Jessica was more excited than anxious. Captain Marsden had said the Coast Guard was coming, so there really wasn't any danger involved, she thought. But talk about romantic! She and Ken Matthews, soaking wet and clinging to each other in a tiny lifeboat in the middle of a raging sea. . . .
Mr. Russo had pulled the tab on the first lifeboat, and it inflated rapidly. "OK," he yelled. "Two people and two oars to a lifeboat!"
Jessica and Ken pressed forward along with the others. Then Mr. Russo added, "Buddy system!"
Buddy system. Jessica groaned. Ken gave her a last squeeze and then dashed over to join Enid—leaving Jessica with Winston!
Four lifeboats and eight students had already gone over the side of the Maverick when Winston grabbed Jessica's hand. "Here I am, buddy," he said in a tone that was half jovial and half scared. "Never fear, I'll save you!"
"That's what I'm afraid of," Jessica grumbled. But there was no time to bicker. Mr. Russo had the second-to-last lifeboat inflated. He and Captain Marsden would take the last one. Jessica and Winston climbed over the side of the Maverick and jumped into the lifeboat.
Winston had a precarious hold on the oars he had grabbed from the science teacher. As he settled himself in, he nearly knocked Jessica out of the lifeboat by jabbing her with an oar.
"Watch what you're doing!" Jessica yelled at him. The wind whipped a strand of wet, salty hair into her mouth. She spit it out, adding, "I swear, Winston, you're more of a health hazard than a tidal wave!"
The storm was growing more violent by the minute. There were towering waves as far as the eye could see. Jessica and Winston's lifeboat bobbed wildly on the water, one minute rising way up and the next sinking so low that they temporarily lost sight of the Maverick and the other lifeboats.
As her lifeboat rode to the crest of a swell, Jessica saw Elizabeth waving at her through the fog. Jessica waved back, glad that her sister was secure in a boat with Aaron. The other boat dipped out of sight and then reappeared again a moment later. Elizabeth, her face anxious, was still waving furiously. Now Aaron flailed his arms, too.
"We only have one oar!" Aaron hollered. "Does anyone have an extra?"
Jessica gripped the sides of the lifeboat, her heart in her throat. What if Elizabeth and Aaron were swept away, unable to maneuver their boat with just one oar?
Then Winston let out a triumphant shout. "We've got one!" He waved the oar over his head. "I took three by mistake!"
Jessica was so thrilled she almost, but not quite, felt like giving Winston a hug. Now they just had to figure out how to get the oar to Aaron and Elizabeth.
Their lifeboat was only fifteen or twenty yards away, but there was a wall of threatening waves between them. Without speaking, Jessica and Winston each grabbed an oar and began paddling furiously in Aaron and Elizabeth's direction. It was slow going. They would make some progress, and then a wave would push them back again.
Finally they were only a few yards apart. Elizabeth and Aaron clapped their hands and cheered. "Winston and Jessica to the rescue!" Elizabeth cried.
"Don't speak too soon," Winston called. He was holding the oar out at arm's length, but it still didn't quite reach. "I'm going to have to throw it to you. Here it comes!"
Winston stood up in the lifeboat. He bent his knees to brace himself, poised to toss the oar. Elizabeth and Aaron looked like baseball players ready to field a fly ball.
At that moment a swell hit Jessica and Winston's lifeboat. Winston's knees buckled, and he lost his balance. Jessica tried her hardest to steady the lifeboat, but it was no use. As Winston fell heavily to one side, the lifeboat capsized!
The last thing Jessica saw before she hit the icy water was the look of terror in Elizabeth's eyes.
She tried to hang on to the overturned lifeboat, but her hands slipped off the slick rubber. Jessica felt as helpless as a rag doll when a churning wave hit her full force and carried her away from the lifeboat.
Four
For a split second Jessica was stunned. Then the wave passed over her, and she treaded water for a minute, gasping for breath. Her eyes stinging from the salt and the driving rain, she peered around her through the fog. She couldn't see far, but all she could see was ocean. Winston, the lifeboat, and the rest of her class—Elizabeth!—were gone. Jessica was at the mercy of the waves that pushed and pulled her, drawing her farther and farther from the Maverick.
"Elizabeth!" Jessica cried. Another wave slapped her in the face, and she got a mouthful of seawater. She coughed. "Mr. Russo, Captain Marsden, help!"
The only answer was the roar of the wind.
Still treading water, Jessica made an effort to control her terror. She considered her situation for a moment. It wasn't good, but it could be worse. She had her life jacket on; it would keep her afloat. She had lived near the ocean all her life, and she, Elizabeth, and their older brother, Steven, had learned to swim almost as soon as they had learned to walk. Between cheerleading practice and occasionally doing laps in her family's pool, Jessica knew she was in good shape. She could swim quite a distance, if it came to that.
But which way was Anacapa Island? Which way was home? Jessica had absolutely no way of telling. The clouds had completely blackened out the sun; the fog made it impossible for her to see more than a few feet ahead of her. There was nothing by which to judge direction.
But there was a current, a strong one. Jessica realized there would be no point in swimming against it—she wouldn't make any progress.
She paused for a moment to catch her breath before starting out. There was a tight knot of fear in her stomach that she decided to ignore.
"I'm not scared," Jessica said out loud. "I'm just mad. Winston Egbert, you are without a doubt the world's biggest jerk. Just wait until I get to shore and get my hands on you!"
Fueled by the pleasing prospect of punishing Winston for the horrible afternoon, Jessica kicked her feet and began to swim.
It happened so quickly, Elizabeth could hardly believe her eyes. One second Jessica and Winston were securely in their lifeboat, only a few feet away from her and Aaron, and the next moment Winston had capsized the boat in the process of throwing them an oar. Aaron had reached for the flying oar and missed. But neither he nor Elizabeth really cared about the oar. They were too horror-struck at Jessica and Winston's predicament.
A tall wave rose up immediately between the two boats. When it receded, Jessica, Winston, and the empty lifeboat were nowhere in sight.
"Jessica, are you all right?" Elizabeth shrieked, gripping the edge of her lifeboat so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Her voice was tiny compared to the howl of the storm. "Winston, can you hear me? Jessica!"
Aaron yelled, too, but there was no response. "Nobody could make themselves heard above this wind," he declared. When Elizabeth was silent, Aaron turned to look more closely at her. Along with rain, her cheeks were streaked with tears. "Hey, Liz, I'm sure they're fine. They probably climbed right back into the lifeboat. They're out there," Aaron added confidently. "We just can't see them because of the fog."
Elizabeth prayed that Aaron was right. It was almost impossible to see. She and Aaron were having a tough time staying within view of the Maverick. The rest of the class was for the most part invisible. They could discern the dim shapes of only a few of the other lifeboats. They're out there, Elizabeth repeated silently, huddling low in the lifeboat while Aaron, wielding the one oar, did his best to keep them in the Maverick's vicinity. Please let them be out there.
Half an hour later it appeared that the storm was going to end as suddenly as it had begun. Elizabeth and Aaron noticed that the waves were gradually diminishing in size. In addition, the fog had thinned and now flowed by them in wisps rather than in a dense blanket. The driving rain had become a light drizzle.
Aaron paddled their lifeboat over to Ken and Enid, who were now visible a few yards ahead of them. "Ahoy, matie!" Aaron called cheerfully.
Ken and Enid greeted their friends with waves and smiles. Elizabet
h tried her best to respond with equal enthusiasm, but she couldn't—not until she knew Jessica was safe.
The half-sunken Maverick had acted as home base for the lifeboats. The fog lifted to reveal them gathered in a loose circle around the Maverick. It was easier to paddle now that the surf was more calm, and everyone rowed their lifeboats closer toward the Maverick.
From his boat Bob Russo scanned the group to make a quick head count. Elizabeth craned her neck, searching for her sister. The realization came to them at the same moment: Jessica and Winston were missing.
"Where are Jessica and Winston?" Mr. Russo asked, his brow furrowed with worry. "Has anyone seen them?"
The rest of the class shook their heads. Elizabeth gulped. Her throat had gone dry, and when she opened her mouth to speak, no sound came out.
Aaron answered Mr. Russo. "The last time we saw them, their lifeboat tipped over. Winston was trying to throw me an oar. Liz and I only had one, and he had an extra. He stood up in the boat, and a big wave came and flipped the boat. Then we lost sight of them because of the fog. But they must have righted their boat. . . ."
Aaron's voice trailed off, giving away his uncertainty. Mr. Russo seemed concerned, but he didn't lose his composure. "When did this happen?"
Aaron looked at Elizabeth with a shrug. "I didn't check the time," he admitted.
Her hand shaking, Elizabeth tipped her left wrist to read her watch. "It was about half an hour ago," she said, her voice hoarse with fear. "Only a few minutes after we abandoned the Maverick."
"Oh, no, they're drowned!" Lila wailed. All the students started talking at once.
Captain Marsden raised his hand to silence the crowd. "Now, kids, there's no reason to panic! By the time those two got back in their lifeboat, they'd probably drifted away from the rest of us. The best thing to do right now is look and yell. Just stay within range of the Maverick." Captain Marsden turned to face Mr. Russo. "Let's pull up alongside the Maverick. The radio should still be working even if the engine isn't. I'll call the Coast Guard and get us picked up on the double."
Elizabeth and Aaron turned their lifeboat around and started rowing away from the chartered boat. "Jessica!" Elizabeth shouted at the top of her lungs. "Winston!"
The rest of the group joined in the search. "Hey, Winston, you clown, I know you're out there!" Ken hollered.
"Jessica, where are you?" Lila called, her teary voice shrill.
Elizabeth yelled until her throat was sore. She strained her eyes staring out into the ocean beyond, but it was no use. As the sea calmed and the sky cleared even further, it became apparent that Jessica and Winston had really and truly disappeared.
"Oh, please be OK, Jess," Elizabeth whispered, her hands clenched tightly into fists. "Please be OK."
Suddenly there was a shout of discovery from one of the other lifeboats. Elizabeth's heart leapt. They've found her! she thought. Jessica is OK!
She and Aaron paddled quickly in the direction of Tom and Lila, who were sharing a lifeboat. Tom was leaning over the side of his boat, trying to pick something up out of the water. When he straightened up, he was holding a dripping bright-yellow life jacket.
Elizabeth stared at the life jacket, not wanting to believe her eyes.
"There was only one yellow life preserver on board," Captain Marsden informed Mr. Russo. "All the others were orange."
"Did any of you lose your life jacket?" Mr. Russo queried. "Who was wearing the yellow one?"
Elizabeth's vision blurred, and she found herself back on the Maverick, right before they had all climbed into the lifeboats. Ken Matthews, wearing an orange life jacket, had helped Jessica slip her arms into a bright yellow one. . . .
"Jessica was wearing the yellow life jacket," Elizabeth said, tears springing to her eyes.
Lila let out a wail, and Tom put his arm around her shoulders.
"Hey, wait. Here's something else!" Aaron reached behind him and grabbed something out of the ocean. Elizabeth was almost afraid to look.
It was a sodden San Diego Padres baseball hat. "Winston's," Aaron almost whispered.
Lila was sobbing in earnest now.
"Kids, we've got to remain calm," Mr. Russo urged them. "No hysterics, please. Jessica and Winston are both intelligent people, and I'm sure they stayed with their lifeboat."
But despite his confident words, Mr. Russo looked distraught. And everyone could hear Captain Marsden, on the radio again with the Coast Guard, loud and clear. In addition to asking for a boat to pick up the charter's stranded passengers, the captain was stressing the need for a full-scale search for two missing students.
Elizabeth sank back into the lifeboat and let the plastic oar slip from her fingers. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She had come to Jessica's aid so many times before, on trivial occasions when Jessica had gotten herself into trouble because of some thoughtless behavior, and in times of serious danger, too. But now there was absolutely nothing Elizabeth could do. Jessica was lost at sea. Wherever she might be, Elizabeth couldn't reach her.
The fourteen remaining students pulled closer together, forming a tight knot of lifeboats alongside the chartered boat. The same look of horror, disbelief, and sorrow was on every face. Enid and Lila were both crying quietly, but Elizabeth had just gone numb.
"They'll turn up, Liz," Aaron said, mussing her still-damp hair awkwardly. "I'd say if there're two people we can count on to be able to take care of themselves, it's Winston and Jessica."
"Aaron's right," Ken agreed. "They'll turn up, in style."
But twenty minutes later, when a powerful hum heralded the arrival of a sleek Coast Guard powerboat, Jessica and Winston were still missing. One by one the students were assisted on board, followed by Mr. Russo and Captain Marsden. Then three other Coast Guard boats appeared and began their search of the area.
Elizabeth faced backward as the rescue boat swept in a wide arc across the surface of the water and then headed for the mainland. The damaged Maverick grew smaller and smaller until it was the size of a tiny ant on the blue horizon. Then it disappeared, swallowed up by the endless sea.
And my sister's out there somewhere, Elizabeth thought, overcome with misery. Two tears crept down her cheeks. I hope.
Jessica felt as if she had been swimming for three days. She could hardly feel her arms or legs anymore, she was so tired. She'd long since abandoned the crawl in favor of the breaststroke, hoping to preserve what was left of her strength for as long as possible.
At first it had taken a gigantic effort just to move through the storm-tossed sea. Foolishly she hadn't fastened the straps of her life jacket securely, and a giant wave had broken over her, tearing the loose life jacket right off her. Fortunately the waves and the wind soon died down somewhat, but as they decreased, so did Jessica's energy level. She was barely moving forward now. It was all she could do to keep her head above water.
For the first time, it struck Jessica that she might actually drown. For all she knew, she had been swimming straight out to sea, a hundred miles from anywhere! Don't think about it, she lectured herself. Just swim, Wakefield! To distract herself, she pretended she was swimming laps in the pool at home. One, two, three, four, five . . . ten . . . twenty . . . thirty-five . . . fifty . . .
Soon Jessica was too exhausted even to count. I can't do it, she thought despairingly. My arms just won't move anymore! Her strokes became slower and slower. Her eyelids dropped, and the ocean in front of her became a blur. If I could just sleep, Jessica thought, just sink to the bottom of the ocean onto the soft sand and sleep. . . .
Jessica's sight dimmed as her eyes filled with tears. She reached up quickly with one hand to rub them, straining to see in front of her. Through the fog, something dark loomed above the water. At first Jessica thought she must be dreaming. It was the sort of thing that happened to thirsty people lost in the desert. They would see a big blue lake and breeze-swept palm trees where there was only hot sand. A mirage, that was the name for it, she thought.
&
nbsp; But, no, she wasn't dreaming! It was land! A little island, even smaller than Anacapa, but it would do. She was going to make it!
With all her remaining strength, Jessica stroked toward the island. When her feet touched bottom, she felt happier than she ever had before. She was still alive!
Jessica's knees were so weak that she could barely wade into shore. The waves pushed at her spaghettilike legs, knocking her forward onto the sand. Jessica was so glad to be on land that when she fell on her face on the beach, she lay that way for a minute, taking long, deep breaths and savoring the feel of solid ground beneath her. Then, her head still spinning, she sat up and looked around the beach.
She had washed up on a short area of sand backed by a thick wall of tropical greenery. Jessica tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn't support her, so she crawled. Unbelievably a ray of sunlight had sliced through the clouds. The storm was over.
Collapsing in the shade under a palm tree, Jessica fell instantly into a deep sleep.
Five
"The Coast Guard is calling off the search until tomorrow morning," Ned Wakefield announced in a solemn voice as he hung up the telephone. "They can't do anything in the dark. But they said they'll start looking again at daybreak with helicopters as well as boats."
The family and a few close friends were gathered around the table in the Wakefields' big Spanish-tiled kitchen. The twins' brother, Steven, a freshman at the nearby state university, had rushed home as soon as he was told the news. With him was Cara Walker, his girlfriend and one of Jessica's closest friends. Elizabeth's boyfriend, Jeffrey French, had also stopped by.
Now Jeffrey squeezed Elizabeth's hand under the table. She squeezed back to show how much she appreciated his support. She only wished she felt as brave inside as she was pretending to be on the outside.
"Well," Alice Wakefield said briskly, getting to her feet, "I guess there's not much we can do tonight either. At least now we can stop staring at the telephone, waiting for it to ring. How about some coffee and cookies?"
Lost At Sea (Sweet Valley High Book 56) Page 3