Eight

“Where on earth did you go?” Dad demanded once Anaya reached him.

She instantly looked down at her feet and shrugged.  “I-I couldn’t keep up.”

“Whatever.” He angrily replied. “Everyone’s waiting.”

He grabbed her elbow and literally dragged her along with him  as they stepped onto a narrow, wooden platform over the water.  At the other end, a white boat waited.

Once they reached the boat, she jerked her arm away from Dad and walked up the ramp and onto the boat.

“Ana!” Mom rushed to the girl and pulled Anaya into her arms.

“Mom.” She tried to resist.

“Sit with your mother where she can keep an eye on you.” Dad muttered as he made his way towards the front of the boat.

Anaya sat down beside Mom with a huff and leaned to the side, and looked out as the boat quickly gained speed over the dark, gray water.

“Ball!” Eli squealed as he bounced on Mom’s laps.

“No, Eli.” Mom said. “No, ball.”

“Ball!” The toddler squealed again as he pointed his little fingers upwards.

“There’s no ball up the–” Mom started to say but trailed off suddenly.

Anaya glanced over at them and noticed both were staring up at the sky.  Mom’s mouth had dropped open.  She swallowed hard and looked up, and gasped.

The distorted, black mass filled the spot in the sky where the sun would normally be.  It appeared like a complete solar eclipse, but one could also see several other smaller masses near the mother mass.

“Can’t this boat go any faster?” One of the armed men asked the driver.

“This is as fast as she’ll go.”  The bearded man replied.

“We’ll make it.” The third man spoke up. “It’s not too much further now.”

“There’s our destination.” The bearded man said.

Anaya partially stood up to look out the front of the boat.  The only thing she saw was a small island up ahead.

“Hang on, folks!” The driver blurted out as the boat bounced up and down on the choppy waves, and then grounded to sliding stop on the sandy beach.

Without a word, Anaya rushed off the boat ahead of her parents.  She scanned her surroundings.

Nothing but sand and trees.

What’s so special about this place?  How was an island going to protect them from their impending doom?

They were so dead.

Copyright © 2012 Carrie Ann Golden

All rights reserved.

 

To Chapter Nine