She glanced down at the GPS nestled in the controls and gulped. A tiny crack ran down the wide digital screen. Why now? It was fine earlier. She glanced around; nothing had fallen. She pressed a red button. The small monitor blinked and turned black.
Casey screamed into the microphone, “GPS not working!”
“How old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
“Okay, I’m going to get you through this step by step,” said the man. “For starters, look at your compass.”
The needle on the deck compass spun around counterclockwise. Casey tapped on it, and the needle jumped back and forth erratically. What’s going on? This isn’t the freaking Bermuda Triangle, right? “It’s not working either. It’s just…going crazy.”
“Can you give me a specific landmark near you?” the voice asked.
“I know we’re south of the Fiji islands.”
“Which island?”
Jack appeared beside her and pushed his soaked hair out of his eyes. “There’re like 300 of them.”
Casey looked around the cabin. She needed to keep her cool and think. Her gaze fell on the far end of the wall. She darted over and ran her finger across the waterproof chart. The island was circled in red. In two steps, she reached the desk and grabbed the microphone. “Viti Levu.”
Silence.
A burst of static. More silence. Casey blinked water from her lashes, waiting, hoping. “Hello? Hello? Are you there?” No response. She tried once more, pressing the button in a frenzy as her heart jackhammered against her ribs. No, this can’t be happening. Not now.
Still nothing.
Casey dropped the microphone and whipped around to stare into Jack’s eyes. “It went dead.” He didn’t say a word. He just hugged her, his palm rubbing the hard knots in her shoulders.
Biting her lip, she tore away from him. She’d never acted like a damsel in distress before, and she wasn’t going to start playing the role now. Did the Silver Bullet hear what island they were near before the radio died? Rescue couldn’t waste valuable time searching around the wrong islands. Her mom’s life depended on that call; everyone’s life depended on that precious communication.
Jack steadied himself against the wall, holding up the orange emergency beacon. “Don’t worry. The transmitter’s on. They’ll pick up our signal and come get us.”
The boat creaked and groaned, making Casey flinch. She wiped a circle clean on the fogged window. “Where’s Mike?”
“I don’t know, but he should’ve been back by now.”
The lights flickered and went out. Every muscle tensed as Casey blinked, blinded in the sudden darkness. “Crap! We lost the generator.” She ran a hand along the wall until her fingers wrapped around a metal handle.
She rummaged through the top drawer and fumbled for a flashlight, when a lightning bolt shot across the sky. A wave crashed over the bow and rolled down the deck with the momentum and force of a mighty tsunami. Casey ducked as the mass of water smashed through the large cockpit window, slamming into her like a semi-truck. She gasped, coughed, and then gasped again. The cold water reached her waist. Wind howled through the broken window, whipping her hair across her cheeks and eyes. She clutched Jack, burying her face into his chest. His arms encircled her in a strong grip. “I feel like I’m in a scene from Titanic. I don’t want to die like this, Jack,” she said, and found it somewhat fitting that his name was Jack in such a scenario.
Suddenly, out of the darkness, clad in an oversized yellow life jacket, Mike pushed through the door, with two more flotation devices draped over his arm. The waist-high water gushed past him onto the deck, leaving her in ankle-deep sea foam. He shined a flashlight beam toward the ground, his mouth set in a hard line. “I’m sorry. I can’t find your dad anywhere.”
Her breath froze. Oh my gosh! Where is he? She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to know the answer. Burrowing her face in her hands, she hoped against all odds her mom and dad would somehow survive. The back of her throat felt dry, and a rush of heat swept over her in spite of the cold water soaking her clothes. She dropped to her knees, and Jack dropped with her, holding her.
Mike threw both of them a life preserver. “Put these on…pronto!”
Casey struggled into her jacket. The bright yellow stood out in the dim light. “We got a mayday out.”
Inching nearer, Mike asked, “Help’s coming, then?”
“Don’t know. Radio went dead,” said Jack. “Couldn’t finish the call. But I turned on the emergency radio beacon.”
Mike ran a hand through his wet hair. “Maybe we should head below deck until rescue comes. I was just down there, and the water’s not that high. If we stay up here, we’ll be swept overboard.”
“If this boat sinks, that cabin will be your coffin.” Jack squinted as Mike shifted his flashlight beam toward him.
He made a valid point, grim as it was. Casey sucked in a sharp gulp of air. “Meeting a watery grave in Davy Jones’s locker isn’t happening.” She adjusted her vest, pulled the canvas straps, and snapped the buckle around her waist. “We’ve got to get out of here. C’mon! Let’s head for the dingy.”
“It’s gone,” said Mike, letting out a long breath. “Waves got it.”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was supposed to be a fun and relaxing boat ride. So how did they jump into The Perfect Storm? Did they accidentally board the Andrea Gail? Her stomach sank. She knew the waves were going to rip the boat apart board by board. She needed to come up with a plan, and fast. “Can you shine your light over here?”
He nodded. “What’re you looking for?”
She rummaged through more drawers, her voice growing frantic. “Our ticket out of here.” She pulled out a red plastic flare gun. The Fiji Navy was their only hope.
Is anyone ever going to come help us? Casey smeared the fogged window and pressed her face against the cold glass. Her parents wouldn’t be able to survive much longer, wherever they were. She peered through the sheets of rain into the blackness beyond when a flash caught her eye. Multi-colored lights blinked in sequence, followed by a blue light that swept toward her in swinging arcs. Her heart pounded in her ears. She listened, but the roaring wind and pouring rain drowned out any sound from the thundering helicopter. “Look! See that?”
Jack wiped the window with his arm and peeked out. “I see it!”
Rescue. Warm blankets. Hot chocolate. Thank goodness. Casey’s mom and dad had to be on the helicopter, and she was sure they’d be waiting for her with a big smile. She let out a sigh of relief. A beam of light cut through the rain and filled the room, momentarily blinding her. “Ready to get this rescue party started with some fireworks?” She dashed out the wheelhouse door into the furious storm.
Mike waved the flashlight beam frantically in the helicopter’s direction. “Over here!” he shouted, and Casey and Jack joined in the chorus.
As rain pelted down, Casey pointed the flare gun high into the air. She tightened her fingers around the trigger and pulled. A bright red flare illuminated the sky. She fired again and again, giving them a spectacular Fourth of July show.
The storm dumped another huge wave onto the deck, knocking Casey’s feet out from under her and sending the gun flying from her hands. Grunting from the sudden impact, she plunged into the sea. Water rushed down her throat and up her nose. She fought to keep her head above the surface. “Help!” Squinting into the darkness, she noticed the lights had disappeared. No warm blankets, hot chocolate, or wire basket to ride up in? Where’s the helicopter? Did it turn around and go back? Did it crash?
Casey could hear Mike and Jack’s incoherent shouts over the booming thunder. She screamed, her arms flapping to fight against the current. She forced her mouth shut to avoid swallowing any more water.
Looking up, she could only see the top halves of Mike and Jack’s bodies ducking and rising out of view. They flung something over the side of the boat. Using all her strength, she propelled herself over to a rope. Panting, she sw
ung out her arms. Got it! She gave it a hard tug, knowing it was securely fastened to an iron cleat. How hard can it be to climb a rope? It would have been a breeze if only she’d attended boot camp instead of spending a week at soccer camp.
A giant explosion of white water rushed over the vessel, followed by a loud crack and then a dull thud. The rigging and sails crashed to the deck, along with the eighty-foot mast.
Jack yelled above the roar of the wind. “Mike!”
Clinging to the rope, Casey screamed. She wondered if Mike or Jack had been hit by a piece of heavy equipment, and every muscle in her body tensed at the thought. Are they hurt? She blinked but couldn’t see a thing in the darkness. Several bolts of lightning danced across the sky, and she finally saw the eerie outline of Jack near the rail, but her lips trembled when she couldn’t see Mike. Did he fall in too? She pictured Mike bleeding—or even worse, knocked out cold. Oh, gosh! Please no.
Casey glanced around in frantic disbelief but saw nothing but rising mountains of water. Gasping for breath, she tried not to choke on the salty foam being thrust into her mouth by the wild, tumbling waves. She focused her attention back on Jack until he disappeared from view. Water rushed over her face. Her eyes burned, and her vision blurred.
“Casey?” She heard a voice call out through the storm and threw her head back. “Jack!”
A dark figure leaned over the rail. “I’m going to pull you up.”
The rope in her hands went taut as it lifted her out of the water. She hung in the air, gripped the rope tighter, and spun around in circles. She was spinning faster than an ice-skater performing a two-foot spin for an Olympic gold medal.
The boat lurched, and she jerked hard as something crashed into her from above. It was Jack, who’d toppled from the deck. She tried to reach for him, but the impact knocked the breath right out of her. She gasped against the pain, losing her grip and falling back into the sea.
The force of the wave pushed her down, spinning her around in total darkness like a washing machine rinse cycle. She held her breath, her lungs burning for sweet release and fresh oxygen. If I don’t get air soon...
The pressure in her ears was unbearable. When the spinning stopped, her lungs were on fire, and she flailed her arms, trying to orient herself. Am I upside down or right side up? She forced herself to stop struggling, letting her body float. Okay. Now I know the way. Powerful kicks propelled her upward. It felt like trying to swim to the top of Niagara Falls. Just before her lungs collapsed, she burst through the surface like a dolphin at a water theme park show.
Apart from the flash of lightning, she saw nothing but pitch black. Her hands moved around her, frantic to grasp onto something—anything—but there was only water. “Jack!” she screamed, but he didn’t answer. A deafening roar like a passing train filled her ears, and she clutched her life jacket for dear life.
Flash after flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and something huge ripped through the water toward her. The boat? No, scratch that. It looked more like a giant battleship called the USS Move It, Girl streaking in her direction. She used every ounce of strength to swim away, but a large, swirling body of water sucked her in.
Casey coughed, exhausted, her body trembling with the effort to keep herself afloat. There was no way she was going to let the undertow drag her down. Around and around she spun, faster and faster. She tried to break free of the fast-spinning, churning water, but vast jaws of swirling foam swallowed her up. She felt the tremendous force of the water washing over her, pulling her in, deeper and deeper. Spiraling down to the center core of the mighty whirlpool, she was tossed, turned, and rolled beneath the surface of the water. This was definitely not on her list of “Top 10 Things to Do in Fiji.”
I’m too young to die. Casey held her breath and prayed for a miracle.
Sample Chapter 3 – Underwater Escape
Dizziness washed over Casey as she struggled to free herself from the spiraling water. Lungs burning, she opened her mouth to scream, but salt water rushed in. An explosion of bubbles surrounded her, brushing across her skin. A tremendous force pushed her upward, faster and faster. Bursting through the surface, she was catapulted high in a spout of water and spray. She landed with a splash and sucked in desperate gulps of air—wonderful, glorious, awesome air.
Spluttering and coughing, Casey pushed the tangled hair out of her face. The air hung heavy with the smell of damp earth. When she caught her breath, she kicked her legs around in the water and wondered how deep it was. As she clung to her tattered life jacket, she squinted as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Anxiously, she looked across the enormous underground chamber for a ledge, or for some way out. Nothing but glimmering stalagmites rose out of the sapphire water and loomed high above her, as though the room around her had been completely flooded.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful,” she whispered, awestruck by the millions of crystals shimmering like diamonds along the walls. Carlsbad Caverns needed to take a seat, because it’d just been upstaged by whatever the name of this place was.
“Casey! Over here!”
Her heart leapt in response to the familiar voice. “Jack! Thank God you’re alive.” Spotting two yellow life jackets in the distance, she sighed with relief. “Mike!” Her best friends bobbed in the water, and she couldn’t have been happier to see them.
Casey exhaled and wiped the tears away, overwhelmed with relief. Smiling, she forced her burning muscles to push her way through the water.
“I can’t believe that whirlpool sucked you up too,” said Mike, meeting her halfway and throwing his arms around her. “Against all odds, we survived, man. Any idea how we could even end up down here? ’Cause me and Jack are completely clueless.”
Melting into his embrace, she said, “I dunno.”
Mike’s grip tightened around her. “You’re one tough chick!”
Struggling to keep the tears from falling, she met his gaze and smiled. “You better believe it.”
His voice wavered and he stroked the hair from her face. “I was so worried about you, girl.”
“Casey.” Jack’s face lit up when his eyes connected with hers, exactly the same way as when he’d sunk that last-second basket to win the national championship. She eased from Mike’s arms and gave Jack a fierce hug. He held her close and cupped her cheek. “When I lost you—”
The cavern became silent except for the rhythmic sound of dripping water. Casey opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she locked her arms around Jack and burrowed into the curve of his shoulder. They’d survived against all odds. When she opened her eyes, she felt the first sobs tear through her chest. “Do you think my mom and dad are okay?”
Jack held her at arms’ length. “They were rescued. I saw them being pulled up into the air.”
She swiveled her head in Mike’s direction. “Are you sure? You saw it? Both of you? They’re…they’re really safe?”
Mike nodded. “Yep. I saw it too.”
Casey let out a deep breath, but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. She wiped at them, suddenly laughing through even more tears. It was the best news…ever. “They’re probably dry, warm, and worried sick about us.” She fingered the silver locket around her neck; it held her favorite family portrait.
Mike squeezed her hand. “You know it.”
She shot him a smile.
“So where’s the dim light coming from? The moon?” Mike spun in a circle through the water, gazing up at the high vaulted cave.
“I have no idea, but it’s definitely coming from somewhere.” Her hand wandered across the ragged limestone. “There has to be a gap or opening in these walls.” At least she hoped so, grasping at any glimmer of hope. She swam around, searching for a way out, when her life jacket scraped against the jagged edge of a stalagmite. She knew then that she’d have to be more careful, as one of those things could probably tear right through her skin.
“Whoa!” Mike’s voiced echoed in the cave. “Check
out the icicles.”
She stared up at the massive stalactites jutting from the ceiling. Her jaw dropped at their stunning beauty.
Jack pushed off the wall, staring at the sight too. “Wow! They gotta be thousands of years old.”
“Oh yeah?” Mike nudged Casey and playfully rolled his eyes. “How do you know that, Jack?”
“Well, because, they only grow an inch every thousand years.”
Mike smirked. “Is there anything you don’t know? Since you’re such an Einstein, why’s everything glowing down here? Is the place radioactive or something?”
Twinkling pinpoints of lights dotted the roof like turquoise-green stars in the night sky. It was beautiful, but Casey knew appearances could be deceiving. Her eyebrows shot up in recognition. “Wait! I’ve seen this before…on a trip to Waitomo Cave.”
Mike lay back and floated, his arms and legs stretched out. “I can’t believe we’re actually stargazing.”
“Stargazing? You seem to forget we’re in a giant cave,” she said.
“I know. So how’s this possible? Although I don’t mind spending a romantic moment with a pretty girl.” He winked at her.
Stuck in a cave and he still manages to flirt, she jested. “If you had one clue about what those “stars” really were, you’d know the romance had just been sucked dry.”
Jack leaned in, his arm brushing Casey’s. “Aren’t those New Zealand’s “living lights”?”
“Looks like it. Do you think that’s where we are?”
He shook his head. “Could be, but it’s over a thousand miles away.”
“Living lights?” asked Mike. “Dude, are you saying those lights are alive?”
“Yep.” Jack nodded and motioned with his hand. “Millions of little, glowing worms, courtesy of the fungus gnat.”
And with Casey’s luck, a big fat one would fall off and land on her head, a new friend dropping in to say hello. Eww, gross! The thought made her stomach squeamish, and now she might hurl.
“Glowing maggots, huh?” asked Mike, who didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. “They’re pretty cool. Got to admit, nature puts on one heck of a light show.”
Eternal Destiny Page 19