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Chapter 488
That same evening, we gather around the table in my house again, everyone sitting in the same place they were yesterday. The feel of this gathering is different though, heavier and more portentous. The flickering candlelight illuminating the room only adds to the gravity of the atmosphere.
My dad headed straight to headquarters as soon as we left the beach this morning, reporting back to the Command Council. He was there all day, only returning about ten minutes ago. When he got back, he spent a few minutes talking privately with Mom before joining us at the table.
The Miracles have been here for almost an hour now, rehashing what happened this morning. We all have misgivings—some more than others—but we’ve all decided we need to go to Alcatraz. It’s not up to us, though. We’re just seven teenagers—there’s no way we can get there without help from the military. Even with help, none of us really knows if such a journey is possib
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 489
The five days of preparation fly by. As my dad had said, we all spend half of every day practicing with our weapons. Most of it is with swords or machetes, with lesser periods devoted to knife fighting. We also spend time shooting hand guns and automatic rifles. While none of us seven is anywhere near as capable as the rawest Marine recruit with any of these weapons, at least we may have a fighting chance to survive in a pinch.The rest of our time has been devoted to learning all we could about the geography between San Diego and San Francisco and about Alcatraz. While I had heard of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, my head is now stuffed with names like Morro Bay, Hearst Castle, Big Sur and Monterey. Most of the coastal area north of Santa Barbara was wooded and hilly even before The Incident brought society crashing down. We’re assuming that by now it’s become far more wild and untamed—which is why I’m glad we plan to bypass it all traveling by sea.
Leesa's Advent Chapter 490
The rubber craft lurch and heave as they fight their way through the churning two and three foot breakers, but once we’re clear of the waves the ride becomes much smoother. Our rowers begin pulling hard and fast on the oars and I wonder what the hurry is—it won’t take more than five or ten minutes to reach the Star even at a more leisurely pace. When I see the sailors making repeated glances at the other dinghy, I suddenly understand. Our guys are racing their guys.For fifty yards or so, the boats stay remarkably even — we gain about five feet on the other guys. But then their boat begins to make up ground and pull away, leaving our oarsmen with puzzled looks on their faces. It doesn’t seem possible our competition could be going that much faster than us, until I see a smile on Plush’s face.“Plush is using her Power to help move their boat,” I tell the two sailors. “That’s why they’re going so fast.&rd
Leesa's Advent Chapter 491
Our sea voyage is great fun — until we leave sight of land, that is. When the coastal hills disappear below the horizon, my heartbeat suddenly quickens and I feel a lump in my throat. There’s nothing as far as the eye can see in any direction now but a seemingly limitless expanse of empty ocean. All of a sudden, I feel very insignificant.Thankfully, the sea is relatively calm, and the Star of India is gliding across the water with only the tiniest bit of up and down motion. If the water was rougher, I’d really be feeling anxious. Still, I’m not all that happy—I guess I had thought we would just follow the coast northward all the way to San Francisco.“Why are we going so far out?” I ask Jordy, who is hanging out along the rail with us. “Isn’t that dangerous? How do we know where we’re going if we can’t see the coast?”Jordy smiles at my unease.“Don’t worry, Leah. During
Leesa's Advent Chapter 492
The second day of our voyage is pretty much a repeat of the first. Weapons practice and studying mixed in with periods of boredom. You can only stare out at an empty ocean for so long. At least I’m getting used to the idea of not being able to see land.The only thing of note occurs an hour or so after lunch, when I notice that we seem to have changed direction in regards to the position of the sun. I’m pretty sure the ship is now heading more westerly than it had been. I’m no expert, of course, so I decide to go ask my dad about it. I tell my friends I’ll be back in a minute. I don’t share what’s troubling me, because most of them don’t seem to care how far from land we go, and I don’t want to alarm the ones who do, like Plush.Dad is sitting at a makeshift table fashioned out of two sawhorses and a wide wooden plank. Huddled over the table with him are Lieutenant Gregerson and Captain Spiby. They seem to be looking at s
Leesa's Advent Chapter 493
Protected by a ring of sturdy Marines—including Jordy, who has taken up station right in front of Radar—we watch anxiously. For several moments, nothing happens.One of the Marines guarding us turns to his buddy. “What was that thing?”The other guy shakes his head. “Beats me. But whatever is was, let’s hope it doesn’t come back.”Radar glances at me. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”I nod. “Kraken,” I say, remembering the mermaids’ description of the terrible beast when they told us why most creatures from their world avoid the water.“There’s been no recent Anomaly around here,” Radar says. “I would have felt it if there was. That can only mean one thing.”A sinking feeling passes over me. I’m pretty sure I know where she’s going with this.“If there was no Anomaly,” I say, “then this thing has been swimming around in our world for awhile.”“Which means the water is no longer safe,” Radar says, finishing my thought. “There could be any number of kraken in our oceans by now.”“I
Leesa's Advent Chapter 494
I awaken to find my cheek pressed against a layer of damp sand. For a moment, I have no idea where I am or what I’m doing here, but it slowly comes back to me. I remember the kraken’s furious attack upon our ship and the blow I took to my head that knocked me over the side and into the ocean.I reach up with my fingers and gently probe the right side of my scalp, hoping perhaps that it was all just a bad dream. Sure enough, I find an egg-sized lump and some dried blood in my hair. I wince. It’s painful to touch, but it doesn’t seem too bad—at least it doesn’t seem to be bleeding any longer. The cold salt water undoubtedly helped reduce the seriousness of the injury.Moving carefully, I push myself up into a sitting position. Even that gentle movement causes a brief spell of dizziness to wash over me. Closing my eyes, I wait for the dizziness to pass. It doesn’t take long. When I open my eyes again, I scan my surroundings, turning my head very slowly as I do.I’m alone on a narrow, cre
Leesa's Advent Chapter 495
It was not a dream. When I first open my eyes I’m momentarily confused, but when I see the glowing embers that are that remain of my fire it all comes back to me. It’s morning now, but I don’t know how early. I’m still in the shadow of the cliff, and I can’t see how high the sun has risen in the sky. The air is cold, though, so I know the sun hasn’t been up long enough to begin heating up the day.I reach into my emergency pouch and pull out the special blanket. Unfolding it quickly, I wrap myself inside it, then carefully place a couple of sticks and small logs on top of the pile of orange embers. I blow softly onto the coals, feeding them more oxygen. In just a few moments the thinner sticks catch fire, followed by the thicker ones. Between my newly ignited fire and my foil blanket, I’m soon warm and comfortable.I’m also very hungry. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday, and my stomach feels like there’s a
Leesa's Advent Chapter 496
I turn back toward the ocean. From my new vantage point, I can see a much broader swath of water than I could from down on the beach, but it doesn’t matter. As far as my eyes can see, the sun-dappled sea is completely empty. I swallow my disappointment. I knew the odds were small, but I had been hoping for a sight of The Star of India, or at least one of the lifeboats. But there’s nothing. The huge, seemingly endless expanse of ocean drives home just how alone I really am. If any of my party survived, they’ve come ashore somewhere beyond my sight.I crawl slowly toward a small clump of leafy shrubs that offers me at least some concealment and push myself up into a sitting position. I’ve been so consumed with getting off the beach that I haven’t really given any thought about what to do next. Well, I’m off the beach now, so it’s time to decide, no matter how futile any decisions might seem.I guess a good place to start is by fi
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