Sharks & Boys (15 page)

Landon
has moved to be by my side. I’m now flanked by him and Wick, and this makes me feel better. We’re all barefoot. The guys finally decided to take off their shoes. They sit in a pile next to Skate. I wish there was a way a shoe could be useful. But shoes really only work as footwear.

“We should use the twenties to make another cash rope,” Wick says.

Landon doesn’t look at him. “Okay.”

“You’ve got the twenties,” Wick says.

Landon reaches into his jeans and pulls out two wadded bills. I should suggest using the shoelaces, but I don’t want another argument with Dale about lace worth and possible deserted islands.

“I want to take a nap,” I say. I am so tired.

“Stay awake,” Landon says. “Help me fish.”

“I want sleep,” I say.

Landon doesn’t argue with me. But I think maybe he’s right. Maybe I should try to stay awake.

“My life is suck,” Dale says. He looks at me. “Your life is suck.”

He is so depressing.

Burr is still crouched beside Skate. Skate is awake less than I am. He’s only conscious for brief moments. To get him and his head wound out of the contaminated water, he’s now sitting up all the time. Burr doesn’t let him sleep on the bottom of the raft. His head is still wrapped in Dale’s T-shirt, hiding the gash, and I’m glad for this, but I’ve spotted a new injury on him.

It’s his ear. He must have hurt it when Wick threw him off
Gretchen
. As he fell, I saw him bump into the ship’s side, but I hadn’t noticed his ear until now. There’s a big cut behind it, and it’s also infected. I worry that gangrene is going to set in, that once we get him to a hospital, the ear is going to be cut off. I guess it’s not the end of the world. But I’m afraid that it is the end of his ear. I bet people will start calling him Vincent van Gogh, which will be totally appropriate, Skate being the artistic type.

My hand isn’t getting any better either. It’s puffy and it hurts. Also, my legs are starting to grow sores. I think it’s from the exposure. The sun and the salt water are corroding my skin. Actually, we all have these sores. I’m the one whose legs lack any protection at all. Why did I show up in a skirt? I’ll never wear such impractical clothes again. I close my eyes and turn in to myself. We’re drifting in silence again. The sun is setting. Our world is going to grow cold and dark.

“His ear is so messed up,” Dale says.

“Shut up,” Burr says. “He’s sleeping.”

But Skate’s eyes are wide open; he’s awake. Burr tugs at his own ear.

“It’ll be okay,” Burr says. “It’s not that bad.”

Wick is sitting on the other side of Landon.

“Where the hell is the Coast Guard?” Wick asks.

“They’ll come,” Burr says.

I hold my head in my hands. I wish so badly that I wasn’t here. I wish I was in Vermont. I wish I was drinking water.

“We should always have someone stay awake,” Wick says. “So that we can signal them.”

“With what?” Dale asks. “It’s going to be dark out.”

Dale’s comment quiets everybody.

“They’ll be here,” Burr says.

“I think I need a doctor,” Skate says. “I’m probably gonna have to get to the hospital as soon as we get back.”

“Yeah, the Coast Guard will have medics. Then you’ll be taken immediately to a hospital. You’ll be fine. Hang in there,” Burr says.

Burr tugs at his ear again. He also rubs the back of his own head. I wonder if he can feel Skate’s pain. Because of all the twin studies, I’m sure that he can. Burr looks totally wiped. I look at him and smile, but he doesn’t smile back. A small wave lifts the raft, and we work to steady it. Then a large shark strikes the side of the raft, and I scream.

“Don’t do that. We don’t want to encourage it,” Dale says.

“Actually, I don’t think screaming encourages them,” Munny says. “Sharks follow the electrical currents of other animals. They don’t have ears. They have sensor receptors.”

“Thanks for the science lesson,” Dale says. “But that doesn’t explain why sharks love blood.”

“They have excellent olfactory senses,” Munny explains. “Their very sensitive noses can detect blood for up to a mile, as little as one part per million of blood in seawater.”

“Not every species,” Wick says. “You’re talking about sharks like they’re all identical. A dogfish shark isn’t the same as a bull shark or a whale shark.”

“I know that,” Munny said. “I’m talking about blood—”

Wick cuts him off. “You’re oversimplifying everything.”

I reach out and touch Wick’s arm. We don’t need to bite each other’s heads off.

“Dude, my brother’s right,” Dale says. “You’re like a fact box.
I’m Munny. Here’s a fact. And a fact. And a fact.
”

To further antagonize Munny, Dale makes his voice sound whiny and obnoxious.

“And you’re like an empty box,” Munny says.
“I didn’t study. I didn’t read it. Me hate knowledge. I never know answer.”

Munny exaggerates Dale’s voice, making him sound like a grunting caveman. I think it’s funny, but Dale looks furious.

“Say that again and I’ll punch you,” Dale says.

“Don’t threaten Munny,” I say.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Dale says. “I’m not Wick.”

“She’s off-limits,” Wick says.

“I can say what I want to say,” I say. My voice sounds strong.

“Chill out, Enid,” Landon says.

I can’t believe it. Landon is siding with Dale. I’m stirred awake even more.

“I hate sharks,” Dale says. “I hope they all go extinct.”

I see a chance to dig at him, and I take it. “Only a stupid person would say they want an entire species to go extinct. Throw the ecosystem off, and we’re all doomed.”

“I agree,” Munny says.

“Enid,” Landon says. “Shhh.”

I can’t believe my own brother is shushing me. I’m right.

“Let’s mellow out,” Landon says.

“I am mellow!” I say.

“Maybe I wasn’t talking to you,” Landon says.

I’m confused. Why is he being so mean to me? I can’t hold in my frustration anymore. “Why is everybody on this raft starting to act like either an idiot or a jerk?”

“I haven’t said anything,” Sov says.

“Stop calling me stupid!” Dale says. “You think I don’t know what those twin tests say? You think I don’t know they think I’m the dumbest? Do you think it’s fun to hear that every month of your life? Shut up!”

“She didn’t call you stupid,” Munny says. “She thought your comment was stupid.”

“I am not stupid!” Dale picks up a shoe from the pile and throws it hard at Munny’s head. The toe-end makes contact with Munny’s cheekbone and bounces into the water. Munny doesn’t scream, but the area underneath his eye immediately becomes red. He lifts his hand to his cheek. He looks surprised.

“Hey! You can’t attack people on the life raft,” I say. “That’s insane!”

“Don’t do that again,” Landon says. “Are you okay, Munny?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” Dale says. “In a normal situation I wouldn’t have done that. This is so messed up.” He squeezes his eyes shut.

“Buckle down,” Wick says. He reaches into the water to pick up the shoe, but a snapping jaw filled with teeth breaks the water’s surface and engulfs the sneaker.

“Holy shit!” Wick yells.

He pulls his arm back fast, and the shark turns, slapping its tail against the side of our raft. A wave of seawater floods over us as one whole side of the raft bends upward. Landon is near the part that bows. For a second, it looks like he could tip either way. Into the water? Into the raft? He falls into the bottom of the raft, landing on his hands and knees in the cruddy water.

“Sorry,” Dale says. “Sorry.”

“Pull that again and I’ll throw you over,” Landon says. As he reseats himself, I notice that he’s shaking. He could have died. He’s sitting next to me, and I touch his leg. Then I release a big breath. I didn’t even realize that I’d been holding my breath.

“I’m so thirsty,” Burr says. “I need water.”

“If we catch a fish we can eat its eyes,” Munny says. “They contain water.”

“How do you know that?” Burr asks.

“It’s just a fact,” Munny says. “I’m a fact box.”

I look into the ocean. Everything is growing dark. Far off, I think I see a gray mark inching along the horizon line. Maybe it’s my imagination. Maybe it’s another shadow.

“Is that a ship?” I ask. My voice is quiet, almost like I’m afraid to be heard.

“Where?” Wick asks.

“There,” I say, pointing.

“It is,” Wick says. “Enid sees a ship!”

We’re all looking at the small gray block.

“Is it the Coast Guard?” Landon asks.

“No, the Coast Guard has white ships. And there would be searchlights panning the water,” Burr says. “It looks like a big fishing boat.”

“Is it coming toward us? Will it see us?” I ask.

“It’s going the other way,” Dale says.

“Are you sure?” I ask. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, or if it’s the actual shape of the ship, but I think the mark looks like the silhouette of a rhinoceros. And not just any rhinoceros: the Sumatran rhino, of which there are fewer than four hundred remaining in the world. Something on the front end of it protrudes like two pointed horns, and its backside is quite broad.

It slinks along, probably ambling its way to a watering hole or another rhino. It’s the smallest rhinoceros with two horns. It seems to know that it’s rare. It’s almost like it’s afraid to turn toward us and approach. I keep hoping that it will shift its head and look at us. We don’t mean it any harm. I wave my arms.

“It’s too far away to see you,” Dale says.

“Let’s paddle toward it,” Burr says. He flings his arms in the water and begins to row. “Help me!”

I think about the sharks and I hesitate. But then Landon and Wick put their arms in the water too. I follow. We’re turning the sea around the raft white, but we don’t seem to be moving.

“Harder!” Burr yells.

But I’m already paddling as hard as I can.

“It’s too far away,” Sov says. “It’s gone.”

He’s right. One by one, we pull our arms out of the water. There is a terrible silence broken only by the sound of droplets of seawater slipping off our skin and plinking into the raft’s murky bottom. I try to offer reassurance. “If we came across one ship, we can come across another.”

Burr stares in the direction of the ship, unbelieving.

I fold my arms across my chest. Darkness arrives unequivocally, like a train. The Sumatran rhino or boat or whatever it is continues to widen the horrible distance between us. To it, we are invisible.

“Stupid rhinoceros!” I yell.

Wick kisses my matted hair. “What are you talking about?” he asks.

“Why couldn’t they see us?” I ask.

“They were just too far away,” Wick says.

It’s hard for me to accept that as the truth. But it must be true, because the gray block has disappeared. They’ve left us.

“The Coast Guard will come,” Wick says. “We’ll be okay.”

A few stars pop on overhead, and a milky quarter moon glows in the distance. Sadly, there’s just enough light so that I can make out what I think is a single circling fin. Or is it one of the ocean’s many angular waves? The water tumbles upon itself. Small mountains of water rise and fall. I put my head down. I’m so thirsty.

“We should say a prayer,” Burr says.

“Who should say it?” Landon asks.

“I could,” Dale says.

I sense a potential argument. “Maybe we should each say our own silent prayer,” I say.

“Good idea,” Wick says.

We all bow our heads; even Skate dips his a bit lower.

“God, please send the Coast Guard—immediately. Amen,” I say to myself.

I’m the first one to raise my head. I guess the others have longer requests.

Wick finishes too. He turns and reaches down, taking hold of my good hand. He gives it a squeeze and kisses my head again. Soon, everyone’s head pops back up. Praying actually made me feel better. I’m a little surprised by how little effort it took to start relying on God.

“Hey, Enid. Do you want to know the fate of your shoe?” Munny turns to face me so he doesn’t disturb Dale with more facts.

“Shark poop?” I ask.

“No, a shoe is indigestible,” Munny says. “To get rid of it, the shark will push its stomach out through its mouth. Once it gets the shoe out, the shark pulls its stomach back to where it belongs.”

My mind draws a mental picture of what he’s said, and I think of the shark vomiting up my mother’s white pump by expelling its own stomach into the ocean. I wonder if that’s what sharks do with bones. For them, are bones digestible or indigestible? I thank Munny for his information. But really, I wish he hadn’t mentioned it. For the time being, I know all that I care to about sharks.

As
night fully sets in, we start to doze. Skate has been sleeping for hours. Burr sits next to him, propping him up. Should I offer to do that? Do I have the strength? No.

“I’m going to rest,” I say. I’m getting cold. I’m tired. Sleep feels better. It’s okay if I sleep a little now. I rest my head in Wick’s lap. He holds me by my shoulder and lightly rocks me. It’s easy to drift off.

“Sweet dreams,” he says.

I think I’m dreaming even as he says that. I feel like I’m at home. I see my room. I’m in it. Walking across the maple wood floors. My feet in socks. I am in two places at once. Here and there. As I zone out, I hear Wick and Landon speak in whispers. I think they are actually trying to have a conversation without my hearing them. Why? Why would they want to keep anything from me? Do they know something terrible that they don’t want to tell me? I don’t open my eyes. I listen.

“I’m trying to tell you that it’s okay if Burr didn’t call the Coast Guard, because she would have called the following day. Either way they’re looking for us,” Wick says.

“I don’t know if that’s true,” Landon whispers.

“Yes,” Wick says. “She’ll know from the text. When she showed up for breakfast she’d see the van, the empty boat slip, and put two and two together.”

“You said nothing had been set in stone,” Landon says.

“Right,” Wick says. “But then I decided to invite her and I texted her. We used your phone, remember?”

Who are they talking about? Who did Wick text? I think back to the fact that the battery had died on his phone. Something is wrong. Is Wick seeing somebody? Was I right all along? I speak.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Nobody,” Wick says. “Go back to sleep, Enid.”

“I’m going to tell her,” Landon says.

“She should know,” Munny says from across the raft.

“What?” I ask.

“I’ll tell her,” Wick says. He traces his finger along my arm. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s stupid. But after we decided to take a break, since I was going to be down here, I called Simone. We were supposed to meet for breakfast,” Wick says.

Simone? Call? Breakfast?

“That’s not the total truth,” Sov says. “Tell her the total truth.”

“Tell me,” I say.

“We talked on the phone. We were going to hang out. We were just going to have fun together,” Wick says.

“You came to Maryland to have fun with Simone,” I say. “That’s why you came.”

“No,” Wick protests. “I came for Burr and Skate and the last party before they head out to college. The Simone situation just happened.”

I pull away from Wick. “No, the boat sinking just happened. The Simone thing was planned.”

I try to stand. I feel so dizzy. The raft wobbles beneath my weight.

“Sit down!” Burr says.

I sit back down.

“What a mistake,” Dale says. “You never should have told her.”

“Shut up,” I say. I hold my head. It’s pounding.

“Wick, why don’t you go sit next to Dale?” Landon says.

“Let’s talk,” Wick says, holding on to my leg.

“No!” I yell. “Let go of me.”

He doesn’t let go of me.

“I want to sit next to Munny and Sov,” I say. I feel like I’m dying inside and out. As I leave my seat I tumble, and Landon catches me. “Were you going to tell me?” I ask. “Were any of you going to tell me?”

I take a seat on the other side of Munny.

“I thought about telling you when I found you in the bathroom,” Sov says.

My mind sticks there. What if he had? Or what if I’d gotten off the boat before it had sailed? What if I’d made Landon come with me? What if I’d gotten so upset that I ruined the party and everyone got off the boat? I could have changed everything. We could be safe.

I hear myself scream. Skate lifts his head. “What? What? Enid are you okay?”

I look at Skate. He is wasting away. I can see the bones under his eyes. He looks like he’s lost twenty pounds in two days.

“I’m okay,” I say.

“You screamed,” he says.

“She’s a drama queen,” Burr says.

I shake my head. “I am not.”

“Your problems are nothing like mine. And do you hear me screaming?” Burr asks.

I think about his problems. He’s an orphan. His twin is dying. And it’s his fault we’re all in this disaster. But I’m adrift at sea with a broken heart. All of our lives are terrible. Why am I still trying so hard to be right? Shouldn’t I say something to make Burr feel better?

“You’re right,” I say. “I’m sorry.”

To my surprise, Burr doesn’t accept my apology. He doesn’t say anything. He continues to hold his brother and glare into the sea. We drift. I listen to the small waves pushing us farther out to sea. They create a rhythm. My thoughts fall in sync with them.
Wick is a cheater. Wick lied. Wick is rotten. Get over him. Get over him.

“I have something I need to say,” Landon says.

I think it’s going to be a condemnation of Wick. Because he should be condemned. I can’t believe he was this dishonest.

“I never sent Simone that text message,” Landon says.

“What do you mean? I was standing right there,” Wick says. “You’re remembering things wrong.”

“No, I remember,” Landon says. “I wrote a text message. I typed what you told me to and I deleted it. I wasn’t going to help you set up a date. I’m Enid’s brother.”

“Oh my God,” Wick says.

“I know,” Landon says.

“So she doesn’t know. Because she didn’t come. So she wouldn’t have notified anybody,” Wick says.

“Right,” Landon says.

Burr never jumps in and claims that he called the Coast Guard. Why doesn’t he? He just stares blankly into the distance.

“Burr, are you okay?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer my question.

“I’m tired. I want to go to sleep,” he says. He rests his head on the side of the raft.

It is stunning to think that Simone could have been responsible for my rescue. But she won’t be. My hate for her begins to boil again.

“Enid,” Wick says. “Are you okay?”

My hurt is exhausting me. I can’t even answer him. As Burr sleeps, he stretches his legs out and they cross over mine. His jeans lift up and I can see his calves. They are covered in sores. I feel a hand on my own leg, and I jump. It’s Munny.

“We can hope Burr called the Coast Guard,” Munny says.

“Wouldn’t they have been here by now?” Sov asks.

If Burr didn’t, who would? The guys aren’t expected back for another day. And while I am officially missing, nobody knows where to look for me. Why didn’t I leave a note with the marzipan? Why didn’t I take the time to explain things to my mom and
then
abandon her?

The world feels so cold. But I won’t give up. “Chances are we’ll see another ship,” I say. “This is the ocean. It’s full of boats.”

“It’s full of sharks,” Dale says.

“Don’t say that,” I plead. My world has been turned upside down, but I don’t want to give up hope. “I feel like another ship is really close. We need to get some sleep. We can look for more boats in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Landon says. “That sounds good.”

I wait for Sov and Munny to correct me and say that we’re too far away from sailing routes to encounter more ships, but they don’t. The silence bolsters me. It doesn’t take me long to find the silver lining in Wick’s betrayal. I have good instincts. Because if I was right about my Simone suspicions, I could be right about my boat suspicions. Even with a broken heart, I feel excited. As I let my head fall against my chest, there is a piece of me that looks forward to morning and what it might bring.