I'm the first one to awaken. It's dawn and the jungle is barely waking up. I'm concerned that the Elders will catch us by surprise. I shake Miguel's shoulder.
"Let's go," I tell him.
He smiles. "Good morning, Frida."
I return his smile. "Good morning, Miguel."
We stumble out of the hammocks. Miguel, who is more used to them than me, has to help me out of mine. I make sure I have my boomerang and the black bag that Helga had given me. My mind goes to her. I wonder how she's doing. Is she wondering how I'm faring? Probably.
"Follow me," Miguel states, his voice solemn. "Don't deviate at all from where I'm stepping."
"Like at the swamp?" I ask.
"Exactly."
We hike for about an hour. As we walk past a banana tree, he grabs a few. "For breakfast," he says. I tell him I'll carry the rest in my black bag, so he can keep his hand free. We eat the ripe, sweet bananas in silence. We're trying to pick up any odd noises.
It doesn't take long.
Dogs are barking.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Don't panic," Miguel tells me.
"We've got to run. Those dogs will be here any minute."
"Stay put," he says as he stops moving.
"But Miguel--"
"We can't outrun the dogs," he states, holding my arm. "The Elders are going to find us."
"So we're going to stand here like sitting ducks?" I ask furiously.
"No, " he asserts. "Just follow me. Remember to step exactly where I'm stepping. Don't deviate at all."
I nod. I step in his footprints. We walk painstakingly slowly for a short distance. The dog's barks are getting louder, and I'm getting more and more nervous. Suddenly, Miguel plops on the ground.
"What are you doing?!"
"Sit," he says, patting the ground next to him.
"Have you gone crazy?!"
"Trust me."
I sigh loudly. While there had been no way I would've trusted the Mister when he said the same thing, Miguel is different. I sit down next to him with a big question still in my eyes.
"We're going to be fine," he assures, smiling.
"I hope so."
It only takes a few seconds for the dogs to reach us. Four Elders are with them with their shotguns ready to fire. I notice that Grinder isn't one of them. He'd be too much of a coward to face the jungle.
The dogs are frenzied and about to rush over to us when one of the Elders stops them.
"Settle down," Elder Clapp commands.
"You two have led us on quite a wild goose chase," snaps Elder Pierce.
"Where are the Elders who came to rescue you?" Elder Nolan asks.
"Dead," Miguel says simply.
They start muttering angrily under their breaths.
"You didn't think you would get away with this, did you?" questions Elder Trask.
Elder Nolan catches his breath in fury before speaking. "You're irresponsibility has cost lives! Don't you feel bad about that?!"
"We just want to own our lives," I snap.
The Elders guffaw loudly. "You're going to own your lives by dying in the jungle? Because that's what would've happened to you if we wouldn't have found you," asserts Elder Pierce.
"We've been doing okay so far," I state.
"You two are just too stupid for words," Elder Clapp growls furiously.
"Your day will come when you'll get what you deserve," I tell them. "One day you'll get punished for stealing us!"
"You're the ones who'll have to pay for what you've caused us!" Elder Trask snaps. "Wait till we get you back in Paradise Village! You're going to wish you were never born!"
"Too late," I grumble, "I've been wishing that since you stole me!"
Elder Nolan shakes his head with disbelief at my words. "Listen, you impertinent girl, the Great Master is disgusted with you at this moment. If I were you I'd try to get on his good side before I meet up with him!"
"Aren't you ashamed to be seen by the Great Master?!" questions Elder Trask.
"You'll never get to his kingdom," blurts Elder Pierce. "Never!"
"Don't even try to fill me up with any of your garbage!" I state, my voice on fire.
The Elders gasp.
I heavily glare at them one at a time. "I know you made up the True Faith to brainwash us into being your slaves!"
"The evil creature is possessing you, girl!" asserts Elder Pierce. "Can't you see it?"
"You're the evil creatures!" blurts Miguel.
The Elders stare at Miguel with open mouths. The question that's been asked to him several times today is coming again.
"Miguelito, what happened to your stutter?" asks Elder Trask.
"The Great Master cured me," Miguel says sarcastically.
Elder Clapp eyes him carefully. "Something is strange here."
"We'll settle this in Paradise Village. Get up, you two!" demands Elder Nolan. "Get up so we can head home."
"Frida has a sprained ankle," Miguel states. "That's why we're on the ground."
What's he up to? He knows I'm perfectly fine. He's got something up his sleeve.
Elder Trask looks at Miguel with bewilderment. "Frida? Who is that?"
"Monica."
"Why are you calling her Frida?" questions Elder Clapp.
"That's my real name," I explain. "Not that you'd care."
Elder Trask eyes me with disbelief. "You remember it?"
"I remember a lot of things," I confess.
"You're dangerous!" snaps Elder Pierce.
"Yeah, a person who doesn't give up her brain is definitely a danger to people like you," I state.
"Maybe we should just do away with her already," mumbles Elder Nolan.
"If you do away with us then who knows how much control you'll have of Paradise Village after doing it," Miguel asserts.
Elder Clapp is puzzled. "What are you talking about?!"
Elder Trask chimes in. "The kid has a point. If we get rid of them now then how can we set the example for the rest of Paradise Village? They know these two have eluded the other Elders. After those Elders don't come back, they'll guess that these two have caused their deaths. We need to make an example of them!"
"Then let's get them to Paradise Village and execute them as soon as possible," Elder Nolan states.
"If Monica's got a problem with he ankle then you'll have to carry her," Elder Clapp demands of Miguel.
"I can't with one arm."
Elder Clapp rolls his eyes. "What a weakling."
"Sorry, I just can't carry her," Miguel insists.
"You're trying my patience, boy!" snaps Elder Clapp.
"Sorry."
"Let's go get them," Elder Trask states with disgust as he eyes the map in his hands. "I'll show them to play games with us. Bring the dogs."
I stiffen up when they start coming towards us with the frenzied dogs. They're probably going to order them to bite us to cause us pain.
"Everything they know is wrong," Miguel whispers in a voice that's barely audible even to me. He pushes me roughly to the ground as he slams his ear to mine as he uses his one hand to cover his other one.
Click.
BOOM!
Chapter Thirty
Miguel and I squeeze to the ground.
"Sorry I was so rough on you," he says. I can barely hear. The explosion had been at a good distance, but it was still remarkably loud.
"No apology is necessary."
He slowly nears me as he eyes my lips. I have a chance to turn away from him, but I don't do it. This kiss is the sweetest we've had so far.
We stumble off the ground with our senses still in shock over what we had just been through. Even the beautiful kiss hadn't been able to wake us up from the surreal horror of our circumstances. So many of the Elders are dead now and some killer dogs are too. As I follow Miguel, stepping where he's stepping, I feel a surge of exhausted hope. Maybe we can actually make
it back to our real homes.
After walking for about an hour in startled silence, I turn to Miguel. A thought had just occurred to me. "Everything they knew was wrong, huh?" I question. Miguel had told me that before the Elders had exploded.
He nods solemnly. "The Elders kept very close tabs on us when we were planting the landmines. Those last ones, though, they were preoccupied with something and didn't check up on us. It occurred to me to change where they were supposed to go according to the map they gave me."
"Great idea. It probably saved our lives."
"There are not that many Elders left at Paradise Village."
"Yeah, not that many?"
"Unfortunately, those left are armed."
I groan. "Yes, unfortunately."
"And we weren't able to get even one shotgun from them," he states, grumbling.
"Their weapons exploded with them."
"We'll just have to make do like we've been doing."
"Yeah, let's keep going. Our freedom has to be somewhere out there," I say enthusiastically.
He eyes me and his eyebrows furrow.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"I've never been beyond this point. I don't know what there is out there."
I smile reassuringly. "We've made it this far. We'll be okay."
He nods, not looking too convinced.
We start moving forward. With no landmines anymore we don't have to be as careful as before, but we still have to be on the lookout for dangerous animals. It's fortunate that most of these critters don't want to cross our paths anymore than we want to cross there's.
Excruciatingly thirsty since we had drunk the last of the water in our canteens, we are on the lookout for flowing water. My tongue gets swollen and dry as dust. My head is pounding. Everything seems to be in a fog in my head. I wonder if we made it all this way only to die of dehydration.
"Water!" Miguel yells happily.
But I don't see anything but a tree. In my foggy mind I wonder if he's hallucinating. We're in huge trouble.
"Water!" he repeats. "Water! Water! Water!"
"What are you talking about?"
He ignores my question as he grabs the knife and small pot from Helga's black bag that he was now carrying. He rushes to the tree with a vine growing on the trunk and cuts the vine. Water drips into the pot.
Water!
I can hardly believe my eyes.
"It's not milky so it's probably save to drink." He tastes it. "It's not bitter. I'm sure it's safe."
He gives me the first water. I tell him that we need to share. Even though he insists I take the first drink, I make him take the next one. We go through several vines until our thirst is satiated and the canteen is full. Who knows when we'll be able to find water again?
"Are you hungry?" I ask him.
"Very."
"Let's eat some bananas." I pull out my boomerang and throw it. Bananas from high on a tree come down. We gorge ourselves on them. Their sweetness fills our empty stomachs.
"Do you think the Elders have realized that the ones who came after us are dead?" I ask him.
"I'm sure that by now they've been calling on their cell phones to realize no one is answering."
"What do you think will happen?" I ask, worried. "Do you think some more Elders will come after us?"
"It's hard to say. At this point they can't spare too many Elders."
"And they don't know who actually died in the explosion," I comment.
"They might think we died too."
"Let's hope so," I state.
"With the dogs and the Elders loaded with weapons I don't see why they wouldn't think that."
I nod. "Yeah, in their arrogance they'll think our luck couldn't have held out."
He smiles. "They underestimate us."
"Completely underestimate us."
Solemnly, we start our journey again. Our hearts are full of hope and perseverance. After a distance, both of us notice that the jungle starts becoming less dense. Maybe it's a good sign.
"What do you think Grinder is telling everyone at Paradise Village right now?"
"He's probably saying that the evil creature is running rampant and that everyone needs to pray to him since he's the son of the Great Master."
I guffaw. "What an idiot."
Miguel laughs. "Idiot is too nice of a word for him."
As we keep walking, I suddenly notice the change in the ground. I kneel down to touch it. It's a golden color and very sandy. Miguel does the same.
Standing up again, we keep going. When we get beyond the many palm trees, we halt in heart-stopping shock. We're confronted with one of the most remarkable and troubling sights we've ever witnessed.
An aqua ocean.
We're on an island!
Chapter Thirty-One
Miguel crumples to his knees with an agonized expression on his face. I just stare out to the sea. We've been on an island all this time!
"This is what the Elders meant when they said there was no way of escape!" cries Miguel.
I keep staring out in a trance-like state.
"We're stuck here! We're stuck!"
I still can't find words in my mouth.
"All that danger for nothing! For nothing!"
"Miguel--"
"Why put landmines if we can't escape anyway?" he questions furiously.
"It's all a game for the Elders,' I mumble.
"A game that cost me my right hand!"
I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Miguel."
"They love intimidating us!"
"Yes."
"And now we're stuck here on this stupid island! We'll die here! We'll--"
"Stop it, Miguel!"
"But don't you understand, Frida?! We can't escape! We can't!!!"
"Stop," I say, making my voice as soothing as possible. I sit down next to him and hug him. We stay like that for a few minutes until our heartbeats aren't so frantic. The ocean actually serves to calm us down even if we're nervous wrecks because of it. Seagulls fly past us. The calm waves of the water travel quietly. The scene in front of us is like a dream if it wasn't such a nightmare.
"Miguel, I refuse to give up," I manage to finally say.
"But--"
"If there is a way on this island then there's a way out!" I propound.
"Way out?" he asks.
"There has to be one."
"Maybe we can swim to safety," he comments sarcastically. "Across a whole ocean."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"There's more than one way to get on or off an island."
"Maybe," he says, going into his head.
"No, not maybe," I state sternly. "For sure."
"Okay."
"Think about it, Miguel. How did they get us here? How does Paradise Village get food and supplies?" I question. "I'm assuming that those things don't get here by magic."
A light starts coming back to his eyes. "The guarded road," he murmurs.
"The guarded road?"
"I was a little kid when Bledsoe took me with him once to help with the supplies. A plane brought food."
"Plane?"
"That's how they get supplies to Paradise Village. The guarded road leads to a warehouse and landing strip."
"Of course," I murmur, "A plane brings the stuff that's needed in Paradise Village."
"That's right."
"Do you remember where the landing strip is at?" I ask with excitement.
He smiles. "Photographic memory, remember?"
"Can you get us there?" I ask eagerly.
"You bet."
"Is it far?"
"Not that far," he states, grinning.
"What about the landmines?"
"Don't worry. The ones on that side of the island aren't too bad."
"Why is that?" I ask with curiosity.
"Since that side has the guar
ds, the Elders didn't have us bury too many of them."
I grin. "Great!"
"We can follow the shoreline for much of the way there."
"Let's go."
We start our trek again. Taking off our shoes, we soak our feet in the cool water as we walk. I can't resist but plunge in the water, rushing into a wave. Miguel does the same. It feels so good to be taking some kind of a bath and refreshing our bodies. But we don't dawdle in the water. Both of us are fully aware of how important it is to get to our destination. We keep going. I tell myself I'm that much closer to my mother. I avoid thinking about the danger. We've got to get on that airplane.
Chapter Thirty-Two
It's astonishing! When I first see the landing strip, the only paved part on this island, and a huge warehouse in the middle of an island jungle, I want to pinch myself. Is this for real?
Even with the sun going down, I can see the high walls of the storage facility clearly. Its greenish-gray color melts into the jungle's scenery. No one is anywhere in sight.
"It's about to get dark," states Miguel. "Let's sleep in the warehouse."
We locate a dark-green door. To our relief it's open. It's logical that the Elders and the Masters don't worry about break-ins in an island. The only people in it seem to be us.
Inside, the floors are stacked with dry goods. Freezers contain perishable items like meat, milk, and the like. I've never seen this much food. I'm in a stupor as I stare at it with my mouth wide open.
"Let's have dinner," Miguel chirps happily.
With the night upon us, we turn on the flashlight and start grabbing at the ready-made food that we could only dream of when we were starving in Paradise Village. Of course we couldn't cook anything but there was plenty of food we could eat straight from their containers. Cookies, tuna, bread, cupcakes, soda, juice, and much, much more.
By the time I finish my stomach hurts. Miguel looks uncomfortable too. We had eaten too much, but we have wide smiles on our faces.
"I don't think I've ever eaten this much," I tell Miguel.
"Me neither."
"Those Elders have quite an operation here."
"They really planned Paradise Village out," he states.
"Do you think one of them owns this island?"
"Now that I think about it," he mutters, "I think I know who owned this place."
A thought suddenly occurs to me. "Barstowe!"
"Yeah."
"That's why he had so much power," I blurt.
"Yeah."
It all makes perfect sense. Thinking of the Mister brings a flux of mixed emotions. While he had tried to protect me of evil, he hadn't been able to protect me of his own evil. And it infuriated me that he used his money and power to inflict so much pain on others for selfish reasons. All the Elders and Masters were selfish.
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