, “Samantha’s back!”
Once Annie had gone, Samantha turned to Uncle Hector. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell her who you are. I thought it’d be easier to tell Miss Brigham first.”
“I get it. No problemo.”
“I just didn’t want you to think I was ashamed of you.”
“Of course not. Now are we going to meet this Miss Brigham or what?”
“Coming right up.”
Samantha took up the netting again. She dragged Uncle Hector the rest of the way to the church. She left him out front instead of trying to drag him up the steps. Once Miss Brigham found some fountain water to use on him, then he would be fine and able to walk under his own power.
Miss Brigham appeared just as Samantha set her uncle down. Miss Brigham raced down the steps; Samantha worried she might try jumping on Samantha as Annie had done. “Oh thank God!” Miss Brigham shouted. “I knew He would keep you safe, just as He kept us safe.”
“You’re all fine? No one was hurt?”
“No, dear. Everyone is fine. Our brave little Rebecca and David herded all the children into the church before the storm destroyed everything.” Miss Brigham shook her head. “Such a terrible thing, but we will rebuild. I know the Lord will help us.”
“I’m sure,” Samantha said. “I have someone for you to meet. This is Hector Delgado. I found his boat washed up on the shore.”
“Oh my,” Miss Brigham said. Her face started to turn as red as her hair as she looked down at Uncle Hector. Her voice turned girlish, as if someone had used the fountain water on her again. “Hello, Mr. Delgado. My name is Molly Brigham. I tend to the children here. Welcome to Eternity.”
“Thank you. I’d get up, but my leg isn’t cooperating.”
“Oh dear. I see why Samantha brought you to us. We have just the thing to get you back on your feet in no time at all, so long as this awful storm hasn’t destroyed my house. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to get out there and check yet. Rebecca and David took the older children out to the fields to do what they can, so I’ve had to look after the little ones—”
“I’ll look after the children,” Samantha said. “You can go and find the medicine.”
“Yes, of course. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Samantha here is my right hand, though sometimes I think she’s both hands.” Miss Brigham giggled like a fool at this. “Well then, I’d better be off.”
She galloped away, looking back over her shoulder a few times. Uncle Hector shook his head. “That’s who’s in charge of this place?”
“She isn’t so bad. She’s just had a shock.”
“Uh-huh. So what’s this medicine she’s getting? Some kind of magic herbs?”
“Not exactly.” Samantha was grateful she didn’t have to elaborate when the children came piling out of the church, led by Annie. They settled for hugging Samantha around the waist, even Helena.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Helena said.
“Thank you,” Samantha said. “I’m glad to see you too.”
“Who’s that man?”
“That’s my friend, Mr. Delgado. I found his boat on the beach.”
“He looks like you.”
“He does, doesn’t he?”
Helena stepped back from Samantha. “Does that mean he’s a savage?”
“No! There are no savages. That’s just something Reverend Crane made up to scare you from going to the mainland.”
“He looks like a savage.”
“I do, don’t I?” Uncle Hector said. He made a growling sound in his throat that prompted Helena to squeal with fear. “Just you wait until I’m on my feet again.”
She screamed and then raced into the church. Uncle Hector chuckled at this. “Gullible little rugrat.”
“What’s a rugrat?” Annie asked, saving Samantha the embarrassment of asking herself.
“It’s just another word for a little kid.”
“Am I a rugrat?”
“You sure are, sweetheart.”
“But rats are gross.”
“You’re not any kind of rat,” Samantha said. “None of you are. Now go inside and play.”
“Play what?”
“I don’t know. Whatever you want.”
“All right.” Annie went back inside, the other
children following suit.
“They really respect you,” Uncle Hector said.
“I guess so.”
“Don’t be so modest. That’s a big accomplishment at your age.”
“Maybe.”
“Samantha!” she heard Rebecca shout. Samantha turned to see Rebecca running past the wreckage of the dormitories as fast as she could. Samantha was glad when she didn’t try jumping on Samantha either. “You’re back! I knew you’d come back.”
“I hear you’ve been busy.”
“Oh, yes, I suppose so,” Rebecca said. She looked down at the ground. “I just tried to do what you would do.”
“And I bet you’re doing an even better job of it.”
“Maybe.” Rebecca motioned to the net. “Who’s that?”
“This is my friend Mr. Delgado. His boat washed up on the beach. Miss Brigham is going to get some medicine for his leg.”
“Did Prudence go with her?”
“No. Isn’t Prudence with you?”
“No. She went to look for you. Before the storm.” Rebecca’s face paled and her mouth went slack. “She didn’t find you?”
“I haven’t seen her.” Samantha put a hand to her mouth. Prudence had gone out into the storm to look for her. If she hadn’t come back yet, then—“Oh no.”
Chapter 16: Search Party
Samantha’s first thought was to run back into the woods to find Prudence, but she couldn’t do that. Miss Brigham still wasn’t back with the fountain water for Uncle Hector. Besides that, going out alone into the forest would be as dangerous as Prudence going alone. She thought of Pryde’s beast chasing after her; if one of those had come across Prudence, then her friend might already be dead.
“This is all my fault,” Samantha said. She collapsed onto the front steps of the church. She buried her face in her hands and cried. “If I hadn’t left, she wouldn’t have gone out to find me.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Uncle Hector said. “She can take care of herself, right?”
“No, she can’t!” Samantha wailed. Prudence didn’t have the same skills Samantha had. Her friend was much better at the domestic chores like sewing, cleaning, and cooking; she would be utterly lost by herself in the forest, especially during a storm. “We have to find her.”
“What’s going on?” David asked. The older boys followed after him. “You finally came back? Must be why you and Tubby are so weepy.”
“We’re weepy because Prudence is missing,” Rebecca said.
“Fatty wasn’t with you?”
“No, Prudence wasn’t with me. She’s still out there.”
“Probably dinner for some creature by now,” David said. “Might take them a while to get past all that fat to find any meat.”
Samantha was tempted to lock David’s arms behind his back and plant his face in the dirt until he suffocated, but she held back. She would need his help to find Prudence. “I need you to help me look. You and the other boys. Rebecca can look after Mr. Delgado and the children.”
“I want to go too,” Rebecca said.
“We don’t need both of you fatties lost out there,” David said.
“Why do you always have to be so cruel?” Rebecca said. She kicked a cloud of dirt at David. “Why can’t you ever be nice?”
“Some boys are just jerks,” Uncle Hector said. “I used to be one of them. Of course if I could, I’d get up and teach him some manners.”
“I’d like to see you try, old man.”
“Stop it, everyone!” Samantha shouted. “Boys, pair up. We’ll all go in a different direction to cover the most ground. We’ll meet back here at sunset. Understood?”
“Fine,” David said. He grabbed Mark’s arm and then stomped off. The other boys paired up, leaving only Wendell behind.
“What about me? I want to help,” he whined.
“You can come with me,” Samantha said.
“Why does he get to go and I don’t?” Rebecca asked. “I’m bigger than he is.”
“You mean fatter.”
“Shut up, you little brat.”
“Both of you shut up!” Samantha broke in. “Rebecca, you’re better at handling the children than Wendell is. That’s why I need you here. Understand?”
“I guess.”
“Good.” Samantha bent down to look Uncle Hector in the eye. “I’m sorry about this. Rebecca will take good care of you until Miss Brigham gets back.”
“It’s all right, Lucy. Go find your friend.”
“Thanks.” Then she took Wendell’s arm and set out.
***
Samantha wished she hadn’t been saddled with Wendell. She could have covered more ground on her own. Wendell was a hard worker and smart too, but his legs were a lot shorter than hers. She had to hold back in order for him to keep up.
“Everyone makes fun of me, but I’m going to show them,” Wendell said. “I’m going to help you bring Prudence back. Then they’ll know I’m just as tough as David.”
“Not everyone has to be tough,” Samantha said.
“Boys do.”
“Only bullies like David have to be tough. You’re too good to be like him.”
“I hate being so little. It’s not fair. I’m just as old as he is but he gets to be so much bigger and stronger. Why would God do that to us?”
“Maybe he has other plans for you,” Samantha said. She didn’t really want to get into this right now, though it did help distract her from grisly thoughts about Prudence.
“Maybe. I just wish I could be bigger. Then they wouldn’t call me a girl all the time.”
“You’re not a girl, but even if you were there wouldn’t be anything wrong with it. I’m a girl, aren’t I?”
“Yes, but you’re different from the other girls.”
“Because of my boobies?”
“Not just that. You’re tough, like a boy. You’d never let anyone pick on you.”
“That’s true, but no one will think less of you if you don’t fight.”
“David will. So will the other boys.”
“Well I won’t.” She stopped so she could turn and look Wendell in the eye. “There’s nothing wrong with you the way you are, Wendell. Anyone who doesn’t realize that is a fool.”
He stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now come on, we got a lot of ground to cover.”
***
Rebecca sat on the front steps of the church, watching over Mr. Delgado. He had taken something out of his pocket and lit it on fire. Every now and then a puff of smoke would come from his mouth. “What is that?” she finally asked.
“A cigarette. It’s not something for little girls.”
“I’m not that little.”
“How old are you?”
“Nine—and a half.”
“Well when you’re twice that you can try one of these.”
“Why do I have to wait that long?”
“Because then you’ll be a grown up.”
“Oh. So could Miss Brigham have one?”
“I suppose she could. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?”
“These can make you sick.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“Just a bad habit. You have any bad habits?”
“I bite my fingernails sometimes. Miss Brigham says girls shouldn’t do that.”
“She’s probably right. You’ll never get pretty nails if you keep biting them.”
“I guess not.”
Miss Brigham appeared on the path. She didn’t seem to be carrying anything, though. Her face flushed red as she got closer. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Delgado, but I’m afraid my house has been destroyed. I tried Reverend Crane’s house, but there was nothing in it.”
“We’ll have to go to the cave then,” Rebecca said.
“I suppose so.” Miss Brigham looked around. “Where’s Samantha? Did she go inside?”
“Her and the older boys went to find Prude
nce.”
“Where’s Prudence?”
“We don’t know. She left before the storm and no one’s seen her.”
“Oh my. This is terrible news. I’ve done such an awful job of tending to you children. If Reverend Crane were here, he would have me whipped.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Mr. Delgado said. “You can’t be everywhere at once.”
“Thank you, Mr. Delgado.”
“You can call me Hector.”
Miss Brigham giggled like a toddler at this. “You can call me Molly.”
“That’s a great name. It really suits you. I bet your parents were Irish, weren’t they?”
“I’m not really sure.”
“Well you’ve got the look.”
“Thank you.”
Rebecca only rolled her eyes at this. “I’ll go down to the cave,” she said. First, though, she went into the church to find a container. The cups and jars from the dining hall had all been smashed. They had brought up a few from the barns—which had survived for the most part—but those were filled with regular water.
Then Rebecca saw the gold bowl Reverend Crane had used for communion. That ought to work well enough. She scooped up the bowl and then headed to the door. Annie intercepted her before she could get there. “Where are you going?”
“I just need to get some water from the cave.”
“Can I go?”
“No. Not until you’re older.”
“That’s not fair. I’m not a baby.”
“Are too,” Helena said.
“None of you are going with me. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Until then you all behave and listen to Miss Brigham. Understand?”
“Yes,” the children said in unison. Rebecca doubted all of them—especially Helena—would live up to that.
When she went back outside, she found Miss Brigham with her face bright red. “Oh my,” Miss Brigham said. “You were out there all by yourself?”
“That’s right,” Mr. Delgado said. “Just me and the sea.”
“You’re such a brave man.”
“Stupid is more like it.”
“No, you could never be stupid. Not a big, strong man like you.”
Rebecca had listened to all of this conversation she could handle. Though she was only nine, it was obvious Miss Brigham had a crush on their new arrival. As she started down the path to the cave, Rebecca thought it made sense for Miss Brigham to like Mr. Delgado. She had been the only adult on the island for the last five years. That would have to be lonely.
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