Lost At Sea (Sweet Valley High Book 56)

by Francine Pascal

  Jessica could hardly wait to get to shore. As soon as Mr. Russo helped each team locate a tide pool, they would be on their own. She figured she could take a quick look at her tide pool and then ditch Winston, Lois, and Randy—and the sooner the better. She could copy their notes later on that afternoon. She planned on sneaking off to sunbathe.

  As the boat pulled into a cove on the south end of Anacapa Island, Jessica gasped. The small, unpopulated island looked like a tropical paradise! A half-moon of sugar-white sand was edged with palm trees and a jungle of exotic plants and flowers. On one side of the beach was a rocky point. Mr. Russo pointed to it. "A perfect spot for tide pools!" he commented eagerly.

  Captain Marsden cut the engine, and everybody jumped off the boat and waded to shore. Jessica stayed as close as possible to Ken, but Winston stayed just as close to her. Jessica didn't mind, though. In a few minutes she would get rid of Winston and the rest of her classmates—except Ken. It wouldn't be hard to lure him away from his team. They could go for a romantic walk in the woods. Who knows what will happen? Jessica thought.

  Mr. Russo clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "OK, kids, because this is an extra-credit field trip and not a formal lab, I'm not going to require a write-up from each of you." Jessica smiled. Mr. Russo was practically giving her permission to spend the afternoon having fun.

  "Instead," Mr. Russo continued, "one person from each team will act as scribe, recording the team's data. Two hours from now we'll meet back here for a wrap-up session. While the entire team will collaborate on the research, the scribe for each team will present the team's findings at the wrap-up. I'm assigning the scribes at random. Let's see." He paused for only a moment before decisively announcing, "Ken for team one, Jessica for team two, Tom for team three, and Katrina for team four. Good luck!"

  Jessica swallowed a scream. Now she would be shackled to Winston, Randy, and Lois for the entire field trip. Not only that, but she would actually have to work!

  After casting a withering look at Mr. Russo, Jessica trudged down the sand toward the rocks. Winston carried the team's equipment: a portable microscope, a box of plastic slides, a plastic ruler, and a pocket-sized textbook to help them identify various plants and shore organisms. They found a tide pool quickly, and Mr. Russo approved it.

  "Here you go, scribe." With a flourish, Winston offered Jessica a pad of paper and a sharp pencil. "It's all yours!"

  Jessica snatched the paper and the pencil from him. "Well, let's get this over with!" she said irritably.

  "First we have to describe the tide pool's appearance," said Lois, peering meekly at Jessica through her oversize glasses and shaggy brown hair.

  "Fine. So describe." Jessica gripped the pencil, ready to write.

  "A tide pool is a microcosm of ocean ecology," Winston said in a corny French accent, imitating Jacques Cousteau. "In a tide pool seaweed, shellfish, and microscopic organisms live in harmony. As the tide recedes and the sun warms the pool—"

  "Shut up and describe the stupid pool!" Jessica demanded.

  "Well, it's round," Winston said with a deadpan expression.

  Jessica recorded the information and then waited for Winston to continue.

  "And it's wet," he added, smiling mischievously.

  "Winston!" Jessica warned.

  Randy held out a plastic ruler. "The pool is six inches deep at the deepest end and two inches deep at the shallow end," he said helpfully. "And it has a sandy bottom."

  "So much for its appearance." Jessica decided that if she had to be team scribe, at least she could use her position to hurry things along. "Now, what's in it?"

  All four leaned over the pool to observe. For a moment even Jessica was captivated by its peaceful perfection. Feathery plants swayed gently back and forth, tiny crabs shuffled sideways among the shells and snails, and a school of tiny minnows darted erratically around the pool. Suddenly there was a loud splash, and saltwater flew into Jessica's face. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the crystal-clear pool had turned into a muddy, murky puddle.

  Jessica stared disbelievingly. But it was true. One of Winston's feet, basketball sneaker and all, was planted smack in the middle of the tide pool.

  "Winston!" Jessica, Lois, and Randy exclaimed in unison.

  Looking sheepish, Winston gingerly removed his foot. "Gee, I didn't mean to do that. I was bending forward for a closer look, and I lost my balance." He laughed. "Next thing I knew, I was taking a swim!"

  "It's not funny, Egbert," Jessica snapped, throwing down her paper and pencil. "You ruined our project! You've probably killed all our crabs and snails. And you got me soaking wet!"

  Angrily she brushed the salty droplets off her bare arms, ignoring Winston's apologies. "If we don't get our extra credit, it'll be all your fault," Jessica accused him.

  Randy finished wiping his glasses off with his T-shirt and slipped them back on. He looked shyly at Jessica. "I bet if we let the tide pool alone for fifteen minutes or so, the sand will settle, and we'll be able to study it again. Why don't we take a short break?" he suggested.

  "That's a very good idea," Jessica agreed. She flashed Winston her strongest if-looks-could-kill glare. "And, Winston, I'm warning you. No, I'm threatening you! One more move like that and I'm never speaking to you again. I just don't know what Maria sees in you!"

  Jessica stomped off as dramatically as she could, considering that her flimsy sandals kept slipping on the rocks and she had to wave her arms to keep her balance. She had wondered more than once before what pretty, dark-haired Maria Santelli, a fellow cheerleader, saw in her boyfriend, Winston. It certainly wasn't his looks. Winston was lanky and awkward with no muscles worth mentioning. And it couldn't be his manners; he wasn't exactly suave. I guess he makes her laugh, Jessica thought. Winston was definitely a comedian. He delivered one-liners the way a major-league pitcher delivered fastballs. He was an institution at Sweet Valley High, invited to every party because he provided free entertainment. But, boy, I'd rather date a guy with absolutely no sense of humor than one with too much! Jessica thought. She wished Maria had come on the field trip so Winston would hang all over her instead.

  As she put as much space as possible between herself and Winston, Jessica looked for a spot to lie down so she could improve her tan. It sure would be nice to have some company, she thought wistfully. It was too bad Ken was busy being his team's scribe. Then Jessica thought of Lila. She was probably dying for an excuse to get out of working, too.

  Jessica spotted Lila's team fifty yards away on the other side of the point. Clambering carefully over the rocks, she whispered loudly, "Hey, Lila! Want to join me? I'm going to catch some rays."

  Lila sighed. "I wish I could," she said in a soft voice. "But Mr. Science over there"—Lila nodded her head in Tom McKay's direction—"is our scribe, and he's taking this whole thing really seriously. He'd probably snitch to Mr. Russo if I left."

  "Sorry," Jessica said, patting Lila on the shoulder. "I'll see you later."

  Lila sighed again. "Yeah. So long."

  Jessica picked a spot on the beach out of sight of Mr. Russo and laid down on the sand, using her rolled-up gauze shirt as a pillow. The sand felt warm under her back. In a few seconds she relaxed into the sunbathing mode . . . her mind emptying out as she surrendered to the pleasure of the sun and the cool, fresh breeze. If only she didn't have to go back to her tide pool . . .

  Something cold and wet and disgusting suddenly landed on Jessica's face. "Eeek!" she cried, sitting up abruptly.

  "Hey, buddy, look what I found!" Winston proudly displayed a slimy branch of gelatinous, neon-green seaweed. "Pretty fancy, huh? This isn't your garden-variety seaweed, either. I looked it up in the book."

  "Great, Winston." Jessica flopped backward on the sand and closed her eyes.

  Winston didn't seem to get the message that Jessica wanted to be left alone. Instead, he sat down next to her. "This is the life," he said, pounding a fist on his chest as if he were Tarzan. "Sail
ing the seven seas to explore uncharted islands—"

  Jessica suddenly sat up at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. Turning her back on Winston, she looked for her twin's group. Finally she was in luck! Elizabeth, Enid, Ken, and Aaron were studying a tide pool not far away. "I just thought of something really urgent I have to ask my sister," Jessica announced, jumping to her feet. "See you back at the tide pool, Winston."

  Jessica ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing it up around her face. She brushed a few grains of sand off her legs and quickly adjusted her bandeau.

  "Hi, guys, how's it going?" she called out cheerfully as she approached.

  Ken looked up and met Jessica's eyes. His smile was warm and friendly. Jessica stopped a few feet away so that Ken could get an optimal view of her body posed against the seductive backdrop of the sea, sand, and palm trees.

  "Hi, Jess," Elizabeth said, glancing up from the pool. Her face broke into a smile. Jessica smiled back. Then Jessica noticed that instead of fading, Elizabeth's smile grew wider. Ken, Aaron, and Enid were also grinning.

  "What's so funny?" Jessica asked, slightly peeved. Ken was supposed to get stars in his eyes at the sight of her, not start cracking up. At that moment Jessica felt something moving on top of her head. Shrieking, she brushed wildly at her hair with both hands. A big hermit crab flew off her head and landed, wiggling, on the sand.

  Jessica spun around. Just as she suspected, Winston had tiptoed up behind her with the crab. Now he was rolling on the sand, helpless with laughter at the outraged expression on Jessica's face.

  Everyone else seemed to think it was hilarious, too. Enid and Elizabeth were holding on to each other, laughing.

  "Egbert, you're too much," Ken said with a chuckle.

  Jessica tried to smile, but it was impossible. How could she hope to impress Ken with shellfish in her hair? Thanks to Winston, she was coming across like the class clown herself!

  Jessica's team finally managed to put together a report on their tide pool, despite all of Winston's clumsy mistakes. The second part of the afternoon's assignment required them to pace off a ten-square-yard area in the undergrowth beyond the beach and then write down the names of twenty different plants and insects they could find within it.

  Lois looked at her watch. "We only have ten minutes," she observed, sounding doubtful. "Then we have to be back for the wrap-up."

  "No problem." Jessica wasn't daunted. "We can do it in five!"

  With Jessica leading the way, the group charged into the woods above the beach and quickly marked out a square. Winston, Lois, and Randy shouted out the names of plants and insects while Jessica rapidly took notes. However, after locating fifteen different plants and insect species, they came to a halt.

  "C'mon!" Jessica urged the others, cheerleader-style. "We're almost there. Our extra credit is hanging on this. Just five more stupid plant or insect names."

  Randy and Lois dutifully dug down again among the ferns and saplings, but Winston had disappeared. Where is that good-for-nothing? Jessica wondered, annoyed.

  Suddenly there was a loud crash in the trees behind her. It sounded like an animal moving in the underbrush. Jessica pictured a hungry panther coming to get her, or a boa constrictor wriggling closer and closer to her feet. . . . Giving a terrified yelp, she jumped back and headed for the nearest palm tree to take shelter.

  "Jessica, what's the matter?"

  Tipping her neck back, she looked up and saw Winston, who had shimmied halfway up a tall palm, about to throw another large nut into the bushes. "Scared you, huh, buddy?" he asked gleefully.

  "That's it!" Jessica fumed. "Forget finding the last five names. Team two is now formally dissolved! And, Winston, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay up in that tree!"

  The other teams were already assembled on the beach when Jessica, Lois, and Randy arrived, with Winston not far behind. As she joined her sister, Jessica noticed for the first time that the breeze, now quickened into a sharp wind coming out of the north, had pushed a low bank of clouds in front of the sun. The drop in temperature was just what she needed to regain her cool after getting steamed up by Winston. She slipped her arms back into the sleeves of her shirt.

  Off to one side, Mr. Russo seemed to be conferring with Captain Marsden. Looking at the dark clouds on the horizon, the captain shook his head.

  Bob Russo turned to the students. "It looks like we might be in for a little surprise storm, so we're going to have to cut the field trip short," he announced. "Captain Marsden wants to beat the rain home. We'll postpone the wrap-up until we're back on shore."

  Elizabeth seemed disappointed, but Jessica was thrilled. From her point of view, the field trip couldn't be over too soon.

  Three

  The Pacific Ocean looked completely different on the return trip. Instead of brilliant blue, it was slate gray and extremely choppy. The Maverick bounced across the waves, with every bounce sending up huge jets of salt spray.

  Jessica was enjoying the wild ride. The wind and the surf—and the fact that Winston was at the other end of the boat—combined to clear her mind of the annoyance she had felt earlier.

  "Isn't this fun?" Jessica asked Ken. The wind practically grabbed the words right out of her mouth.

  "What?" Even though Ken was sitting right next to her in the boat's stern, he had to lean closer to hear her. Jessica didn't mind.

  "This is fun," she repeated, putting her lips as near to Ken's ear as she could without actually touching it.

  Ken nodded. "There's nothing like being near the water, or on the water, when a storm comes up. It's a pretty cool sight."

  Cool was the right word, Jessica thought. The wind had a sharp edge to it, and her gauze top didn't provide much protection. It was a good excuse to snuggle up to Ken, who had one arm stretched casually along the back of the boat behind her neck.

  It was the moment she had been waiting for all day, and Jessica was unselfish enough to acknowledge silently that she had Elizabeth to thank. Her twin had cornered Winston at the bow of the boat and was engaging him in conversation. Elizabeth glanced Jessica's way and winked. Jessica smiled gratefully.

  She turned to Ken. His blue-gray eyes were narrowed against the wind, which whipped his shaggy blond hair back from his face. He looked even better than usual.

  "Ken, I haven't gotten to talk to you much lately," Jessica observed, trying to indicate by her silky tone of voice that she would like to remedy the situation.

  "Must be because I've been busy failing science," Ken joked.

  "Me, too," Jessica commiserated. "I guess Mr. Russo didn't think it was enough punishment to have to go on this field trip in the first place. He made us both scribes for our teams! I don't know about you, but I'd been planning to get in as little work—and as much play—as possible today."

  Ken laughed. "Me, too."

  The boat took an extra-hard bounce across a large wave, and Jessica found herself thrown against Ken. He put an arm around her to steady her and then left it there. Ken's body next to hers made Jessica's toes tingle with excitement. She was plenty warm now.

  Ken seemed to be feeling the same electricity. "It's been a while, Jess," he began thoughtfully, looking down into her expectant eyes, "since we—you and I—did anything together, just the two of us. Remember the Homecoming dance sophomore year?"

  "Do I ever." Jessica giggled. "You ran out of gas driving me home, and I thought you planned it so you could be alone with me!"

  Ken grinned. "Until I left you in the car while I walked to the nearest gas station by myself, that is!"

  "Right." Jessica knew that getting Ken to stroll down memory lane was the right idea. "And remember," she said with a meaningful smile, "that night at the Beach Disco last spring?"

  At a big party at the oceanfront dance club, Ken and Jessica had danced up a storm together. They had ended one slow number out on the deck under the stars. Caught up in the moment, they had shared a long, warm kiss.

  Ken did remember, Jessica saw
that. The look in his eyes was warm enough to start a forest fire. "Hey, Jess," he said in a husky voice, "Bruce might be putting together a party on Friday night. Would you want to—"

  Ken was cut off in midsentence as the Maverick hit another giant swell. This time the wave caught the small boat broadside. There were shouts as water washed clear across the deck, soaking everyone on board.

  The fire that Ken and Jessica had been starting was put out with a sizzle. Jessica was cold, really cold, right down to her bones. Her teeth chattering, she looked around her. The waves were twice as high as they had been when they left Anacapa Island just a quarter of an hour earlier, and a thick fog had materialized. All of a sudden the rising storm wasn't fun anymore. It was downright scary.

  Captain Marsden was on his ship-to-shore radio, shouting to make himself heard over the roar of the wind. "I think we might be in trouble. I'm going to keep the line open. Be ready for an S.O.S.!"

  Just then an enormous swell washed over the boat, nearly capsizing it. Jessica screamed and threw her arms around Ken's neck. Ken gripped the railing tightly with both hands to keep from being swept overboard.

  The boat was filling rapidly with water. The engine had stalled, and Jessica could see Captain Marsden pulling uselessly on one of the levers on the dashboard. A moment later he turned around. "We're going to have to evacuate!" he shouted, raising his voice above the howl of the wind. There were gasps of fear, and Lila screeched.

  Captain Marsden lifted a hand. "Stay calm. I'm radioing for help, and we'll be picked up by the Coast Guard in no time. Just buckle your life jackets tightly and do your best to stay in sight of the Maverick. She may stay afloat, but I can't be sure."

  There was a mad rush for the life jackets. Mr. Russo started hauling rubber lifeboats and plastic oars out of the charter boat's storage bin.

  Ken helped Jessica slip her arms into a canary-yellow life preserver and then put his arms around her in a protective hug. They stood up to their knees in cold water, barely able to keep their balance on the sinking boat. "Don't worry, Jess," Ken said. "We'll be fine."