The winch came to life and I was being lowered. He became smaller and smaller until I could no longer see him.
“Stasia!” Phoebe broke my trance. She ran to the basket, but was held back by the Son opening the bar for me. The deck was pitching back and forth violently, making it difficult to find my balance. I carefully took several steps before she had her arms around me. She handed me my clutch, and then looked down at my roses with awe.
“Ohhh, how beauthiful! I’ve nefer theen black roshes before!” She bent down to smell them and I felt a buzzing in my clutch. She looked at me with a lopsided smile and poked my shoulder with her finger. On the sobriety scale, Phoebe would be at the too-drunk-to-be-in-public level. “Youuu are one luckyyy girl, Stasthia. You bether hold on to him” She slurred at me and I laughed, taking her arm and leading her inside. My phone buzzed again.
“Come on, let’s sit down and have some water,” I cocked an eyebrow at her. I could tell she was seeing at least four ‘Stathias’ at the moment. I motioned for a waiter and asked for a very big glass of water and something to eat. I checked my phone and saw I had a voicemail.
At first, I only heard rapid breathing. I pressed the phone to my ear. “
I stared at my phone for a moment in shock. It was coming true. My vision. It was actually happening. I yanked Phoebe to her feet and dragged her back outside.
“Hey, wherrrre we goin Stasthia?” She looked at me with confusion. I held both her cheeks, forcing her to focus.
“Phoebe, listen. My vision’s coming true. We have to help Kira.” As my words sunk in, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She seemed to sober up with lightening speed.
“Call Willow.” She was right. I found Willow’s number and pressed call. I prayed she would answer. It was a little after two in the morning.
“Stasia?” I could tell by her hoarse voice that I had woke her up.
“Willow!”
“Hey-“
“My vision’s coming true.” There was no time for small talk, “Kira’s been taken. We have to do something!” I could hear her sitting up in bed.
“Wait, calm down, calm down. Tell me what happened.” I told her about Kira’s message.
She was silent for a moment which made me highly aware of the unending terror beginning to strangle me.
“Are you sure she said The Fortunate Isle?” she asked.
“Yes. That’s exactly what she said.” I confirmed quickly. “Do you know where that is?”
“No, but Nicolet’s poem might.”
“What do you mean?” Phoebe was trying to talk into the phone at the same time, so I put Willow on speaker so she’d stop climbing on me.
“I figured it out. What it says. Hold on.” I could hear her moving papers around, “Okay, listen to this: most fortunate of isles belongs to the blessed and true which of itself and without favour, slumbers beneath the blue. anchor off her shore whilst shifting currents slew cease the tidal surge and arrive her sprites to woo hidden amongst the mangroves beyond the blue lagoon stands the house of thetis seen only by those deemed true she whispers to the creatures and answers to the blue the heart of the Isle rejoices its soul to be renewed.
“Oh my God.” I stared out at the water, almost incoherent. “That’s where we have to go.”
Panic broke my trance and I shook my head to clear it. “We have to go find her! I don’t know how but-“
“Hold on, there’s numbers written on the back,” she stopped me. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. “I didn’t understand what they could mean because they looked so recent.
But now it makes sense.”
“What are they?”
“Coordinates. Longitude and Latitude.”
“Thath’s perfect! We just neeth to find a way to geth there!” Phoebe clutched my arm, her eyes wide with fear. I squeezed her hand and handed her the water to drink.
“Okay, I just looked the coordinates up and it’s basically in the middle of the ocean.” Willow said. I glanced at Phoebe.
“We neeth a boat,” she whispered and I nodded. We were on a boat. But the chances of me stealing this yacht were pretty slim. Especially with a hundred girls on it and the fact that I had no idea how to drive a yacht. Phoebe looked around and raised an eyebrow, obviously thinking what I was thinking.
“No. There’s no way we’d able to take this one.” I shook my head at her. “We’d have to find another one somehow.”
“Or you could just use mine.” We whirled around at her silky voice. Olivia was leaning up against the railing, her arms crossed. Phoebe immediately took off in her direction.
“You were listening to us!? Go back inside you evil bit-“ I clamped my hand over her mouth and stared at Olivia.
“You have a boat?” I asked her. She nodded her head slowly and peered down at Phoebe with a smirk. “And you would let us use it?” I laughed; sarcasm evident in my voice. She sauntered over to us.
“
Phoebe squirmed and muffled curse words came through my hand, as she glared at Olivia.
“Why would you help us?” I found it very hard to believe that Olivia would help us sail out in the ocean out of the goodness of her heart. I wasn’t positive she had a heart.
“I have my reasons.” She looked down at her cuticles as if our conversation was boring her.
“Stasia, I’ll get Carmen and we’ll meet you guys at the Marina, okay?” I had forgotten about Willow on the phone.
“Hurry, Willow! And don’t forget the poem!” I called out to her before she hung up. I released Phoebe and focused intently on Olivia.
“Kira’s life could depend on us. If you have any doubts about helping us, then tell me right now and we’ll find another way.”
“It’s not Kira I’m worried about,” she stared daggers at me, “but yea, I’m sure. And if Phoebe and that girl Curly or Cartman-“
“Carmen,” I corrected her.
“Whatever. If they cause any trouble, you’re on your own. Got it?” I didn’t like this one bit.
But from what I could see, this mean self-centered devil girl was the only way I was getting to the Fortunate Isle.
Chapter 29
Twenty minutes later, the three of us stood on the empty boardwalk at the Marina waiting for Carmen and Willow. In front of us was yet another yacht, only smaller. I didn’t know how long it would take to get to the Isle, but I was suddenly thankful we’d be taking the journey in style. I needed rest, and Phoebe needed to sleep off her
