Monstrum by Ann Christopher Read Free Book Online Page A

courage sure isn’t getting any stronger. In another three seconds, I won’t be able to force myself to go back into the dark cabin.
    So I don’t think about it. I just go back into the plane.

S ince I can barely see my hand in front of my face, I have to operate on memory as I slosh a few steps toward where I think that first row of seats should be.
    â€œTalk to me, Espi,” I say. “That’ll help me find you quicker.”
    â€œHere,” she says. “Keep coming. I’m right here.”
    The directions
right here,
when you’re trapped and flooded in absolute darkness, are pretty much useless, but I keep going anyway. I think I must be doing a pretty good mummy impersonation, because my hands are outstretched and I shuffle my feet along the floor. I’m afraid to pick them up because the water could easily knock me down if I get the slightest bit off balance. And getting off balance as the plane bobs along on the waves seems like a sure thing.
    Oh, and just in case I don’t have enough complications right now? It’s not just water I have to get through—it’s the debris floating on top of the water.
    Something wet and fuzzy goes by. Blanket? Sweatshirt? I take another step and bump up against something hard, slippery and oddly shaped. Backpack? Carry-on?
    I take another step. Espi’s hand clamps down on my arm, making me jump. She’s right there, standing next to me, and she yanks me forward until my fingers connect with the top of a seat and—
    â€œMacy,” I say.
    â€œShe’s out cold, but I’m pretty sure she’s not dead,” Espi tells me. “Something hit her on the head during the crash. I didn’t see what it was. I just heard it hit her. So now I can’t get her seatbelt unbuckled, because my fingers are so cold and my hands are shaking anyway, and she’s too heavy for me to move by myself even if I could. I didn’t know what to do, but I couldn’t—”
    â€œIt’s okay.” I work on keeping my voice calm, because Espi is spewing out the words so fast I’m sure she’s close to an epic breakdown. “It’s okay. I can help.”
    Espi chokes back a sob. “I couldn’t leave her! Everyone left
me,
but I couldn’t leave
her
—”
    I grip her upper arms and squeeze, hard. “We’re together now.”
    â€œDid you see Mami?” she demands. “Did you see my mother? She kept calling for me, but the crowd was blocking her from getting to me and I couldn’t get to her. Did you see her?”
    I hate to tell her the truth at this desperate moment, but what choice do I have? “I didn’t see her.” Espi makes a keening sound, so I hurry on. “But I think there are two life rafts, and she may be in the other one. We haven’t had the chance to check yet. So she may be okay.”
    Espi takes a shuddering breath and nods.
    â€œLet’s work on Macy.”
    We turn to where Macy is slumped in her seat, and I don’t need any light to know she’s in bad shape. Her head lolls to one side and her icy skin reminds me of chicken that’s been left to defrost on the counter. The water has now reached her upper chest, and another few minutes of flooding or another tip of the plane in the wrong direction will submerge and drown her.
    If she’s not dead already, that is.
    â€œMacy,” I say sharply. “Macy! Answer me!”
    I’m just debating whether to smack her face, when she groans weakly.
    I almost sob with relief.
    â€œGood girl, Macy,” I say. “We’re going to get you out of here, okay?”
    Another moan.
    â€œRight,” I say. “Okay. Where’s your seatbelt?”
    I plunge my hands in the water and fumble around for her lap. I can’t feel anything other than jeans and—aha! There it is. But where’s the buckle—
    â€œGot it!” I say, grabbing the hard