The Secret of Fire Island (Kristi Cameron Book 1)

by Cynthia Griffith

  “Cool!” Dan said. “It was beautiful! But do you know what surprised me the most? Our quiet little Anna here is quite the horsewoman!”

  “I noticed that, too, Dan,” Rachel said. “Anna, have you had much experience riding horses?’ she asked.

  Anna blushed. “Well, yes,” she admitted. “My abuelo—grandfather—owns a small ranch in Texas. The only vacations I’ve ever taken before have been to his ranch and I ride all the time while I am there.” She paused. “I doubt I’ll be that comfortable when it comes to swimming with dolphins and sharks, though!” They all laughed and Anna smiled shyly.

  They stopped for lunch along the way. To Rachel’s surprise there actually were some farm stands with fresh pineapple and coffee beans for sale. One of them sold sandwiches as well, so they bought a variety of sandwiches and some cold bottles of juice and found a beautiful spot along the coast for a picnic. The surf was wild there and pounded the rocks, soaking them now and then with sea spray.

  The teens quickly ate their sandwiches and rolled up their jeans to wade in the small tide pools. “Don’t go into the surf,” Mr. Cameron warned. “It’s too strong here, and there may be riptides, even in the shallow water.” There were small crabs and other creatures, though, in the little pools and they spent a few minutes studying them and searching for sea shells. The warm wind whipped their hair and quickly dried their damp clothes. It was an exhilarating spot for a picnic and when it was over they were excited and ready to go on to whatever adventures awaited them at Sea Life Park.

  Sea Life Park, which was near Makapu’u Beach, contained one of Hawaii’s largest aquariums and featured a wonderful marine show which included performing dolphins, sea lions and penguins, among other animals. The main attraction for the Cameron family and their friends, though, were the interactive activities the park offered.

  “We’re all going on Sea Trek,” Mr. Cameron explained as they entered the park.

  “Is that anything like Star Trek?” Skeeter asked.

  His father laughed. “Well, no, not really,” he said. “Sea Trek is an underwater safari. You don’t have to know how to scuba dive or snorkel—well, just wait and you’ll see what I mean.”

  A few minutes later they found dressing rooms where they could change into their swim suits. They excitedly gathered in front of the entrance to Sea Trek. A guide met them to explain to them what they would be doing and what they could expect.

  “You don’t have to be a fantastic swimmer or an expert scuba diver,” the young woman told them. “You’ll be wearing these special dive helmets, and you will actually walk among Hawaii’s sharks, tropical reef fish, sea turtles and many other creatures! You will be able to take photographs with a special underwater camera and keep those photos as a souvenir. You will actually be three fathoms below the surface of our Hawaiian Reef Tank, but you will be very safe in our controlled environment.”

  “Cool!” Dan, Pete and Skeeter all said at once. Mr. Cameron was just as excited as the younger guys, if not as vocal. Rachel and the girls were a little more leery about the experience—it was the word shark that set their hearts to beating a bit quicker—but it sounded fairly safe so they overcame their fears and prepared to enter the huge tank.

  After a few minutes of instruction on how to breathe in the dive helmets, and how to use the underwater camera, they were lowered into the 300,000 gallon tank. There were over 2000 reef animals and organisms, including sharks, sting rays, turtles and various schools of tropical fish in the immense tank. They walked on the bottom of the tank and reached out to touch turtles and rays as they floated by. The girls were relieved to see that the sharks were small and not the man-eating—or girl-eating—variety. The tropical fish came in a variety of brilliant rainbow colors and all different sizes and shapes.

  Dan took a picture of the three girls with a huge sea turtle and Kristi, in turn, took a photo of him and Pete feeding an angel ray. Pete took another photo of the Cameron family posing together surrounded by a kaleidoscope of schools of multicolored fish. It was the experience of a lifetime, and so realistic they almost forgot they were not actually on the bottom of the ocean, but in the safety of a giant aquarium. Kristi barely noticed the crowds of people staring in at them through the glass walls of the huge tank, but at one point she thought to herself, “Well, now I know how a goldfish feels!” Before they knew it, their time on Sea Trek was over and they were being lifted back to the surface.

  “Oh, Daddy!” Kristi exclaimed, throwing her arms around her father’s neck. “That was so totally awesome! Thank you so much! Isn’t God’s creation so incredible? First those spectacular views this morning and now the wonderful variety and beauty of His creatures. I’ll never forget it!” The other young people echoed their thanks and excitedly talked about their favorite experiences and marine animals.

  Mr. Cameron finally held up his hand and said, “Wait! We’re not finished here! Kristi’s been talking all day about swimming with the dolphins. I didn’t see any dolphins in Sea Trek, did you? So we’re all going to Splash U—a shallow water encounter with dolphins. And this is gonna be fun!”

  The park was crowded with tourists, but they enjoyed the numerous attractions along the way to Dolphin Cove, a beautiful oceanside lagoon with its own private little island. Dolphins swam around the cove, leaping and twirling, their high-pitched cries piercing the air. Special Sea Life trainers led them into the shallow waters of the lagoon and introduced them to the dolphins.

  Kristi looked around at the grinning faces surrounding her—both dolphin and human. She laughed out loud, “I don’t know who’s happier to be here together—us or them!” They watched with delight while the trainers put the dolphins through their paces and then allowed them the opportunity to try their hand at “training” the intelligent animals.

  The dolphins danced backwards across the water on their tails. They somersaulted through the air, and leaped in unison across the lagoon. After each trick they swam back to their group for their treats—raw fish. The teenagers, and even Rachel and Steve, were excited and eagerly touched and patted each dolphin as they came within reach. Kristi stroked the long snout of one very friendly dolphin and looked into his eyes. “You are so beautiful,” she said softly to him. “I think I’m in love!” To her delight, the dolphin responded by waving his dorsal fin at her.

  “He’s offering to take you for a ride,” one of the trainers said to Kristi. “Hold on tight to his dorsal fin.” Kristi grabbed hold of the dolphin’s fin and he slowly pulled her around the shallow end of the lagoon. She felt free, and a part of the dolphin at the same time. When the dolphin brought her back to where her family and friends waited, she gave him a kiss on the nose and said, “What a sweetheart! Thank you, my dear friend. I will always remember you.”

  Steve and Rachel Cameron looked at their young daughter and were just as thrilled for her as she was herself. “This trip is the experience of a lifetime,” Rachel said to her husband. “We are making wonderful memories with our children, Steve.” He squeezed her hand and smiled.

  Their time at Splash U was over. The Camerons, Pete, Robyn and Anna spent the next couple hours wandering Sea Life Park. They watched several of the shows and enjoyed the antics of the seal lions and penguins.

  It was finally time to head back to the hotel when Kristi said from the back of the van, “You know, I think this was one of the most fun days I have ever had in my life. I loved going horseback riding and Sea Trek was great, and swimming with the dolphins was—well, almost magical! But if I could have just one more wish, do you know what it would be, Daddy?”

  “What, Kristi?”

  “I would wish that you would take Mom on that romantic sunset cruise she wanted to go on tonight. Don’t you think that’s an excellent wish? We’re all old enough that you could leave us alone at the hotel, especially with Dan and Pete there to be in charge.”

  Steve looked over at his wife. He smiled. “What do you think, Honey?”

  Rachel’s eyes
twinkled “I think we have a very smart daughter who makes very excellent wishes,” she replied.

  “Well, my dear, you get yourself all gussied up as soon as we get back to the hotel and I’ll make some reservations. Kids, it looks like you’re on your own tonight!”

  ___________

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ___________

  A Race into Darkness

  “Tomorrow’s your birthday, Kristi,” her mother said as she slipped into an evening dress and heels. She quickly fixed her makeup and ran a brush through her hair. She and Steve just had time to make the ship for their sunset cruise if she hurried. “We’re leaving for Fire Island in the morning, but do you have any special requests for your birthday?” she asked as she put on the diamond earrings and necklace that her husband had given her last Christmas.

  “Oh, nothing in particular, Mom,” Kristi said. “This whole trip has been totally awesome so far! What more could I wish for?” The three girls were sprawled across the king size bed in the master suite, watching Rachel get ready for her “hot date” with her husband. “I guess, let’s just have a wonderful day full of adventure!” Kristi added with a grin.

  “Hmm—be careful what you wish for, my dear!” Rachel said to her daughter. “Have you ever heard that expression before? It means an ‘adventure’ could be good or it could be bad!”

  “Well, it’s all in the Lord’s hands, right? Oh—I do have one other birthday wish! I wish for a big, gooey chocolate cake complete with candles!” Kristi stood up and said, “Come on, Anna and Robyn. Let’s go see if we can order a pizza for our supper. I heard the boys whining about being hungry a few minutes ago.”

  They left the room just as Steve came out of the bathroom dressed in his tux. “Ready, Honey?” he asked giving Rachel a kiss on her nose. “You look beautiful!”

  “Thank you, Steve. So do you—look handsome, I mean. We’d better hurry! We don’t want to miss the boat!”

  They paused in the living room long enough to give last-minute instructions to the kids. “Go ahead and order a couple pizzas from room service. I know you’re all really hungry after everything we did today. Just charge it to our room. Then if it’s not too late, you may go down to the pool for a while. Dan and Pete, you’re in charge. Keep an eye on everyone. I left some money on the table to get ice cream or something at the Tiki Hut for dessert. We want you all back in the room by 9:30, okay? You need to get your stuff packed tonight since we’re leaving early in the morning for Fire Island. Any questions?”

  “No, no, Mom! We’re fine! Now you and Daddy go or you’re going to miss your cruise! Hurry!” Kristi said. She practically shoved her parents out the door, as they all called “Good-bye!” “Have a great time!” “Don’t get seasick!”

  Thirty minutes later the teens were all filling their faces with pizza. They talked over the events of the last couple days, laughing again over Skeeter’s fall off his horse as he reached for a wildflower, and marveling once more at Kristi’s swim with the dolphin. The girls groaned when the guys brought up their attempts to hula in front of hundreds of people, and giggled when Skeeter gave his best imitation of them dancing the hula, flouncing his “hair” and wiggling his hips. They playfully argued over who was the best surfer and in the end, they all had to admit it was their dad.

  They devoured every bite of both pizzas and then raced to get into their swimsuits. There were fewer people around tonight than there had been before, and they had the pool almost to themselves.

  Kristi, Robyn and Anna floated quietly around the pool. It had been a long day and they didn’t really feel like playing wild games with the rowdy boys tonight. Actually, the guys were more quiet than normal, too. It felt good to simply relax and enjoy the beauty of the Hawaiian night. The girls found themselves floating into a little rock grotto at one end of the immense pool. A small waterfall spilled over the rocks facing the rest of the pool and formed a curtain over the small grotto behind. It was a cozy little hidey-hole and the girls lingered for a while in the peaceful space.

  They were talking quietly when Kristi got the feeling once more that they were being watched. She slowly swung her raft around and without moving her head, looked from the corner of her eye to the shadows beyond the edge of the grotto. At first all she could see were the boulders and ferns of the rock wall to their right. Little rivulets of water trickled down the wall. She turned her raft a bit more and saw a shadow move quickly back into the darkness. Yes! There was someone watching them! A little shiver of fear ran through her. She hovered completely still on her raft for a moment trying to think what to do.

  Robyn and Anna were unaware of what was happening. Their quiet voices went on, not knowing that Kristi was not listening to them, was not even hearing them.

  Slowly Kristi swung her raft back around to face her friends. “Uh, I think I’m going to run in to use the bathroom,” she said, hoping her voice would carry to the mysterious watcher in the shadows. “I’ll be right back.” She paddled her raft over to the side and boosted herself onto the edge of the pool.

  Kristi headed for the hotel entrance, but as soon as she was out of the glow of the nearest tiki torch she slipped off the walk and doubled back to the grotto. As quietly as she could, she slipped from palm tree to fern thicket, hiding in the darkness as she came around to the side of the grotto where she had seen the shadow move.

  There! Kristi could barely see her in the black shade of the rocks, but as her eyes adjusted to the gloom she made out the slight figure of their mystery girl. She crept closer until with one swift movement she leaned forward and grasped the girl by the arm.

  The girl cried out in fright and pulled back. “Wait!” Kristi said softly. “I just want to talk to you.” The girl took a step backwards and Kristi said quickly, “Wait! Who are you? Why have you been watching us? Are you in trouble?”

  The dark almond eyes of the lovely girl filled with tears and her lips trembled. She was about to speak when suddenly they heard Dan’s voice. “Kristi! Kristi, where are you?”

  The girl’s head jerked up and she took another step backwards. “No!” Kristi said. “We just want to help you! Don’t go!”

  Just then Dan yelled her name again and she knew she had to answer him. She turned to call out to her brother, “Dan! I’m here! Behind the grotto!” She heard footsteps crashing through the ferns and underbrush towards her and Dan and Pete both calling her name. She turned back to the girl just in time to see her spin around and start to run. “No!” Kristi yelled. She took off after the girl.

  Down to the beach they headed. The girl was not that far ahead but she was fast, and it wasn’t long until the distance between them had widened. Kristi realized she was moving out of range of the lights of the hotel and into the darkness beyond. Kristi stopped suddenly and paused to catch her breath. She had just started back towards the hotel and its pool when Dan and Pete ran up to her. Skeeter, Robyn and Anna weren’t far behind.

  Kristi took one look at Dan’s face and knew he was really angry. “What do you think you’re doing, Kristi? You know you were supposed to stay with us and here you are out on the beach by yourself in the dark! And what were you doing behind the grotto, anyway? You’re going to be in big trouble when Mom and Dad find out!” He was trying not to yell, and losing the battle. “I was really scared when I couldn’t find you! And then the girls said you had gone into the hotel and not come back out! I didn’t know where you were, Kristi!”

  Pete put a calming hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Why don’t we hear what Kristi has to say, Dan?” he suggested quietly. “What happened, Kristi?”

  “Oh, Dan, I am really, truly sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, honest! I just didn’t think! I saw her again! That girl! She was watching us in the grotto. I knew if she knew that I saw her she would disappear again, so I pretended that I didn’t see her, and I pretended to go to the bathroom, but I really snuck up behind her and I talked to her! I really did, Dan! I asked her—”

  “Hold on, Kris
ti!” Pete said. “Take a breath! You actually talked to her?”

  “Yes! I asked her who she was and why was she watching us. I asked her if she was in trouble. She looked really upset, but just when she was about to talk to me we heard you calling me and I guess she got scared and ran away again. I tried to catch up with her, but boy, was she fast! Now I’m really sure she’s in trouble and—”

  “Just a minute, Kristi!” Dan’s face still looked grim. “That girl may be in trouble, but now so are you! “

  “But, Dan—” she began again.

  “No! There’s no excuse for what you did, Kristi! How did you know who was hiding behind the grotto? It could have been some kind of crazy criminal! Why didn’t you come to Pete and me for help?”

  “But she would have run away if I had done that!”

  “Yes, and she did run away, anyway, didn’t she? That’s still no excuse for what you did. And then to run out on the dark beach by yourself!” Dan was still irate. He stalked off, leaving the rest of them to follow.

  Kristi looked miserable and Pete took pity on her. “Don’t worry, Kristi. He’ll get over it. He was just so scared when he couldn’t find you. He’s a good big brother and he loves you, you know.” Pete spoke quietly as they trudged through the sand back to the hotel.

  “Yes, I know,” she said with a little tremor in her voice. “I really am sorry, Pete. I just hope Dan will forgive me.”

  “Oh, he will, Kristi,” Pete said with a little laugh. “Just give him a little time.”

  Robyn and Anna came up just then and started questioning Kristi about what had happened. Skeeter brought up the rear. Dan turned back to face them all and said, “It’s almost 9:30. Time to go in.” He headed stiffly towards the hotel entrance and they followed.

  Just as they reached the door Skeeter stopped in his tracks and said, “Wait! Guys! We forgot our ice cream from the Tiki Hut! Hey, guys? Uh, I guess this means no ice cream, huh?”