John reached me. “Where did Jude go?”
“I think he dove for Frida.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know. How did he get to me?”
“He said he was a swimmer and dove in.”
“How long has he been in the water?” My teeth started to chatter.
“Just a couple of minutes. How long has Frida been under?”
“Two minutes maybe.” I rubbed my shoulders to keep them warm.
“Get in the boat with me. You’re going to freeze.”
There was barely enough room for me to fit in the seat with him, but I sat on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the water. They had to surface. Why had I told Jude to get Frida? If something happened to him too, I would never forgive myself.
“I can’t believe I told Jude to get Frida. If he doesn’t make it—”
“Don’t think like that. Jude seemed pretty confidant. He wouldn’t have gone in if he—”
Two heads appeared above the water. I jumped into the front seat, and we paddled to them. John straddled the boat and pulled a limp Frida onto the back of the kayak.
“I don’t know CPR.” John stood over her.
“I do.” I climbed past John.
“Stabilize the front.” Jude instructed.
Jude rolled Frida over, and I beat on her back. Water poured from her mouth. When the water stopped, we flipped her. I tilted her chin and checked for breaths and a pulse. She had neither.
“I’ll breath, and you do compressions. You know how?” I asked Jude.
“Yep. On it.” Jude locked his hands, placed them on her sternum, and counted thirty compressions.
I lowered my cheek to her face, feeling for a breath and checking for chest expansion. Seeing none, I puffed once into her airway. Nothing changed, and I breathed again for her.
Checking for a pulse, Jude resumed compressions.
As he finished, I pressed my hand to her neck. “There’s a pulse.” I waited for her chest to rise, but it didn’t. Giving her another breath of air, we watched for movement.
Her head jerked up, and she began to cough. I slid under her and wrapped my arms around her chest.
“You’re going to be okay,” I told Frida as I scanned the water. As the boat rose with the next swell, I spotted Hilda and Allen paddling towards us. I locked my arms around Frida and waited for them to reach us.
“Is everybody okay?” Allen asked, pulling aside our kayak.
“They are now.” Jude confirmed.
Allen handed Jude a blanket, and we covered Frida. “We’ve got to get her warm,” I told them.
“There’s heat on the bus.” Allen pointed their kayak at the beach.
John and Jude paddled to shore. When it was shallow enough, Jude jumped from the kayak and lifted Frida from my arms. We followed him up the path to the bus. He laid her shivering form across two seats.
“You get the wetsuit off, and I’ll find some towels and blankets.” I stripped her suit off and Hilda retrieved Frida’s pack
Once we got her in dry clothes, I rubbed her arms to warm them. “Frida,” I whispered as I raked her hair from her face. “Why isn’t she waking up? And where is the nurse?”
“They’re getting her from the beach.”
Frida coughed and opened her eyes. “I knew you’d be the one I saw first. Are we dead?”
“Would we be on a bus if we were?” I asked her.
“Highway to Hell.”
“Well, you just spent one of your lives.” I rubbed my hands on her legs, trying to warm her further.
“How did I get here?”
“Jude pulled you from the water.” I turned to Jude. “How did you find her?”
“She activated the light on her vest.”
“Thank God.” I looked back at Frida, whose color had started to return. “Do you feel okay? Remember who you are? Where you are?”
The nurse and Dr. Antos boarded the bus, and we moved over to make room for their exam.
“You are one lucky girl,” the nurse told Frida.
“Jude pulled me out.”
“I can’t believe he found her so fast,” I told them. “The high surf came out of nowhere.”
“I think there’s a front coming in,” Dr. Antos noted.
“Does this mean we don’t get hot food at the lodge?” Frida asked.
“If you’re up for it, I don’t see why not. We’re doing a head count right now. We’ll get everyone changed and warmed up and then decide.” Dr. Antos looked at me. “Are you okay? You’re pale as a ghost.”
I looked at my hands and realized he was right. “I’m just cold. I’ll be fine when I get changed.”
Hilda brought me my backpack, and I moved to the back of the bus to change. Even with my wool socks, warm tights, and wool shirt, I couldn’t stop shivering.
“Here.” Hilda handed me a towel. “Your hair is soaking wet.” She blotted it. “You okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine, just cold.” My shoulders trembled as I spoke.
“You’re going to go into shock if you don’t warm up.” Jude slid beside me and wrapped his arms around me.
“Oh, my God.” I shuddered as the heat from his body engulfed me. “How are you so warm?”
“I have a naturally high body temperature. Yours, on the other hand, is probably a little lower than 98.6.”
“How would you know that?”
“You have a small frame and low body fat.” He tapped his temple. “Photographic memory, remember? I read a lot.”
“We were lucky you were so close. Thank you.”
“As if you didn’t need counseling before this.”
“Poor Frida.”
“What are you poor Frida-ing me for?”
I looked up to see Frida standing over us.
“Scoot over, I’m freezing.”
I stood and Jude slid into my seat. “What are you doing?”
“You’re still shaking. Sit on my lap.”
“God, girl, don’t make the man ask you twice.” She shoved me onto his lap and lowered herself to the bench beside us.
“How are you totally okay? Do you really feel fine?” I asked Frida.
“Well, fine is a relative term. My lungs burn like hell from the seawater, and I’ve got a killer headache, but other than that, I’m ready for a hot bowl of clam chowder. I’m just glad they’re not taking me to the hospital.” She snuggled under the blanket Jude and I were sharing.
Unlike the drive to the beach, the bus was silent. Thinking the day couldn’t have ended much worse, I laid my head on Jude’s shoulder. Before I knew it, he was calling my name, trying to rouse me from sleep.
“Camille, we’re stopping to eat.”
I didn’t want food. I just wanted to sleep forever. As I stood, my muscles resisted movement.
“You could hop on my back,” Jude said as we exited the bus.
“I’ll be okay.” I clutched my jacket to me, suddenly cold from the loss of Jude’s body heat.
Inside, Jude, John, Frida, and I slid into a booth. Everyone except for Jude ordered clam chowder. He opted for the bread and cheese plate appetizer.
“I’m going to sleep really well tonight,” Frida said.
“I still feel like I’m floating on the water. I guess that pretty much nixes the one fear I didn’t have,” I told them.
“Yeah, I’m not surfing any time soon,” Frida added.
“Good thing it’s going to be winter, I guess,” John noted. “I can’t believe you can swim that fast.” He looked to Jude.
“I told you I was a swimmer.”
“Yeah, but with the current and everything...”
“I’ve done several triathlons. One in the Pacific.”
“I don’t care how you did it. Thank you.” Frida linked her fingers in Jude’s.
“She’s the one that made me look for you.” He cocked his head towards me.
“So, you were just go
ing to let me die?”
“I wasn’t sure Camille was going to make it to the kayak.”
“I told you I could, and I did,” I told him.
“I will never doubt you again.” He smiled, and for a few seconds all I could see were his blue eyes locked on mine.
Frida cleared her throat. “Well, that wasn’t freaky. Hey, your bracelets are gone.” She held up Jude’s arm.
“Wow, I should go see Dr. Antos. Excuse me.” He stood and walked towards the psychiatrist.
There wasn’t much conversation the rest of dinner and on the bus ride back to camp. When we arrived, John, Jude, Frida, and I were allowed to call our families.
I took a deep breath before dialing Mom’s number. A tear escaped, and I swiped it away, determined to appear strong for her.
“Camille, is something wrong?” She answered, her voice an octave higher than usual.
“I’m fine. We just had an incident.” I proceeded to tell her how our boat had capsized and we’d saved Frida.
“But you’re okay?”
“Yes, everyone’s okay.”
She expressed her empathy for our disrupted day at the shore, and I messaged her some of the pictures I’d taken.
“Do you need to come home?” she asked.
“No, I’m good. I want to be with my friends.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re making friends. No more hallucinations or incidences?”
“Nope, vision and buzzing free.”
“That’s good. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Finishing the call, I headed to my tent. I slid into my sleeping bag thinking I could sleep a decade. Letting my body relax, the sensation of floating returned, and with my eyes closed, a vision of murky water surrounding me appeared in my mind. Propping up on one arm, I whispered to Frida, “Hey, are you awake?”
“I almost wasn’t.”
“I keep feeling like I’m still on the ocean, and as soon as I close my eyes, I see the water. You aren’t freaked out?”
“That’s the third time I flatlined. Although it was the first time I hadn’t done it on purpose.”
“Wow, that’s scary.”
“Funny thing… I wanted to die so many times, but when it wasn’t my choice, all I could think was I wanted to live.”
“That’s a good thing. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep.”
“Pull your cot beside mine.” She got up, and we scooted our cots over so they were side by side.
Lying down, I stared at the ceiling, listening to her breathe.
When I woke, the tent was empty, save for Frida. Checking my watch, I saw it to be after seven. We should’ve already had breakfast and been at the study tents. Guessing the powers-that-be might have given us a pass, I dressed and made my way to the mess tent.
I piled my plate with crepes and fruit and sat down beside Jude.
“Good morning. Did you sleep okay?” he asked.
“I would say like the dead, but that’s a bad analogy today.”
“Yeah, I was pretty beat myself.”
“Is John up?”
“Yeah, everyone else is already at their workstations.”
“Frida was still asleep, so I left her.”
“I think she’s going to need a day.” He finished off his smoothie that I assumed contained the raw eggs he always requested.
Dr. Antos appeared in the doorway and made his way to us. “Glad to see you’re up and about. I saw Frida was still sleeping.”
I swallowed the bite I’d taken. “Yes, sir. Thanks.”
“Okay, well, get to your schoolwork. The rest of the day will be an all-camp free day. We can talk at your regularly scheduled sessions this afternoon. If you need some time before then, let your counselors know.”
“Sure,” Jude said.
“Okay, thanks.” I responded.
We finished our breakfast. I looped back and tiptoed into the tent for my notebooks. Seeing Frida rousing, I sat beside her.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck.”
“You should go see the nurse.”
“That’s where I’m headed right after I get food.” She sat up. “What’s going on today? Shouldn’t you already be at your workstation?”
“I overslept too. They saved some breakfast for us. After our studies, we have a free day.”
“Yep, someone almost dies, and that’s what happens. You can thank me later for the day’s reprieve from ice climbing.” She grabbed her toiletries.
“Can you not be so morbid?”
“But that just wouldn’t be me.” She exited the tent.
Gathering my study materials, I found an empty terminal beside Jude. After an hour, he packed his things and stood.
“You done?”
“Yep, want some help?”
“No, that’s fine. I need to stretch my legs.” I logged off and walked outside with him. “So, the whole photographic memory thing helps a lot I guess.”
“Yeah, I only have two high school classes. The others I take through a university.”
“Yeah, I have to get my GPA up. This camp is helping. I’m much more focused.”
“And no hallucinations.” He held up his bracelet.
“That helps, too. I’m going to get back to it.” I pointed to the study tent.
“Okay, catcha later.”
“Better watch that relationship,” George said as I sat down at my terminal.
“Like everyone isn’t sneaking off to make out. We’re probably the only ones who aren’t.”
“How do you know what Jude does at night?” he challenged.
“It’s none of my business.” I popped my earbuds in to end the conversation.
I hadn’t talked to George since we’d traded teams. I’d steered clear of him like Jude suggested. He and Jude shared a tent, and I guessed he might know more about Jude than I did. What did I care if Jude was making out with someone anyway? It wasn’t like we were involved. He’d become a friend, and I valued the relationship. I wasn’t going to mess it up.
Still, George planted the seed, which was just what he’d intended I guessed. This thought made me more intent on staying away from him. I refocused on my work. With the short session the previous day, I had a lot to catch up on.
After an hour and another break, Frida plopped down beside me.
“Hey, do you feel better?” I whispered.
“Yeah, they have some major drugs in this place. I feel like I could run a marathon.”
“Your color is certainly better. Maybe I should go see the nurse.”
“She had me drink some sort of super-vitamin smoothie, and within half an hour, I was feeling back to normal.”
“That’s awesome. Okay, I’m studying. This is going to take me all day at this rate.”
“I’ll be right here all day too.” She rolled her eyes and popped on her headphones.
Breaking for lunch, I still had a good hour of studying to do, and figured the energy drain from the day before had me thinking slower. Frida and I worked till two. Afterwards, we ran through the rain to the mess tent where the other campers were watching a movie. Ducking out at four, I made my way to Dr. Antos’s tent.
“How are you feeling after yesterday?” he asked.
“Physically tired but otherwise sort of numb, I guess. I had a lot of schoolwork, and then we were watching the movie.”
“That’s to be expected. Tell me about all your feelings surrounding the incident.”
I told him about having trouble sleeping and what Frida had said about dying.
“It was an unfortunate accident, but you are in the safest place to process all your feelings.”
“Jude was amazing.”
“I heard he acted quite heroically. We’re lucky he’s a good swimmer.”
“Should I be worried about Frida?”
“I will see her and John this evening. Just watch your friend. Let us know if you see any strange behavior
.”
“I will, thanks.” I trudged back to my tent in the rain.
They got us back to a regular schedule Friday with a hike to a neighboring mountain’s summit.
“You’re quiet today. You back to full energy level?” Jude asked as we stopped for our lunch break.
“Almost. Still didn’t sleep well.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I’m talked out. I think everyone finally heard the story firsthand. I noticed you were occupied the past two days.”
“Like I needed more female attention.” He rolled his eyes.
“It must be horrible to be so beautiful.” I leaned into him and bumped my shoulder to his arm.
“It’s just skin.” He turned his palms over. “You don’t treat me like other girls do.”
“Got too much to think about to worry about boyfriends.”
“So, what are you worried about?”
“I need to get all my stuff for college admissions done.”
“I bet you could do some of it during study time.”
“That’s an excellent idea. You’re probably already guaranteed admission at Stanford.”
His cheeks turned red. “They’ve made some good offers.”
The leader blew the whistle, calling us to gather for the trek back. It’d been gray all day, and it started to drizzle. I pulled my hood up, and we hiked in near silence as the rain pelted us. As we got back to camp, all I wanted was a hot shower, but I had to opt for fifteen minutes in front of the heater before my meeting with Dr. Antos.
“I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I be more upset?” I paced his tent.
“Teens, more so than older people, feel they are invincible. It’s a big blow when you come face to face with your mortality. You may experience the same feelings as when dealing with a loss: shock, denial, rage, depression, and then acceptance. Don’t be surprised when any of these come up. It’s quite natural.”
“I can’t image being angry at anything. No one is to blame, and everyone is fine.”
“You may not get mad. You’re probably still in shock. Should we proceed with discussing your visions? I believe we left off when you had heard the boy and girl, Hunter and Alena, say the name you used in your childhood.”
I told him about the meet up with Hunter’s mom and their flight to an unknown destination.
“I wonder if the destination is important? Let’s explore every detail.”
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 35
