Page 41 of Hidden Raphael
Someone out to kill her had survived the brutal environment without any luxuries. Rubbish thoughts were getting into her brain. Did he intend to eat her to stay warm for the winter? She clenched her jaw. She had no time for this fear. Roger was dead.
He had no personal effects in here whatsoever. Had he not carried a bag? But if not, where did he get the sleeping bag? Had it been Eileen's or Ali's? The forest-green color was not Eileen's designer taste.
Kimberly stepped out of the tent into the dead trees. Icicles raced up her spine.
The forest seemed like it never ended, but her ears heard the crashing of the surf. She stopped and listened. The water was close. She was supposed to mediate and be peaceful now. Her fingers refused to crawl out of the self-hug to even do the circle.
The wind bristled through the forest, and she turned her back on it.
She continued forward and reached the beach. To her right had been the pillar of smoke from the crash. She turned in that direction then thought she saw a man. "Hello? Raphael?"
No one stopped, and the further she went toward the crash, the more she thought she had imagined the whole thing. She bit her lip, jumped over a rock, then took her first look at the wreckage.
Her toes curled as she remembered how the water stole her breath and left her body numb.
How had she survived? The plane hadn't been that big in the first place, and the tail stuck out of the water. The ocean had claimed the wreck, and pieces of the plane cluttered the beach.
Her heart sped up now, and the cold was somehow less. She needed to see more. She checked the beach left and right. No one was around.
Perhaps there was something in the plane that would clue her in on why this happened. She knew how to swim, and back at the castle there were clean clothes.
Answers would help, and she'd race back to Raphael's castle. Any clue to find Harry would help settle her. She unzipped her jacket, stripped off her clothes, and left them in a pile.
The water froze her foot, and soon her limb became numb. In the tropics, she could swim for hours. Perhaps she could survive for a few minutes in this cold. She had to see what was left of the crash. She held her breath and went under the water. She'd last a few more then run back to her clothes. The water was black, and she couldn't see anything. She swam closer to the plane, and hoped to use her hands to brush against anything.
She had no goggles, but she made out where the exit door had been. Her hands acted like her vision and she touched everything.
At the cockpit she peered through the broken glass and glanced at something that shimmered. Was it a box? On the news, they always talked about some black box. Would she need it? She had no idea how to get it, and needed air.
She swam back to shore and changed. She shivered. Would Raphael have goggles or any dive equipment? She needed to see what she could. And the wreck held the best clues for what might have motivated Roger to bring down the plane. She stopped for a moment.
Crack.
The air sizzled with electricity, and she thought again she saw a man. She threw on her jacket and pushed as much of her hair into her hay. Then she called out, "Raphael?"
No answer. She finished dressing and swallowed. She turned around both ways, and she saw no one. She bit her lip and headed back to the castle.
The shadows in the corner of her eyes flashed and she swore she saw the man from the portrait on the horse. She blinked and it was gone.
She brushed it off as silly. The way back was easier. The massive tower overshadowed everything else. This time the dead trees bristled less. She ran as fast as she could to get back to the warmth of a fire. In the library, Raphael had a huge fireplace. She'd go there.
Her hair was cold, wet, and about to freeze.
Hot chocolate and the warm fire would bring her back to life, at least in the picture in her head.
She made it back to the door, over the drawbridge, and tried to open it. She pulled, but it was locked. She bit her lip and banged. "Hello? It's me."
She banged again, but no one answered. A chill ran down her spine. What if no one answered?
Tears threatened to fall, but she wiped her hands across her face. She'd not panic. Then she heard the locks. She stood straighter, and her heart nearly stopped. Raphael stood in green jeans and a black t- shirt. She almost fell but asked, "Were you out on the beach?"
"No." He reached out and took her arm in his. "You're all wet. Come inside. It's freezing.”
“I went to the wreckage and searched for a clue on Harry.” She trembled, and her arm became incredibly warm in his. She sighed and followed him. "I thought I saw you outside."
"I slept in." He let her go once she stood in the hallway and then he turned to lock all the doors. "I had a busy day yesterday and I thought you'd need sleep too. Clearly, I was wrong."
"I needed to go to the beach."
