Lie to Me (an OddRocket title) (29 page)
Read Lie to Me (an OddRocket title) Online
Authors: Suzanne Brahm
Priya and Nick followed me through the woods, yelling at me to wait. I stopped running when I realized Nick had a flashlight. They would have caught up with me in no time, anyway, and I'd get back to the marina faster if I weren’t running blind.
"I've called the police," Priya said, gasping, her hands on her knees. "They'll bring in the marine patrol. They'll get to her, Cassie. There's nothing you can do."
"No." I shook my head. "I'm not leaving my sister out there."
"Cassie, come on," Nick said. "It's way too dangerous. I didn't think anyone would really go out there."
"It's my sister," I said. I could barely see their faces in the edge of the flashlight's beam. "Do not try to stop me."
"Well, we're going with you then," Priya said. I saw her glance at Nick and shrug. I knew they were thinking that they'd humor me for a while. I didn't care what they thought. I was going to save Addie. As we wove through the parking lot, my heart seized, remembering RD. Was he still looking for me? I shook off my fear, not allowing myself to think about him. He wasn't a part of my real world. Addie was the only thing that mattered right now. I was done allowing RD to control me. "We're taking the harbormaster's dinghy," I said. I entered the keypad code and hurried down the dock.
When we passed Kismet's slip, I couldn't believe it. The sailboat was gone. I stopped for a second, momentarily stunned by the empty place she'd left behind. Why would he have taken her out tonight? Was he leaving for good? I looked out at the water, but I could only see Addie, her white sails whipping back and forth in the wind. No RD. He was in no condition to sail, anyway, and the boat had looked tied down for the night when I'd run away from the dock. I shook my head, banishing thoughts of him to the deepest well I could find in my mind. I had given him enough and I didn't have time to lose. Addie needed me; he didn’t.
"Lower the dinghy. I'll find the keys," I shouted to Nick. Bill kept a Boston Whaler on a lift at the end of the dock. The boat hung from an enormous, white metal arm that kept it suspended above the water. Bill never kept the launch locked down, but he always hid the keys.
The main door to the harbormaster’s office was locked. I remembered how Mariah had said that no one was stealing a boat, not on Bill's watch. Well, my little sister had managed to get into a yellow day-sailer and she was ten years old. How had she managed to get to those boats? I grabbed Priya's flashlight and shone it by the door. Shards of glass sparkled on the dock. Addie had punched a hole in the window and unlocked the side door. What a little felon. I was going to kill her when I was done rescuing her.
On the water, Addie's white sails bobbed totally out of control. All we had to do was get to her before she capsized. If I could tow her to shore before she flipped, she'd be all right. "Please don't capsize. Don't capsize,” I whispered to myself, wondering how I would ever find her in that black water if she slipped beneath the surface.
Sirens screamed in the distance and I heard the mechanical grinding of gears as Nick lowered the dinghy into the water. The police were on their way, but they might be too late. The chop on the water had grown stronger and the clouds swirling overhead grew thicker as the wind rose. Mother Nature was sending us a storm. "She's going to shake her skirts and give us a show," Mariah would say when the wind came in like this.
"The boat’s in the water, Cassie," Priya stammered. She stood on the end of the dock, clutching her arms, her face creased with worry. "What do you want us to do?"
"Whatever you want." I jumped down into the boat, smashing my knees for the third time that night. My whole body throbbed. I looked up at Priya and Nick standing on the dock. "I'm not waiting. So either jump in or not." I revved the engine, the boat smacking against the sides of the dock. I'd never taken a boat out like this by myself. It wasn't a sailboat, so there was less to manage, but my hands shook as I held the wheel.
Nick and Priya jumped in.
"Hold on," I said. Backing up first, I steered us toward the jetty and the open water. As soon as we were clear, I gunned it, creating a wake big enough to shake a ferryboat and knocking Nick and Priya back in their seats. I kept my eyes locked on Addie's sails. I figured we could reach her in just a few minutes. I didn't want to lose her in the darkness.
I tried to steer the Whaler up over the tops of waves, riding across the gullies instead of submarining into them. Still, water sprayed over the top bow, drenching us all.
Across from Addie, I saw a sailboat motoring straight toward her. It was Kismet. What was RD doing? Was he really trying to help Addie? I did not need his help. I wasn't going to let him be the hero. Addie was my sister and it was my fault she was out there. I needed to make this right on my own.
"Put on life jackets!" I yelled over my shoulder.
"What life jackets?" Nick yelled back. "I've searched the boat."
"Check under the seats," I shouted.
Priya opened the upholstered benches and pulled out a set of standard orange jackets. She threw a few onto the deck of the boat. I grabbed one and clipped it into place while I drove. I could see Addie in the distance, her boom beating back and forth. RD's lights grew closer, but we would reach her first. A sailboat's motor was no match for the Boston Whaler, even if he had left well before us. He was fighting the current with a much weaker engine.
"Someone else is out here," Priya yelled, zipping up her life jacket. "Look, Cassie!"
"I saw." I kept my gaze locked on my sister. I would not allow RD to distract me and I couldn't imagine he'd be much help. He was drunk. He was a monster. I wanted him out of my life. Addie didn't have any hope of keeping the sails pointed into the wind. I imagined her terrified, huddling in the bottom of the boat, trying to figure out what to do. "Hold on, Addie. Hold on," I whispered.
"You're doing great, Cass." Nick sat beside me.
"Say that when she's safe."
Priya stood up and gripped the sides of the boat. "Addie!" she screamed. "Don't let go! We're coming! Don't let go!" The night swallowed Priya's voice and my eyes filled with tears as I listened. Priya’s screams sounded so hopelessly small.
"Priya. Nick. Get a line ready!" I shouted.
I watched in horror as Addie's boat tilted unnaturally to one side and the yellow hull rose out of the water. It was as if the storm had sensed my optimism and decided to send me her reply. The wind was not going to make this easy. "Keep her level. Come on. What is she doing? Why is she moving?" I said.
I felt a cold chill blow over me, a puff from the north. Addie didn't have a chance.
"She's going over! She's going over! Addie, no!" Priya screamed enough for us all. I watched the wind push my sister's mast all the way over, the little yellow hull following. I watched helplessly as the wind tossed my sister into the icy black water.
"I don't have it!" he shouted into the wind as I drove closer to the sailboat. I could see Addie's head bobbing in the water.
"Addie! Swim to the sailboat!" I screamed, hoping my voice carried. Addie seemed to understand. Arms flailing, she made some progress toward the yellow hull, although she kept disappearing beneath the waves. Aw we grew closer, I could hear her screaming, her voice choking on water.
"Help! I... help…!" It was hard to make out what she was saying.
"You are not dying, Addie," I whispered. "You are not allowed."
I threw back the throttle when we were close, but not so close that I’d worry about running Addie over with the outboard. The growing waves made it hard to control the boat. Kismet was a good three minutes away and the scream of a Coast Guard siren carried across the water. They would all be too late. Addie's head slipped beneath the waves, then she sputtered to the surface, gasping and choking. "She's not going to last!" I watched her go down again. "She's caught on something."
"They'll be here in a minute," Nick said. "Don't go in there, Cass. At least wait for the other boat."
I could see Kismet's bow and the green light of starboard moving closer. "No. Not him."
"What?" Nick asked.
"Take the wheel." I yelled, abandoning the controls and moving to the back of the Whaler. "Priya, be ready to pull us out! I don’t care how."
"What are you doing, Cassie?" Priya yelled. Crying and shaking, she stood up and the rocking of the boat knocked her right back down. In the time it had taken to reach Addie, the waves had grown into serious whitecaps. "Don't go in there. You'll both die."
"I'm going in."
"No." Priya jumped up unsteadily, her fingertips grazing my arm as I dove into the black water. The shock of cold squeezed the air out of my lungs like a vice. I shot to the surface, and took a big breath. The air screeched as I sucked it into my lungs. Oh, my God, it was cold.
"Addie!" I screamed, trying not to swallow water as I swam against the waves. The life jacket made it difficult to pull through the water. My jeans felt heavy with water. I couldn’t get any momentum. "Hold onto the boat, Addie!" She was about thirty feet away from me, her head barely out of the water. Her eyes caught mine and widened with recognition. I took another breath and tried to swim toward her, but it was so hard to make progress pushing against the chop of the surface. I needed to dive.
I unzipped my life jacket and threw it toward my sister thinking I might be able to grab it again. I dove underwater kicking as hard as I could. My legs still felt heavy, but it was easier to make progress beneath the chop. Underwater, I heard a roar of motion, the splashing and distant motors of boats approaching. Addie had on a life jacket, but she still couldn’t seem to keep herself from sinking beneath the surface. Something was pulling her into the deep.
I couldn't believe how cold I felt, my muscles tightening with every passing second. I hadn’t realized how quickly we had drifted away from her. I felt like I was swimming through a liquid much thicker than water and I'd only been in the Sound for less than a minute. I only had to swim another fifteen feet or so. It wasn't that far, but for every stroke forward, a wave pushed me back again. I needed to reach her and hold onto the boat. If I could get to the little yellow boat, we could wait it out until help arrived.
"Addie!" I screamed and pulled myself through the waves, spitting as cold, green saltwater filled my mouth. I didn't see her anymore. I spun around in circles, wondering if I'd managed to turn myself around. Had I somehow gone the wrong way? "Where are you?" I cried and took in a mouthful of saltwater. I spat it out, gagging on something that tasted like green algae. Addie had disappeared.
"Cassandra!" RD's voice reached me. I could see Kismet's bow light coming closer. "Cassandra!"
How did he know I was out here? He was already gone when I stole the Whaler to rescue Addie.
A wide beam of light moved across the water. RD stood on the bow of the boat, a small spotlight attached to the rail. "Cassie!" His voice hoarse, he didn't sound angry anymore. He sounded terrified. "Cassie, where are you?" I needed help, anyone's help. I had no choice.
"Over here!" I screamed, trying to make myself as high as possible in the water. I took a breath and swam as hard as I could toward the spot I’d seen Addie go under. My sister had been there moments before. She was there. She had to be. "Over here, RD!" I held the side of the yellow sailboat, guiding myself by the edges, my fingertips growing number by the second.
"What are you doing here?" RD shouted. I could see him on the bow, not his face, but his shape. He threw a life ring into the water. "Why were you sailing? Are you out of your mind?" He had come to rescue me. He didn't know Addie had stolen the boat.
"Not me," I shouted. The spotlight shone right on my face. I turned my head to the side, trying not to look directly into the light while I spoke. "My sister. I have lost my sister. It's Addie."
I heard something that sounded like a choked cry. "Addie-Day!" I screamed. Addie popped to the surface, splashing. She was within arms reach and she made a horrible, slurping noise when she surfaced. She disappeared again under the waves.
"Cassandra. Hold onto the life ring!" RD shouted.
I kicked away from the boat and grabbed the float. I kept my eyes fixed on the spot where she'd disappeared. Reaching down, I searched the water. Moving my arms and legs, I hoped I could feel her, but she'd sunk deeper. I had to leave the surface.
"Don't let go!" RD shouted. His was just a voice in the darkness. I could feel tension in the line as he pulled the life ring. He was pulling me toward his boat.
"No. I need to find Addie!" I shouted.
As the light from Kismet flashed overhead, the sirens grew closer. I had no idea where Nick and Priya were in the dark. I was so turned around, I couldn't have pointed to San Sebastian, but I knew my sister was drowning right at my feet. Nothing else mattered to me.
I let go of the life ring and dove down until I felt her thrash against me. I hooked my fingers through her lifejacket and kicked as hard as I could, making it to the surface for a split second before a sudden jerk pulled us back underwater. I found her again, and she beat against me with her hands. With every punch, I struggled to keep from inhaling. Salt water stung my eyes and I couldn't see anything but bubbles and blackness all around me. Where was she stuck? I tried to feel for a line around her body, a torn sail wrapping around her legs. I managed to pull her away from the underwater tangle again, holding her head up high enough for her to get air.
"Breathe!" I screamed, kicking furiously, trying to keep us both above water.
She gasped and coughed. I'm not even sure she knew I was there. She kicked and squirmed as if she didn't know me. "Addie, it's me," I gasped. "I've got you." Her life jacket helped us both float, but it didn't matter. She wiggled and flailed her arms, knocking me in the jaw so hard she slipped out of my arms. I followed her underwater. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, I pulled her to the surface one more time.
