The Girls From Alcyone by Cary Caffrey Read Free Book Online Page B

half-facing her and wrapped her left arm around Suko's waist. "Okay, now just lean onto my hip—like you're sitting—lift your feet."
    "Oh—kay…" Suko lifted her feet, and immediately began to thrash her arms in the water to steady herself.
    Sigrid tightened her grip. "Just sit back—don't try to swim—relax your arms."
    Suko forced herself to relax, and found that she was indeed floating—well, sitting on Sigrid's hip. Sigrid pushed off and began side-stroking across the river.
    Sigrid could feel Suko tense up as they moved deeper into the river, but she didn't fight her. Sigrid tried not to think of the sound of more rapids and falls further ahead, and concentrated instead on the shoreline in front of her, still so far away. The current was dragging them downstream, faster than she'd expected.
    The cliffs dropped lower and lower—the rush of the rapids ahead became ever deafening. Sigrid snagged a rocky outcropping, but the swim had left her too weak to climb up. Suko had to hoist her up onto the edge of the bank. Cold and exhausted, they lay panting on the muddy ground, shivering and clinging to each other.
    "How far away from camp do you think we are?" Suko asked.
    "I don't know, but it's that way," Sigrid said, pointing upstream. Getting back on her feet took some effort. With the cut on her foot and having no boots, Sigrid had to lean heavily on Suko. "This sucks."
     
    They'd walked for perhaps an hour when Sigrid needed to stop. Both her feet were raw and her injured foot throbbed like merry hell. Sigrid still didn't know how much further they'd need to go. It was well into the evening and the sun had nearly set; it would be dark very soon.
    Suko helped Sigrid sit down, leaning her back against one of the wide redwood trees and carefully unwrapping the sodden dressing on her foot. She tore off another strip from the bottom of her T-shirt, wadding it and applying pressure, using another strip to tie it in place.
    "You need to stop bleeding," Suko said. "I'm running out of shirt."
    "You? What about me? I gave mine to Khepri." Sigrid said, looking down at her bare midriff; all she wore now were her shorts and athletic bra. They both laughed.
    "We shouldn't walk anymore," Suko said, sitting next to Sigrid.
    The temperature was starting to drop and Sigrid shivered. "I just need a break."
    Suko put an arm around her and pulled her close.
    Sigrid was exhausted and felt herself relax into Suko's arms, resting her head on her shoulder. "Much better. Let's just stay here for a bit." Her eyelids felt heavy, and Suko's body felt warm against her. I'll just close my eyes for a second , she thought.
    She realized she'd fallen asleep only when she awoke much later, cold and shivering. She felt a surge of panic when she realized Suko was gone. It was completely dark—she couldn't see her anywhere. " Suko…! " Her voice croaked; her throat felt raw and sore.
    She heard a rustling in the brush behind her, and footsteps. "I'm here!" Suko called to her, rushing back. "Sorry—I had to pee." Suko slid back next to her. Both girls were freezing, and their arms wrapped around each other, hugging for whatever warmth they could get. "We can't stay here—we'll freeze."
    Sigrid nodded and tried to rise, but she couldn't put any weight on her foot.
    "And you can't walk," Suko said, looking at her with concern. "Come on—hop on." Suko bent her back lower, offering it to Sigrid. "I'll piggyback you."
    "You can't carry me all that way."
    "We don't even know how far it is. We might almost be there." Sigrid looked doubtful. "Come on, Seeg. We can't stay here."
    Sigrid surrendered to her friend's logic and climbed on her back. It was the first time she'd been grateful for her small size. Except for a few stumbles in the dark, Suko was able to carry her with little trouble. Both girls had remarkable night-vision, and thanks to their enhanced strength Suko was able to keep a consistent pace, even up some of the steeper pitches. They both