فصل 32

CHAPTER 32

THE WELCOMING PARTY

“WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!” Sarah called over her shoulder.

J.D., flying just behind and below her, knew she was right; the island was still well in the distance, and they were almost in the water.

“We’ll have to swim for it,” he shouted. “Keep flying as long as you can. I’ll catch up. I’m a good swimmer.”

Seconds later, his toes brushed the water; seconds after that, his legs were dragging, and the rest of him was dragged in. Sarah heard the splash and glanced back to see J.D. waving at her to keep going. She did; she was not a strong swimmer, and wanted to fly every foot she could. She made herself as horizontal as possible as the water came closer and closer until she was skimming along hardly a foot above the surface.

When the plunge came, it happened more suddenly than she expected, and caught her with her mouth open, her velocity forcing salt water into her throat as it drove her body underwater. She panicked, twisting her body frantically, looking for the surface, thrashing her arms and legs. She realized to her horror that she wasn’t rising; she was sinking deeper into the blue-green water. She redoubled her efforts to swim but found she had no strength left in her limbs. Her vision was dimming, her lungs were on fire, and the air she craved so desperately was receding above her, farther and farther…

And then, suddenly, somehow, she was rising—gripped from behind by powerful arms, the water rushing past her face as she shot upward. Her head broke the surface and she gasped and coughed and heaved, trying to simultaneously take air in and vomit seawater out. It was more than a minute before she had regained some control, her breath coming in harsh rasps.

“Th—thank you,” she said, turning her head, expecting to see J.D. She jerked in surprise when she saw that the face only inches from hers was that of a woman—a stunningly beautiful woman, with long blond hair and huge, brilliant green eyes.

“Who are you?” said Sarah.

The woman smiled at her, but said nothing. Her teeth were small and very white, ending in sharp points. Her breath smelled like seaweed.

“There was someone with me,” Sarah said. “He must be in the water somewhere. I have to find him.” Sarah twisted her head around, looking for J.D., but saw only empty water. She turned back to her rescuer. “Please,” she said. “I need to find him. He could be drowning.” She struggled, trying to break free of the woman’s grasp, but could not; the woman was incredibly strong.

“Please,” said Sarah again. “I…hey!”

She was suddenly being propelled through the water toward the island with impossible speed, still in the grip of the woman. No human could swim that fast, Sarah realized, and in that moment she also realized what her rescuer was. She looked back and saw, in the foaming wake behind them, a flash of glistening green, sun reflecting from a long, graceful, and very powerful tail.

“You’re a mermaid,” she said, over the rush of the water. Her rescuer flashed her a quick sideways smile. Sarah frowned, trying to remember the name of the head mermaid in the stories she’d read. “Are you Teacher?” she said. This got a bigger smile.

“Teacher,” said Sarah, “I need to find my friend.”

The mermaid nodded ahead. Sarah looked, squinting against the sun and sea spray, and saw a long, curved beach, its bright, white sand ringed with palms. Beyond that rose a steep mountainside covered with dense vegetation in a thousand shades of green. As they drew nearer she saw figures in the shallow water next to the beach. One was standing.

“J.D.!” she shouted, her voice breaking with relief.

J.D. spotted her and waved. She could see now that the figures in the water around him were mermaids, a half dozen of them, smiling radiantly.

“I see you got a ride, too,” J.D. called, as Teacher, with a few more sweeps of her powerful tail, brought Sarah to him. Sarah stood and waded to him on shaky legs.

Seeing the look on her face, he said, “You okay?”

She intended to answer, but what came out was a sob.

J.D. stepped forward and gave her an awkward hug, patting her back. She held him tightly for a moment. This displeased the mermaids who’d been surrounding J.D.; several of them snarled and hissed until a look from Teacher quieted them.

“I’m sorry,” said Sarah, wiping her eyes. “I had a little trouble out there.”

“I’m sorry,” said J.D. “I shouldn’t have told you to go ahead. But you’re okay now.”

“Except for losing the starstuff to Hook and Ombra getting Aidan.”

“Except for that,” agreed J.D. “On the other hand, we’re here,” he said, looking around at the beach and the jungle-covered mountainside beyond. “So this is Never Land.”

“Yes,” said Sarah. “Where nobody ever grows old.” “Do you really believe that?” “Do you believe in Captain Hook? Mermaids?”

J.D. smiled. “Good point. So remind me how that works, the whole never-grow-old thing.”

“According to the books,” said Sarah, “there’s starstuff in the water supply, way underground somewhere.”

“And it’s still working, after all these years?”

“I guess so. A little seems to go a long way. And there was a lot here.”

J.D. was about to ask another question when he saw movement up the beach at the edge of the jungle.

“Looks like we have a welcoming party,” he said.

Five muscular men were walking down the beach toward them. They were barefoot, wearing only loincloths and necklaces made of shells. All five carried spears. “I think those are the Mollusks,” said Sarah.

There was a splashing sound. J.D. and Sarah looked around to find that the mermaids had disappeared.

“Are the Mollusks friendly?” said J.D.

“Sort of,” said Sarah.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t think they’re crazy about visitors.”

“Swell.”

The five men stopped at the water’s edge and spread out, watching J.D. and Sarah with unreadable expressions.

“Hello,” said J.D., raising his hand in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture, then feeling stupid and putting it back down.

The Mollusk in the middle, the tallest one, stepped forward, his eyes on J.D. “Who are you,” he said, “and how did you come here?” He spoke in British-accented English.

“I’m J.D. Aster.”

“An Aster,” said the Mollusk.

“Yes.”

“I see. And the way you came here?”

“It’s…complicated,” said J.D.

“Too complicated for a savage such as myself to comprehend?”

Sarah smirked. J.D. reddened.

“I didn’t mean that,” he said. “It’s just that the way we got here, it’s a very—”

“We came on the bridge,” said Sarah.

The Mollusk smiled at her. “Thank you,” he said. “I suspected as much. It’s been quite a while since anyone used the bridge.”

Sarah was studying him. “Are you the chief’s son…Bold Abalone?” she said.

The Mollusk smiled again. “I am. And you are…”

“Sarah. Sarah Cooper.”

“You’re not an Aster.”

“No. But I’m…I’m sort of working with the Starcatchers.”

Bold Abalone nodded. “Perhaps, Sarah Cooper, you can explain to me why you and Mister Aster came to our island.”

“Okay,” said Sarah. “But that part really is complicated.”

“In that case,” said Bold Abalone, “it would be best if you explained it to my father.”