Gray's Domain: Purgatorium Series, Book Two (15 page)

The wind pressed against them as they descended toward the beach. Despite her anxiety over Greg’s motives, Daphne never got tired of the magnificent view. The hill of yellow poppies to her left shimmered in the sunshine, and the bluffs to her right soared toward the sky. Way out in the distance, she could see maybe twenty boats, but there were only three people on the shore—no one she recognized—and two of them were sunning, while a third built a sand castle.

During their walk, Brock had been telling her and Gregory about his summer job with the YMCA and how they were expecting him at the end of the week. As much as he was enjoying the island, he needed to get home soon. Greg repeated what the doctor had already said—the next boat would come in three days.

The water was cold but absolutely breathtaking the way it reflected the sunlight and lapped toward the shore in gentle peaks. Unlike the coastline to the north near Prisoners Harbor and Pelican Bay, this side of the island had very little seaweed or kelp and was smooth rather than rocky. Her feet sank into the silky sand of the ocean floor as they waded out.

“You see that smaller island over there?” Greg asked them, pointing. “That’s Gull Island. The reef lies just between here and there, about half way, not quite a mile out.”

They put on their masks and swam toward Gull Island. Daphne was alarmed, when she scanned below the surface, by the sight of a barracuda floating, motionless, just a few yards away from them. It seemed unconcerned with them. She hoped it stayed that way.

The muddy bottom soon gave way to more and more colorful rocks and shells. About three-quarters of a mile out, the coral reef came into view. Tubular pops of color—orange, green, yellow, and rust—covered the ocean floor. Then an enormous, bright pink formation, resembling cauliflower, shimmered in the light of the sun, where tiny orange fish circled this way and that. Beyond the magnificent pink structure was a collection of lily-pad shaped colonies, multi-color, like something you would see at the end of a kaleidoscope. Greg stopped to tread water. She and Brock followed suit.

“Isn’t it something?” he asked them.

“Amazing,” Brock said.

“It’s only about fifteen feet below us, so it’s perfect for snorkeling,” Greg added. “Ready to go down for a closer look?”

“Ready.” Brock tucked in his knees and then executed a perfect surface dive before Daphne had even taken a breath.

Greg grabbed her arm. “Listen to me. I brought you out here for a reason. We need to talk.”

Daphne stared back at him. She pulled out her mouthpiece.
“About what?”

“Don’t let my mother suck you in. She’s got good intentions, but she’s a control freak.”

“You can say that again. Did Emma really volunteer to get shot?”

Greg shrugged. “She told Emma we couldn’t be together unless she proved that she was committed to this project. So, yeah, Emma volunteered, in a way.”

“Do you love Emma?”

“Yes. I want to marry her.”

“How can you let your mother get away with that?” Daphne asked.

“Believe me. I’ve tried everything to get away from her. I only came back to the island this time to rescue Emma.”

“Then why have you been going along?”

Brock surfaced. “What are you guys waiting for? It’s spectacular!”

“Daphne can’t get a proper seal on her mask,” Greg said. “Here.” He removed his mask and handed it over. “Use mine.”

Daphne took off her perfectly good mask and exchanged with Greg.

“See you down below,” Brock said before submerging again.

“My mom can’t know what I’m up to.” Greg moved closer. “There are few places we can talk privately. Can you meet me out on the beach tonight?”

“Why can’t you tell me what you have to say now? I’m going to tell Brock anyway.”

Greg looked toward the shore. “We’re being watched. Bring Brock along if you want, but come after dark, when no one can see us.”

She grabbed his arm. “What’s this about?”

“I overheard my mom talking about the next exercise. You need to get your family off this island, but we need a plan.” He popped in his mouthpiece and submerged.

Chapter Twelve: Escape

That evening, after nightfall, Daphne went alone to her mother’s cabana. Since her father hadn’t believed Daphne when she had tried to warn him about Hortense Gray’s insane tactics, Daphne thought her mother should hear firsthand what Gregory had to say. When she reached the front porch of her parents’ unit, she heard voices. Her father was still in the infirmary, so who was talking to her mother?

Daphne snuck around the side of the cabana, where she had hidden the night the ghosts had visited her parents, and peered in through the window. Sitting across from her mother in one of the upholstered chairs was Dr. Gray. Daphne couldn’t hear what they were saying to one another, but she gasped when her mother leaned over the coffee table to sign a paper. Her mother was nodding and smiling. Daphne was tempted to walk in on them to see what was going on, but she couldn’t get up the nerve. She waited in the dark until Hortense Gray left. Then Daphne knocked on her mother’s door.

“Sweetheart!” her mother said as she opened the door. “Is everything okay?”

“Can I come inside?”

“Of course.”

Daphne entered the room but didn’t sit down. “Why was the doctor here?”

“Oh, I’m not supposed to say. It’s a surprise.”

“Mom, please.”

Her mother made the motion of locking her mouth closed.

“Whatever. Brock and I want you to come for a walk with us on the beach tonight.”

“What? No, honey. I’m tired. You two go on without me. I’m sure it will be a lot more romantic without me along.”

“Please, Mama?” Daphne used her sweetest voice.

“Seriously?” Her mother smiled. “Well, alright. Let me get my flip-flops on.”

They walked together to Brock’s unit, and then all three of them headed for the beach. Daphne hoped Gregory would be waiting for them as planned.

Brock held Daphne’s hand and took the lead up the steps toward the boardwalk. The moon glimmered on the dancing waves below, but the beach was in shadows. Even so, Daphne was sure she could make out Greg standing alone at the edge of the sea.

“That wind is chilly!” Sharon said as they made their way down the steps.

“Look how beautiful the sky is,” Brock said. “You can see so many more stars out here than you can back home.”

Once they were on the sand and walking toward Greg, Daphne said, “Mom, there’s something you need to know. It’s important.”

“What, honey?”

“Listen to what Greg has to say.”

Greg walked out to meet them, but when he got closer, he didn’t look pleased. “You brought your mother, too?”

“I want her to know what’s really going on,” Daphne said.

“Didn’t you think the three of you coming out at this time of night might look suspicious? I bet we won’t be alone for long.”

“So get to the point,” Brock said. “Tell us why we need to get off the island.”

“Someone tell me what’s going on,” Sharon said.

“My mother needs to be stopped,” Greg explained. His face twisted into the frown of a frightened child. He stepped from foot to foot, smoothing the back of his hair down repeatedly in a way that made him look neurotic. Daphne wondered if it was excellent acting, or if he was about to have some kind of breakdown.

“I love my mom,” Greg continued. “She’s got good intentions. But a kid died here two years ago, and she won’t stop. The power has gotten to her head. It’s because of her father. You won’t believe what he did to her. She did it to me, too. She thinks she’s helping.”

“A kid
died
?” Brock asked.

Greg nodded. “And now I’m scared for Daphne.”

“What did your mother do to you, Gregory?” Sharon asked.

“There’s no time for that now,” he said.

“We have to get off this island, Mama,” Daphne said. “Dad and I were almost killed in that helicopter, but not because of pirates. That was one of Dr. Gray’s exercises.”

“You can’t be serious. A girl was shot!”  Sharon shook her head with disbelief. “And you and your father could have been hurt, or
killed
!”

“Emma volunteered,” Greg said.
“Manipulated into it by my mother.”

Sharon shook her head again, like a dog throwing water off its fur. “How do we know this boy isn’t just trying to get back at his mother for breaking things up with his girlfriend? Or how do we know
this
isn’t the game?”

“This is not a game,” Greg said. “Look, how can you believe me? I don’t know the answer to that. But here’s the thing: if I’m lying, what do you have to lose?
Nothing. You’re in a game either way. But if I’m telling the truth, and you can get off this island, well, I’ve just maybe saved Daphne’s life. And yours, too, for that matter.”

“What does your mom have planned?” Daphne asked, dreading the answer.

“She’s going to make you the Lady of Shalott.”

Daphne gawked. “What?
How?”

“She’s going to get you in a boat alone with your mom without gas or oars, so you’ll drift who knows where, without food and water, until you are so weak you want to die. Then she plans on saving you. But how can she control a drifting boat out in the open sea? That’s how the kid died two years ago. She wants to try the same exercise on you, but with a parent on board.”

“She wouldn’t,” Sharon cried in disbelief.

“That couldn’t happen,” Daphne said with a new feeling of suspicion. Maybe Greg
was
luring them into a trap. “There are too many boats around this island. Any one of them could easily rescue a drifting boat.”

“Between here and the mainland,” Greg said. “But out to the west, there’s no one for miles. Sure, it’s possible they’ll be spotted, but that’s not what happened two years ago.”

“What do you want us to do?” Brock asked.

“Take one of the jeeps and get the hell out.”

“We can’t leave without my father,” Daphne said.

“I didn’t expect you to,” Greg said. “I’ll drive a jeep up to the main building after you head over there. Then I’ll distract my mom with an argument. That should be easy to
do. While we’re fighting, you help your dad to the jeep. I’ll leave the keys in the ignition.”

“Then what?”
Brock asked.

“Follow the road to Prisoners Harbor,” Greg said. “There are boats there all day long. Just flag someone down who can take you off first thing in the morning.”

“But the cameras,” Daphne said. “They’re everywhere.”

“That’s why you need to go tonight,” Greg said. “Just hide near the harbor and wait for the first boats to arrive. Just promise me you’ll come back with the police or FBI or
someone
who can help me and Emma get out of here.”

“Maybe you should come with us,” Sharon said.

“I’m not leaving Emma, and she’s in no condition to leave the infirmary.”

Sharon sighed. “I don’t know what to think, but I guess we should play it safe and go.”

They left Greg alone on the beach and headed for the main building.

As Daphne was about to follow Brock back up the steps of the boardwalk, she stopped on the sand and turned to her mother.

“What did Hortense have you sign tonight? What’s the surprise?”

Her mother frowned. “She needed my signature for a financial transaction. I authorized payment for a tour on a cruise ship that docks here in two days and ends in Galveston.”

“How much?”

“Five thousand dollars.”

“I hope we can get that money back.” Daphne turned and followed Brock up the steps.

When they reached the top, Cam and Bridget were leaning against the railing and gazing out at the sea, probably sent by the doctor to snoop on Daphne. Never in a million years would
Dapne have imagined having to lie to her best friend.

“Oh, hey guys,” Cam said. “Enjoying the beach tonight?”

“The stars are magnificent,” Brock said smoothly.

“Headed to bed?” Bridget asked.

Daphne and her mother exchanged glances. Her mother was a terrible actress. You could read the anxiety plain as day on her face.

“Probably,” Daphne said. “We haven’t decided.”

“Catch you later, man,” Brock said as he led Daphne past the other couple.

“Why don’t you hang out with us?” Bridget protested. “Maybe ping pong?”

“Or billiards,” Cam said.

“No, thanks.”
Daphne did not turn back. As hard as it was to blow off her best friend, she forced herself to keep walking. She was scared to death to leave him behind, but he was too brainwashed to cooperate with her, and he couldn’t be trusted not to tell Dr. Gray.