The Unloved

by John Saul

  And then, an hour ago, she’d been sitting with Kerry, exploring the contents of the picnic basket that Ruby had packed for her, when Mary-Beth had dropped down onto the edge of Kerry’s towel. Julie had offered her a sandwich, but Mary-Beth had shaken her head.

  “We don’t eat like northerners down here,” she said, stretching out each vowel in an exaggerated drawl. “You go on and make a pig of yourself if you want to though. I’m sure it’s just fine by me!”

  Julie had felt herself redden with embarrassment, but had said nothing, and a few minutes later, her flirting with Kerry getting her nowhere, Mary-Beth had wandered away.

  Now Julie could hear Mary-Beth’s voice again, this time talking to a couple of her friends. For a moment Julie was certain that Mary-Beth thought she couldn’t hear her, but then she realized that exactly the opposite was true: Mary-Beth had raised her voice to make certain that Julie heard every word.

  “I think maybe I’ll quit dance class,” Mary-Beth was saying.

  “Quit?” Julie heard Jennifer Mayhew ask, her voice clearly reflecting her dismay. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” Mary-Beth replied in calculatedly offhand tones. Though Julie’s eyes were closed, she could feel Mary-Beth staring at her as she continued. “Up till last week Miss Marguerite never had any favorites or anything like that, and it was fun. Now it looks like all we’re going to do is sit around and watch that Yankee trash jump around while Marguerite drools like an idiot and tells us all how wonderful her niece is. Who needs it?”

  Jenny Mayhew gasped indignantly. “Mary-Beth, that’s not true, and you know it! Miss Marguerite isn’t like that at all, and it’s not Julie’s fault if she’s better than the rest of us. I should think you’d want to learn from her.”

  Julie could almost see Mary-Beth’s simpering smile. “Well, aren’t you the goody-goody all of a sudden!”

  Then Julie heard another voice. “Jenny’s not a goody-goody, and none of the rest of us are either. If you want to quit because you know you aren’t any good, why don’t you just say so? You don’t have to blame Julie, or claim Miss Marguerite’s different.”

  Mary-Beth’s voice turned defensive. “I didn’t say I was going to quit,” she protested. “I just said I might. I’m just thinking about it is all. How come you’re all jumping on me? And if you’re all so crazy about Julie, why don’t you go talk to her?”

  Suddenly Julie could stand it no more. She sat up, blinking in the brightness of the sun, and turned to Kerry, who was sitting up on his towel next to hers, his strong jaw set in anger, his clear blue eyes flashing dangerously.

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go in the water. If I stay here another five minutes, I think I’m going to pass out.” She tried to stand up, but fell back onto the blanket, her legs weak with the heat. But as she heard Mary-Beth start giggling, Kerry reached down and took her hand, the strength of his powerfully built body easily pulling her upright.

  “Just start moving,” he said softly enough so no one else could hear him. He grinned encouragingly, brushing a lock of his curly blond hair off his forehead. “It’s only a few yards, and as soon as you get in the water, you’ll be fine.”

  A wave of dizziness swept over Julie. For a moment she thought she was going to faint, but Kerry’s hand tightened on hers, and she let him lead her quickly down the beach. Feeling the coolness of the water close over her feet, she let go of Kerry’s hand and plunged into a large wave that was rushing toward shore.

  Instantly her head cleared and she felt the sticky layer of perspiration wash away. She swam underwater for a few strokes, then broke the surface, rolled over on her back, and looked around for Kerry. He surfaced only a few feet away and grinned at her. “Feel better?”

  Julie nodded. “I thought I was going to pass out. How does everybody stand it?”

  “The heat, or Mary-Beth?” Kerry teased.

  “The heat,” Julie replied. “Who cares what Mary-Beth says?”

  Suddenly Kerry yelled at her, and Julie turned around just in time to see a breaker building up right behind her. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her nose and ducked down just as the wave broke over her, and a moment later felt the water rush past her.

  “You get used to the heat,” Kerry told her after they’d both come to the surface again. “Another couple of weeks and you won’t even notice it anymore.” He grinned mischievously. “Same with Mary-Beth—another couple of weeks and you won’t notice her anymore either. Besides, she’s just messed up ’cause I invited you today.”

  Now Julie thought she understood. “Was she your girlfriend?”

  Kerry shook his head. “No way.”

  “But she wishes she were?” Julie asked, and Kerry’s face reddened with embarrassment.

  “You want to talk all afternoon, or swim?” he demanded, splashing water in her face.

  Julie splashed him back, and then all the rest of the kids except Mary-Beth Fletcher plunged into the water to join in the melee. Before long the group divided itself into two sides, but the sides kept changing as alliances were abandoned the moment an opportunity for a good dunk came up. And then, out of the laughter, Julie heard Kerry’s voice shouting to her. “Julie! Look out!”

  She whirled, but it was already too late. From out of nowhere an enormous wave had built up, and before she could dive into it or duck beneath the surface, the undertow had her in its grip and she felt her legs slide out from under her. She gasped for breath just as the wave hit her, knocking her flat then tumbling her along the bottom like a piece of waterlogged wood.

  She struggled against it, fighting to regain her footing, but then she felt her feet tangling in seaweed, and the first twinges of panic closed around her heart.

  It’s all right, she told herself. I can swim, and it’s only a wave, and the water isn’t even over my head. All I have to do is let myself go, then stand up!

  But how long could she go? Her lungs were bursting now, and she knew she couldn’t hold her breath more than a few more seconds.

  And the wave seemed determined to keep her at the bottom.

  She lunged hard then, and her breath gave out. The spent air poured out of her lungs, but it was going to be all right! She felt her head break the surface and her feet connect with the bottom. She opened her mouth wide, taking in great gasps of air.

  And water.

  Another wave had already built behind the first, smashing into her face, flooding her mouth, choking her throat with brine. She was coughing as she went under for the second time, and this time she knew she had no reserves of air to sustain her.

  She was going to drown!

  Panic overwhelmed her, and she began thrashing against the churning water, fighting against the current, searching for a foothold on the bottom.

  Against her will, her lungs began to take in water.

  And then, as she felt herself begin to black out, strong arms snaked around her body and lifted her out of the water. She struggled for a moment, then heard Kerry’s voice.

  “It’s okay! You’re okay, Julie, I’ve got you!”

  Still coughing and choking, she threw her arms around him and clung to him as he waded through the surf, and up the beach. Finally he laid her on her towel, then dropped down next to her, rolling her over onto her stomach and pressing down hard on her back.

  Saltwater spewed out of her lungs and disappeared into the sand.

  A moment later it was over and Julie lay still, her chest heaving as she took in breath after breath of pure fresh air. It felt like hours before she finally trusted herself to roll over and look up at the circle of faces above her.

  “Wh—What happened?” she asked.

  Kerry gazed back at her, his blue eyes filled with worry. “It was my fault,” he said. “I should have warned you. It was a rogue wave. They come in like that every now and then. Everything’s real calm, and then all of a sudden a big one comes, and if you’re not ready, it just knocks you out. Are you all right?”

  Julie hesit
ated, then nodded. “I—I think so.” She managed a weak grin. “But I sure thought it was all over for a second. If you hadn’t gotten hold of me …” She fell silent, shuddering even at the thought, then realized she was shivering with cold despite the heat of the afternoon. “I—maybe you’d better take me home.…”

  With the rest of the kids crowding around, Kerry picked her up and carried her to his car, a battered and rusty Chevy convertible whose top was little more than a series of shreds held together by a mass of silvery duct tape.

  “Maybe we’d better get someone else’s car,” he suggested, his voice anxious, but Julie shook her head.

  “It’s all right,” she said. “I like your car.”

  “Then you’re nuts,” Kerry replied, but still grinned at her. “But that’s okay—I like nutty girls.” Slamming the door after making sure she was safely inside, he ran around and clambered into the driver’s seat.

  Neither of them heard Mary-Beth Fletcher’s parting shot: “Why don’t you just drive her right on back up North, where she belongs? And if you like her so much, go with her!”

  Toby Martin stared suspiciously at Jeff. “What if we get caught?” he demanded.

  They were inside the fort they’d finished building that afternoon—a shaky lean-to next to the garage, constructed out of rotting lumber scavenged from the collapsing slave quarters—and hammered together with a cache of rusty nails they’d found in the barn. There was a small door just big enough for them to crawl through, and it hadn’t occurred to either of them that a window might have relieved the stuffy heat inside. But if they even felt the heat, neither was about to admit it. Since they’d finished the fort an hour ago, they’d been inside, securely hidden away from the world outside, talking about what Jeff had seen in the cemetery the night before.

  “We won’t get caught,” Jeff insisted. “I’ll sneak out after everyone else has gone to sleep, and we’ll meet here. Then we’ll watch the graveyard all night.”

  Suddenly, from outside, they heard a noise, as if something had moved in the underbrush. “What was that?” Jeff whispered. “Is there someone out there?”

  Toby shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. What’ll we do?”

  “Let’s go look,” Jeff decided. He dropped to his hands and knees and wriggled through the tiny hole in the wall. A moment later Toby followed him.

  “What was it?” Toby asked. “Did you see anything?”

  Jeff shook his head, his eyes searching the brush for any sign of movement. A few feet away he spotted a rabbit low to the ground, holding absolutely still. “Look!” he whispered, nudging Toby’s ribs. “Over there! I’m gonna see if I can catch him.”

  Toby’s eyes followed Jeff’s, but it took a moment before he, too, spotted the rabbit.

  And another moment before he realized why the rabbit wasn’t moving. “Wait!” He yelled, but it was too late.

  The ominous buzz of a rattlesnake hummed in the air, and Jeff froze, only his eyes moving as he searched for the source of the warning rasp.

  It was only three feet away, a large, pink timber rattler, its thick coils wrapped tightly, its head bobbing dangerously as the rattle on its tail quivered with menace.

  “Don’t move!” Toby warned. “That’s why the rabbit was holding still. If you don’t move, it can’t see you!”

  “But … what are we going to do?” Jeff whimpered. His knees felt weak and he was sure he was going to collapse any second.

  “I’ll get someone,” Toby said. “But if you move, he’ll kill you for sure!” Leaving Jeff alone with the writhing creature, he turned and dashed up the driveway toward the house, screaming for help. The back door slammed open just as Toby got to the steps, and Kevin emerged.

  “A snake,” Toby screamed. “A big rattler’s got Jeff down by the garage. Quick, Mr. Devereaux. Quick!”

  Racing past the terrified boy, Kevin hurtled down the driveway to the garage, pausing only to snatch up a rusty shovel that leaned against the wall just inside its open door. A second later he found his son, still rooted to the spot, his face pale, his whole body trembling with fright.

  “It’s okay,” Kevin said. “I’m here now, and it’s going to be okay. Just stay still, Jeff. Can you do that?”

  Jeff, too terrified even to speak, said nothing.

  Kevin circled slowly around until he was behind the snake, then began approaching it, moving slowly and carefully, trying to make no sound that would alert the serpent to the danger from the rear. Step by step he drew closer, his eyes locked on the weaving head of the snake, which still stared at Jeff, its tongue flicking in and out as it tried to locate its prey.

  Kevin raised the shovel, poising it to strike the moment he was close enough.

  His foot came down on a twig, which snapped loudly. The rattler twisted and struck instantly, and Kevin leaped aside, bringing the shovel down with all the force he could muster. The blade of the shovel sank into the earth just as the snake’s head struck it, and Kevin could feel the vibration of the blow as it came up the handle. Only slightly stunned from the impact, the snake recoiled, preparing to strike again. But this time Kevin was faster.

  The blade of the tool sliced through the snake’s body just behind its head, and the creature collapsed in mid-strike, its coils thrashing on the ground for a moment before it died.

  Jeff, screaming, threw himself into his father’s arms.

  “It’s all right,” Kevin told him. “You’re okay, and the snake’s dead. It’s all over.”

  “It was going to kill me, Daddy,” Jeff sobbed. “I didn’t even see it. It was just there!”

  “I know,” Kevin told him. “That’s the way they are. You have to keep your eyes open all the time and make sure you look before you take a step. But you’re okay.”

  Anne appeared around the comer of the garage, stopping short when she saw the still twitching remains of the rattler. “My God,” she breathed, her eyes wide with horror. “What happened?”

  “Nothing,” Kevin assured her. “Jeff just ran into a snake, but he did exactly the right thing. In fact,” he added, “I probably didn’t even need to kill it. In another few seconds it would have lost interest and gone away. It was probably more frightened than Jeff.”

  Anne stared at Kevin indignantly. “How can you say that? It could have killed him!” She gathered her son into her arms and held him close. “Honey, are you all right?”

  Jeff nodded, and wriggled out of his mother’s arms. Now that it was over and the danger had passed, he was fascinated with the snake’s body. “Can I keep it, Dad?” he asked, poking at the six feet of rattler with a stick.

  Kevin chuckled, and used the spade once more to cut off the rattles. “Take those—when I was your age, I must have had a couple dozen of ’em.”

  “Awesome,” Jeff said. He squatted down, gingerly picked up the rattle, then shook it.

  There was a slight buzzing sound, and Jeff dropped the rattle as if it were red-hot, then self-consciously picked it up again. “You got one of these?” he asked Toby, who was standing a few yards away.

  Toby nodded. “I have five. And one of ‘em’s even bigger than that.”

  “Really?” Jeff asked, his voice filled with awe. “Can I see?”

  “Sure,” Toby replied.

  “When? Now?”

  But before Toby could reply, Anne intervened. “Not now,” she said. “Right now, I think you’d better both go in the house.”

  “Aw, Mom,” Jeff began, but Anne shook her head.

  “Maybe you’re all over this, but I’m not. And until I am, I want you where I can see you, all right?”

  Knowing better than to argue with her, Jeff started toward the house, Toby trailing along behind. Anne, though, stayed where she was, staring at the snake with revulsion. Finally, she met Kevin’s eyes.

  “How did you stand it?” she asked. “How can anyone stand it? The heat, the alligators, the mosquitoes, and now this!”

  Kevin only shrugged. “Except fo
r the alligators, what’s so different than home? We get some pretty awful heat, and in case you didn’t know it, we have rattlers too.”

  Anne’s mouth fell open. “Oh, come on, Kevin—”

  “But it’s true,” Kevin insisted. “There are timber rattlers all over the east. The only reason we don’t see so many of them is because of all the development. And it wouldn’t take much to clean them out of here.”

  Anne’s eyes narrowed and a frown creased her forehead. “Clean them out? What are you talking about?”

  Before Kevin could say anything, there was a loud honking, and they turned to see Kerry Sanders’s car roaring down the dirt road from the causeway, a plume of dust spewing up behind him. It was when he slammed the brakes on as he reached the front of the house that they realized something was wrong.

  Hurrying up the drive, they reached Kerry’s car just as he was helping Julie out of the passenger seat.

  Her face was pale, and her hair, a stringy mass of tangled locks, hung limply over her shoulders.

  Anne stared at her daughter in shock. “Julie? Are you all right?”

  Julie nodded, but wrapped a towel around herself. “I’m all right. I just got knocked over by a wave and started choking.”

  “Knocked over?” Anne repeated, her voice rising, “Honey, you look like you almost drowned.”

  “It’s not that bad—” Julie started to object, but Kerry cut her off.

  “It was pretty bad. She got hit by two waves, but I got to her in time. She’s okay, but she says she’s cold—”

  “Shock,” Kevin said. “Come on, honey, let’s get you into bed and warmed up.”

  Anne stared at her husband. How could he take it so lightly? First a rattler threatened Jeff, and now Julie was brought home half drowned! And he was acting as if nothing had happened! What would it take for him to see that the best thing they could do was simply pack up their clothes and go back where they belonged? She opened her mouth, about to speak her mind, then suddenly thought better of it. Later, when they were alone and Julie was over the worst of her fright, she would talk to Kevin about it. And he would understand.