Wake (Watersong Novels) (10 page)

Lexi put her arm around her, and something about the touch made the hair on the back of Gemma’s neck stand up. Instinctively Gemma pulled away from her, but then Lexi began singing again, and Gemma melted beneath her arm.

“Come join us.” Penn kept her eyes on Gemma and stepped backward toward the fire.

“Are you guys having a party?” Gemma asked.

Gemma didn’t move, so Lexi took her hand and pulled her over to the fire. She led her over to a large rock next to Thea and pushed her gently, so Gemma would sit down. Thea stared at her, the flames reflecting in her eyes as if it were coming directly from them.

“We’re having a celebration.” Lexi laughed and knelt down next to Gemma.

“What are you celebrating?” Gemma asked, looking over at Penn. She stood on the other side of the fire, across from Gemma, and smiled down at her.

“A feast,” Penn answered, and both Lexi and Thea laughed in a way that reminded Gemma of how a crow cackled.

“A feast?” Gemma looked around the cove but saw no signs of any food. “Of what?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lexi instructed her.

“You’ll have plenty of time to eat later,” Thea said with a sly smile.

That was the most Gemma had ever heard Thea speak, and she realized there was something wrong with her voice. Thea’s had a rasp to it, like Kathleen Turner’s husky whisper. It wasn’t unattractive, but it wasn’t quite right.

It had a tone to it that was the opposite of Lexi’s and Penn’s. If Lexi’s and Penn’s voices were like honey, Thea’s was like jagged teeth. It was prickly and somewhat frightening.

“I’m not hungry,” Gemma said, causing the girls to erupt in laughter again.

“You’re a truly beautiful girl,” Lexi commented once she’d stopped laughing. She leaned in closer to her, resting her hand on Gemma’s leg, and stared up at her. “You know that, right?”

“I guess.” Gemma pulled the shawl more tightly around her, relieved to have it covering her. She didn’t know how to take Lexi’s compliment, but it left her feeling both flattered and disturbed.

“You’re a big fish in a small pond, aren’t you?” Penn paced on the other side of the fire, keeping her eyes on Gemma.

“How do you mean?” Gemma asked.

“You’re gorgeous, smart, ambitious, fearless,” Penn explained. “And this is just a seaside attraction. A small town that would dry up if it weren’t for loud tourists wreaking havoc on it every summer.”

“It’s nice in the off-season.” Gemma’s defense of Capri sounded lame even to her own ears.

“I doubt that.” Penn smirked. “But even if it is, you’re still more than this bay will ever be. I’ve seen you out in that water. You swim with strength and grace and unbridled determination.”

“Thank you,” Gemma said. “I’ve been training a lot. I want to go to the Olympics.”

“The Olympics are nothing compared to what you can do,” Penn scoffed. “You have a natural aptitude that is almost impossible to come by. And believe me, I know. We’ve searched.”

That struck Gemma as odd, alarmingly so. To calm her, Lexi began singing again. It was little more than humming this time, but it was enough to keep Gemma sitting on the rock. Her concerns remained, though, even if she didn’t run away.

“Why did you invite me out here?” Gemma asked. “And why’d you want me to swim with you so badly yesterday?”

“I just told you,” Penn said. “You are something rare and special.”

“But…” Gemma furrowed her brow, knowing there was something off about this that she couldn’t pinpoint. “You’re way hotter than I am. You’re more of everything you said I was. What do you need me for?”

“Don’t be silly.” Penn waved her hand. “And don’t worry about any of that.”

“Don’t worry about anything,” Lexi added, and as soon as she’d said it, Gemma felt her worries slipping away, as if she’d never even had them.

“We wanted you to come here and have fun.” Penn smiled at Gemma. “We wanted to get to know each other.”

“What did you want to know?” Gemma asked.

“Everything!” Penn spread her arms widely. “Tell us everything!”

“Everything?” Gemma looked at Lexi uncertainly.

“Yeah, like what you’re doing with that dolt you hang around with,” Thea said from beside her, and Gemma snapped around to look at her. “He’s way beneath you.”

“Dolt?” Gemma bristled when she realized that Thea meant Alex. “Alex is a really fantastic guy. He’s sweet and funny and nice to me.”

“When you look like us, every guy is nice to you,” Thea countered with an even stare. “You realize it doesn’t mean anything. Guys are shallow, and that’s all.”

“You don’t know Alex.” Gemma shook her head. “He is the most genuine person I know.”

“Why don’t we talk about boys another day?” Penn interjected. “They’re too much drama for tonight. Lexi, why don’t you lighten the mood?”

“Oh, right.” Lexi reached down the front of her dress and pulled out a small copper flask. “Let’s have a drink.”

“Sorry, I don’t drink.”

“Penn told me you weren’t afraid of anything,” Thea said, provoking her. “And now you’re scared of a little drink?”

“I’m not scared,” Gemma snapped. “But I’ll get kicked off the swim team if I get caught drinking. I’ve worked too hard for that to throw it away.”

“You won’t get caught,” Penn assured her.

“You guys go ahead and drink,” Gemma said. “It’s more for you.”

“Gemma,”
Lexi said, her voice a song again. She held out the flask, but Gemma hesitated to take it.
“Drink.”

Then Gemma didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t even think about another option. Her body moved automatically, taking the flask from Lexi, unscrewing the top, and putting it to her lips. It all happened the same way that she took a breath. Motions without thought or reason or control.

The liquid was thick, and it tasted bitter and salty on her tongue. It burned going down her throat, almost as badly as the time she ate too much wasabi. When she swallowed, she nearly gagged. It felt too heavy and hot to get down, but she forced it.

“That’s horrible!” Gemma coughed and wiped her mouth. “What was that?”

“My special cocktail,” Penn said with a smile.

Gemma held the flask away from her, not wanting the stuff anywhere near her. Thea snatched it from her hands, moving quickly, as if Gemma would try to stop her. She threw her head back and swallowed it down in a few big gulps. Just watching Thea drink it like that made Gemma gag for real this time.

Penn shrieked. She ran over to Thea and smacked her across the face, sending the flask flying. Dark burgundy liquid splattered all over the walls of the cove, but the waste didn’t seem to bother Penn.

“That’s not for you! You know better!”

“I
needed
it!” Thea snarled.

She wiped her mouth, then licked her hand, making sure she got every drop she could. For a second Gemma was afraid Thea might crawl over and lick the liquid off the dirt.

“What was that?” Gemma asked, her words already coming out in a slur.

The cove suddenly pitched to the side, and Gemma grabbed on to Lexi to keep from falling over. Everything swayed around her. She heard Penn talking, but her voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

“That’s not…” Gemma struggled to talk. “What did you do?”

“You’ll be all right,” Lexi said. She got up and tried to put her arm around Gemma, maybe meaning to comfort her, but Gemma pushed her off.

She stood up and nearly tipped forward into the fire, but Penn caught her. Gemma tried to fight her off, but she didn’t have the strength anymore. All her energy had left her body, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open. The world was fading to black around her.

“You’ll thank me for this later,” Penn was saying in her ear, and that was the last thing Gemma heard.

NINE

Lost

“Where’s your sister?” Brian threw open Harper’s bedroom door, banging the doorknob into the plaster.

“What?” Harper rubbed her eyes and rolled over in bed to face her father. “What are you talking about? What time is it?”

“I just got up for work, and Gemma isn’t here.”

“Did you check her room?” Harper asked, slowly becoming alert.

“No, Harper, I thought I’d check your room first,” Brian snapped.

“Sorry, Dad, I just woke up.” She sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. “She went out swimming last night. She probably just lost track of time.”

“Until five in the morning?” Brian asked, the worry in his voice unmistakable.

But Harper knew he’d been through this once before. When she and her mother had gotten in the car accident. They’d left for a few hours in the evening, and Brian didn’t hear anything from them until the hospital called the next morning saying his wife was in a coma.

“She’s fine,” Harper said, hoping to ease her dad’s fears. “I’m sure she just got sidetracked. You know Gemma.”

“Yes, I do, and that’s why I’m worried.”

“Don’t. Gemma’s fine.” Harper ran her hand through her sleep-disheveled hair and tried to calm Brian. “I’m sure she’s with Alex or napping on the beach or something.”

“You think telling me she’s out with Alex will make me feel better?” Brian asked, but he actually did seem to calm a little. Being out with a boy was a much more favorable alternative to being hurt or dead.

“She’s fine,” Harper repeated. “Get ready for work. I’ll go track her down.”

Brian shook his head. “Harper, I can’t go to work when my daughter is missing.”

“She’s not missing,” Harper insisted. “She just stayed out too late. It’s not a big deal.”

“I’ll drive around and look for her,” Brian said and started to leave her room.

“Dad, you can’t miss work. You already missed too much when you sliced open your arm in February. You can’t lose your job.”

“But…” Brian trailed off, knowing she was right.

“I’m sure Gemma is okay,” Harper said. “She’ll probably be home any second. You go to work. Give me a chance to look for her, and if I can’t find her in the next two hours, I’ll come get you. Okay?”

He stood indecisively in Harper’s doorway, looking pale and gaunt. Brian clearly wanted to go track down his daughter, but he knew Harper was probably right. He couldn’t risk his job and being able to support his family just because Gemma stayed out too late.

“All right.” He pursed his lips. “See if you can find her. But if you haven’t heard from her by seven, you come get me. Okay?”

“Yes, of course.” Harper nodded. “I’ll call you as soon as I find her.”

Once he turned and left her room, Harper let her own panic set in. She didn’t want Brian to worry unnecessarily, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared herself. It wasn’t like Gemma to stay out past curfew. Gemma liked to push the rules, but she rarely broke them.

Harper went over to her window and pulled back the curtains, looking out at Alex’s house. His car was in the driveway, so that meant he wasn’t out with Gemma. Harper grabbed her cell phone off her nightstand and dialed his number anyway.

“Hello?” Alex answered groggily after the fifth ring.

“Is Gemma with you?” Harper blurted out and paced her bedroom.

“What?” Alex asked, and his voice suddenly became clearer. “Harper? What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She took a deep breath and stifled the urgency in her words. She didn’t need to scare him, too. “I just wanted to know if Gemma was with you.”

“No,” Alex said. Through her bedroom window, Harper saw the light turn on in his room next door. “I haven’t seen or talked to her since I dropped her off at your house last night. Is she okay?”

Harper held the phone away from her mouth and swore under her breath. Alex would never keep Gemma out all night, and she should’ve known that.

If Gemma had been with him, he would’ve insisted that she get home right on time. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because he was afraid of incurring the wrath of Harper and Brian.

“Yeah, no, I mean, I’m sure she’s fine,” Harper replied quickly. “But I have to go, okay, Alex?”

“What? No, it’s not okay. Where’s Gemma?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I have to go. I’m going to look for her. I mean, I know she’s fine, but I have to find her.”

“I’ll go with you,” Alex offered. “I’ll put on some pants and meet you outside.”

“No, don’t.” She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see it. “You stay here in case she comes back. You can keep an eye on the house.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Harper sighed. “Watch out for her, and if she contacts you, let me know, okay?”

“Yeah, I can do that. And you tell her to call me as soon as you find her.”

“Will do.”

Harper hung up the phone without waiting for him to say anything more. She knew where she had to look, and it twisted her stomach in knots. Gemma had gone out to the bay last night, alone, and she hadn’t returned.

Still in her pajamas, Harper slipped on her flip-flops and ran down the stairs. She moved fast in the hope that she wouldn’t have time to think about all the horrible things that could’ve happened to Gemma. Drowning. Kidnapping. Murder. Hell, even a shark attack was possible.

“Did you find her?” Brian shouted from the bathroom. He’d heard Harper flying downstairs.

“Not yet!” Harper yelled back up to him and grabbed her car keys off the rack by the door. “I’m going out now. I’ll call you later!” She jogged out to her car.

As she sped through town, Harper looked around as much as she could. Gemma could’ve just as easily gotten hurt on the way to or from the bay. But somehow Harper knew that wasn’t what had happened. The terrified pit in her stomach insisted that it was something else, something worse.

Since Gemma had ridden her bike last night, Harper went down to the docks where Gemma usually parked it. She raced down the worn wooden planks, praying the bike wasn’t there. If it was gone, it meant Gemma had left, that she’d gone somewhere else.

As soon as she saw the bike, all locked up with Gemma’s backpack, her heart dropped. Gemma was still out in that water, as she had been for the past eight or nine hours.

Unless …

Harper whirled around and found
The Dirty Gull
moored in the same spot as always, just a few feet down from where Gemma had locked up her bike.