Pandora Jones: Deception

by Barry Jonsberg

  As she got to her feet, Jen was already on the other side of the boat. Pan could just make out the dull gleam of a blade in her hand. She crouched down. There was a sound of sawing and she felt the boat turn a few degrees. Jen rejoined her and handed her a short oar, gesturing to the side closest to the girls. Pan nodded and crawled across the decking, keeping the oar clear of any obstructions. Pan carefully lowered the oar until she felt the water’s resistance. She gripped the top with her left hand and used her right to paddle. The boat swung to her right. She desperately wanted to put distance between themselves and the village, but also didn’t want to risk alerting anyone to their theft.

  Within minutes Pan could tell that their boat had space between it and the other vessels, though they weren’t in clear water yet. She glanced over her shoulder. The flickering lights of the watchtowers seemed sinister, somehow, as if baleful eyes watched their escape. Pan’s flesh crawled.

  Once they were clear of the crowded quay, Jen joined her and whispered.

  ‘Paddle quicker now, Pandora,’ she said. ‘I want to give us ten more minutes before raising the sail. The darkness should still hold for a while, but I don’t want to take the chance of anyone spotting the sail against the sky.’ She disappeared again to the other side.

  Pan exerted all her strength and rowed as hard as she could. She glanced behind again and saw only sky. The blocky shapes of the moored boats were lost to view, and the sky carried the faintest blush of orange. She worked even harder, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

  Finally, Jen crouched besides her.

  ‘Okay, Pandora,’ she said, her voice not quite a whisper but still quiet. ‘I think we’ve got enough distance. What do you know about sailing?’

  Pan lifted the oar and placed it in the boat. She stretched to loosen her muscles.

  ‘Sailing? I don’t know anything about sailing.’ She was panting so hard it was difficult to get the words out.

  ‘No idea how to raise a sail, then?’

  ‘Not a clue.’

  ‘Pity.’

  ‘Are you trying to tell me, Jen, that you’ve stolen a yacht and you’ve no idea how to sail one?’

  Jen chuckled. ‘That seems to sum it up.’

  ‘Why steal something you can’t operate?’

  ‘I’m a fast learner, Pandora,’ Jen replied. ‘Give me a hand with the sail. It can’t be beyond us to get it up and working. We just need to put some distance between us and The School before The School wakes up and the village does whatever the village does.’

  She disappeared into the darkness and Pan groaned, got to her feet and followed. Her clothes clung to her unpleasantly and she shivered. It was just as well the season had changed. A month or so ago they would have died of hypothermia. Jen had located the sail and was attempting to unfold it at the front of the boat.

  ‘This isn’t going to work, you know,’ said Pan.

  ‘Oh, get over yourself, Pandora,’ said Jen. ‘How hard can it be?’

  ‘Extremely hard. Neither of us has ever been sailing before.’

  ‘Hey. It’s just getting a big bit of cloth up onto this mast here and then letting the air do its thing. Look. It’s got these catches along one edge. That’s got to go onto this wire, right?’

  ‘And then what?’

  ‘No idea,’ said Jen.

  ‘Why didn’t you steal a boat with an engine?’

  ‘I did. This has got an engine.’

  ‘With keys?’

  ‘No.’ Jen lifted up an expanse of sail and gazed at it, frowning. ‘But that’s not a problem. I don’t need keys to start an engine.’ She grinned and Pan saw the flash of her teeth. ‘Tellya, Pandora. Juvie provides an education that keeps on giving. Life skills.’

  ‘So why mess around with a sail?’

  Jen dropped the mass of fabric at her feet.

  ‘Well, call me dumb, but I reckon that an engine firing up might just alert anyone in the village, you know? I wanted to get us further out at sea before doing that.’

  Pan rubbed at her face and pushed back strands of hair from her eyes. She looked up at the sky. The orange blush was more pronounced now. Beyond the line of the mountain summit, dawn was approaching.

  ‘Well, call me dumb,’ said Pan, ‘but in about half an hour anyone strolling down to the dock will see a couple of girls struggling with a sail. That also sends out a pretty clear alert that something’s wrong.’

  Jen gazed down at the sail between her feet and scratched her head.

  ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘I’ve no bloody idea what to do with this thing. Okay. Give me two minutes. Maybe no one will hear anything. Maybe if they do they’ll think it’s fisherman Joe making an early start. Maybe we’ll get lucky, Pandora.’

  She moved towards the back of the boat. Pan bundled the sail as best she could. There was probably a neat place where it should be stowed, but she had no idea where. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Pan couldn’t help but think that after that hang-glider ride, they had probably used up a lifetime of luck.

  There was a brief cough from the rear of the boat and then the engine spluttered into life. After the gentle sounds of waves lapping against the boat, the noise was terrifyingly loud, and Pan cringed. It seemed inconceivable that no one would hear them. But at least they were moving. She listened for any shouts of alarm from the dock or the village itself, but the noise of the engine swamped everything. Within moments the last of the flotilla of boats was behind them.

  Dawn bled over the horizon.

  Jen was at the wheel and she had pushed the engine to its maximum, trying to get as much distance between themselves and The School as she could. There was no doubt someone would track them. Their absence from The School could only escape detection for another hour or so. Then there would be a search. Most likely of the grounds of The School first, then the village. As soon as the boat was discovered missing they would be the prime suspects. The best they could hope for was to get a couple of hours’ start, to be so far away that without a direct line of sight it would be impossible for their pursuers to know where in the vast expanse of sea they might have gone.

  Pan and Jen had spoken briefly and agreed that they needed to hug the mainland for a while. Heading straight out from the bay would leave them in the line of sight of the village for a considerable time and once they were spotted, it was game over. So Jen had steered to the right so that they would be shielded by the mountain mass to the right of The School. When the sun rose they steered closer to the shoreline.

  ‘If we see anyone coming,’ Jen had pointed out, ‘we might be able to find a place to hide. A river or a bay of some kind.’

  But they didn’t see anyone. Nor did the coastline give any indications of habitation or anywhere that they could moor. The land was rocky and forbidding, and Jen didn’t get too close in case there were rocks hidden beneath the surface. If the boat was ripped apart, there was no way they could swim to shore. The waves were too violent and they would be dashed against rocks.

  Pan ducked down into the small cabin and found some blankets. She stripped off her wet clothes and wrapped herself tightly, tucking in the blanket against her chest, like a sarong. Then she took another blanket up to Jen, who was shivering in the pale sunlight.

  ‘Get changed, Jen,’ she said. ‘I’ll steer for a while.’

  Wrapped in the blanket, Jen tied their clothes to the wire at the front of the boat that they’d supposed was for the sail. With the wind whipping through them they should dry quickly. Jen returned to Pan’s side and stared out across the sea.

  ‘How long do you think we have been out here, Pandora?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t know. A couple of hours, maybe.’

  ‘And no sign of being followed. Maybe they still haven’t missed us.’

  ‘Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s a big ocean and we’re a small boat.’

  Jen sat cross-legged on the deck and wrapped her blanket tighter.

  ‘Staying close to the shore is sensible, but
they’ll probably think the same way. That that’s the logical step for us. If I was them I’d be sending out some fast boats, one to the right of The School and one to the left. Hug the coastline. Cover as many bases as they can.’

  Pan shrugged. ‘There’s nothing we can do about it, Jen. We’ve got so far. Maybe our luck will hold.’

  ‘Want some breakfast?’

  ‘You’ve brought food?’

  Jen smiled. ‘No, but our luck is holding. There’s a big water container and some food in the cabin. Enough to feed two people for a week at least. I guess it’s standard procedure, in case the engine fails somewhere out in woop-woop.’ She got to her feet and headed for the cabin.

  Pan hadn’t realised how hungry she was until Jen mentioned it. When Jen returned with a packet of biscuits and a mug of water, her stomach clenched. It didn’t take long for them to finish the entire packet, and the water tasted clear, cold and fresh. It eased the dry constriction in her throat.

  ‘There’s tinned food,’ said Jen. ‘Baked beans, stew. And a small galley. We’ll eat better out here than we did in The School.’

  Pan moved the wheel slightly to her left. There was a large outcrop ahead, a barren promontory of jumbled rocks. She eased back on the throttle and steered out to sea a little.

  ‘I guess there’s also equipment,’ she said. ‘A radio, for example.’

  ‘Sure is,’ said Jen, draining her mug of water. ‘There are flares and safety jackets. Everything we need. But we can’t use the radio, Pandora.’

  ‘If the world is out there,’ said Pan, ‘then a couple of minutes on the radio would confirm it.’

  ‘Yes. And also let The School know exactly where we are. I imagine they are monitoring the frequencies, or whatever they’re called, in the hope we’ll try to contact someone. Let’s say we send out a mayday signal or send up a flare. Who’s gonna get to us first, ya reckon?’

  ‘Isn’t it worth the risk?’

  ‘No. Not until we put some serious distance between us and that place.’

  Pan was tempted to argue, but she knew Jen was right. It was just so frustrating to know that the answer to the biggest question of all was within reach, but they couldn’t reach out and find it. She sighed and eased the boat around the promontory. Jen stood and shielded her eyes with one hand. Ahead, the coastline stretched into the distance. It remained rocky and inhospitable, but less treacherous than the shoreline behind them. Towards the horizon the sea was vast and featureless.

  ‘You’d think we’d have seen some kind of life by now,’ said Jen. ‘I mean, I know the world is a big place and there are plenty of uninhabited regions, but I thought we’d have come across something. Even if the virus was real, then we should have seen a deserted village or a town by now.’

  ‘In this landscape?’ said Pan. ‘Unlikely. And, anyway, if you were creating The School, wouldn’t you do it a long way from any population? I imagine you wouldn’t want some daytripper stumbling across it.’

  ‘Yeah, I thought about that. But I reckon it’s an argument against you, Pandora.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘Meaning that you couldn’t keep something like The School secret, not if there is no virus. Hello, Pandora? Satellites, Google Earth. If the old world is out there, they would have found us by now. Therefore the old world isn’t out there.’

  ‘I don’t believe it.’

  ‘I’m not asking you to believe it. Just pointing something out, that’s all.’

  ‘Yeah, but . . .’

  ‘Quiet!’

  Jen stood stock still for a moment, listening. Pan was silent, listening also, but she could hear only the drone of the boat’s engine and the thud of her own heart.

  ‘Give me the wheel. NOW,’ said Jen. Pan didn’t hesitate but scooted out of the way. Jen pushed the throttle up to full and turned the wheel hard to her right. The boat swung towards the rocks. Jen seemed to be aiming for the closest inlet, a small bay only four or five metres wide.

  They had covered only half the distance to shore when Pan heard the unmistakable whirring of a helicopter engine. In the few seconds it took to register the noise it was clear that it was approaching fast. And then a dark shape appeared from behind a rocky hill and blotted out the sky, the blades a shadowy blur as it hovered above their boat.

  Chapter 19

  ‘Hurry, Jen,’ yelled Pan.

  ‘As fast as I can, Pandora.’ The boat was rocking in the swell the closer it got to shore, and Pan had to get on her knees to stop herself falling. She kept her eyes to the sky. Jen would either make it or she wouldn’t, and Pan had no choice but to trust her. The helicopter hovered and then banked right. It was impossible to tell whether they had been spotted. Had that moment of hovering been the instant when they had been seen? Was the helicopter turning to get a better view?

  Pan glanced up as a shape passed to her left. A large rock, buffeted by waves. They were close to the shore now. A few more minutes and they would find shelter, but whether that was too little, too late she didn’t know. She looked up again as the helicopter moved further along the coastline. And then a wave broke over the boat and Pan slid along the slick deck. She reached out and held on to the mast, but her fingers were wet and her hold was precarious. Suddenly, the turbulence in the boat subsided and Pan risked looking up. The boat had rounded the rock and they were in the small bay of relatively calm water, protected from the choppy sea. Jen stopped the engine and the boat slowed.

  ‘Is there an anchor on this thing?’ Jen called out.

  Pan got gingerly to her feet.

  ‘Must be, somewhere,’ she replied. ‘Though I’ve no idea how to use it.’

  ‘Maybe we won’t need to,’ said Jen. ‘It’s pretty calm here, and if it looks like we’re going to get smashed against the rocks we can push against them with an oar or something.’

  ‘It won’t matter if they spotted us,’ Pan pointed out.

  The girls moved to the rear of the boat and looked up at the sky. The sound of the helicopter’s blades had faded and they could see only the blank canvas of the sky.

  ‘Did it see us?’ said Jen.

  ‘If they did, they would circle back, surely?’ said Pan. ‘Make absolutely sure it was us and then, I don’t know, radio back or something. Return to The School. But it seems like it’s still looking for us.’

  ‘That’s if it is the helicopter from The School.’

  ‘What else could it be? God, I hope we aren’t hiding from real rescue.’

  The sound of the blades disappeared. It’s not circling back, thought Pan. That has to be a positive, hasn’t it? What would they have looked like from the helicopter? The area around the coast was dotted with rocks breaking the surface. The movement of the sea, the crashing of the waves, the sudden disappearance of rocks under the swell would make it a constantly shifting environment in which one small boat could conceivably be missed. Well, she thought. We’ll find out.

  ‘What now?’ said Jen.

  ‘The options?’ replied Pan.

  ‘Stay here and hope it didn’t see us,’ said Jen. ‘But we’d allow any boats chasing us to catch up. And they’re bound to check out hiding places like this. So we could be just sitting here like dummies waiting for capture.’ She pushed wet hair from her eyes and tightened the blanket. ‘Or we head out to sea. It’s easy to disappear out there. Hell, I’ve read newspaper reports of small boats drifting for days and rescue planes didn’t spot them, even when they passed right over.’

  ‘The disadvantage?’ Pan prompted.

  ‘We could sail straight into a boat that’s looking for us.’

  Pan thought things over, but couldn’t find anything to add to Jen’s analysis. Whatever they did was risky. But a choice had to be made.

  ‘You want to head out to sea, don’t you, Jen?’ she said after a minute of silence.

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Because staying here would drive you nuts. Action is always better than inaction. Isn’t that ri
ght?’

  Jen laughed.

  She’s enjoying this, Pan thought. She’s having the time of her life.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Jen. ‘That’s what I would do. If we stay here, someone is bound to find us. They must have boats searching for us along the coast. But we’re in this together. You’ve got a vote as well.’

  It didn’t take Pan long to decide. Part of her understood the decision was made easier by virtue of the fact that spending hours on a bobbing boat with a girl going crazy from inaction was not going to be a pleasant experience. This was an impulse Pan shared. The sea felt safer, somehow. She tried to determine whether this was a feeling stemming from her intuition, or blind panic.

  Things would be a lot simpler if her gift was something she could tap into at will. Maybe then she would know if pursuit was close at hand. She could put her fingers to the side of her head and see the boat around the next corner, see the occupants, hear their thoughts. But it didn’t work like that. It came at unpredictable times and for now, it eluded her. All that card-guessing and for what?

  ‘Okay,’ said Pan. ‘We give it five minutes for the helicopter to get out of range and then we get the hell out of here.’

  Jen grinned.

  ‘Five minutes of inaction? I can just about manage that, Pandora.’

  It took a couple of hours before the landmass they had clung to disappeared beyond the horizon. Now, as far as her eye could see there was only limitless ocean. As Jen steered, Pan kept her eyes alert for any sign of life upon the sea, but she saw nothing at all. The helicopter had either continued down the coast or it had headed back to The School across land, because there was no sign of it. Surely, Pan thought, it wouldn’t go too far down the coast? Even if their escape had been discovered late and The School assumed they had been sailing since the very early hours of the morning, there would be a limit to the distance they could have covered. Everywhere she looked, the sea spread out to the horizon. The sky was overcast and muddy, so that there was scarcely a discernible line where sky and ocean met. It felt as though they were adrift in a vast grey bowl.