Page 20 of Shipwrecked

“Thank you for getting him back on the yacht.”

“I’m not accepting thanks for doing my job.”

“Saving him was a miracle. After he got ripped into the air like that? You risked your life staying out there. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”

The leaves let through streams of water. They drip down on us, soaking through our clothes.

“The equipment was good enough to hold together while I winched him in, and Jules unclipped himself. We didn’t need a miracle.”

“I think there’s magic in those tattoos.”

“Bull.”

“Nothing’s scary when you’re around, even when it should be. It’s always been like that.” Seán reaches out, cupping his hand to capture falling water. “We’re not going to get a fire lit in this. It’s too heavy.”

I let him change the subject. I have no clue how I’d respond otherwise.

“It’s a priority for tomorrow. We have all those coconut halves for collecting rainwater, which we’ll do now. What did you see food-wise?”

“Bananas, figs and gooseberries.” He gestures to the tree we’re leaning against. “Sea almonds. Pretty sure I spotted peppers and cashews too before it got dark.”

“The rain’s distorting your voice. Can you repeat that?”

Seán chuckles. “I told you. Magic.”

“Seán.”

“I think this island was used for tourism twenty years ago. The Thai government put together ‘wild foraging’ trips and let tourists scavenge for their own food. To prepare, they went ahead and planted a string of islands with tons of edible varieties of trees and plants.”

“Do we have good or bad luck?”

“God’s keeping it even. Let’s go. I want to get this set up before it’s pitch black.”

“Wait,” I say.

Seán pauses.

Careful of his shoulder, I hug him. I learned this trick from Seán’s dad when they took me in. Seán is tense at first but slowly sags against me, the same way I collapsed into the tree minutes earlier.

“We’ve got this.”

Seán nods against my shoulder. He hugs me back with his good arm, squeezing tightly. “Alright.” He looks fortified when we return to camp.

We crack the coconuts and bring them to everyone in the lean-tos. Everyone eats hungrily except Jules, who takes two bites, turns green and passes his half to Mathieu. At least he drinks the coconut water. We set the empty shells in holes in the sand, positioning broad fronds to funnel rainwater into them.

When there’s no visibility left, Seán directs me into the lean-to with Willow and Yasop before joining Mary and Charles. I look towards Mathieu and Jules, but their lean-to is only a shadow. I can’t see them.

Chapter Eight

Jules

I never imagined I’d be spending a night in bed with Darren again, and maybe it’s fitting that it’s so uncomfortable. Darren and I have slept side by side for two years, but tonight it’s all elbows and knees. I can feel him getting annoyed by the sound of my breathing and by the fronds rustling whenever I shift. Never mind that the rain is a racket all on its own.

I roll towards Mathieu, hoping he’ll be less annoyed by me.

“Are you cold?” Mathieu whispers. He scoots close, gently draping his leg over mine and slipping his arm up my side. I make a startled sound as icy fingers make contact with my waist, where my shirt is rucked up.

“Sorry.” Mathieu withdraws his hand.