The Purgatorium: The Purgatorium Series, Book One Read online

Chapter Seven: The Sunset Cruise

  The next morning, Daphne returned to the glass-bottom pool to swim laps. At one time, she swam a mile daily. Today she settled on half, choosing to dive down to admire her company. As she swam, she thought more about Cam, and the sweet way he had held her the night she nearly offed herself. Then she thought about Brock and the pain in his eyes when he finally gave up and said they needed a break.

  Three schools of fish swam in different directions over the colorful coral, sponges, and sea anemone lining the reef. The yellow and white striped fish were the largest in number, but the electric blue were bigger and took up about as much room. Above them floated four tiny creatures Daphne believed to be jellyfish. There was no sign of the moray eel, but another creature slithered along the very bottom of the reef, rust-colored, and odd looking. Before Daphne could get a better look, a silky flash of silver darted into view and took the odd creature in its mouth. The silver flash came from a small shark. It circled the perimeter of the reef cave and then left as quickly as it had come.

  After a shower and a bite of breakfast alone in her room, Daphne tried to reach Cam, and even knocked on the door to his room, but he didn’t answer. Next, she tried Stan’s room, but found no answer there either. So, having nothing better to do, and knowing there wasn’t a murderer roaming the island dragging unsuspecting victims by the hair, she took a walk on the beach to enjoy the rising sun. It was a golden circle of warmth above the hillside, which was itself golden, covered in yellow poppies. Two people sat together at its apex on a blanket picnicking.

  She neared the end of the beach, where pristine sand gave way to the steep, grassy hillside, and as she turned to walk back, a peal of laughter made her glance over her shoulder at the couple. She shielded her eyes from the sun. The guy was attempting a hand stand. As she looked more carefully at the golden skin of the boy, his blond highlights made brighter by the sun, she realized it was Cam, picnicking with another girl. This must be Hortense’s doing, her way to keep Daphne and Cam apart. But how could anyone have known Daphne would be walking the beach this morning? Daphne hadn’t known herself until moments before she came. She thought it best to ignore them, regardless of their reasons for being there, and headed back to her room.

  So much for being in love with Daphne. Despite herself, she was hurt. She’d grown fond of the idea that maybe Cam had deeper feelings for her.

  She found Gone with the Wind and took it poolside to bathe in the sun. One other girl about Daphne’s age lay on the opposite side, in a red bikini, apparently sleeping, her skin nearly as red as her suit. Daphne thought she recognized her from dinner and considered waking her, in case she hadn’t meant to burn, but decided to mind her own business and began to read.

  Before Daphne had gotten very far, the girl in the red bikini sat up, twisted her long brown hair up into a clip, took her towel from the back of the chair, and slipped her feet into her flip-flops. She stopped near Daphne and said, in a low voice, “They’re using you, you know.”

  “Excuse me?”

  The sunburnt girl looked around as though worried she was being watched. Then she leaned in close to Daphne’s ear and said, “Did they tell you they were helping you? Told me the same. I’ve been here a month now. I ask all the time for a boat off the island. They keep putting me off. We’re stuck here until they tire of us.”

  “I think I’m here for therapy,” Daphne whispered.

  “They’ll tell you anything to keep you here. It’s not a bad life, as long as you don’t take it too seriously, and as long as you have nothing going for you on the mainland.”

  She didn’t believe her, but she wanted to ask her some questions. “I’m Daphne.”

  “I know. We met. Emma.” Then the girl looked up, startled.

  Daphne turned in the direction of Emma’s gaze to see Hortense Gray walking toward them. She wore a pair of khaki pants, a white long-sleeved shirt with a colorful scarf around her neck, and a forced smile.

  “I’ve got to go,” Emma said. “Good luck.”

  The doctor and Emma exchanged greetings as Emma passed. Then Dr. Gray came and sat down on the white lounger next to Daphne’s feet.

  “How are you today, Daphne?”

  “Confused.”

  “I should have warned you when you first arrived. I have real patients here on campus undergoing therapy. The woman you spoke with just now is one of them. Unfortunately, she suffers from delusions. You have to take whatever she says with a grain of salt.”

  Daphne wasn’t sure if she could believe the doctor. Was this another ruse?

  “Cam is also a patient, though he’s progressed wonderfully since last summer,” Dr. Gray added.

  “He told me.”

  “Oh? That surprises me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s been in denial for so long. I’m glad to hear he recognizes he still needs help.”

  “But I thought…” Daphne stopped, worried she might accidentally betray Cam’s confidence. “Never mind.”

  “I’m glad I ran into you, because I’ve wanted to ask if you’ve been enjoying your stay and the exercises we’ve put you through.”

  “For the most part, yeah.”

  “Good. I’m so glad to hear it. A group of guests about your age is taking a sunset cruise this evening after dinner. Perhaps you’d care to join them.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “Meet up at the jeeps around seven-thirty and you’ll be taken out to dock from Willows Anchorage, our own private pier.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  Hortense climbed to her feet and said goodbye, but before she walked away, she said, “Daphne, just remember it’s not ‘why’ but ‘what.’”

  Daphne narrowed her eyes, as Cam had told her the exact same line.

  “Just think about that.”

  Hortense then left Daphne alone by the pool.

  Daphne truly was more bewildered than ever. Maybe Hortense meant to undermine Cam’s credibility by insinuating he was still a patient in need of therapy. For now, Daphne held to this belief, keeping her faith in Cam.

  All through dinner, Daphne looked for Cam and was disturbed to see no sign of him. She sat at the younger crowd’s table with Emma, who talked about being jilted by a boy in London last year. Daphne half-listened, unsure whether anything she said could be believed. She did not, however, notice any signs Emma was delusional.

  Daphne considered herself somewhat of an expert on delusional people, having lived so long with her brother, Joey, whose own delusions began when he was around fourteen years of age, after their grandfather’s death. Who knows at precisely what point his childhood games and creative imagination became sick psychosis?

  If only Daphne had gotten out of bed that night. If only she had gone to check on Kara.

  “Excuse me, Emma,” Daphne said when there was a pause in Emma’s monologue. “I’m suddenly not feeling very well. I think I’ll go back to my room.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  Not wishing to be rude, Daphne smiled and said okay, and they left the dining hall and took the stairs down to the main floor. As they passed the lobby, Cam and the girl from the picnic entered an elevator together. The doors closed on them just as Cam noticed Daphne. Daphne waited a moment, thinking he’d open the doors and come out to say hello, but when he didn’t, she and Emma went on. Daphne’s stomach formed a knot, and she wanted to cry.

  “I feel like I’ve been hogging the conversation,” Emma said as they walked by the pool and tennis courts. “Tell me. Have you ever been in love?”

  “Yes. Once.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Brock.”

  “Nice name. How did you meet?”

  They reached Daphne’s door. “Do you want to come in for a bit?”

  “Sure. If you don’t mind.”

  They sat on the striped chairs.

  “Do you want a soda or anything?” Daphne asked.

  “No thanks. I’m f
ull from dinner.”

  “Me too.”

  “So tell me about Brock. After all, I’ve gone on and on all evening about Drew.”

  “The first time I met Brock, a kid threw up on my foot.”

  “Yuck.”

  “We were both on the high school swim team. He was a senior and I was a junior and we had gone to mentor some elementary kids after school. I’d seen Brock around, but we never really talked. We were in the library at the elementary school sitting at tables reading with the kids, helping them with their homework and stuff for community service hours when this second grader leaned over and threw up all over my shoe.”

  “What did you do?”

  “It’s funny, because I sat there for a minute, like a statue.”

  “Poor thing.”

  “Before I could react, here comes Brock with a towel. He squats at my feet, removes my shoe, cleans my foot, and then takes my shoe to the bathroom to rinse it under the sink.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “No guy had ever taken such good care of me before.”

  They laughed.

  “Was it love at first sight?”

  “It was for me.”

  “So did you ask him out, or did he ask you out?”

  “I guess I asked him, but not for months after that happened with the kid.”

  “Why’d you wait so long?”

  Daphne didn’t know how to explain what it was like to feel bad about being happy. “I don’t know. But when his mother died, well, I felt bad for him.”

  “Are you two still together?”

  “No.”

  “What happened?”

  “It’s a long story. I don’t want to get into it.”

  “We should head out to the jeep. You are going on the cruise, right?”

  “I guess so.”

  Daphne and Emma were the first to arrive at the clearing, even before Roger, but he wasn’t long after them. He said good evening and climbed behind the wheel of the jeep, waiting for one other to arrive before heading out to Willows Anchorage. A second jeep full of people gathered behind them and left shortly after. Daphne recognized Vince and Dave with another boy she hadn’t met but was disappointed not to see Cam among them.

  They drove up the canyon ridge toward the valley, but doubled back, curving around the amphitheater, and headed south, west of the chalky bluffs. The air was muggy this evening, but there were no clouds in the sky, and the sun baked them. Sweat pooled around her hair line, and she wiped it with the back of her hand.

  Willows Anchorage was a short dock, half the size of Scorpion Anchorage, and a quarter of the pier at Prisoners Harbor. Sparse blades of grass grew between the rocks along the trail. One boat, a catamaran, drifted in the harbor, and as the party neared the dock, the boat moved toward them. The first to board was the new boy. He had black kinky hair and black eyes, and his skin was the color of weak coffee. He held out his hand and helped each of them onto the boat, giving them a charming smile.

  “Gregory Gray,” he said to Daphne as he helped her board. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Daphne Janus. Are you…?”

  “Yes. Hortense is my mother.”

  As the boat pulled from the dock, two more ran down the trail from the jeeps calling out to the boat.

  “Wait for us!”

  Cam held the hand of the girl from the picnic, as blond and tall as he, clinging to her sun hat, her slim legs visible through the thin cloth of her sundress. She had beautiful lips and a small mole on her right cheek.

  “This is Bridget,” he said when more introductions were made.

  Daphne expected Cam to say something to her, something to indicate he was her best friend, and when he didn’t she assumed he couldn’t because he was told to keep a strict distance from her. Although she couldn’t blame him for following the doctor’s orders, it bothered her that he was so friendly with Bridget, and she hated herself for it.

  Daphne stood between Emma and Gregory, striking up a conversation with the latter.

  “How come I haven’t seen you before?” Daphne asked.

  “I only arrived this evening. Have you been here long?”

  “A few days. Do you work for the resort?

  “No. Just visiting. And you? Are you a guest or an employee?”

  “A guest.” She wanted to say, “prisoner,” but she held her tongue.

  “I hope you enjoy your stay.” His eyes were like chocolate pudding—deep and sweet. She instantly liked him and felt he was nothing like his mother.

  The whole group seemed in a joyful mood of hyper-excitement, including Emma, who now took over the conversation with Gregory, turning on charm Daphne hadn’t yet witnessed. Daphne couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to steal surreptitious glances at Cam, who continued to give Bridget his full attention.

  Why did she have to be so beautiful?

  Now Cam was pointing to a distant rock. Daphne followed his finger to see a group of sea lions sunning there. Despite her foul mood, she was delighted by the animals and clapped her hands, asking if they could get a closer view. Cam turned to her, giving her a brief smile.

  So his indifference is an act, she thought.

  The sun was a large golden orb quickly descending to their right, casting colors across the sea. Although the air was still muggy, the moving boat generated a pleasant breeze that kept them all from suffocating.

  The group was disappointed not to see whales, but the sea lions kept them well entertained, until suddenly Bridget was pulling her dress over her head and leaping from the boat in her underwear.

  “Is she allowed to do that?” Daphne asked Gregory.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Cam’s full attention returned to Bridget, and he laughed with joy, slapping his hand against his thigh. “I can’t believe she did it!” he said. “Look at her!”

  The boat idled in place so as not to leave the swimmer behind. Before Daphne thought twice about it, she pulled her dress over her head and followed Bridget in.

  I’m such a child, she thought, tugging her bra strap back to her shoulder, ashamed of herself, but she had to admit the water felt great, and, surprisingly, the sea lions hadn’t left their rock. They looked at her with curiosity. She swam closer to them, leaving Bridget in her wake.

  The others were shouting at her, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying. She suspected they were cheering her on, and she was happy she had stolen the show, if even for a moment, from Bridget. She was determined to get closer to the sea lions.

  When she looked back at the boat, she saw Bridget being helped back in, and the rest of the group shouting toward her. They were pointing, probably at the sea lions. Daphne gave them a thumbs up as the boat moved toward her. She looked again at the sea lions when something hit her on the head. It was a life buoy. She turned to the boat to see the entire group leaning over the rail screaming at her, pointing. At the sea lions?

  Then Daphne saw the dorsal fins of the sharks about ten feet away. There were three of them. Her mouth fell open, and she stopped kicking. She imagined the jaws chomping her body in half, or worse, taking her limbs one by one with her mind still conscious. What a way to go. So many times she had fantasized about her death, but being pulled apart by sharks hadn’t crossed her mind. Now, faced with that possibility, she felt the air leave her body, a vice grip her throat, and the scream, lodged there, stifled. She was going to die. But first, she was going to have to endure extreme torture.

  She held on to the buoy and realized Cam and Gregory were pulling her in with all their strength as the captain sped away from the sharks with the boat. She was spinning through the water, in a blind and panicky delirium, unable to see or hear or think.

  It wasn’t until she was safely on the deck of the pier, down on her knees sucking in air and trembling, that it occurred to her the sharks might not have been real. They could have been divers with fins strapped to their backs, actors in yet another terrifying game.

  She
was given a towel and a great deal of sympathy and helped by Gregory and Cam from the pier to the jeep. The slight smile on Cam’s face as he left her to join Bridget reinforced her suspicion that it had been a game, and Bridget had been one of the actors, in on it from the beginning. Daphne wondered how it all would have played out if she hadn’t gone in the water. Perhaps someone would have pushed her in, unless the sharks were meant for Bridget. Daphne suspected she had reacted predictably to Cam and Bridget’s behavior. Was she really so easy to manipulate?