The Shiver Stone by Sharon Tregenza Read Free Book Online Page B

hard. He tumbled off the rocks, slipping and sliding on the seaweed and, with a cry, fell headlong into the deep gulley of water.
    He came up struggling and thrashing and trying to shout something, but a wave splashed into his mouth and he went under again.
    I was laughing so hard I almost fell in myself.
    The second time he surfaced, coughing and choking, I stopped laughing.
    â€˜Can’t swim,’ he gasped.
    In a flash I was in the water beside him, but he was struggling and fighting in panic.
    He went under again and I felt the same panic tighten my chest.
    â€˜Get to the rocks.’
    I tried pushing him, but his flailing arms hit me in the face. He was stronger and taller and wild with fear. I managed to steer him to the cliff edge but a wave washed over us and I saw the terror in his eyes.
    Again and again he grabbed at the rocks, but they were slippery with seaweed and sharp with limpet shells. The struggling and thrashing was making him weak.
    Panicking, I screamed at him, ‘Grab on and pull yourself up, for God’s sake!’
    â€˜I can’t! I can’t!’
    Another wave crashed in and his face disappeared in a wild spray of froth and foam. I heard him splutter and, when he came up again, he had drifted further away.
    I started shouting. ‘Help! Help!’ But in my heart I knew that even if someone heard me it would take too long to climb over the headland and down to the tiny inlet where the waves were growing stronger as Jago grew weaker.

CHAPTER
    7
    A wave swelled behind Jago and I saw, with a thudding heart, that it would carry him towards the mouth of the cave. If I could get out and…
    I scrambled onto dry land. Every inch of my body trembled with exertion and fright. What if he drowns? What if he drowns? The thought pounded in my head. In seconds I was at the cave entrance.
    I splashed desperately through the water searching for Jago. I saw a flash of red swimming trucks. Grabbing his thrashing arm, I clung on tight. He tried to pull himself out, but the pebbles under his feet were rolling and shifting with the underwater current – he couldn’t stand. It was like a tug of war between the sea and us as the force of the tide tried to drag him back out. A tug of war we were losing. Jago’s hair was slicked dark against his white face. He was spitting out water, retching and coughing.
    I felt him slip away from me. I gritted my teeth, heaving backwards with all my strength.
    From nowhere, a hand stretched down and grasped him by the hair. ‘Quick! Now pull!’
    Together we dragged him out and he crumpled, trembling, on the rocks.
    I collapsed beside him and we lay flat out on our backs, panting, gasping and shuddering.
    At last Jago raised himself on his elbows. ‘You pushed me in.’ He was furious.
    â€˜How was I to know you can’t swim! You said earlier that you weren’t much of a swimmer. You didn’t say you couldn’t swim at all. I don’t know anyone who can’t swim. It’s like saying you can’t breathe!’
    â€˜You should have checked before you pushed me in!’
    â€˜I pulled you out!’
    â€˜You wouldn’t have had to pull me out if you hadn’t PUSHED ME IN!’
    We were both shouting so loud it was a surprise when a quiet voice behind us said, ‘Hey, hey, it’s okay now. Everything’s okay, no harm done.’
    We turned and saw the woman leaning against a boulder. She looked strangely familiar.
    â€˜Yeah, well, no thanks to her. If you hadn’t been here…’ Jago was too mad to even finish what he was saying.
    â€˜It’s just lucky I happened to be passing,’ she said.
    He scraped his long hair out of his eyes, twisting it and wringing the water out with his hands. ‘But you weren’t.’ Jago was staring at her.
    She was drying off her shorts with a towel and stopped to look up.
    â€˜What?’
    He narrowed his eyes against the sun.