“Okay, we are at: two-six-point-seven-three-one-two-two-dash-six-nine-one-nine-one-eight-nine-five.”
They waited for a response.
None came.
“Sir? Did you hear me?”
“Son, are you sure you’re looking at the right numbers?”
Jonathan panicked, “I think I am! They’re the only numbers there! How am I supposed to know, I’ve never been on a small boat before!”
“Alright now, calm down. We have a cutter in that area. It’ll take about ten minutes to get there. I need you to turn the vessel to the left, heading one-one-zero. Do you understand that?”
“Turn the wheel Kevin. Watch that number at the top of the screen.”
Kevin focused on the screen, “Yeah, I know. I can figure that much out.”
“Okay, we’re turning. Now what?”
“Just continue heading one-one-zero, and you’ll see our lights. Hold steady, Captain, we are underway toward your position.”
“Thank you sir. And I don’t mean to be rude, but can I ask you to please hurry? These guys are catching up to us, and I know they’ll kill us if they can.”
“We’re going as fast as we possibly can. You just hold it together. Did you say someone has been shot?”
“Yes, my sister. In the arm.”
“Captain ... apply direct pressure to the wound ... have all personnel don life jackets. There is a Coast Guard medic aboard the Coast Guard cutter near you, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.”
The line went silent for a couple of minutes, then the static stopped again and the voice came out of the speaker.
“Buckley vessel, come in Buckley vessel, this is the United States Coast Guard, over.”
“Yes, sir, we’re here. Over”
“Is this Jonathan I’m speaking to?”
“Yes sir, it is.”
“Captain, you parents have been notified of your status. Just thought you’d want to know.”
“Oh my god!” burst out Jonathan as tears started streaming down his face. “Candi! Did you hear that! Our parents are okay!”
He quickly pressed the button on the handset. “What about the Petersons? Did you call them?” He waited desperately for the answer. He looked at Kevin and saw the stern set of his jaw. Jonathan reached out and put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder.
“Captain, we were unable to make contact. Your parents and the Petersons will be enroute as soon as the Petersons get home.”
Relief washed over Jonathan. Kevin had a relieved smile on his face, but continued to focus on the radar screen to be sure he stayed on course.
“Thank you so much sir, I can’t tell you how happy that makes us.”
“I have to tell you kids, you sure ended up way out in the middle of nowhere. You have entered large open water far from shore.”
Jonathan pressed the button, “Where did we end up sir?”
“In the Bermuda Triangle.”
Jonathan couldn’t think of anything to say to that. He clicked the button but said nothing. That was so far off course from where their cruise ship had been, it didn’t make any sense.
About five minutes later, they heard another transmission. “Coast Guard Station Indian River ... Captain ... our cutter has your position locked. Continue underway at one-one-zero. We also have a visual on the vessel pursuing you. They will likely terminate their pursuit.”
Sure enough the lights from the drug dealer boat turned away and quickly faded in the distance. Now that the pirates knew the Coast Guard was locked in and coming, they had to choose between getting revenge and getting caught, or going away and harvesting as many plants as they could before they were discovered.
“Want me to take over for a while?” asked Jonathan.
“No, that’s alright, I can do it.”
Jonathan gave him a curious look and then headed back to where the girls were. Candi was still awake and seemed okay, even though she was in a lot of pain. Jonathan held her hand and absently rubbed Sarah’s back with the other.
Soon Kevin was shouting out that he saw a bunch of lights up ahead. Then a voice came over the radio speaker.
“Buckley vessel, come in Buckley vessel.”
Jonathan spoke into the handset. “Buckley Peterson vessel is here. What do you want us to do?”
“Captain ... place your engine in neutral ... stand by to be boarded as we come alongside.”
***
Good to their word, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter arrived and took over the rescue. The kids were transferred off the drug dealer’s boat to the cutter. Candi was immediately rushed to the infirmary, Jonathan refusing to leave her side.
Kevin and Sarah sat with the captain and his crew in what looked like the command center of the boat. The boat’s cook brought up some food for them; it was the best food they had ever eaten. Neither of them said much. They were overwhelmed by what was happening and didn’t know what to think or do.
They arrived at the port; all of their parents were there waiting. Ambulances were there too to take them to the hospital for observation. Candi went into surgery to remove the bullet from her arm. The kids were kept in separate rooms, kept in the dark about what was going on with one another.
Their time was completely consumed by worried parents and then by the media that had somehow gotten wind of the fact that the four teenagers presumed dead from the Columbus cruise tragedy suddenly showed up after spending over two months on a deserted island in the Bermuda Triangle. They found out from the reporters and their parents that their lifeboat was the only one released that night, due to some kind of mechanical breakdown. Everyone else was transferred to another boat that was brought in several hours later. By then, the rogue waves had disappeared and there was no immediate danger to any of the other passengers. The Columbus was towed into port over the next two days for repairs.
Search parties had gone out looking for them for a period of two weeks, never finding any clue of their whereabouts. Everyone assumed they had drowned at sea. Even the last of the private party searches had been called off over a month ago. Their parents had held funerals for them and hundreds of kids from their high school had come to their combined memorial services.
After a day in the hospital, Kevin and Sarah were released to their parents’ custody. They promptly flew back to North Carolina, not permitted by their parents to visit their friends.
Jonathan was also discharged. He stayed with his parents in a nearby hotel until his sister was able to leave three days later. She’d have a hell of a scar, but she was going to be okay.
In the car on the way to the airport, Jonathan held his sister’s hand. She looked so small and frail. His heart was breaking for her, because not only was she dealing with the pain of a gunshot wound, she was also dealing with a broken heart. It had been four days now, and Kevin hadn’t bothered to call even once. He hadn’t heard from Sarah either.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Homecoming
Candi was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She’d been staring at the same spot for the last two hours. It was four o’clock in the afternoon. She had once again refused to go to school. It had been three weeks since their return. She still couldn’t make herself get out of bed.
The doctors said there was nothing wrong with her physically; she was just suffering some sort of emotional trauma from the island experience. They told her parents to leave her alone and eventually she’d snap out of it.
Jonathan knew better. She was in her room dying of a broken heart. There were some days he felt like doing the same thing – just sitting there, not doing anything. Not feeling anything. But instead he got up and went through the motions. It was the only thing he could do and stay sane.
So far he hadn’t seen Sarah up close at school. She was avoiding him, he was sure of it. They never had classes together before, but he used to occasionally see her in the hallways. Not anymore. He didn’t blame her though; he was a realist. This wasn’t their island world any
more – this was the real world where guys like him and girls like her didn’t get together.
That wasn’t to say that the girls in school were agreeing with Jonathan these days. He’d come back to school a different guy altogether. He was tan, muscular and exuding a confidence that was normally impossible for a high school kid to have. The pretty girls who had never noticed him before found all kinds of reasons to hang around his locker now and walk with him to class. One of the guys on the football team even asked him if he wanted to come to tryouts over the summer for next fall’s team.
Jonathan shrugged it off. He wasn’t interested in all of that. He was only interested in Sarah, but she wasn’t interested in him, so he had to move on. He knew that. He tried to call her on the phone several times, leaving messages. Finally her dad told him to stop calling – that she wasn’t interested in talking to him. His now carefully honed survival instinct was pushing him forward, telling him to let her go. If she wanted him, she knew where he was.
Candi, on the other hand, had given up. Kevin’s distancing began on the boat and continued with him never contacting her even once since they’d gotten back – not even to find out how her surgery went. Jonathan saw him in the hall, laughing it up with his friends. He had his old girlfriend hanging around him all the time – the one Sarah had said cheated on him before they left. Jonathan shook his head in disgust just thinking about it. He guessed it was a good thing that Candi wasn’t there to see it.
Jonathan got home at the end of the day and went up to see his sister. She was lying in bed on her side, facing away from the door. He sat down on the bed next to her. “What’s up?” he said.
“Nothing.”
“Did you get up today?”
“Nope.”
“When are you going to come back to school?”
“Never.”
Jonathan sighed. “You have to come back, Candi. You can’t keep moping here like this day after day, I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She hesitated for a minute. The room was completely quiet. In a soft voice she said, “Did you see Kevin today?”
Jonathan didn’t know whether to tell the truth or lie. Normally he would never lie, but he hated to see her so sad. But if I never get her to face the truth, she’ll never get out of this dumb bed. He decided that even if the truth hurt, he had to tell her.
“Yeah, I saw him. He was with that Gretchen girl.”
Candi’s voice waivered. “Did he look happy?”
“I don’t know, not really. He was kinda smiling, but it looked fake.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I don’t think so. But I really don’t care about him, Candi, I only care about you. Apparently we misjudged him. Sarah too. We need to move on. This is the real world, the island wasn’t.”
“You still haven’t seen Sarah?”
“No. Once in the hallway from a distance, but not since. She doesn’t return my calls. I think she’s avoiding me.” He put his head down. It made him sad to say it out loud.
Candi sat up weakly. “How can you go to school and face that every day?” she asked him in an anguished voice. “I just can’t do it, Jonathan. I just can’t!”
Jonathan took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. They were red-rimmed and puffy. “Yes you can. You’re stronger than this. You survived a deserted island for more than two months! You learned how to spear fish and feed us! You got shot and survived for chrissakes! Dealing with a screwed up high school romance is nothing compared to that.”
Candi sighed. “You know it was more than just a high school romance.”
“Yeah, I know, but you know what I mean. We need to move on. Survive. That’s what we do, right?”
“I guess.”
“So,” Jonathan continued in his most enthusiastic voice. “What do you say that today, we have a shower! And after that, a nice dinner at the dining room table; then we can pick out your outfit for tomorrow.” He raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to join in and agree.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” She released his hands and laid back down.
Jonathan rolled his eyes and stood to leave. “Time to stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
Candi got instantly cross. “Get out of my room, you turd!” She launched a pillow at him and watched it hit the closed door, as he jumped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.
Candi sat up and put her feet on the floor. She couldn’t believe Kevin was back with that girl. What is wrong with him? He deserved better than that.
He didn’t want to be with her ... fine. But he should at least be with someone with a brain who would appreciate him. She decided it was long since time she had a shower. Her last one was ... three days ago? She still had her dreadlocks and refused to take them out – but they needed a thorough cleaning. She’d been lazy since she’d decided to take up residence in her bed.
As she walked across her room to grab her robe, she heard some commotion downstairs, coming from the front hallway. She opened up her closet, looking for something to wear so she could go down and find out what was going on.
***
“Your son is in a shitload of trouble, Candace, and I want to know what you’re going to do about this problem he’s created!” yelled Frank Peterson. He was standing in the front doorway, his daughter Sarah standing behind him on the front porch with her head down, saying nothing.
Mrs. Buckley was standing in the doorway, holding onto the door with a shocked look on her face. “Frank, I know you’re upset, but I’m not really sure what’s going on here. Do you want to come in to discuss it?”
“No, I don’t want to come in to discuss it! I want that little shit to come out here and get what’s coming to him!”
“Daddy!” yelled Sarah, stepping forward.
“Shut up, Sarah, and stay out of this! I told you one day you were going to get yourself into trouble.”
Sarah’s face turned white, and she backed away from him.
Jonathan came running down the stairs, having heard the ruckus through the closed door of his bedroom.
“Hey mom, what’s going on ... ” he trailed off as he saw Sarah standing on the porch, looking down at the ground like a meek rabbit. She looked as unlike Sarah as he’d ever seen her. “Sarah?” he asked, tentatively.
She looked up at him. “Hey, Jonathan. Long time no see.”
Jonathan looked to his mom for an explanation. “Mom? What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you what’s going on, you little shit, you’ve impregnated my daughter!”
Jonathan’s mother’s hand flew up to her mouth, and her shocked eyes looked from Jonathan to Sarah and back to Jonathan again.
Jonathan’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “Pregnant?” He wasn’t sure that he’d heard right.
“Yeah, dumbshit, pregnant. You know how that works, right?”
“Dad, stop.” Sarah had moved forward to put her hand on his arm, to stop what was about to come flying out of his mouth next.
“Get off me!” he yelled as he angrily brushed her arm off.
Jonathan instantly lost his cool. It was one thing to be a rude jerk; it was a whole other thing to be abusive to someone he cared about, who was pregnant for crying out loud.
“HEY!” Jonathan yelled, jumping down the last couple stairs and striding over to the front door. “That’s enough, Mr. Peterson. You can’t come over here to my house and talk to my family that way. And you certainly can’t talk to Sarah the way you just did or treat her like that.” He paused for a second screwing up his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you see you’re upsetting her?” He gestured towards Sarah.
“Oh trust me, I’m going to do a lot more than just upset her.”
“Um, no, I don’t think so,” responded Jonathan, matter of factly.
Jonathan stepped over, pushing Frank out of the way and walked up to Sarah. “Come here.” He took her hand and pulled her into the house while Fra
nk worked to right himself. He had tripped over a rocking chair that was near the front door.
“Sarah, get your ass back out here.”
“Nope, sorry, not happening Mr. Peterson. She’s staying here until further notice.” Jonathan glanced over at his mom who was standing frozen in place. She gave a slight nod of her head, giving her approval, but she wasn’t able to find her voice quite yet. The shock of what she was hearing and seeing was too overwhelming.
“Over my dead body,” Frank said as he moved towards the doorway.
Jonathan stepped forward and met him toe to toe. Jonathan had him by at least two inches. “That can be arranged.”
Jonathan’s mom looked at her son’s face and nearly fainted. What had happened to her little boy on that island? He looked like a killer right now; she could see he was serious. She knew that look. She just had never seen the threatening part of it – that was definitely something new.
She looked up at Sarah, who had moved to stand on the second stair of the staircase inside the house. Sarah was staring at Jonathan, pride shining in her eyes.
Well, I’ll be damned, thought Candace. Not only did they, well, make a baby together – they actually have feelings for one another. Candace had to be honest with herself, she never saw that one coming – although she should have guessed it. Jonathan had come back a man from the experience. It’s only natural that Sarah would have been drawn to that.
Candace let out a long sigh. “Okay, guys. I appreciate the whole testosterone thing and all, but this is not the way we handle things here, and I don’t think this is the right time either. Frank, you need to leave, and I need to call Glen and get him home from work. We’ll call you later at the house.”
Frank stepped back to the edge of the porch. “You’re going to hear from my lawyer, lady.”
Jonathan grabbed the edge of the door. “Bring it.”
Then he slammed the door in Frank’s face.
“Jonathan!” scolded his mother.
“Sorry Mom, but that guy is a serious douchebag.”
Jonathan turned his attention to Sarah and took a deep breath. “Hey Sarah. So ... ” Words failed him. For the first time in his life, he had no factoids to help him over the hump.