The Secret of Fire Island (Kristi Cameron Book 1)

by Cynthia Griffith

  It was as they were getting ready for bed that Dan came to Kristi. “Could I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.

  “Sure, Dan,” she said. They went out to the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast bar.

  “Kristi, I’m sorry for getting so angry with you. Will you forgive me?” he asked.

  “Oh yes,” she said. “I’m so sorry, too, for what I did. Can you forgive me?”

  “I already have, Kristi. Don’t get me wrong—I still think it was a stupid thing you did, but I’m sorry I got so mad at you. I was just so scared, Kristi.” He rubbed his hand through his hair. His eyes still looked troubled. “Kristi, I’m going to have to tell Mom and Dad what happened. I don’t want to get you in trouble, but it wouldn’t be right to not tell them. I’ll try not to make it sound so bad, though, and I won’t tell them how scared I was, and since you’re okay, maybe they won’t be too upset.”

  He paused and reached over to muss her long, chestnut curls. “Hey, after all, Little Sister, tomorrow is your birthday and we wouldn’t want to spoil that, would we?”

  Kristi leaned over and hugged her brother. “I love you, Dan,” she said.

  “Love you, too, Little Sis,” he said gruffly. “Now scat! Get to bed!”

  __________

  CHAPTER NINE

  __________

  Scare in the Air

  Everyone was up early the next morning, dressed and ready for their trip to Fire Island.

  “Happy Birthday, Kristi!” they all greeted her as soon as she woke up. There was a coffee cake on the table with a big birthday candle stuck on top.

  “It’s not a big, gooey chocolate cake,” her mother apologized, “but I hope it’s okay. I don’t know how the day is going to go with the flight to the island and then having to rough it out there. I didn’t want blowing out the candles to get overlooked somehow today.”

  “It looks yummy, Mommy!” Kristi said. There were eggs and bacon and a large bowl of fresh fruit, as well, brought up to the suite from room service. They all sat down for a quick breakfast.

  “How was the sunset cruise?” Kristi asked her mother while they ate.

  “It was absolutely beautiful! The ship was great, the dinner they served was delicious and the scenery was just gorgeous. The Hawaiian sunset is just amazing—all purples and golds, peach and red and pink! I could have watched it forever! The sun slowly sank below the horizon, and then a million stars came out twinkling. It was dazzling—and sooooo romantic!” Rachel fluttered her eyelashes at her husband and they all laughed.

  “Oh, I don’t know—the sunset was incredible, the stars were awesome, but nothing could outshine your mother last night! She was the most beautiful of all!” Steve said gallantly with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Awww!” the teens all laughed.

  “Oh, how you do go on!” Rachel giggled. “Okay, enough of this silliness! What’s on the agenda this morning, Honey?” she asked.

  “Well, we have to be at the airport by 9:00, so as soon as breakfast is over, let’s finish packing. We’re leaving part of our luggage here at the hotel while we’re gone,” Steve Cameron said. “The plane we’re taking is small and we have to be careful how much we take with us. With the eight of us, plus the camping equipment, that means we can’t take much in the way of personal belongings. We’ll only be there a couple days, anyway, so you each should be able to fit what you’ll need in one small backpack, okay?” He looked at the girls. “I’m serious about this. Understand, girls? Pack light!” He paused and turned to his wife. “Rachel, that includes you! I don’t know if you’ve ever packed lightly in your life, but it’s important this time. I do not want to overload that plane. Okay, enough! Time for that birthday coffee cake!”

  They all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Kristi. “I’m wishing for exciting adventures on our trip to Fire Island,” she said with a big grin just before she blew out the candle. Her parents both groaned.

  “Exciting adventures?” her dad said. “Oh-oh! Be careful what you wish for, Kristi!”

  “Ha! That’s exactly what mom said yesterday!” Kristi laughed.

  Steve and Rachel called Kristi into their room just before they left. Dan had told them about the little drama that had taken place the night before. They didn’t say much, but listened to what Kristi had to say. They could see that Kristi was truly sorry and had learned a good lesson.

  “Well, Kristi,” her father finally said. “I’m pretty sure you’re not going to do something like that again. The important thing is to think before you act, and to call on someone in authority for help when you need it. I realize you just wanted to help this mystery girl, and that is kind of you, but Kristi, you may not be able to help her, you know. You’ve all been praying for her, so leave her in God’s hands, okay?”

  “I understand, Daddy,” Kristi said, “and I promise never to do such a thing again.” She paused. “But sometimes God uses us to help others, doesn’t He?”

  The Cameron family and their friends were at the airport an hour later. This time they went to the terminal that serviced private planes. Steve was flying the small Cessna 207 himself.

  There was a delay before they could cross the tarmac and climb the steps to the plane. The teens were excited. The Cameron kids had flown in small planes many time before with their dad as pilot, but for Pete, Robyn and Anna, it was their first time.

  Anna looked around the small interior nervously. There were eight seats—four rows of two. The cockpit held two of the seats—the left one being for the pilot. The other six seats were in the cabin. “It’s so small,” Anna said biting her lip. “It hardly looks like it could carry all of us.”

  “Actually the Cessna 207 was designed to hold only seven people, but this one will hold all eight of us. There’s a small cargo area, as well as a cargo pod attached to the belly of the plane. Don’t worry, Anna,” Mr. Cameron reassured her. “We’re loaded to capacity, but we should be fine. I wouldn’t do anything to put us at risk.”

  “Oh, I know, Mr. Cameron,” Anna replied quickly. “I trust you completely!”

  “You’d better!” Kristi laughed. “My dad’s the best pilot in the whole world!’

  Steve went through the preflight checklist and a few minutes later started the engine. They waited a few more minutes and then took their turn to taxi to the runway. The small plane sped down the runway and gradually lifted into the air. Mr. Cameron frowned a bit and made a few adjustments at the controls.

  “Something wrong, Steve?” Rachel asked from the seat next to him.

  “Oh, no. She’s just feeling a little sluggish, is all. We’re fine.”

  The young people watched out their windows as the island of Oahu disappeared behind them. Ahead was only bright blue sky and below, an equally blue ocean. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun shone brilliantly.

  “How long will it take us to get there, Dad?” Skeeter asked.

  “Well, it should only take about two hours, but we have some pretty strong headwinds today. We would normally be cruising at about 130 knots—or 150 miles—per hour. But today, with our lower speed due to the headwinds, it’s going to take a little longer to fly the 300 miles between Oahu and Fire Island,” Mr. Cameron said.

  “Ka Moku Ahi.”

  They all turned to look at Pete. “What did you say, Pete?” Dan asked.

  “Ka Moku Ahi,” he repeated. “That means Island of Fire in Hawaiian,” he said. They all stared at him. “What?” he shrugged. “I just did a little research on the internet before we left home.”

  “You never cease to surprise me,” Dan said to his normally quiet friend. “But hey, that’s cool!”

  “Why is it called Fire Island or Island of Fire—however you want to say it?” Kristi asked.

  “There’s a volcano right in the middle of the island—a live one,” Pete said. “That’s how the island was formed.”

  “A volcano!” the other young people exclaimed.

  “Oops—guess I forgot to tell you!�
�� Mr. Cameron said. “Nothing to worry about, though. It’s just a small one and it’s been over 100 years since it last erupted.”

  Dan nudged Pete and grinned. “Like I said once before—sounds like it’s overdue!”

  “Dan!” the girls protested.

  The flight was uneventful until Mr. Cameron suddenly frowned again and said, “That’s strange.”

  “What, Steve? You’re making me nervous,” Rachel said.

  “Well, we’re going through our fuel awfully fast. Strong headwinds slow us down and cause us to use more fuel than normal, and we’re loaded pretty heavily, but I made sure we had plenty to spare. The controls feel funny, too—sluggish and hard to move. I keep losing altitude. I don’t understand this.”

  “Are we in trouble?” Rachel asked with concern. “Should we head back to Oahu?”

  “It’s too late for that now,” Steve said. “We’re further from Oahu than we are from Fire Island. We have to keep going. Actually, we have enough fuel to get us there, but probably not enough to get us back again. What worries me right now is that there is nowhere else to land between here and the island. It’s getting harder and harder to keep us in the air.”

  “But we will get there, right?”

  Steve didn’t answer. His brow was furrowed in concentration, mentally trying to calculate wind speeds, weight and fuel consumption.

  “Steve?” Rachel asked again.

  “Daddy, what’s wrong?” Kristi called from the back of the plane.

  “Well, we’re having a couple problems with the plane, kids. I don’t want you to worry about it, though. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

  “We won’t worry, Dad,” Dan said. “We’ll pray.” He bowed his head. “Father, You know we have a problem here. We love you and trust you and are asking You to help us to get safely to Fire Island. We know that You are in control, so please help us not to be afraid. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  They all echoed his Amen. The three girls held hands tightly and tried to smile bravely at one another. Everyone tightened their seatbelts. It was quiet in the small cabin as they watched the water below and prayed silently. It seemed like the ocean was coming closer and closer to them.

  Mr. Cameron finally let out a small breath of relief. “I see Fire Island straight ahead! We’ll be there in just a minute. Hold on, everyone. With the controls so sluggish, it may be a bit of a rough landing.”

  The young people nervously watched out the window. They could see the cone of the volcano rising above the island. A thin plume of smoke lazily spiraled from the cone.

  They were barely skimming over the waves now. Mr. Cameron lined the plane up with a stretch of clear white beach. He was struggling to keep the nose up. The sea and sand seemed to rush towards them as the plane came in low for a landing.

  Anna gave a little cry and the other girls gasped as the plane hit the beach hard. It bounced back into the air and then came down again with several more hard bumps. Their seatbelts cut in as they held them in their seats. The plane’s tail began to slide to the left and Mr. Cameron fought to keep them from skidding into the trees that lined the beach and flipping over. The small airplane finally came to a rest just five feet from a grove of palm trees.

  There was a moment of silence as they caught their breath. Kristi rubbed her head where it had hit against the window. Skeeter was holding his right arm closely to his body. Anna began to cry and in the silence her quiet sobs filled the air.

  Mr. Cameron finally called out, “Is everyone okay? Dan? Kristi?” He looked over at his wife and saw that she was bleeding from a small cut on her head. “Rachel!”

  “I’m fine, Steve,” she said calmly. “I just bumped my head on the instrument panel.” She turned in her seat. “Kids! Is everyone okay?”

  One by one they answered. “I’m fine, Mom!” “Me, too!” “I just bumped my head, but I’m okay.” Anna stopped crying once the shock of the rough landing was over and she realized everyone was alright.

  “Skeeter, what’s the matter with your arm?” Rachel said in alarm.

  “Nothing, Mom! Honest! I don’t think it’s broken. I just banged it hard against the arm rest and it hurts. That’s all.”

  “Well, we’ll take a look at it when we get out of here. Everyone out now, if you’re sure your legs are working okay and you’re not hurt.” Steve helped his wife and the girls from the plane. The boys jumped out on their own. Dan had the first aid kit with him.

  “Sit down, Rachel,” Steve instructed. “I want to clean that cut and get a bandage on it. It doesn’t look like it needs stitches, fortunately.”

  He looked at Skeeter’s arm next and a minute later proclaimed it bruised, not broken. The bump on Kristi’s head had quit swelling, but since she said she felt fine and did not have a headache, he gave her a hug and a kiss and said, “There! It’s all better now!”

  Kristi laughed shakily and said, “Well, praise the Lord! I think we all need to thank Him right now, don’t you?”

  “Absolutely, Kristi!” They joined hands and Steve Cameron began to pray, “Father, thank You once again for protecting us and getting us here safely. We thank You that there are no serious injuries and that we will be just fine. We ask now that You help us to find the fuel we need to get back off the island, and in the meantime, to enjoy our time here. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  He raised his head and looked at his family and the three other young people with them. He felt a tremendous load of responsibility to keep each one of them safe and well. “Okay, I think the first thing we need to do is get unloaded, and then I’ll try to raise someone on the radio and see about getting some fuel flown in to us. Dan, Pete, Skeeter—you want to help me unload our stuff?”

  He walked to the back of the plane and unlocked the cargo hatch. Backpacks and equipment, which had shifted during the bouncing and skidding of the light plane, spilled out onto the sand. And then to their amazement a body tumbled out among them onto the beach. It was a girl—their mystery girl!

  _________

  CHAPTER TEN

  _________

  On Fire Island

  Steve and Rachel quickly knelt beside the girl. “She’s alive!” Steve said. “She’s unconscious, though. She’s got a bump on her head that matches yours, Kristi.” He carefully checked for broken bones while Rachel held the girl’s hand and patted her cheeks.

  “Robyn,” she said, “there are some bottles of water behind you. Would you bring me one, please? Oh, and a T-shirt or something that I can wet and put on that bump.”

  Rachel poured some of the bottled water on a corner of the T-shirt and wiped the girl’s face carefully. She held the cool, damp cloth to the swelling on her forehead. The girl groaned softly and moved her head, trying to escape the pain. Rachel held the water bottle to the girl’s lips and tried to coax her to take a sip of water.

  The teenagers all hung back, unsure of what to do. They whispered among themselves, full of unanswered questions. Steve finally sat back on his heels and said, “Stay with her, Rachel. I’m going to try to get someone on the radio. We may need to get her to a doctor—and no matter what, we’re not going anywhere without more fuel. We need some help.”

  Steve climbed into the cockpit, but only minutes later he was back again. “Well, we’ve got another problem. The radio isn’t working. Something must have happened to it during that rough landing.” Rachel looked at him in dismay. “Don’t worry, Honey,” he reassured her. “We’ll be okay. I’ll think of something. And also, it’s not like no one knows where we are. The hotel people knew where we were going and I had to file a flight plan when I chartered the plane, so eventually someone will realize we’re missing and come looking for us.” He paused and then gave her a kiss and said, “Don’t forget—our Father knows exactly where we are!”

  “You’re right, Steve, of course.” Rachel turned to look at her daughter and said, “Well, Kristi, it looks like you got exactly what you wished for—an exciting adventure! And it’s not over yet! We ma
y have several more exciting adventures before this is all over!”

  She looked down at the girl stretched out on the sand beside her, and touched her cheek. The girl stirred and groaned again. Kristi came and knelt beside her mother, picking up the slender hand of the dark-haired girl. Just then the girl’s lashes began to flutter and a moment later she slowly opened her eyes. She looked up into their faces, and for a moment a shadow of fear filled her eyes. She sighed and slowly closed her eyes. She was out again.

  “I think she’s going to be okay, Kristi,” Rachel said. “Let’s just let her sleep for a while. She’s probably going to have a whopper of a headache when she wakes up. Dan, Pete—would you help me move her over to the shade? Kristi, would you and the girls mind sitting with her while the rest of us set up camp? Steve, I think we should set up the tents under the trees, as well, don’t you? We’ll have a little more shelter from the sun, as well as rain if we get any.”

  They spread out some beach towels and laid the still-sleeping girl on them under some palm trees. The girls sat near her, quietly talking among themselves. Rachel supervised as Steve and the boys finished unloading the plane and set up the two tents. They had decided that in order to cut down on the amount of equipment they had to bring, Rachel and the girls would sleep in one tent, and Steve and the boys would have the other one.

  “Robyn, do you think she looks familiar to you? How about you, Anna? I still have this feeling I’ve seen her before,” Kristi asked them in hushed tones.

  “I don’t know, Kristi,” Anna said. “I’m not sure, but maybe you’re right. I just don’t remember ever knowing anyone from Hawaii.”

  “Me, either,” Robyn said. “Maybe she’s someone famous and we’ve seen her on TV or something,” she suggested.

  “I know you.”

  The three girls turned and looked at the girl lying on their beach towels. She was awake and looking at them. Her voice was quiet and a bit shaky. She lifted her hand and gingerly touched the lump on her head. “Ouch.”