Shipwreck Island by S. A. Bodeen Read Free Book Online Page B

after the lights went off, but either way, he found himself in complete blackness, face to floor, his nose buried in the musty rug. He scrambled up onto all fours, reaching out with one hand for something to steady himself with as the boat pitched violently to the side. He called out, “Mom!”
    â€œMarco!”
    His mom sounded very close, so he reached out. His fingers brushed an arm, so he grasped and held on, pulling.
    â€œDad?” The voice attached to the arm was tearful. And girly.
    Marco quickly let go of Sarah. “I’m not your dad.”
    â€œMarco!”
    A hand gripped his shoulder and he quickly grabbed it. “Mom?”
    â€œYes, it’s me, sweetie.” Her voice was shaky. “I have Nacho’s hand. John?”
    John answered, “I have Sarah! Yvonna, where’s your hand?”
    Marco heard a crash as something fell. His mom sounded frantic as she asked, “Do we have everyone?”
    John said, “I think so. I saw a flashlight in the kitchen, you all stay right here.”
    The storm had increased in intensity and Marco could hear only the howling wind and rain driving against the boat, which all the while rocked violently from side to side as the front rose up, up, up—then dropped, forcing Marco to let go of his mom.
    â€œHold on!” John yelled. “Just grab something!”
    Someone grabbed Marco’s arm and he had no idea who it was. Did it even matter?
    Suddenly a beam of light blinded him.
    â€œYou all okay?”
    Marco held a hand over his eyes as they adjusted to the light. John held on to the built-in shelf with one hand, the flashlight in his other one. Marco looked around. Yvonna, her eyes wide and face pale, had one arm around Nacho and the other around Sarah, both of whom were crying. Nacho had Marco’s arm, and Ahab was seated right next to Sarah, licking tears off her face.
    Marco looked back at John. “What do we do?”
    â€œOnly thing we can do,” said John. “Ride this storm out.” As his eyes darted around the interior of the boat, the smile on his face appeared utterly false.
    Marco swallowed. His heartbeat sped up. He could tell by the look on John’s face exactly what he was thinking: His stepfather was worried about the boat itself surviving the storm.
    Taking a few uneven steps at a time, John slowly made his way to Sarah and set his hand on her head before placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder. He knelt by Nacho and leaned down by his ear. He said something, but Marco couldn’t tell what it was. Nacho wiped his nose and nodded, then told John something. John smiled and set a hand on Nacho’s head, then stood back up.
    He went into the closest bedroom. The glow of the flashlight flitted around, and then John returned holding a lantern. He switched it on, instantly brightening the room while throwing shadows about. Then he said, “You all stay here, I’ll be back.”
    Sarah called out, “Dad!”
    Yvonna started to say something, but John held up a hand. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
    Marco watched him head through the kitchen. He quickly got to his feet and began to follow.
    â€œMarco!” yelled his mom. “You stay here!”
    Marco nodded. “I’m just going into the galley.” But when he got into the galley, it was empty. Had John gone up the stairs into the storm? Was he crazy? Marco pulled out a kitchen drawer, hoping for another flashlight. Nothing. He checked another one.
    â€œYes!” He grabbed it and clicked it on. The boat may have been a piece of crap, but apparently the skipper spared no expense when it came to flashlights.
    Clutching the edges of the counter, Marco moved to the bottom of the stairs and shone the light at the top. He glanced behind him, then carefully gripped the handrail and, despite losing his balance every time the boat rocked, he made his way up. He pushed on the hatch. The wind pushed