Trapped (11 page)

Leo stepped over to the module and reached for the keypad.

Near the bottom of the module, Marco noticed a steady green light he hadn't seen before. “What's that?”

Leo sucked in a breath and quickly stepped back. “We need to wait until morning.”

Marco shook his head. “We need to do this
now
so we can get back to my mom and the others. They need us.”

Leo looked nervous. “I agree. But … but we need the night to rest.” Leo headed toward the end of the cavern.

“Wait!” Marco followed. “You said the freezing process would be complete in less than a day. Don't we need to let him out now?”

Leo didn't answer and kept walking.

Marco grabbed the boy's shoulder. “What's that green light? Why are you acting so weird?”

Leo said, “It's nothing.”

But Marco could tell by the sound of his voice that it was anything but. He turned to look at John's module again, and noticed similar lights on the bottom of all the modules. But the others were a steady red. The ones on the modules that had housed Nacho and Ahab were blinking green.

“What do the lights mean, Leo?” Marco had to get John out and would do whatever it took. “Let him out or I'll drag the chest out of here, right now! You can't back out of our deal.”

Leo frowned. “I'm not backing out. But when I said it was about timing, it was more than just getting back to your camp to help your mom.”

Marco went and picked up one end of the chest.

“Please!” Leo walked briskly over to Marco, stopping a few feet away. “Listen. The lights…” He set a hand on his forehead. “I'm so stupid. I didn't notice them. I forgot.”

“Forgot what?” Marco dropped the chest.

Leo lowered his hand. “The containers have to be refilled.”

“What do you mean ‘refilled'?” Marco did not like the way things were sounding. “Like they have to
go back in
?”

“
Something
has to go back in,” said Leo.

“Or what happens?” asked Marco.

“It's over. The automatic shutdown happens and the ship will never leave.” Leo sighed.

Marco frowned. “You said the extra containers don't count toward the final tally.”

Leo waved his hand toward a bank of empty modules. “Those don't.” He pointed at Ahab's, Nacho's, and John's. “But the ones I filled do.”

“Once you let them out, how long do you have?”

“About twenty Earth hours.”

Nacho and Ahab had already been out for a few hours. Marco asked, “Do you trust me?”

Leo met his stare. “Do you trust
me
?”

Neither said anything for a moment.

Marco swallowed. Did he trust Leo? He wasn't sure. “I think we have to trust each other. I swear to you, I will get those containers refilled. I'm not sure how or with what, but I swear I will. And then we'll help you fill the others that you need and get you home.” He held out his hand.

Leo shook it. “I trust you.” A corner of his mouth curved up. “But we need to rest, at least a little. I will trust you if you trust me.”

Marco didn't like leaving John frozen any longer than he had to. But he nodded, took a last look at both the chest and the module holding John, and followed Leo out of the cave.

*   *   *

IN THE GALLEY OF THE SPACESHIP,
Marco sat down. His arms and legs were heavy, exhausted from hauling the chest. He yawned as his stomach growled. He realized he wouldn't do anyone any good in his condition; he needed to eat and get some sleep because there was no telling what lay ahead of them when they got back to the others. He crossed his arms on the table and set his head on them, for just a moment.

He woke to a hand on his shoulder. “Marco. It will be dawn soon.”

Marco jumped up. “We need to go!”

“Eat first.” Leo pointed at the plate on the table that held scrambled eggs, toast, hash browns, and sliced strawberries. A large glass of milk sat next to it.

Marco grabbed the milk first and took a long drink. Then he grabbed a fork and dug into the breakfast. With his mouth full, he asked Leo, “Can we make food to bring along for the others?”

“I've taken care of that already.” He pointed to a silver container. “I feel much better after sleeping.”

Although he was mad at himself for nodding off for so long, Marco realized he did too. As he kept eating, he felt even stronger, ready to face whatever lay ahead of them.

Leo set a small white case down on the table. “I think this will help your mother.”

“Thank you.” Marco pushed the plate away and slipped the small case into his pocket. “Can we unfreeze John now?”

Leo nodded, grabbed the silver container of food, and hurried with Marco to the cavern.

As they reached the module holding John, Marco said, “Don't take this the wrong way, but you might want to go back to your Earth-boy face? Just for the, um, introductions?”

Immediately, Leo's face morphed into that of the boy Marco had first met. One hand stayed webbed, and he set it on the keypad.

Hssssssssssss.

Mist blew out, sending goose bumps up Marco's arms.

Marco waved both hands about to disperse the cloud.

Seconds later, John stepped out, a bewildered expression on his face. He stumbled and braced himself against the side of the module. Then he took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. He replaced them, blinking several times as if to clear his vision. “Marco? Where's Sarah?”

“She's fine,” Marco blurted. “She's back at the camp with Mom.”

His stepfather relaxed, until he took in his surroundings. “Where am I?” He noticed Leo and pointed at him. “Who are you?”

Marco stepped between Leo and John. “There's a lot we have to tell you. Basically, everything Cash told us was true. But right now we have to go back to camp. Fast. I'll explain on the way.”

John frowned at the boys. “Okay. Let's go. But you'd better tell me everything. Now which way is out?”

Leo pointed and John headed that way. Marco noticed that John was limping slightly, like he had some kinks to work out.

Leo touched Marco's arm. “Everything depends on this. My planet. My entire people's existence.”

Marco gulped. He had to wait a moment before he had enough breath to say, “I'll figure it out. I promise. We'll be back as soon as we can.”

Leo gave him a curt nod and handed him the silver container.

Marco wanted so badly to come through for the stranded alien boy and his people. But he had no idea how he was going to do that. His family was top priority. He would make sure his mom was safe. And the others. Then, and only then, would he try to help Leo out. Because he did mean to try or he wouldn't have promised. But he didn't want to think about what might happen if—when—he failed to live up to that promise.

 

17

Sarah opened her eyes to a faint pink line across the sky and Ahab's cold nose in her face. She pushed him away gently, then yawned and sat up, stretching her arms above her head. Her body was stiff from sleeping on the sand, and she wondered when she would ever get to sleep in a real bed again. She checked on Yvonna. Her forehead was hot, but she seemed to be resting peacefully. Cash was still asleep too. Nacho's towel was empty.

Sarah jumped to her feet. Should she go look for him? But what happened if Cash or Yvonna needed her while she was gone? So she stayed there, petting Ahab, waiting for Nacho to come back or one of the others to wake up. She finally heard the other girl yawn. “It's almost sunup. We made it.”

“Don't speak so soon.”

Cash shot straight up as Sarah whirled around at the strange male voice.

The man who stood over them had a yellow-toothed grin that was seedy and vile. As he chewed on a twig stuck in the corner of his mouth, Sarah immediately guessed who he was. A glance at Cash's stricken face confirmed it. The man there in dirty navy-blue shorts, mirrored aviator glasses, and a stupid-looking white safari hat was the one who had taken Sarge's boat. He was Fox, the man who had stranded Cash, all alone, on the island. What kind of a person would do that?

Ahab barked.

Sarah's heart pounded. She suddenly realized—convinced without a doubt—that she and the rest were in deep, deep trouble.

Cash's eyes met Sarah's.

Sarah swallowed her gasp. Cash had her sight back!

Cash asked, “Where's my grandpa?”

The man pointed to the water. “On his boat. Tied up at the moment. I don't trust him
that
much.”

Sarah sat there, unsure what to do. She looked down at the beach, where the bend went out of sight. Could she count on Marco and Leo to be back with her dad soon? They said they'd hurry and try to be back early in the morning.

Maybe she and Cash just needed to talk to this guy for a little while.

Maybe her dad was almost there.

Maybe he was down there, just around the corner, waiting.

“So, who do we have here?” The man was standing over Yvonna, looking down at her in a way that made Sarah very uncomfortable.

“That's my mom,” said Sarah.

The man raised his eyebrows. Before he could say anything about them not looking a thing alike, Sarah added, “I'm adopted.”

“So how did you end up here?” The man plucked the twig out of his mouth and ran one end along his gruesome teeth.

Sarah faked a cough, giving herself a moment to think. She didn't dare mention the rest of them. She hoped that Nacho knew enough to stay away. She said, “My mom and I were on a sailing trip.” She pointed to the wreck of the
Moonflight
, still sitting in the lagoon.

The man nodded as he gazed that way. “You expect me to believe just the two of you sailed that all the way here?”

“No,” said Sarah. “We had a skipper. We hit a really bad storm and he—” Unbidden, the tears welled up in her eyes as she let the memory of that night wash over her. From then on, it was simple to sound believable. “He got washed overboard. And we couldn't do anything but ride it out.” She pointed to the lagoon. “We ended up here, the boat stuck on that rock.”

The man kicked at the dwindling fire, sending sparks into the air. “You made a fire?”

Sarah glanced at Cash. “She already had it going.” Before he could ask more, she offered, “And she helped us haul stuff from the boat. Set up camp.”

The man stared down at Cash with heavy lids. “Yeah, she's resourceful, that one.”

Cash said, “And they shared their food with me. Since I didn't
have any
.”

“Now, now. It's only been a few days.” The man tapped on the brim of his hat with a dirty knuckle, tipping it up slightly.

“Did you find your treasure?” asked Cash.

Sarah shot her a look. Why would she bring that up?

The man shook his head. “We're gonna head farther out. But, your grandfather refused to go any farther until we checked on you.” He shrugged. “Believe me, if I could handle that boat by myself, he'd be fish food.”

Cash's eyes narrowed and her hands turned into fists.

Sarah said, “Could you please call for help for us? My mom is sick and we need to get home.”

The man made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Yeah, now … that is not gonna happen. See, I'm trying to keep a low profile. And the last thing I need is more people who can identify me. You understand?”

Sarah didn't want to be around this man anymore, but if they left, there was no telling when someone else might come along. “I promise, I won't say anything.”

“And I
promise
to give you a ride home.” The man laughed. “Sorry, sweetheart. You and your mom will just have to stay here. Maybe when we get back to Fiji I'll put in a call.” He glanced at Cash. “Let's go.”

Cash crossed her arms and widened her stance. “No. I'm not leaving.”

Suddenly, the man's demeanor became tense. He grabbed Cash's arm.

“Ow!”

Ahab barked.

“I said we're going and we're going.” He began to drag her across the sand.

“Leave her alone!” Sarah ran after him and grabbed his arm, trying to get him to let go of Cash. He shoved her away, and she landed on her butt in the sand.

Ahab barked again and moved between Fox and Sarah.

The man whirled and kicked at the dog.

“No!” Sarah crawled in front of Ahab and threw her hands up. “Don't hurt him.”

Fox shook his head and continued to drag a struggling Cash. “Please! My mom is sick and needs help,” gasped Sarah. As he kept walking, she couldn't help herself. “What kind of person are you?”

The man stopped and faced her. “You're right. What kind of person would I be…” He set his free hand on his chest, most presumably over his heart, if he even had one, thought Sarah. “… if I left an ill woman and her daughter here on a deserted island.”

Sarah held her breath. Was he going to take them? What if he did? They couldn't leave without her dad and Marco and Nacho! Then what would she do?

Still gripping Cash's arm, the man bent over Yvonna and picked up a corner of the blanket. He began to drag her.

Sarah froze. Not only was he taking Cash, he was also taking Yvonna. “No!” She raced after him and grabbed the other end of the blanket and yanked. “We're not going with you!”

The man's hands were full, so he kicked out with his foot, landing a blow straight in Sarah's stomach.

She doubled over and dropped to her knees, the wind knocked out of her.

Fox growled, “Sorry, sweetheart. But you're not invited.”

She gasped, trying to get a breath as Ahab licked her face. Tears filled her eyes, and when she could finally squeak in some air, she watched as the man hauled Yvonna and Cash toward the water. Cash looked backward at Sarah, fear in her eyes.