Living Legends

35) Rescue

Battered and bruised, Hayley curled up on the sand and cried.  She was hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and—most of all—grief-stricken.  She lay on the beach for what seemed like hours.  The merciless sun beat down on her skin until she was as red as a tomato.  Her clothes, skin, and hair quickly dried.  Yet she continued to cry until there were no tears left.

            So much had happened since she had first set foot on The Queen Francis.  In just twelve days, she had explored deserted islands, cruised through the Caribbean, gotten kidnapped by a greedy gang of treasure-hunters, and experienced things she had never experienced before—namely, having part of a treasure map inside her mind.  The fact that her one lifeline, Jack Patterson, was suddenly gone, made it unbearable.  How would she ever return home? How would she see Gran again? Heck, if her parents miraculously showed up and rescued her, she would take back every spiteful thing she had ever said about them.

            Hayley wiped her eyes and ran her fingers over her puffy, chapped lips.  She needed water and food.  It wouldn’t do her any good to bake in the hot sun, mourning her losses.

            Reluctantly, she stood up on shaky legs.  Her joints groaned as she stretched to her full height.  Tangled wisps of hair flew in front of her eyes as she trudged back towards camp.  She didn’t dare look back at the glittering tidepools—she hated them with a passion.  In fact, she hated the whole island.  She never wanted to see another island as long as she lived.

            The jungle greeted her with its usual sticky humidity, vibrant green foliage, and buzzing insects.  Hayley paused down in the middle of the clearing, looking around her at what was left of the camp.  Bags and backpacks were strewn everywhere.  The remains of last night’s bonfire popped and sizzled, emitting a smoky odor that caused Hayley to wrinkle her nose.

            Her primordial urge for food quickly took over, and she rummaged through the men’s backpacks until she found a sandwich and half-empty bottle of water.  The water was warm, but as it ran down her swollen throat it felt like the most refreshing draught she had ever taken.  Once she was done with her meager dinner, she curled up on top of a few bags and stared up at the now-darkening sky.  Though she didn’t want to think about it, she knew she had to come up with a plan.  She was stuck here forever, unless she somehow contacted a passing ship or the Coast Guard came looking for her.  She could only imagine what Gran was feeling.  Did her parents even know?

            Suddenly, Hayley realized another dilemma: three of Clyde’s men were still on his boat anchored in the bay.  How long would it be before they came ashore, wondering where their leader went? Or would they simply give up on the treasure and leave? Either way, Hayley was doomed.  She figured her best chance of staying alive was to remain on the island and live off whatever it produced, like Jack had done for six months.

            At the thought of Jack, her gut twisted, and she squeezed her eyes shut to fend off tears.  Maybe it was because his death was so sudden, or maybe because he was closer to her than any friend had been, but she missed his presence more than she missed Gran.

            As the scorching sun gave way to twilight, and twilight gave way to the inky blackness of night, Hayley cried herself to sleep.

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Hayley was grateful neither the sunrise nor the loud boom of the blowhole woke her.  She merely roused to nature’s call.  After doing her business behind a palm tree, she pushed her emotions away and forced herself to get down to business.