“Morgan, I think we should stay the night here and head for Vero in the morning.” Sam mumbled from behind a little yellow umbrella in his coconut drink.
It sounded great. I wasn’t looking forward to swimming back in the dark with a full stomach - it sounded like a stomachache waiting to happen and I’d never swum that far in the dead of night, either.
“You’re always welcome to stay here.” Liesa set herself down on his lap. “There’s an extra hammock Morgan can sleep in.”
Sam placed his arms around Liesa’s waist and pulled her close. “Does that mean I’m staying with you?” He teased and she giggled.
“You know it!”
“Thank you,” I said. “Do you happen to have a phone? I’d like to call my parents and let them know where I am.”
“Sure thing, hon. It’s in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
Liesa turned her attention back to Sam, running her fingers lovingly through his gray hair. I pushed myself out of the chair, stepping around a few lazy guys who’d decided to go to sleep on the lawn. I made my way to the screen door of the main house and walking in, found an old rotary phone in the small kitchen. I dialed Mom’s cell.
“Morgan?” She answered hastily.
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”
“Morgan! Where are you? We’ve been worried sick!”
“It’s okay Mom, I’m in Jamaica…”
“Jamaica?” She interrupted, “What are you doing there? Don’t you know what’s happening?”
“No, what’s going on?”
“It’s the Dartmoth’s. They’re trying to lay claim to the entire area. No one’s standing up to them, so they’re taking over. Thayde,” she stopped.
“Where is he?” I dreaded the answer, knowing full well what he was capable of doing for me.
“He’s gone to talk some sense into them, but we haven’t heard back. Tammer’s gone to bring him back. Where are you?”
“I told you, in Jamaica. I’m staying at this lady’s house…”
“What are you doing there? Why didn’t you come home after school? Thayde said he went to get you and you were gone.”
“Mom!” I yelled into the phone “I’m okay. I went to find Thayde after Akin threatened me and…”
“Threatened you? What happened?”
Quickly, I relayed the story to my frantic mother and when I was finished she was quiet.
“Oh my God,” she simply said.
“What?” Fear shot through my veins.
“You have to come home.” she said in a quiet voice. “Don’t swim home - you can’t chance it. Rent a boat and come home now.”
“Why?” I pressed.
“It’s begun.”
A chill swept through me.
“Come home now.”
“Okay.” I said and hung up.
“Morgan.” There was that voice again. No one was even near me and yet I had heard it clear as day. I made my way back to Sam and Liesa who had started to make out like kids.
“Sam, do you know where I can rent a boat to take me back to Vero?”
He looked up and frowned. “At this hour? I doubt it. Why?”
“It’s begun.”
“What has?”
“That war I told you would happen.”
Liesa stopped nuzzling Sam’s neck and stared at me with huge eyes. “War? Are we at war?”
“No,” Sam said, sliding her out of his lap and standing up. “No we’re not at war. It’s something else we were talking about. I’ll be back in a while.”
He took my elbow and guided me away from the party.
“Are you absolutely sure, Morgan?” He asked, letting go of my elbow and resting his hands on his hips.
“I just spoke with my mom. I have to get home now.”
“We can swim it.”
“No, she said I couldn’t chance it.”
“Morgan.” The voice was really beginning to bug me.
“Do you hear that?” I asked, spinning around looking for whoever was calling me.
“Hear what?” Sam looked about with me.
“Morgan.”
“There!” I cried. “Do you hear it?”
“Yes,” Sam pointed into the palm trees forest. “He said it.”
Looking to where he was pointing, I saw nothing but palm trees and then Thayde stepped out from the shadows.
I gasped in horror. Deep cuts covered his body.
“Thayde!” I cried and ran toward him.
“Morgan,” Thayde said. “What are you doing here?”
“Me? How did you know I was here?” I asked, stopping short in front of him. “What happened to you?”
“My father, he’s started a war.” Thayde put his hand behind my head and pulled me to him, kissing the top of my head.