Survivors (Stranded) (2 page)

V
anessa picked her way along the shoreline, headed for camp as fast as she could go. It was rough, slow hiking over the black sandpapery boulders that rimmed this part of the island. More than once, she slipped and scraped her hands. The tide was coming in, too, and the breaking waves sprayed her with salt water that stung her eyes.

There was good reason to be careful. Any cut or scrape could get infected, and then good luck dealing with that. There was no first-aid kit on the island. No adults. No hospital for a thousand miles. Just
not
getting hurt was like an added responsibility.

Still, it was hard not to rush. There was so much she had to tell the others!

She’d run away from camp before dawn, feeling as if she’d never be able to face Carter, Jane, and Buzz again. Not after what had happened the night before. As the oldest, she was supposed to be looking out for her younger siblings. Instead, she’d fallen asleep on her own watch. Jane’s precious journal had dropped into the fire, and then—even worse—the flames had spread to their little bamboo shelter on the beach. Within minutes, the whole thing had burned to the ground.

But all of that was secondary now, compared to what had happened since. Traveling up the shore that morning, Vanessa had stumbled upon a cove none of them knew about. There was a freshwater stream, and an old shipwreck tucked into the inlet. The water alone was like gold in a place like this—plus who knew what other kind of supplies might be waiting for them on that ship?

It was a question she would have answered for herself, if not for the other discovery she’d made. In a clearing overlooking the cove, Vanessa had also found something like a small graveyard. A wooden cross was stuck into the ground there, and a single human skeleton lay in the underbrush.

The remains had most definitely been human. There was no mistaking the shape of the skull she’d seen, or the long arm and leg bones. Vanessa shuddered just thinking about it. Whoever had crashed on the island before them had also died here.

Whether or not she’d mention the graveyard, she wasn’t sure yet. It was probably better to focus on the positive news first, she thought. It wouldn’t do any good to—

“VANESSA!”

A shout came from somewhere nearby. Right away, Vanessa recognized Buzz’s voice, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Straight ahead, she could see their familiar beach, where the rocky part of the shoreline gave way to soft sand. She could even see their camp and the burned remains of their shelter. But no Buzz, or anyone else.

“Buzz?” she called out.

“Up here!” he said. “Help!”

Vanessa’s gaze traveled up the rock wall on her right—and there, maybe thirty feet off the ground, were Buzz, Jane, and Carter.

Her voice came out in a scream. “What are you doing? How did you get up there?”

“We didn’t,” Jane said. “We got down.”

“What?”

“Just help us!” Carter yelled.

Even from this distance, the fear on their faces was clear. Buzz and Jane both stood balanced on a tiny outcropping that was barely wider than their feet. Carter sat just below them, on his own lip of rock.

Vanessa stepped from black boulder to black boulder, hurrying closer. “Do we still have any rope?” she called up. She hadn’t taken any stock of their supplies since the fire.

“Yeah,” Carter said, “but that doesn’t do us any good. We don’t have any way to anchor it up here.”

“Can you see some other way for us to climb down?” Buzz called.

Vanessa scanned the cliff face for any kind of handholds they might reach. “I don’t see anything,” she said. Behind her, the ocean was at least fifty feet away. It was too far to jump, in any case. The beach was off to the side, and much closer, but landing in sand wasn’t like landing in water. Any of them could easily break a bone—or worse, if they hit the rocks.

“There has to be something,” Jane said. “Think!”

Vanessa’s mind raced. She squinted over at their beach camp, looking for anything they might use. Mostly, she just saw the burned-out shelter. Several charred pieces of bamboo lay in the sand.

“Anything?” Buzz called down. “There must be a way—”

“Bamboo!” Vanessa shouted as it came to her.

“What?” Jane shouted.

There was no time to waste. “I’ll be right back!” Vanessa said, already rushing off the rocks, down to the sand, and into camp.

The axe was right there, next to the dead fire pit. She snatched it up and kept moving. The bamboo grew in a grove just a few minutes up the beach, but she’d still have to find a long enough piece. Even then, could this actually work? Would she be able to get the others off that cliff wall? Or would it end in disaster?

The answer to all of it was—maybe. But now was not the time for questions.

Watching Vanessa run off, Jane wiggled her toes. After standing on the tiny ledge for so long, her foot was starting to fall asleep. The sun beat down on them, and her hands were sweaty where she tried to grip the rock wall behind her.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the plane, either. It had flown right over the island, close enough to show the blue markings on its wings and tail. It was like torture, thinking about where they might have been by now if the plane had spotted them. Wrapped up in a blanket with something to eat? On their way back to civilization? On their way home?

“Jane, you okay?” Carter asked from his spot just below her on the wall.

“I will be,” she told him, even though it felt like a lie. It was always harder when she thought about home. But complaining wasn’t going to help anyone.

Finally, Vanessa reappeared on the beach. Jane could see her dragging a long green cane of freshly cut bamboo behind her.

“I’m coming!” she shouted. “Just hold on!”

All Jane, Buzz, or Carter could do was watch as Vanessa worked her way back to the rocks of Dead Man’s Shelf. That was Jane’s name for it—this piece of shoreline where their sailboat had crashed into the island.

When Vanessa got there, she hauled the long pole up onto the rocks and struggled to get it into place. Bit by bit, she managed to pivot the bamboo until one end was directly beneath the spot where Jane waited with her brothers. Vanessa positioned herself at the opposite end of the pole and lifted it up, walking it hand over hand into an upright position.

It was awkward going. Twice, Vanessa lost her grip and had to start over. But on the third try, the bamboo slowly went vertical, and then just past, until it was leaning against the cliff face.

Jane’s heart sunk. The bamboo was
almost
tall enough, but not quite. The top of the pole had come to rest a few feet below the ledge where Carter was perched.

“Can you get to it?” Vanessa called up.

“I don’t think so!” Jane said.

“Yes,” Carter answered over her, his voice set with determination. Already, he was lying flat on his piece of ledge. With one arm extended, he was just able to wrap a hand around the top of the bamboo cane.

“See? We can do this,” Carter said. “Come on, Jane. You first.”

Jane wasn’t so sure, but she edged herself off the rock where she’d been standing with Buzz for the last hour or more. She eased down into the tiny space next to Carter and stood between his legs.

“I can hold the pole steady from up here while you slide down,” Carter said. “Then Buzz can go next.”

“But then what are you going to do?” Jane asked, alarmed all over again. It wasn’t a hundred-foot drop anymore, but it was still enough to kill any of them if they fell.

“We’ll figure that out later,” Carter said.

“But what if—”

“What if what, Jane?” her brother snapped. “Some-one has to go last.”

He was right, Jane knew. There was no good answer here, and nothing left to talk about. Heart thudding, she squeezed down to a sitting position next to Carter. He kept one hand on the bamboo. With the other, he hooked Jane under her arm and helped ease her off the ledge until she could reach the pole.

First, Jane’s legs wrapped around it. Then as she came low enough, she grabbed on with both hands.

“Have you got it?” Carter asked.

“I . . . guess,” Jane said. For some reason, the bamboo had looked thicker and sturdier from above. The whole thing bowed under her weight, bringing her even closer to the cliff wall. But there was no going back now. With a deep breath, she let go just enough to slide down a few feet, and then stopped again.

“Good job, Janie!” Vanessa called out. “Keep going!”

Jane loosened her grip again and dropped a bit farther.

Then again, and again.

The bamboo burned against her skin as she went. It wasn’t a smooth ride, but the ground came up quickly. Soon, she was standing safely on the rocks next to Vanessa.

There was no time for talking. The girls quickly positioned themselves on either side of the pole as Buzz got ready to work his way down.

His descent was slower than Jane’s had been. His body scraped against the cliff face as he squeaked his way along, foot by foot. By the time he touched down and let go of the bamboo, his arms and legs were marred with painful-looking, deep-red burn marks. Still, he looked more relieved than anything.

Now came the really tricky part. It was Carter’s turn.

Carter flexed his stiff fingers. His hands were raw from gripping rock, and the gash on his palm had opened up. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Hold on tight, you guys,” he said. “Here I come.”

“We’ve got you!” Buzz said. All three of the others gripped the pole around the base, watching as Carter let himself off the tiny shelf where he’d been waiting.

Gripping the ledge with both hands, he lowered himself toward the top of the bamboo. One foot hooked the pole, and then both legs wrapped around it as he came low enough.

The idea was to let go of the ledge, one hand at a time, then press his palms into the cliff wall and use leverage, leg strength, and gravity to lower himself the next few crucial feet.

But the moment Carter let go with his first hand, he could tell it wasn’t going to work. His other hand slipped off too soon, and he slid faster and farther than he’d intended, several feet down the pole. He’d barely taken hold of the bamboo before his own weight forced it to pull away from the wall.

“Wait!” Jane screamed, but there was nothing Carter could do. The pole came unstoppably into a vertical position, and then kept on going. The next thing he knew, it was falling toward the rocks.

“JUMP!” Buzz yelled.

He saw Buzz throw himself against the pole and felt a hard jerk from below. The bamboo’s direction shifted. It was falling toward the beach now. In the fraction of a second Carter had left, he realized what Buzz meant for him to do. He thrust as hard as he could, pushing himself away from the falling pole. His eyes took in a blur of rock, sea, and sky—just before he landed in the sand. A shock of pain came up through his legs. He absorbed what he could and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

He was on his back. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he tried to figure out if anything was broken.

“Carter!” Jane’s voice came from nearby. The others were there now, kneeling next to him. Someone’s hand was on his arm.