Chasing Danger

by Sara Grant

  “Are you sure that’s what they said?” Mackenzie studied the horizon.

  “No.” I wasn’t sure about anything any more. “Is it possible that one of those old ladies is a princess? You’re British. You must be able to spot royalty.”

  I saw a glimmer of recognition in Mackenzie’s eyes. “I think royals come to remote islands not to be recognized. One of those ladies could be a princess. If that’s even what you heard. Sounds crazy to me. They could be using princess as a code name.” She nervously rubbed the scar on her neck.

  Something about Mackenzie’s behaviour made me think she was hiding something, but I didn’t really know her. Maybe she always acted this weird.

  “Take one of the Jet Skis since you already know how to operate it,” Mackenzie said. “The average speed of a Jet Ski is fifty miles per hour, but I don’t suggest you drive it that fast.”

  “Wait, why are you telling me this? You’re coming too.”

  She shook her head. “I think our odds of survival are better if we initiate multiple strategies. They will have ransacked my bungalow by now. I can use my satellite phone to call my mum or someone for help.”

  “That is, if they didn’t steal or destroy it.”

  “Then I might be able to rig something on my computers so I can send an SOS.”

  “I think we should stay together.” I didn’t want to do this on my own.

  “We’ve got to divide and conquer.”

  Who did she think she was? Napoleon?

  “I don’t want to go back into the water.” I was just being honest.

  “We can do this,” Mackenzie said, using my lame pep talk against me. “We have to do everything in our power to get help, right?”

  “I guess.”

  “Good luck,” Mackenzie said, clapping me on the back. She was acting all tough-guy, but her twitching eye and shaking hands told the real story. “I’ll see you when this is over.”

  “Uh, yeah…” This was happening too fast. I wasn’t ready for her to go. I didn’t know if I could make it to the other island. I didn’t know what was out there in the dark, waiting to attack.

  “I’m really sorry,” she said. “I never meant for anyone to get hurt.” She pulled me to my feet.

  “What? Wait!” Before I could react, Mackenzie shoved me into the water. She dived straight over my head and swam in the opposite direction…

  How much could one girl take? I was stranded in creature-infested water in the middle of the night with pirates attacking by land and eels by sea. I was completely and utterly alone, and completely and utterly terrified. I trod water and watched Mackenzie swim her weird doggy paddle away. Her plan made sense, but I didn’t have to like it. I’d felt safer with her by my side.

  Ahead of me was a curtain of darkness. When I was on the seaplane flying here, I noticed the miles and miles of sea that separated the islands. If I veered off course, I could be lost at sea for ever – and what was worse, Ariadne, Mackenzie and everyone on the island would be at the mercy of those horrible men.

  I channelled my fears and doubts and started to swim. I didn’t have a choice, not really. The pirates would probably return soon. I kept my head above water. When I thought about being attacked by eels and sharks and sea monsters, I swam faster.

  When I reached a Jet Ski, I latched on to its bumper. I was floating nearly parallel with the dining hall. I hid behind the Jet Ski and floated along. The lights were blazing in the dining hall. Guests were tied in clusters to the posts spaced equally throughout. Ariadne was easy to spot with her short silvery hair and frilly yellow dress. One of those other women might be a princess, and if so, she was in greater danger. I had no way to warn her.

  I was scared and exhausted, but I wasn’t tied up and helpless. I had the chance to do something. They didn’t. I climbed on to the Jet Ski. I pressed myself flat to the seat and studied the island. My head was exploding with questions. Where were the patrols? Had the men finished ransacking the bungalows? If so, where were they and what were they doing? Were they hunting for a princess? If they heard me, would they come after me? Could they shoot me from this distance? Could they capture me before I reached the other island?

  I wasn’t the best student, but I had never been at such a loss for answers. If this was Rescue 101, I’d have failed already.

  I noticed a few men on top of the dining hall. They were attaching something to each post. I slipped off the Jet Ski and paddled closer, towing it behind me so I was camouflaged by its shadow. I inched closer and closer. I squinted to get a better look.

  They were placing things the size of shoeboxes with flickering lights on the roof. That didn’t make any sense. Why would they put electronic equipment on the roof of the dining hall – especially when they’d gathered the hostages there?

  The answer zapped me like lightning. I knew what they were doing with terrifying certainty…

  The pirates had no intention of leaving any witnesses. This wasn’t going to end peacefully. Those shoeboxes were BOMBS!

  Racing off to another island was no longer an option. Mackenzie had been right. We needed multiple strategies. I hoped Mackenzie had made it to her bungalow and was calling, texting, messaging and sending SOS smoke signals. I had to save Ariadne and the rest of the hostages. Right. Freaking. Now.

  I tried to add up the bad guys. Two were ransacking the bungalows. Those could be the same two men who were patrolling the island or the two men planting the bombs. I saw at least two pirates guarding the hostages. Another masked man was ushering someone from the office back to the dining room. There was at least one other person in the office making transactions. The bottom line was … I was outnumbered.

  Then, for once, my brain spat out this perfect thought: I was outnumbered, but together we – the staff and guests – outnumbered them. I calculated the safest and quickest way to the dining hall. I couldn’t believe I was running towards danger. Sure, I was a bit of daredevil on my bike, but if a stunt went wrong, I broke bones. If this went wrong, I could be dead – and worse yet, others could be killed. I glanced up at the blinking bombs. If I did nothing, the hostages were going to die. I couldn’t let that happen.

  I swam in the shelter of the Jet Ski for as long as I thought was safe, then I swam underwater to shore. I surfaced exactly where I’d hoped, near the yoga studio. I half swam, half crawled to the water’s edge. I was going to have to make a break from the beach to the landscaping around the dining hall. I studied the movement of the pirates. It was a risk no matter when I made a run for it. How was it possible that those people’s lives depended on me? ME?!

  I quashed every instinct that was telling me to swim away or hide. I could do this. I had to do this. My dad was a hero. Maybe I could be a hero too. But then I remembered the other half of my gene pool. My mom was a criminal, and she got caught. How could two such opposite genes exist in one person? I didn’t feel half bad, but maybe I was. I guessed this would be the real test to see if I was more like my mother or my father.

  I made a few false starts – darting on to the beach and then seeing one of the pirates looking my way and diving back into the sea. If they spotted me, it was game over.

  I picked my moment and dive-bombed the shrubbery and plastered myself to the sandy ground. I waited for any sign that they’d seen me. I slowly lifted my head to check. The scene hadn’t changed. This close I could see that the hostages were bound with plastic zip ties. I would need to cut people’s wrists free.

  On the outskirts of the dining room, not far from where I was, I saw the cabinet where the silverware was kept. I remembered Luke bringing me a clean knife from there after I’d dropped mine. If I was lucky, the knives would be sharp enough to cut through the bands. But how was I going to reach the cabinet without being seen? I needed more than luck. I needed a miracle.

  Or a distraction.

  A miracle in the shape of a cat sauntered into the dining hall. It wove its way among the hostages. It could help me create a distraction. I searche
d for something to throw. I dug three pebbles from the sand.

  “Sorry,” I whispered as I lobbed one pebble at the cat and the other at Ariadne as carefully and softly as I could.

  EYEOW! The cat screeched when the pebble hit its back and darted away.

  “What was that?” one pirate shouted.

  “It’s a cat, you idiot!” The other pirate laughed.

  As the pair watched the cat, I raised myself above the shrubbery. My pebble must have reached Ariadne because she was alert and looking around. I tossed another pebble. It landed a few feet away from her. She followed its trajectory and locked eyes with me. When we first met, I found it hard to believe that she was sixty-nine years old. She seemed to have aged in only a few hours. I could see every second of those years on her face now.

  I pointed to my chest and then to the cabinet and hoped somehow she understood. I wished we’d had years together – not only because we might have developed grandmother–granddaughter telepathy, but also because I was afraid that we might never have the chance.

  I dipped back down and kept my eyes glued to Ariadne. Her body slumped forward. She twitched and twitched again. She began to wail.

  Oh no! Something was wrong with her. She was an old woman. The stress of this had been too much for her. My grandma was having a heart attack.

  I flinched when she cried out in pain.

  “Something’s wrong with Ariadne,” the guy next to her shouted.

  Ariadne moaned, “Help me. Please.”

  Did I just kill my grandma?

  Why didn’t they help her?

  The pirates glanced at my grandma but did nothing. The two masked men continued their patrol as if they didn’t notice her, lying there, writhing in pain. The other hostages stared, open-mouthed. I couldn’t move, shouldn’t move. If I got caught, what good would I be to anyone?

  The pirates didn’t seem to care that my grandma was dying. I guessed it didn’t matter to them. They planned to kill everyone in an explosion so they probably figured what was one hostage now more or less. How could a human being care so little for someone else?

  I thought of my mom. Was she that heartless?

  Ariadne cried out again. The urge to run to her side was overwhelming. I battled my need to stay hidden versus my desire to save my grandma. The pirates continued to patrol the room, ignoring her agonizing screams.

  The guy next to Ariadne shouted, “Oi! Can’t you see this woman needs medical attention?”

  One pirate took a few steps towards Ariadne. He sneered at her as if she was a pile of garbage in a landfill.

  Ariadne moaned. Her whole body convulsed.

  I hugged myself and crouched tighter into a ball to keep myself from bolting.

  A woman miles older than Ariadne piped up. “Aren’t you going to help her?”

  Then every hostage in the dining hall started shouting at the pirates. Inside I was whooping and hollering too. They would have to help Ariadne. They couldn’t afford a revolt. Maybe they also understood that they were outnumbered. Finally both pirates made their way to Ariadne. It was a tiny victory for the good guys.

  The bad guys hunched over her. Everyone in the room strained to see what was happening. That was exactly the distraction I needed. I dived for the silverware cabinet and eased open the door. I checked the pirates every few seconds to make sure I hadn’t been spotted. I plucked out four sharp knives and closed the door again.

  Ariadne screamed louder and louder. Was she trying to cover up the noise I was making? Or was her pain getting worse?

  Now for the really stupid part of my plan. I crept next to the closest cluster of hostages. A few of them stared at me wide-eyed. They scooted over to make room for me, but their expressions said they thought I was crazy. I shook my head and glared at them. I didn’t need them drawing attention to me.

  I pinned my arms behind my back so it appeared my wrists had been tied together like everyone else. But I didn’t look like everyone else. I was a kid surrounded by old, posh, well-dressed people AND I was soaking wet in shorts and a shirt. I was the easy answer in a game of Which One of These Things Doesn’t Belong.

  OK. Not a perfect plan.

  Still, I didn’t waste a second. I reached for the hands of the guy next to me. I had to be careful not to move the rest of my body. I placed the blade between his hands and the plastic ties, which wasn’t easy to do without looking. I positioned the sharp edge of the knife away from him and against the ribbed plastic. Slowly I began to saw.

  “That’s all we can do for her,” the pirate told the hostages. Ariadne had been untied and was stretched out a few feet from where she’d been sitting. Her head lopped to one side at an awkward angle. The sand on the floor puffed near her nostrils. She was still breathing, still alive.

  The pirates patrolled the dining hall again. I kept my head down. The plastic I had been struggling to cut started to give. The guy tugged his hands free. I handed him the knives. He nodded the slightest of nods. He understood. He began to cut the bands of the person next to him.

  I wanted to check on Ariadne. I needed another distraction. In hushed whispers and the tiniest of flicks of heads and eyes, word spread around the room. I was amazed at what could be communicated with no more than a glance. A group of hostages at the far corner of the room called to the pirates so those of us who were free could move. Some got more knives while the others slipped to another group of hostages.

  I kept my eyes glued to the pirates and sneaked to the hostages right next to Ariadne. She looked so feeble.

  Wait.

  I blinked and looked at her again. Her eyes opened a crack, and she winked at me. She’d been faking it! I should have known. Her moaning and groaning had been a distraction, and it had worked. Maybe we would make a fine grandmother–granddaughter team someday, after all – if we survived.

  “Hey, you!” one of the pirates shouted. I bowed my head. Don’t look at him. He stomped over to Ariadne, kicking sand as he went. I froze. “I think the old bat is faking,” the pirate said, and he poked his gun in her face.

  Ariadne flinched.

  “What’s going on?” the other pirate called.

  The first pirate hauled Ariadne to her feet. “Did you think you could outsmart me, you old fool?”

  I’d never forget the smile that crossed Ariadne’s lips. She may have been nearly seventy, but in that second, the teenager in her came to life. She cocked her head and said, “I know I can.”

  Then she kneed him right in the zipper! The pirate doubled over in pain. She did this manoeuvre that connected her elbow and knee with his head. He was down for the count. If that was a yoga move, I was signing up as soon as we got off the island.

  Now it was my turn. The other pirate headed straight for Ariadne. He was so intent on reaching her he didn’t see me coming. I raised a nearby chair and swung it like a baseball bat. He was the ball and I was aiming for a home run. Baseball wasn’t my sport, but the chair connected with his head with a satisfying crack.

  And then the only word that can describe what happened next was mayhem. The hostages that were free raced to help the other hostages. A few of the waiters ran to the office. Others took off towards the beach. We were hunting the bad guys now. Both pirates in the dining hall were stumbling to their feet. I leapt on one pirate’s back and Ariadne hopped on the other. I looped my arm around his neck. I gripped my fist to complete the circuit and squeezed with all my might. The man was staggering around and flinging me like a twisted towel in the locker room. I didn’t let go until he dropped to his knees and then face-planted in the sand. I kicked his gun away.

  I searched for Ariadne. Her pirate was hunched on the floor. She stomped on his hand that was holding the gun. “You don’t mess with Sinclair ladies!” she said with a laugh.

  Abso-freaking-lutely!

  Our victory over the baddies bound us together like some bizarre old people’s football team, with Ariadne and me as honorary captains. Everyone was celebrating. The dining h
all looked like a pep rally. But I knew we were far from safe.

  “Um, Ariadne,” I started but didn’t know how to say it exactly. I needed to tell everyone about the bombs on the roof, but I didn’t want to create a panic. I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure those were bombs.

  Luke raced over to us. “I’ll take care of those two.” He pointed to the pirates.

  “That’s good,” I said, “But––”

  He interrupted. “The other waiters have captured at least two more bad guys. We’ll tie them up and lock them in the office. A few of the bad guys may have escaped in boats.” We weren’t the same people we were yesterday. His smiley nature had turned serious. I, well, I didn’t know what I was any more. His friends were already carting the pirates away.

  “Well done, Luke,” Ariadne said, patting him on the back.

  “Uh, Ariadne, Luke…” I started again, but he dashed away before I could get the words out.

  “Someone needs to…” Ariadne was explaining how we should organize a search and rescue team.

  “Ariadne,” I said, but she wasn’t paying attention to me. People were starting to gather around her. One word was pulsing in my brain – bomb. I had to tell them. “Excuse me,” I tried again, but she brushed me aside as she continued to give orders. I couldn’t wait a second longer. “Bomb,” I blurted, but no one heard me. “BOMB!” I shouted. That got their attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing. All eyes focused on me. “Everyone out of the dining hall!” I shouted and pointed to the ceiling. “I think the pirates planted bombs on the roof.”

  People scrambled out of the building, running in every direction. In our mad dash, Ariadne rammed into a table and crashed to the floor.

  “Go on!” she demanded. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  I wanted to run and keep on running. My survival instinct was in overdrive. But I wasn’t about to leave my grandma. I lurched back to her and held out my hand. “No one messes with the Sinclair ladies,” I said.