Beyond the Sea by Keira Andrews Read Free Book Online Page A

his band. In the cockpit, Paula had mentioned a few theories involving people whose names he didn’t know, but they’d always kept idle talk to a minimum, even at cruising altitude. She’d said—
    He closed his eyes through the deep pang of grief and guilt at the memory of her lilting laughter. Choking down a swell of nausea as he remembered the sensation of her arm in his hand—her flesh still warm—Brian tried to clear his mind. He’d felt so guilty earlier, joking with Troy about fans rescuing them. Joking about anything when Paula was dead. When it should have been him.
    But he had to be in control. Be comforting. Humor could help put the passengers—passenger—at ease and ensure their safety.
    Brian cleared his throat. “It’s amazing, the noises tropical birds and frogs can make.” He listened again, but heard only the steady drone of the night insects he assumed were cicadas or something similar. The buzzing nocturnal chorus was constant. “At least that shriek didn’t sound like a polar bear.”
    Troy’s warm breath brushed Brian’s face. “Huh? A polar bear?”
    He worked on a light tone. “Please tell me Lost is not that old already? Or that you’re that young?”
    Troy chuckled. “Oh, on TV. I remember it, but I didn’t have time to watch. Our show had a tight schedule, and we had schoolwork too.”
    “ Your show? Concerts?”
    “ Wait, you mean you didn’t watch Rock ‘n’ Roll Academy ?” He mock gasped. “I’m insulted.”
    Brian’s smile was real. “Sorry, must have missed that one. So you’re an actor too?”
    “ Not really. I’m okay, but Tyson was the star. My little brother.”
    That rang a bell. “Oh, is he in your band too?”
    Troy was quiet for a few breaths, and when he spoke, his voice was tight. “Yeah. He’s always been super talented. Even when he was ten, he was a star. Had his first hit single—the theme song to the TV show.”
    “ Wow. When I was ten, my biggest accomplishment was sweeping up hair at my Grandpa’s barber shop and winning the fifth-grade spelling bee. You must have been young too?”
    “ I guess so. Fourteen.”
    “ At fourteen I was still sweeping up hair. I did win a local model airplane design contest. My spelling skills were untested since there was no bee in high school.” He took a gulp of water. It hurt to talk, his throat rough and head a cement block on his neck, but it was better than listening to the mystery noises of the jungle in the darkness. “What was the show about?”
    “ We played brothers at a boarding school. I started a band with my cool middle-grade friends, and Ty was my genius little brother who skipped a bunch of years and also sang better than anyone else. So of course we had to let him in our band.” He snorted. “It was so dumb. But it paid really well and ran for five years. Oh, and I’m twenty-six, for the record, so not that young. How about you?”
    “ Thirty-nine.” The shriek rattled them both again. “It could be a monkey, but I think I read that they’re not native to the South Pacific. Humans introduced them on some islands, but unless they’re really good swimmers…”
    “ I don’t think it’s a frog either,” Troy whispered. “Doesn’t sound like a ‘ribbit.’ I’m going to go with bird. Must be a bird, and not a…what else lives on these islands?” He tensed, his elbow jerking against Brian’s arm. “Could there be tigers here? We’re not in the right place for that, are we?”
    “ No tigers. They’re on Sumatra. Many miles away.”
    “ Okay, good. But what else could be here?”
    “ Well…” Brian tried to think of the least frightening species that could be surrounding them that very moment. “Birds, obviously. And frogs. Turtles. Fish.”
    The mystery shriek vibrated through the humid air. “Loud and angry birds?”
    “ Apparently.” He stretched his legs out from under the net, his stiff muscles screaming. His dress socks and leather shoes were sodden, but