38. Grounded
Chapter 38
Grounded
Easton
I hold the towel out for Haley as Zane holds her hand coming out of the water. Calvin’s impromptu swim has taken a good hour out of the middle of the day. It made for a nice distraction from what’s become our normal routine for the ticking days: work, swim, eat, collect firewood, and do it all again.
It’s sunny and warm. A light breeze sweeping across the beach will dry us all off within a few minutes, but there’s something I’ve always liked about having a dry towel ready for me. Zane leads her right to me. Dante’s back in his kitchen. I get why he didn’t follow us out into the water. Someone has to tend the fire, and after what happened? He’s not ready for the water. I think he’s putting on a lot of “I’m fine” bravado. The last time I asked to check him out, he swatted me away. I figure if he wants help, he’ll ask for it. Not that there’s a lot I could do here. Not that there’s a lot I could do if we weren’t on an island, either. Set a bone? Maybe. Massage a muscle? Definitely.
“Did you enjoy your swim?” I ask.
“Yes.” Haley lifts onto her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. “Thank you for getting the towel.” She quickly dries herself and hands it to Zane. “I’m going to weave some fronds for the fire-protection cover.”
“Want some help?” I ask.
“At some point, but I’m trying to perfect my technique first.”
I nod. I can understand wanting space while you’re learning something. When I first got into competitive swimming, I liked to practice for hours in the pool by myself. “What you’ve done looks good to me.”
“Thanks, but I want them to be super tight for the fire shelter. Hopefully, it will give us more of a waterproof covering.”
I nod and leave Dante and Haley over at the raft. I want to be with her, but smothering someone is never a good idea. I head into the jungle. Down the path to the map tree.
“Anyone up there?” I crane my neck back to look up at the tree. I’ve passed it a hundred times today getting firewood. We’ve already exhausted the area around camp keeping the signal fire ready to go for whenever the ship is just right for Calvin. But I’m here at the tree with the smooth bark.
I stare at the tree. There are two maps now: the nautical one that Zane and Calvin showed Haley the other day and a new one of the island. I can make out our beach, the stream, the tree, and a few other marks Calvin made that I don’t understand.
“Calvin?” I call out. A bird flies out of a tall tree, away. And twenty feet past the tree, the ferns move. More than they would for the wind. Which isn’t blowing hard enough to make its way into the jungle anyway.
Fuck it. I jump, grab the lower branch of the map tree, and pull my legs up until I’m hanging like a sloth. I saw a ship last night. It was moving on the horizon, and the moon caught it for only a second. Light reflected off it. But then nothing. From the top branches, I can watch the other islands and see where the ship went. Maybe. But even I am starting to doubt that I saw anything.
I move to sitting, then standing, on the limb and make my way up, one branch at a time. Until I find the large branch that has scuff marks on it. Calvin’s definitely been here. Two more branches up, I poke my head out above the canopy of trees. The tree sways more up this high, and it has branches that extend even higher. I grip the next branch and brace myself between the two.
Calvin’s right; there is a chain of islands beyond us to the north. They’re not close. It’s hard to make them out. I don’t know why he said he couldn’t see any campfires. I can barely make out the islands themselves. And what I don’t see is a boat, a container ship, or a yacht. I don’t see anything. Nothing that doesn’t belong here: birds, surf, waves. And in the distance, a whale spouts. It’s amazing and was very unnerving to see from the raft.
I watch the whale for a while. It comes closer and closer, passing by our beach. I follow it, wait for it as it dives, disappearing for a while before it comes back up.
I reposition my hands. I have no idea how long I’ve been up here. I suppose it doesn’t matter. For as much gung-ho work ethic as Calvin puts out, he’s not whipping the lot of us to do the same.
There’s nothing to see up here. I turn around, looking at the interior of the island. The canopy is varied, and to the northeast I think it goes up. I can’t see any ocean in that direction, at least.
I make my way down the tree, and when I reach the bottom, I shake out my legs and arms. I pick up a loose palm frond or two that I find lying next to the path and make my way back to camp. Dante and Haley are by the raft, and Zane is in the shallows with a pile of sticks.
But Calvin’s nowhere around. When I turn, it’s like he magically appeared. He’s behind me, working on the smoking tent next to the campsite. He gives me a chin up and then turns to Zane and cocks his head at him. We’re officially summoned. Zane joins us behind the smoke shelter.
“Where the hell were you all day?” Zane starts, pointing first at Calvin and then at me. “You know we need as much wood as possible for the signal and cooking fires.”
“I haven’t been gone that long. I was bringing firewood in. But I also climbed the map tree. I wanted to get a good look for myself.”
“See anything?” Zane asks.
“A whale, birds. No campfires from the other islands.”
“And no boats,” Calvin says.
“Where were you? Or did you forget about the massive amount of wood you said we need?” Zane’s normal mellow demeanor has vanished and left him turned into a drill sergeant.
“I know, I know.” Calvin runs his hand through his hair. “But I’ve found something. It’s a good mile through the jungle on the southeast side of the island. I want you guys to come see.”
“What, like now?”
“Yes.” Calvin picks up the hatchet from the log he left it in. “We’ll be back,” he calls to Haley and Dante.
Haley jumps up. “Oh, no you don’t. Where are you going? This isn’t interior crew and exterior crew anymore. This is all of us.”
“Do you want to come?” I ask Haley before Calvin can shut her down.
“It’s a long way into the jungle. Is your ankle up to it?” Calvin’s staring at her legs.
“What did you find?” Haley moves to him.
“Are you coming or not?” Calvin says.
“You’re not going to tell me unless I come?”
“I thought it would be fun to have it be a surprise.” Calvin smiles.
“You, sir, are full of surprises. The word ‘fun’ coming out of your mouth... How can I not come now? What about Dante?” Haley wraps her arms around her waist.
“Dante, want to come on a mile-long hike through the jungle when I’m not telling us where we’re going?” Calvin barks across the beach at Dante.
“Fuck no. It’s been nice knowing you. Well, some of you. Make sure you come back, Sassy. I would miss you.”
“I’d miss you too.” She stops. “Well, I guess if I’m not back, I would have a hard time missing you.”
“Stop,” I grunt. I don’t want to think about anything bad happening to Haley.
“We’ll bring you back something.” Haley waves at Dante.
“Excellent. I’d like a coffee, black, none of that macchiato, almond-whip bullshit.”
“I’ll do my best.” She smiles.
“I expect nothing less.” Dante goes back to tending the fire.
“Want me to carry you, Haley?” Zane steps forward. And I’m kicking myself for not offering.
“No, I’m good. Two summers ago, a guest wanted a picnic by a tropical waterfall. I had to carry a fully stocked bar kit, a table, and a cooler through the jungle. And I had to get there before the guests to set up.”
“That sounds horrible,” I grunt.
“It was fun once we got there, but I had to run practically because the primary guest was a retired football player. And former running back. The guy ran the rest of the guests to the waterfall. He also got up every morning and wanted his orange juice fresh squeezed and waiting for him on the treadmill.” She glances at me. “But they were totally great. A lot of fun. And super appreciative.”
Zane laughs. “But the real question is . . .”
“Oh, the tip was good. At least, I remember it being good.”
Calvin shakes his head. “If you can’t remember what it was, then it wasn’t really that great.”
“That’s not true.”
“Haley, you’re trying to be nice because Swimmer Boy is here. You know it’s true.” Calvin slaps me on my back.
We hit the edge of the jungle, and I have to wonder if I would have requested something like that if I’d been on any of the cruises as an adult. I sure as fuck hope I wouldn’t have. Having people haul full-ass tables out into the jungle... Candy, yeah, she sure as hell would have. Maybe dad’s last wife would have too.
It hits me. I wouldn’t have stopped it from happening. And I don’t like that, not at all.
Calvin leads the way. We follow the boar’s path for a while, but then he turns off it, heading to the ocean. Zane picks up a stick and moves things out of the path.
“Are you going to give us a hint at what it is, Calvin?” Haley’s walking right behind him, and if I’m not wrong, I think she pinched his ass.
“Do that again, and we’re not going to get there, Haley,” Calvin threatens.
She shrugs and glances over her shoulder, smirking at Zane and me. “Come on, a little clue.”
The jungle is staying the same. Waist-high foliage, coral and rocks below, with pockets of dirt. It’s not an easy hike, but once you get used to what to expect, it’s not too bad.
“How about twenty questions?” Haley sings.
“No,” Calvin spits back. “You just have to wait.”
“You said you wanted this to be fun.” Haley steps too wide, and she stumbles forward into Calvin’s back. But he twists and picks her up in one fluid motion. He has her on his back.
“Fine. Hang on.” Calvin sighs.
She turns and gives us another smile. Oh, we are all in for it. Because I know I’m as wound around her little finger, twice as tight, as Calvin is. I thought he might be the one to be able to say no to her. I guess I’m wrong.
“All right. Zane, you guess first,” Haley says with a joyful tone.
“Is it an animal?” he guesses.
“No,” Calvin says.
“Easton, your turn.”
I think hard about what he might have found. A ship? He would have told us straight out. A village? He already said that he didn’t find that yesterday. “Is it plant-based?”
“Fuck, yes, no. I’m not sure how to answer that.”
“All right, now we’re getting somewhere. Want me to carry Haley, Cal, so you can lead the way?” Damn, I do love a puzzle.
“I can walk. He was just being overprotective.” Haley pats his shoulder.
“His specialty,” I pipe up. That gets me a glare from Haley. She doesn’t like it when Calvin and I go at it. I don’t blame her. That’s how her leg got hurt. “Your turn, Haley.”
“Okay.” With Haley on Calvin’s back, he’s really picked up the pace. We can’t be far from whatever it is he wants to show us. “Okay, let me think. It’s plant-based but not.”
Calvin takes a sharp right to the water through some low scrub. A thorn scratches along my leg, but when we push through the underbrush to the rocks? I can’t believe my eyes.