Page 17 of Restoration

“None. We have none. But I think we’ll be okay. There was a GPS locator on the boat. As soon as Caleb and the others back home realize something’s wrong, they’ll trigger it and send help to find us.”

“Unless it’s on this specific piece of our boat, who knows where they’ll be looking for us. It’s likely at the bottom of the ocean right now.”

“Maybe. But they’ll do a general search. They’ll find us in not too long.”

“How long is ‘not too long’ in your estimation?”

Edmund shrugs in that nonchalant way he has. “A couple of days.”

“Okay. Even if you’re right and we’re going to be found sooner rather than later, we still need a plan. We’ve got to survive until we’re found, which means we need food and water.”

He gestures toward the tree line. “Bet we can find it in there.”

He doesn’t look all that concerned, and honestly, it’s obnoxious. All my soft, clinging feelings from before are transforming into sharp annoyance. “Okay, Tom Sawyer. You’re getting all excited about this adventure. How would you suggest we proceed?”

His eyebrows lift at my dry tone, but he still looks like he might laugh. “Start looking for food and water?”

“Very helpful plan of action.” I’m shaking my head and frowning past his shoulder when I think of something. “What section of the boat do you think this is?”

He turns to look. “The bow, I suppose.” He grins. “Oh, I see. That’s where some of our stuff was stored. It’s a long shot, but I guess there might be something useful still in there.”

We both move in silent agreement to investigate the torn side of the wreckage. We did have a storage compartment in this section where we’d stashed some of our extra supplies, but nearly everything was washed out into the ocean. But in the far corner, one plastic tub got lodged. It takes a lot of effort from both of us, but we finally pull it out.

I’m the one who organized our supplies, so I realize what’s in it even before Edmund pries off the lid.

Several boxes of protein bars. The shampoo Edmund likes to use. Some extra bottles of sunscreen. And a few towels (now damp) I’d used to pad the extra space in the tub.

Edmund chuckles as he pulls out the sunscreen. He tosses me a bottle.

Not one to question providence, I immediately squirt some out and rub it all over my face. It’s kind of gritty because there’s salt and sand on my skin, but I don’t care. Anything to keep me from being burned.

“Well, the protein bars are helpful since we’re likely to be limited to coconuts here,” Edmund says, putting the boxes back into the large tub.

“This isn’tGilligan’s Island, you know. Why would you assume there’ll be coconuts?”

“What do you want to bet there are?”

I hesitate briefly but then shake my head. I’m not going to take that bet because I’d be likely to lose. Of course there are coconuts on this tropical island. This is exactly the kind of island where they’d be. “Okay, then our first priority has to be fresh water. We can survive a lot longer without food than without water.”

“I know. Surely there’s some fresh water in there somewhere. If it’s that paradise island, there’s supposed to be a freshwater spring. We should explore.”

“While we’re at it, we can find out for sure whether we’re all alone here or not. It might not be the island we were aiming for after all.”

“I think it is. But exploring is basically our only choice right now.” He glances down at my feet. “At least you’ve still got your shoes.”

I didn’t even realize it before. I’m wearing shorts with a thin, loose, long-sleeved top that’s damp and is clinging to my body quite resiliently, and on my feet are my boat shoes. But Edmund’s feet are completely bare. “On no. You have no shoes.”

“I kicked them off trying to swim last night. I’m amazed you managed to keep yours on.”

“Well, try not to step on sharp rocks or poisonous snakes.”

“I’ll do my best.”

***

THE FOREST—OR MAYBEwe should call it a jungle—is thick, the ground covered with foliage. It’s really hard to get through. After trying for a few minutes, we decide to walk the perimeter, checking out the size of the island and searching for a thinning of the trees to enter.

It takes not much more than an hour to walk the circumference of the entire island, so it’s not very large. There’s no easy way to enter the jungle—the trees are all equally thick. Finally, as we’re approaching the spot where we started, I see the trickling of a stream over rocks coming out from the trees. We force our way in there and find the stream is deeper several yards in.

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