Isla de losPerdidos was abandoned. An island within eyesight of the continent it had broken away fromcenturies ago and yet completely uninhabited by people. The locals wouldn't even go there to show Julie and her teamaround. It had all just made her more excited about the idea of spending a weekon it. Julie wanted to know all of its secrets, possibly discover somethingnew, and then show the world. She and Zach were taking two videographers, Henry and Megan, with them. Julie had worked withthem in Cameroon and boasted their skills to the company.
Val gotthe chance to meet them the night before when they arrived at the mainland, before boarding the Charlene, aboat she had worked on before with its captain, Kevin Lochner.She was close friends with his husband, Calvin, and had worked with him dozens of times on dives for differentprograms. They did tropical work along reefs and beaches in Central and SouthAmerica.
"Sleepwell?" Val asked her sister, knowing the answer.
"Not a wink!" Juliewas too excited. She was like that, too muchenergy for her own good sometimes—though most of the time that energy and excitement worked in her favor.
Julie spent the last eighteenmonths getting together this expedition andits funding. She'd worked it out so there would be three teams withcamera crews to get the most materialpossible for the videographers, and thus the nature channel to which Julie had pitched this wholeexpedition. Julie, Zach, Henry, and Meganwould go to the island to unravel itsmysteries. Calvin, an experienced diver and cameraman, would go with Oliver Camden, a salvager, and Maeko Watanabe, a marine biologist particularly beloved bythe channel, to take a look at the reef.
At least a dozen ships had sunkin these waters, and Julie had convinced Oliver that he might find somethingworthwhile. Oliver was a bit of a prick but good at his job and excited to gohunting for sunken ships.
Julie gave Val back her coffeeafter drinking half of it and then complaining about how much sugar was in it.Val gave her a vaguely sympathetic look. She knew what she was getting when shetook it.
"So, when are you settingoff?" Val asked, and Julie beamed withexcitement. Val took another sip of her now-cold coffee to hide the wayher sister's smile infected her own mouth.
Henry andMegan, each carrying a camera and bouncing bags of lenses and supplies on theirhips, were arguing about something as they made their way up frombelow deck. They looked almost as eager as her sister.
Julieglanced back at them before looking at Val again, and then past hershoulder to the ocean. Val didn't think her sister was looking at anything inparticular until she got that look thattriggered her flashbacks from their childhood. Shehalf expected Bobby Spencer from sixth grade to be sneaking up on her with aspider.
"We're just going to getsome interviews of the teams and make sureeveryone is settled in before we head out for the island," Julie said, forgetting to breathe betweenwords, and Val knew in that instant her sister was hiding something.
Val frowned because Julielooked outright guilty. Was Bobby Spencerreally emerging from the ocean behind her? Val turned her head to lookback over her shoulder and squinted at the small boat making its way towardthem, cutting a line from the horizon."What do you mean settled in? We're already settled," shemumbled.
Julietook her coffee again, and Val looked at her, noting that shedidn't drink it this time. She just held onto it. Was she afraid she wouldthrow it?
"Okay.So, you know how much the network loves him," Julie started in that casual tone, the diplomaticyet somehow flippant one she liked to take up when she knew she was introuble but had no intention of apologizing.
Val stared at her for anawkward length of time before sucking abreath and realizing what her sister had done. "No," sheexhaled, then turned to look at the approaching boatagain. It was much worse than some shitty eleven-year-old boy and a bug. It washer ex-husband.
"He gets great ratings,and the network just loved the idea ofseeing the two of you working together again. They're talking about itbeing the feature of next year's summer programming!" She pitched hersentences with shrill enthusiasm now. It earned her Henry's attention, theyoung cameraman making his way closer to discreetly film their interaction.
Val letout a groan and grabbed her coffee cup from her sister. Julie looked worried about the tacky green porcelain, butVal didn't throw it at anyone just yet. "I need more coffee," shemumbled, and shouldered past Julie.
Hersister heaved a whine and turned to watch her retreat. "It'smostly sugar!" she shouted after her.
"Then I need more sugar!"Val called back. Megan almost bumped intoher but quickly skirted to the side, looking sheepish. She could hear Julie already recovering from theirinteraction to tell Henry that they could get started with the crew interviews.She would go first. Julie never shied awayfrom being the leader. It was a great quality. It's too bad she didn'tshy away from stabbing people in the back either.
Val felt abruptly trapped whenshe reached the little kitchen below deck. She filled her cup halfway and thenstarted heaping in spoonfuls of sugar.
Calvincame in just in time to watch the last two spoonfuls go in and raised an eyebrow. "Looking for some diabetes togo with that sulk?" he asked, taking two mugs from the cupboard, one metaland the other chipped and stained butbearing the name "Lochner" written acrossits front in permanent marker. He filledboth mugs with black coffee and left it at that. Neither Calvin nor his husband were fans of sugar or milk in their coffee. Valremembered from the last few times she went out to sea with them. They bothenjoyed giving her a hard time when it came to her sugar intake. Calvin likedthings sour, and Lochner was the
