Chapter 25 Benny
Twenty-five
Benny
Benny felt numb from all she’d learned in the last few minutes. She tried to focus on her surroundings. They were back at the fisherman monument, angry storm clouds and lightning in the distance. In seconds, it started to rain. No one seemed to care.
Welcome, Everly Benedict! Welcome!
Benny paused. The island was near, so why couldn’t she see it? Was it the fog rolling in off the water? If she was reading Evelyn’s last journal correctly, this might be the spot she’d found a new entrance with Grace. Her heart started to pound now, her fingers tingling.
“Follow me.” Grace walked ahead, expecting Benny to follow, and Benny caught sight of the green ring on her finger.
“What do you want?” Benny demanded. She needed to get closer.
Grace turned and smiled. “Fiery. I like that. So much like Evelyn, it is uncanny.”
Benny shivered. “You already have the coin we were looking for, and I know you have two coins of your own unless Evelyn managed to later steal one back from you.” Grace lifted an eyebrow. “What do you need me or Kimble for?” Because you can’t get on the island without him or me.
Benny watched as one of the men carried Kimble down the stairs, past the monument, to the thin stretch of beach that was below it. They dropped him on the sand face up and stood over him as water lapped at his boots. Wake up, Kimble. Please. Dad, wake up.
Grace pursed her lips and to Benny’s surprise pressed a coin in her hand. “Didn’t Vivian tell you? I need you and Kimble to get the treasure chest off the island and bring it back.”
“And if I say no?” Benny dared.
“Don’t make this difficult, Everly.” Vivian walked up behind them. “You want your inheritance. My family wants what we’ve waited two hundred years to collect.”
Benny couldn’t hide her outrage. “But the treasure isn’t yours.”
“And it’s not yours either,” Vivian said simply, one hand on her pearls. “Who’s to say what should be done with it? Isn’t it selfish to leave it on an island when it has such power?”
Benny knew the truth. They were never going to see eye to eye.
But she also knew, whether they found Lady Adrienne’s coin or not, no matter what happened to Evelyn’s friends and her inheritance, she couldn’t let the Rudds and Grace be in control of something as dangerous as the fountain of youth.
They shouldn’t get decide whether someone should live or die based on how much money someone had to pay for Tesouro Eterno.
The treasure needed to be buried on that island and never found again.
Maybe that had to be her new goal: finish Evelyn’s game by hiding the treasure again.
“Axel and the others on the island have been waiting two hundred years to be freed—if all of the treasure is returned to the island, they can.” She looked innocently at Grace, her eyes flitting to the ring again.
“You have all the treasure now, don’t you?
Why not let the others go free, then if you want, take the chest for yourself once everyone else is safe?
You can still have what you want, and so can they. ”
A look of panic flickered across Grace’s face. Benny saw the woman absentmindedly touch the ring on her hand. “No. Their fate is not our problem,” she said, not answering the question. Her eyes flashed. “Now go, or today will be your last, dear.”
Someone placed smelling salts under Kimble’s nose, and she heard him start to cough. Two men pulled him up to standing, and someone pushed Benny toward him.
Benny could hear a whooshing in her ears as she stepped closer to the water, the voices of the island growing louder. She tried to tamp down her panic. What if they got trapped there? How was she getting that ring off Grace before she was forced onto the island?
Benny turned to Vivian. “My mom is going to come looking for me.”
“Unless your mom thinks you’re with me,” said Harris, stepping out behind some of Grace’s thugs. Harris smiled with his teeth. “I told her I was taking you and Ryan out for ice cream since you made up.”
She looked helplessly at Ryan, who looked away. Benny felt a heat of rage as she stared down Harris. “I knew you were trouble.”
“Aww, Benny.” Harris put his arm around Ryan. “Your mom is a great woman, but family comes first.” He looked at her sharply. “Now be a good girl and listen to Grace. I’d hate to tell your mother there was an accident while we were out.”
“Dad, please—” Ryan started to say.
“Quiet, Ryan,” Harris admonished.
“Toss them both in the water,” Grace said to the men. “Don’t lose that coin, Benny.”
Kimble was just stirring as the men picked him up and threw him in the waist-deep water. When they grabbed Benny to throw her in too, she managed to hoist her backpack high enough to keep it dry. The water was cold, the chop of the waves heavy. Kimble helped steady her in the rough water.
“I can get the treasure on my own. Leave the kid out of this, Gracey,” he said. “She’s useless.”
Benny tried not to feel hurt. He’s just saying that, she told herself, her eyes on Grace’s ring.
She laughed lightly. “I’m not a fool, Kimble.
She’s collateral. If Benny goes, you’ll rush to bring the treasure back so she doesn’t get trapped there.
You may not care about your life, but you do care about hers.
” Her red curls whipped around her face as her green eyes glowed brighter.
She smiled viciously. “You won’t risk your own daughter being trapped on the island. ”
Benny couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How did Grace know that? Her expression gave her away.
“Yes, I have my sources too, Benny,” Grace said quietly. “Kimble won’t double-cross me again like he once did with Lady Adrienne and Evelyn if his flesh and blood is at risk. Will you Kimble?”
He looked at Benny miserably. “Kid, we have to do what she says. It’s the only way. I’m sorry.”
“No!” she started to say when she heard the voices again.
Welcome, Everly Benedict. Welcome.
Benny spun around, looking for the entrance.
Walk, she thought. That’s what Evelyn did, and suddenly it appeared.
The rain started to come down harder, the fog so heavy Benny couldn’t even see the monument onshore.
The wind gusted right over the beach, and the waves lapped at her, splashing up and soaking her, and suddenly Benny smelled roses.
She could see Grace watching them, but it didn’t matter.
The island entrance was here, and Grace couldn’t go with them.
Near the water’s edge, some roses grew along the sand, just like they were mentioned in one of Evelyn’s riddles.
Something small flew over her head, and she looked up. A piping plover. She spun around now.
Behind her, she saw the beach stretch out, a sandbar forming.
She moved toward it and saw the sun burst through the clouds, which didn’t make sense since it was pouring.
Benny inhaled sharply. A path across the water had formed, stretching across the waves.
Kimble saw it too. He waded over, pulling himself up onto the sandbar. He offered Benny his hand.
“Ready?” he asked.
“No,” Benny said. “We have to—”
“Kid. Focus.” Kimble stared at her. “We have to do this. Now, where is your treasure?”
Benny held it up to show him and Kimble swiped it from her hand.
Benny looked down at her hand in surprise then up again and saw Kimble running across the sandbar toward the island without her.
“No! He’s got both coins!” Grace cried wading into the water.
“Stop him! Grab the girl!” She reached for Benny, and Benny knew she only had seconds to make her move.
She didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Grace’s hand and yanked as hard as she could till she got the ring off her finger.
Grace screamed and grabbed Benny’s hair, pulling her back.
Benny was quicker; she kicked at Grace’s legs, and the woman let go, Benny jumping up on the sandbar and running after Kimble now, ring in hand as she headed toward the island.
Kimble turned and saw her. He turned and blocked her way.
“What are you doing?” he shouted. “Get back to shore, kid!”
“Not without you,” Benny cried. “You can’t give them the treasure chest. But you also can’t just stay there and curse yourself forever. I know that’s what you’re thinking.” Kimble looked away. “I’m the curse breaker. I’m supposed to save you. Evelyn made me promise.”
“Kid.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “You already have saved me.”
Benny knew what he meant. He was her dad. No matter what happened, his lineage would go on. “Don’t go,” she begged.
He grinned cockily, his swagger returning. “You know I have to. It’s the only way to protect the treasure.”
“But if you can’t get off the island—” Benny was afraid to finish the sentence. She held tight to Grace’s ring in her hand. It felt hot to the touch. She didn’t think Kimble saw she had it.
“You are smart. You are going to figure this all out.” His eyes glowed bright as he held her own.
“Find Adrienne’s coin. Talk to Aggy about Evelyn.
Find out if Evelyn ever got ahold of Grace’s other coin.
I know you can solve this. Oh! And there is one more thing you need to know. About Evelyn. Who she married. She—”
BOOM!
Behind them came an explosion. Purple smoke plumed in the air. Benny saw Zara and Gil racing along the beach, shouting to her as chaos exploded on the shore, people running in all directions and yelling. Behind Kimble, the sandbar started retreating. They both had to go. Now.
“But what if I can’t fix this—” Benny protested, the sand starting to sink beneath her feet.
“You will,” Kimble said again, shouting to be heard over the wind. There was a flash of lightning and the sun shooting out of the clouds all at once. “I know you can do this, kid.”
“How do you know?” Benny yelled, her heart in her throat.
Kimble looked back at her and grinned lazily before shoving her off the sandbar, back into the sea. “Because you’re my kid. I wouldn’t expect anything less.” And then, he and the sandbar disappeared.