Lost on Brier Island (9 page)

Her mom leapt up and sprinted towards the stairs, but then paused and seemed to change her mind. She swung around, returned to the table, and picked up her coffee. The mug shook and liquid splashed over the rim onto the table, but she didn't seem to notice.

Footsteps echoed on the back walkway outside. There was a soft rap and then the squeak of the screen door opening. Her dad strode through the doorway into the kitchen and stopped abruptly. “Oh! Everyone's up early.”

“Dad! What happened? You were supposed to stay here last night.”

Her mom didn't even acknowledge him, just continued staring at the wall and drinking her coffee.

“I tried. But I got tied up in Digby and missed the last ferry. Just got in.”

“Nice try, Douglas. The ferry runs twenty-four hours a day.” Her mom's voice sliced across the room.

Her dad's smile disappeared and his voice got more serious. “That's not what the guy at the gas station in Digby told me. Anyway, I'm here now.” Her father seemed to focus all his attention on Alex. “What did you want to do today, Munch?”

She shrugged, glancing between her dad and her mom. “There's nothing much to do here unless you want to g
o whale watching.”

“So you can fall again? I don't think so.” Her mother turned in her chair and pointed at Alex. “You're staying on land, where it's safe.”

“It'll be all right,” Aunt Sophie chipped in. “I'll keep an eye on her.”

“Sure, whatever you want,” her dad said. “Today is your day.”

“Of course you'd say that, Douglas—anything to disagree with me,” her mother said. “Well, I'm coming along to keep an eye on you, Alex.”

“Now what, Colleen? Is that your way of telling me I can't take care of my own daughter?”

“Think what you want.”

Alex gritted her teeth. “If you're going to fight I only want Aunt Sophie to come.”

Her father sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “We're not fighting. Everything's fine.”

Her mom glared at her dad, but didn't say anything.

Saying it's fine doesn't make it fine
, Alex thought.
Does he think I'm dumb?

“Mom, if you come, you have to promise to be nice to Gus.” Alex thought again of the train wreck she had caused the night before, spilling Gus's secret about his feelings for Eva. Maybe if her mom were nice, Alex wouldn't feel so bad about that.

Her mom's face flushed. “I may have overreacted a bit.”

“You really hurt his feelings. Anyway, we better get going so we're not late,” Alex said. Seeing Daredevil was the only thing she could think of that would make the day bearable. She went upstairs to get her pack.

Marty was still curled up on her pillow. The sunlight flickering through the curtains made dancing patterns on her bed. A dragonfly hovered for a moment in the window frame. Alex was mesmerized by its green-blue, shimmering body.
That must be where its name comes from. That's what dragon skin would look like
, she thought, before it zoomed out of sight. Alex stood there, reluctant to return to the kitchen and her bickering parents.

“All right there, kiddo?”

Alex whirled around. Aunt Sophie was standing in the doorway.

“Yeah, why?”

“A lot going on around here. Just wondering.”

“I'm fine.”

Aunt Sophie stared at Alex for a long moment. “I'm here if you want to talk.”

Alex didn't answer, lowering her gaze and sifting through her pack until Aunt Sophie left. Her hand closed around something small and cool in the bottom. She pulled it out. Adam's knife. Opening the blade, she ran her finger gently along the edge and then turned it over, fingering the etched initials. ACE—Adam Christopher Elliot.

She pushed her finger harder against the sharp edge and winced as it pierced her skin.
Blood brother, blood sister
, she thought as she sucked the blood from the cut. Wiping the blade clean on the side of her pack, she then tucked the knife into the front pocket of her jeans.

As she was about to leave the room, she noticed the bouquet of flowers sitting on the dresser. Aunt Sophie must have put them there. It was full of those yellow blooms her aunt had said were endangered—mountain something or other. No wonder Aunt Sophie had been ticked.

But it wasn't any use being ticked now—they were cut, dead. She couldn't stand to look at them and yanked them out of the vase, tossing them out the window. The wind caught the flowers as they flew through the air and scattered them across the grass.

The walk down the hill seemed much longer than when she and Aunt Sophie had done it alone. Her mother was walking way ahead of the rest of them and her dad had retreated behind his sunglasses. This was going to be fun. For a moment, Alex wished her parents weren't there.

“So, how were your meetings yesterday, Douglas?” Aunt Sophie asked.

Her dad's head whipped around. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing.”

“I told you, the guy said the ferry was closed,” her dad said through gritted teeth.

“Hey, relax. I'm just trying to make conversation.”

“The meetings were fine.” Her dad sighed and added softly, maybe so Alex's mom wouldn't hear, “Look, I just wasn't up for more arguing last night, okay?”

Aunt Sophie bit her lip and nodded stiffly, falling back into silence. It felt like forever before they were in sight of the
Evania Rose
. When they passed the café, Alex peered in, but couldn't see Eva. She might have been in the kitchen cooking, but no tempting smells drifted from the open window. Was everything okay? Maybe she was upset about the night before.
Me and my big mouth!
Alex thought.

Strolling along the wooden wharf, Alex couldn't help but notice how much easier the walk was in her own sneakers. She couldn't say the same for her parents. Her father's muttered curses drifted back to her as he tripped over the popping planks. Her mom stumbled a couple of times too, her heeled sandals wobbling on the uneven surface.

Alex eyed the boat bobbing gently on the waves and felt her stomach flip. But it was only a little flip, not nearly as bad as last time. Maybe she was getting used to it. Or maybe it was because she wasn't even a bit wobbly in her own shoes.

Suddenly a red blur was racing towards her. “I'm so happy you're not dead!” the bundle cried, launching itself at Alex, who was then wrapped in a hug that sucked her breath away.

“Hi, Rachel.”

“I'm so, so, so sorry!” she sobbed into Alex's shoulder. “It was all my fault, wasn't it? Can you ever forgive me?”

Alex pulled Rachel's arms from their death grip around her neck. “What are you talking about?”

Round eyes filled with tears blinked at her. “You know, 'cause I was talking too much, like I always do. Mom says, ‘Rachel, hold your breath for a second, think about what you want to say, then talk,' but I never do,” she sniffed.

“It wasn't that.”

“You mean you weren't running away from me?”

“No.”

“I thought you were mad, you know, when I said you were poor because you were wearing boys' shoes…hey, you got new sneakers!”

“No, I wasn't mad.” Alex bit back the sudden urge to smile. Rachel was so sincere, it was hard to be upset with her.

“Stupendous!” Rachel beamed and wiped her tears away. Grabbing Alex's hand, she tugged her towards the boat. “Come on, then.”

Alex let herself get dragged on board, hopping over the sliver of water between the dock and boat with barely a blink. Rachel was blathering non-stop, making Alex feel like she'd been sucked into a swirling, chattering tornado.

“Uncle Gus, look who I found.” Rachel had her arm linked with Alex's.

Gus bent his tall frame to duck through the doorway from the cabin. “Nice to have my two spotters back together,” he grinned.

Alex slowly wiggled out from Rachel's grip, pretending to dig into her pack. Gus still didn't seem upset. She had kind of expected him to change his mind, convinced she'd ruined his life by revealing his secret love for Eva. But he was his normal cheery lion self. Somehow, that made her feel worse. She almost wished he would be mad.

“Yes, but no ladders this time, Alex,” her mom said. She stepped precariously onto the boat, teetering slightly on her heels. Her dad reached out his hand to help her, but she didn't take it. Instead, she grabbed the side of the boat.

Her father dropped his arm and turned away.

Alex sighed, remembering how Gus had been looking at Eva the night before.

As her mom straightened up, she seemed to notice everyone watching her. She glanced at Alex's father's back, then proceeded over to where Gus stood. “I want to apologize for my outburst yesterday,” she said, holding out her hand. “I understand it was an accident. I didn't mean to imply otherwise.”

Gus's face split into a huge grin as he took her outstretched hand. “Accepted, ma'am. Don't blame you for being upset—any parent would be.”

“It's been…difficult lately.” Her mom's voice cracked and she looked over at Alex's father again.

“Uh…” Gus seemed at a loss for something to say.

“Looks like a good day for spotting,” Aunt Sophie chimed in. She gave her sister's shoulder a quick squeeze and plunked her bags on the bench. “Are we waiting for anyone else?”

“Nope, I had my buddy's son take the tourist crowd this morning on his whale watch. He's just startin' out and appreciates the business. Thought you'd like a private ride.”

“Great!” Alex said. “Who needs another whiner like that golf guy, right, Gus?”

“Oh yeah, a real treat, that fella,” Gus laughed. “Would you believe, he and his wife sent a thank-you e-mail to our website? Said it was the best time they ever had and they were going to recommend it to all their friends.” He scratched his head. “No end of surprises in this business.”

They were soon leaving the harbour. Her mom was looking at the reference books in the sheltered cabin area at first. Dad sat beside Alex on the open deck. Then when her mom came out, her dad went in. It was like watching boys and girls picking seats at the school dance, each trying to stay as far away from the other as possible. Inside the cabin, the wheelhouse door was open and Gus was at the helm.

Rachel and Alex pointed out the herons in the trees and talked about the tides as Alex's parents asked questions. Because they weren't sitting together, Alex had to go back and forth to show things to her dad, then repeat everything a second time for her mom. She felt like telling them to look it up, but of course didn't. At least they weren't fighting. Besides, Rachel covered up for Alex's lacklustre answers, acting bubbly enough for ten people.

“How do you know all this, Alex?” her mom asked. “I didn't know you were so interested.”

Alex shrugged. “I just remember what I heard from the other tour, I guess.” She didn't mention Daredevil, glancing after Rachel, who had gone up to chat with Gus in the wheelhouse.

They motored through the waves, seeing a few solo humpbacks over the next two hours. Sockeye made an appearance—Alex recognized his underbite. He kind of did look like a salmon. But there was no sign of Rooftop and Daredevil. They were nearing the end of the tour as they approached Seal Cove.

“Whale blow ten o'clock!”

At the sound of Gus's voice over the speaker, Alex instantly sprinted to the other side of the boat, searching the horizon with her binoculars for the telltale plume of water and steam.

“There!”

Alex followed the direction of Aunt Sophie's extended arm. “Who is it, Aunt Sophie? Can you tell? Is it Rooftop?”

“Hold your horses, kiddo. I need to get a good look at the flukes. It's right over towards Seal Cove.”

“You really like Rooftop, huh?” Rachel asked.

“I guess so,” Alex said. “But it's her baby, Daredevil, that I like best.”

“Her baby has a name already?” Rachel asked, looking curiously out at the water. “I didn't know that.”

“I named him. Well, sort of. Gus called him a daredevil first and then I thought—”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Please! You can't name him. It's only the science people that do that. You're not a scientist!”

“So? That's what I'm calling him.”

“Bogs!” Rachel said, scrunching her nose. “Well…maybe there's something on his flukes, a pitchfork design or horn shapes or something. That would be cool, I guess. Then maybe the scientists would use the name you picked.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

They steamed across the remaining distance to Seal Cove. Gus cut the engine and joined them on the open deck. As they scanned the waves, the large whale breached the surface. Aunt Sophie and Gus identified it at the same time: “Rooftop!”

“Oh, Daredevil must be close too!” Rachel squealed. “We'll see if there's a design on his flukes.”

It would be neat to name him for real,
Alex thought. Peering through her binoculars, she waited for the baby to appear.

They drifted in silence. Seal Cove. Alex could hear the seals barking from the shore. Fog had descended down the bank, obliterating the shoreline. A few seals bobbed close to the boat, but scattered as Rooftop breached. In between leaps, she raced back and forth between the boat and Seal Cove, parallel to the shore.

“Wow, she's got lots of energy today,” Aunt Sophie said, snapping away with the camera.

Rooftop soared in the air again and again. Alex searched for signs of Daredevil, but Rooftop was alone.

“Where's her baby?” Rachel asked. “Isn't the baby supposed to be right beside her?”

Gus frowned. “Well, the calf would be several months old now, so he can survive for a time on his own,” he murmured, rubbing his chin. “That little spitfire has probably wandered off again.”

“Where would he go?” Rachel asked.

“Not too far, we hope. He's always found his way back to his mum before.”

Alex leaned over the side, like she had done the first time she'd seen him, and stretched her hands out as close to the water as she could. The padding from the life jacket kept the railing from digging too hard into her ribs. But she wobbled as she stretched even farther.

“Be careful!” Her father appeared beside her and put a steadying hand on her back. “What are you doing?”

“Daredevil let me pet him last time. Maybe he'll see me from underwater and come up.” Alex squinted, trying to see far down into the depths.

If she had one of those submarines they had on tours in the Bahamas, she could find him. She'd seen it on the
DVD
her parents had got in the mail last year for their cruise—the cruise they had never gone on.

“What do you mean, you petted him before?” her mother screeched, glaring at Gus.

“Colleen, it's all right,” her dad said. “I've got her.”

Everyone stared over the side. The minutes ticked by. Even the seals quieted down. The only one still going crazy was Rooftop. The waves got bigger each time she crashed back down from a breach. It made it almost impossible to see under the water.

“Well,” Gus said finally, “can't hang around here anymore. We've got to head back in.” He returned to the controls and the engine roared to life.

“C'mon Alex,” her dad said, tugging her backward. “It's time to leave.”

Alex stared at Rooftop as they steamed away. She was still in the same spot, leaping from the sea.

Did Rooftop know something was wrong? Is that what whales did when they were upset? Maybe it was their way of screaming to the world. Only the world wasn't listening.

Alex felt the tension building up inside her.

Where was Daredevil?