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, as if he’d expected this moment, and moreover, expected a different outc
ome. And then he looked up, and the world began to move very fast for his
boat-mate.
Frank made a mistake, one he recognized very quickly when he chose not to f
ollow his instincts and shove David right over the side of the boat. He’d h
ad the opportunity, a split second when he could have pulled it off, and it
was missed before he was raising his arms to fend off David’s, catching hi
s balance as the boat rocked violently beneath his feet. But, balance didn’
t prove to be enough, and when two firm hands came forcefully against Frank
’s chest, he hardly caught his breath before the air rushed from his lungs
and he toppled sideways in a dizzy, panicked haze.
There was a strange crack in Frank’s ear, and he felt something wet tricklin
g down the side of his face before he even made an oddly heavy splash into t
he water, the lake surrounding him like a cold, heavy blanket. His body twit
ched beneath the surface in his valiant effort to get above it, and as if to
bring on one last terror he looked up to see the bottom of Oliver’s boat be
fore the oncoming darkness surrounded his senses and he sunk slowly into it,
unaware of the hazel eyes still watching him.
David Martin’s mouth was tugged down into a frown as he watched the head of
blond hair below the water fade away into the murk before his attention wa
s turned to a snake weaving its way past the boat. Frank Seaberg was a disa
ppointment, and would be a necessary sacrifice if he wanted to accomplish a
ll that mattered to him. And just like all his life, all that mattered to h
im was taking his brother away from this place. He looked to his left, the
back of the house he’d once been prisoner in coming into his sights. Someh
ow, all of those memories constantly on his mind seemed like a distant drea
m; something he’d never speak of again. The moment was a new one for him, a
nd standing there on the little motorboat he knew there was a decision to b
e made. A change. And in an instant, he was somewhere better. At least som
ewhere better than Frank was, he imagined, as he looked down once again and
tried to ignore a strange ringing in his ears that insisted that when they
met again, his brother was not going to like this.
“It’ll be fine. Trust me, Oliver,” he whispered. Because like himself, David
knew that the only thing Oliver would ever be able to count on in this worl
d... was David.
........................................
“Jay, look out!” Jenny screamed, and surfacing in the water, Jay casually gr
abbed a small snake around the neck and tossed it well away from his persona
l space before he swam closer to Oliver Martin’s boat and looked up to where
his girlfriend was still standing in the larger one.
“I don’t see him!” he shouted, and without waiting for a response, dived do
wn below the surface of the water, knowing that Jenny’s watchful eye was on
him until he surfaced again. She was crying, and Jay didn’t feel there was
time for that. “Leave me here!” he shouted. “Get to Frank’s house and tell
his mom...”
Jenny’s attention was suddenly turned as she heard coughing behind her, and
she left the edge of their borrowed boat to attend to it. “Jay, he’s awake!”
Frank Seaberg groaned as he fell from the bench seat they’d carefully place
d him on, and jumped when Jenny Woodmoore gripped his shoulders, calling hi
s name as if he wasn’t right in front of her. Forcing his wet lashes open,
Frank took her in before looking past her, his attention on a dripping figu
re until it became Jay Flaskis, kneeling next to him.
“Frank, where’s Oliver?” Jay demanded.
Frank coughed again. “What?”
“We can’t find him!” Jenny said impatiently. “What happened?”
Frank looked between the two of them, his mind seemingly working at an inc
onveniently slow pace before he found himself looking gratefully at Jay an
d his wet clothes. “Did you pull me out?” he asked.
Jay frowned. “We found you in the boat--Frank, did Oliver go over or not?”
Pulling himself up, ignoring the assistance from his friends, Frank made his
way to the bow, looking over the edge at the small motorboat still drifting i
n the water.
“Frank!” Jay shouted, as if a firmer tone would get his attention.
“We have to go get Oliver...” Frank started.
“Where’s Oliver?” jenny demanded.
“It wasn’t Oliver,” Frank stated, raising his voice above both of theirs. “I
t wasn’t Oliver... with me.” He turned to them, meeting Jay’s eyes, and in a
moment he knew that Jay understood. “It wasn’t Oliver.”
“David did this to you?” Jenny asked. There was a fright in her voice, and a f
eeling of paranoia as she turned in a circle as if ready to ward off an attack
.
“If that was David...” Jay said.
“We have to go get Oliver,” Frank finished for him.
Jay cursed, his temper sparking as he looked at Frank. “I told you! I told y
ou he was nothing like Oliver! He’s dangerous, Frank, we should...” [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]