Chapter 22 #2
Silence stretched between them as the rain softened outside and the rumbles of thunder grew more distant.
After another moment, Sierra sniffled again. “This morning after you left, I told Daddy he should sue you for breach of contract if you stayed here.”
Julia heaved a sigh. This was the terrible thing Sierra had done that would make her mad, she assumed.
“I just didn’t want you to leave us.”
“Sierra, I will always be there for you, okay? No matter what. Don’t worry about that.”
“But my first instinct was to do something mean to make you stay.”
“It’s okay. You were upset. People say lots of things when they’re upset that they don’t mean.”
Sierra pushed away from her, her features still scrunched with upset.
In the face of danger, her usual bravado crumpled, showing a rare vulnerability.
Her need for emotional support as much as physical marked a turning point in their relationship.
“But what if I did mean it? What if I meant it, Julia? What if I would have done it? What if I’m a total bitch just like my mother? ”
“I don’t think you are. I think you don’t like to admit you have feelings, so you hide behind being mean so people don’t know how deeply you really feel about them.”
“Like Mom,” she said, letting her gaze fall to her lap.
“No, your mother doesn’t seem to care deeply about others like you do. You’re not like your mother. You’re more like your father.”
“But you hate him now.”
Julia smiled at her and shook her head. “I don’t hate him. I never hated him. We had an argument, Sierra. It happens all the time.”
“And then people leave.”
“Not always.” Julia grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Just because your mother left, doesn’t mean everyone will.”
Sierra stared down at their clasped hands. “Do you promise?”
Julia nodded. “I promise. I’ll always be there for you, okay? No matter what.”
Sierra swiped a hand across her cheek, streaking dirt across her skin. Julia dug a tissue from a packet in her pocket and wiped it away along with some of the smudged makeup that marred her skin. “Feel better?”
Sierra nodded. “Yes, but I’m still scared. They’re going to find us, right?”
“Yes,” Julia assured her as Sierra laid her head back on her shoulder. “Luke knows we’re out here. He’ll make sure we’re found.”
“Daddy, too,” Sierra said with a shuddering breath.
“Yes, I’m certain Grant will not stop searching until he’s found you.”
Sierra’s eyes slid closed as she clutched at Julia’s hand. “And you, Julia.”
Her stepdaughter’s breathing turned rhythmic as she drifted off to a much-needed nap after her harrowing morning.
As she sat holding a sleeping Sierra, Julia reflected on the surreal events.
From a peaceful morning at sea to dangling on a cliff’s edge and now trapped in a cave–it felt like a nightmare.
But part of her knew they would survive.
Not just because of Luke and Grant, but because of a new resilience within her.
One that would fight for what was hers–including her life.
The chirps of birds outside signaled the end of the storm. She strained to listen for any sounds of people, not wanting to miss the chance to call out to them.
With any luck, they could enlarge the opening enough to free them easily.
After a while, Sierra roused next to her, sitting up to rub her eyes. “No one yet?”
“Not yet. Hopefully soon. The rain stopped.”
“So, they’ll come now, right?”
“Yes, but they’ll probably start closer to where we fell. We just need to–"
Her words cut off as she detected what she thought was a shout. Her heart skipped a beat, and she crawled toward the opening, straining to listen. “That’s them. Sierra, that’s them!”
She pressed her face closer to the small opening in the rocks blocking the exit. “Luke?”
“Julia! Sierra!” a voice called, still searching.
“Ally! Luke! We’re trapped in the cave.”
She sat back on her haunches as she turned her head to listen again.
“Julia!” Ally’s voice called.
“Ally! We’re here in the cave.”
Her heart pounded harder as no one answered her. Had they gone the wrong way? Had they not heard her?
“Julia?” Ally’s voice sounded again. “Julia, if you can hear me, answer!”
“I can hear you, Ally! I’m here!”
“Julia!” This time her sister’s voice sounded as though she recognized her. “This way. I hear her.”
“Ally! We’re in the cave! There was a rockslide. We’re stuck.”
A second later, her heart lifted as Ally’s face appeared at the opening before she stuck her hand through. Julia clasped it, tears welling in her eyes. “Ally!”
“Juju! Are you hurt?”
“No, not really. A little banged up, but I’m okay. I think Sierra may have sprained her wrist, but she’s otherwise fine.”
“She’s with you?”
“Yes, we’re here together,” Julia said as she slid an arm around her stepdaughter’s shoulders. “Can you make this opening a little bigger? I think we can crawl out.”
“Hold on, we have Tony here, and he’s way better at this than I am.”
Other voices, laced with panic and hope filled the air as she waited inside, holding tight to Sierra.
Tony’s face appeared at the hole a moment later. “Hey, Julia. Sorry to meet like this.”
“It’s okay, Tony. If you can get me out of here, I’ll forgive you.”
“Well, the good news is, it looks like I can make this a little bit bigger. Then, I’m going to have you slid–“
“No, Sierra will go first. I’ll come after her.”
“Okay, got it. We’re just going to shift a few of these first…” He carefully picked away a few rocks, his features tentative as he worked delicately, trying not to disturb any other stones and cause a second collapse. “Okay, let’s try that.”
He passed a flashlight to her first, allowing them to see better as they approached the opening.
“Okay, Sierra,” Julia said as she pushed her toward the opening. “Just crawl through, okay? They’ll get you on the other side.”
Sierra hesitated, her features pinching again.
“Go ahead, Sierra. It’ll be okay.”
She flung her arms around Julia. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I’ll be fine. The faster you go through, the faster I can follow behind you, okay?”
Sierra pulled back and nodded. “Okay.”
She blew out a steadying breath before she inched closer to the hole.
“Stick your arms through first, okay?” Tony said. “Then we’ll tug you forward.”
Julia backed away a few feet to give her room to maneuver as she slid her arms and head through the opening.
She smiled as she heard Grant’s voice, filled with relief at seeing his daughter.
“Daddy!” Sierra shouted as she disappeared through the hole. Her feet kicked to free her the last few inches, striking a stone.
“No!” someone shouted before a rumbling filled the air and shook the ground under Julia again.
The grin slid off her face as she watched the light from outside dwindled to nothing. The faint shouts of the rescuers, their voices swallowed by the mass of falling rocks, heightened her sense of isolation.
The cave, lit only by the small flashlight, now felt like a tomb. Her only access out had been cut off by a second rockslide. She was trapped. And she had no idea if they could free her.