I looked over at Zoë. “I heard you had stomach pains. Are you okay?”

  Zoë laid her hand on her baby bump. “Everything’s better now. The doctors said the baby’s fine.”

  “That’s good.” I squeezed Mom’s hand. “You’re going to be a grandmother.”

  A shadow flitted across her face, then she smiled. “I wish circumstances were different, but a baby is always a blessing. We hear you have a boyfriend. Takumi? Isn’t that his name?”

  I gazed around the table. If I closed my eyes, it would almost feel like I was back in my old life: our family, together, around the kitchen table. Mom and Dad always asked me questions about my friends. For the first time in months, I felt totally protected.

  “Where is Takumi?” Zoë asked as she searched the trail behind me.

  “He’s coming later,” I said as I gathered myself.

  Dylan stood to head for the bay. “I’ll go help him get Whistler secured, and then I want to know how it went with Angelina’s mother.”

  “Dylan, wait.” I held my hand up. “I thought you knew. Takumi and Whistler are still in San Diego.”

  “What?” Dylan spun around to face me. “You left Whistler in San Diego?”

  “Dylan!” Mom said sharply. “Toni just got here. Lower your voice.”

  “Toni?” Dad’s voice shook. “What happened to Whistler?”

  I stared at my father. “I handed Whistler over to the Marines.”

  “You what?” Dylan bellowed.

  “It wasn’t your boat to give away,” Dad mumbled.

  “Oh! No!” Zoë cried. “I wanted the mattresses off the boat.”

  My mother clapped her hands. “Stop it! All of you. I’m sure Toni has a good explanation… Let her speak.”

  I watched their angry faces soften as I told the story of how we’d been attacked by the Mexican patrol. When I came to the part where Takumi and I stayed behind as decoys, and sent Angelina, Nick, and Makala off in the dinghy, the fuming stopped completely.

  Mom held her hand to her mouth.

  “So, how did you survive?” Zoë asked. “It sounds like it was hopeless.”

  I nodded at her. “We thought it was. Kevin told us that the Navy needed Whistler for rescue missions. Of course, we said, no. But when we were under attack and clearly outnumbered, I radioed the base and told Kevin that if Major Conrad sent a rescue party, he could have her. We figured we were too far away for even the fastest power boat to arrive in time. But it was worth a shot.”

  I stood and paced as I finished the story. “We kept hoping we’d see a U.S. speedboat coming from the north. We knew we were in trouble when we spotted three Mexican naval boats speeding toward us. Our only hope was to buy ourselves time for help to arrive. Takumi and I pulled out a rifle we didn’t know how to shoot, some flares, and a spear gun. We knew the odds were against us.

  “The three boats came within shooting range of Whistler. The roar of their engines was deafening. Suddenly, a U.S. helicopter appeared above us. It shot warning blasts at the Mexican boats. Marines dropped down into the sea behind Whistler and climbed aboard. The Mexican Navy retreated, and we were saved.”

  “Yeah!” Zoë jumped up and clapped.

  I chuckled. “We picked up Angelina, Nick, and Makala and waited for Angelina’s family to arrive. Once Angelina and Makala were reunited with their mother, the Marines took over Whistler and sailed her to San Diego.”

  No one said a word for the longest time. Finally, my dad said, “I’m glad the Marines arrived in time to save you. But I still don’t understand why you went to Mexico in the first place.”

  Dylan scowled. “I told her from the beginning it was crazy and dangerous to sail to Mexico.”

  Zoë put her hands on her hips. “Dylan. That’s not the way I remember it. When Jervis and his sisters left the boat in San Diego, I was the one who insisted we stay at the camp, too.”

  I smiled at Zoë. She’d actually defended me. “The whole crew had discussed the danger, but Angelina was sure her family would help us. No one realized how bad things had gotten in Mexico.”

  Mom embraced me. “You were willing to sacrifice yourself for others. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.” She turned to Zoë. “Would you mind showing Toni around her new home?”

  Zoë stood and gestured. “This way.”

  I hurried to catch up with her. “Thank you for telling my father that I wasn’t the only one who insisted we sail Angelina and Makala home.”

  Zoë shrugged. “Well, you weren’t. No need to thank me. I’m still sad we won’t get the mattresses off the boat, though.”

  The house was surprisingly lovely inside. Zoë had taken sheets from their cabin on Whistler and hung them down the walls and from the ceilings. It gave the house an airy, tent-like feel.

  In one corner, a kitchen had been set up. A bent metal shelving unit held random cooking supplies, buckets, and a camp stove. Sleeping bags and blankets were laid neatly spread out on top of air mattresses in each end of the house. Clothes hung across ropes in the corners.

  “Dylan is making us a crib.” Zoë patted her bump.

  Before I could respond, I heard a turkey gobble. I spun in the direction of the sound. “Do you have turkeys?”

  Zoë grinned. “We do. Three of them. Dad wants to capture a few more, and then raise them. The eggs are amazing, but we’re letting most of them hatch. No baby turkeys yet.”

  I told Zoë that I liked what she’d done with the sheets, and went back outside, to where Mom, Dad, and Dylan were talking quietly. They stopped as I approached.

  “I hear you have turkeys?” I said.

  Mom stood. “Want to see them?”

  I nodded and we headed to off toward an area of trees a short way away.

  Mom’s voice was comforting. “I’m so glad you’re here. Dylan told us all about what you went through after you left Seattle. I can’t believe you managed the sailboat so well.”

  “It was great that Dylan and Cole knew so much from the sailboat races. And I remembered more than I thought I would. Summer vacations must have rubbed off on me. But, what about you? I’m sorry about Grandma.”

  “Me too. The journey was just too much for her. She had a heart attack. If we’d been near a hospital…” Mom looked off in the distance. “At least I was with her.”

  I took her hand and squeezed it.

  “I’ve been so angry at your dad for sending you kids out to sea. He insisted you would survive and kept pushing us toward Santa Barbara. We ran out of gas, and rode bikes until mine got a flat tire. Then, we hiked and hiked. Dad told me over and over that he’d left you a note. He promised me that we’d find you on Santa Cruz Island.”

  “Sounds exhausting!” I said.

  Mom sighed. “It was. We found kayaks near Santa Barbara and paddled to the island. The waves were huge, and I didn’t think we’d make it. I couldn’t imagine how you could have survived that enormous wave on Whistler. And when we couldn’t find you on Santa Cruz….”

  “You must have been ready to give up!”

  She held my face in her hands. “Toni, I want you to know that I hate this. Every night I pray I’ll wake-up from this terrible nightmare.” She dropped her hands and shook her head. “You and your brothers were supposed to go to college and find great jobs. Dad and I were going to be the fun grandparents.” She gestured at the broken down house and tall grass. “Cole is gone, and I didn’t get to tell him—and this—everything is all wrong.” Her shoulders began to heave as quiet sobs wracked her body.

  I hugged my mother and rubbed her back as she cried.

  After a while, she sniffed and said, “I’m supposed to be comforting you.”

  I took a step back. “I’m doing okay, Mom. But, I do miss Cole. I talk to him all the time. I swear, he answers me.”

  She wiped her nose. “I need to do that.”

  We walked in silence. I was sad that Cole and Grandma were gone, but Mom felt a responsibility for them that made her loss even harder to bear. I didn’t know how I could help her, but I’d try.

  As we approached the turkey pen, I found all three. They were fenced in with chicken wire. A huge fishing net covered the top of the area. Small trees held the net up in the air. The turkeys ran and hid in the brush when we approached. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

  “Turkey farmers, huh?” I raised my eyebrows.

  Mom sniffed and then giggled. “Yep. That’s the plan. Oh, and wine too. There are grape vines all over the place.”

  I smiled. The tension I’d been feeling had lessened. “Wine is classier.”

  “It is.” Mom glanced around the property. “This is all your father’s idea. He wants to make a new home for us. But there is so much work to do. Dylan has been a big help. And now you’re here.”

  “Dylan wants to make a home for his family, too. At least one of your dreams is going to come true.”

  “What?” Mom asked.

  “You get to be the fun grandparent.”

  Mom grinned. “You’re right. I just wish we were more settled. There’s only so much we can build ourselves. Dylan and your dad keep reminding me that the pioneers made due with less.”

  I grabbed her arm. “Mom! Before we left Seattle, you put all your good jewelry in my backpack, remember? I have it. Here with me. You can use it to buy some of the supplies you need.”

  Her face lit up with a smile that warmed my heart.

  We sat up late into the night, talking. Dylan was still angry that I’d given up the boat, but he claimed that the jewelry made up for it.

  “Maybe we can buy some mattresses?” he’d said.

  Zoë seemed content. She kept talking about how she was going to fix up the baby’s room.

  Dad told me I’d made the right decision regarding Whistler, but then quizzed me again about why we’d risked heading to Mexico in the first place.

  I finally told him that Cole had lost his life saving Makala. We had to make sure that she and her sister made it to their families.

  Dad looked stricken. I felt bad that I’d mentioned Cole. But it was the truth. And Whistler was gone and I couldn’t get her back.

  Mom listened to our conversations and wanted to know more about what we ate and did to survive. She was excited to start harvesting seaweed and smoke fish. She wrinkled her nose at the idea of snake. I thought of Takumi when I told her it tasted like chicken.

  Early the next morning, Dylan and Dad left on the small wooden day-sailboat Dylan had brought with him from San Diego. They headed for Santa Barbara. Zoë had written a shopping list a mile long. I just added a short-wave radio and battery.

  For the next few days, I helped Zoë and Mom with drying grass. It was about as exciting as it sounds, but I enjoyed hanging out with Mom again. On the third day, we rolled up the dried grass into a fitted sheet, and I had a better night’s sleep. Mom spread the rest of the grass on the dirt floor.

  Dylan and Dad returned with the small sailboat loaded with supplies. They hadn’t found a radio or battery, but were excited about the wheel barrel and the bags of cement they’d traded for. We spent a long day transporting the goods from the boat to our ranch.

  Somehow, Dylan managed to acquire a baby cradle. Zoë was thrilled. I thought it looked awfully small. Mom and I decided it was really made for a doll, but if Zoë was happy, we weren’t going to tell her. They hadn’t found everything on the list, but there was still a lot of jewelry left, and they planned to make another trip soon.

  A week went by quickly. Then two. Dad and Dylan dug a deep hole and built an outhouse. Zoë was so excited. You’d have thought it was a spa. They expanded the size of the house and cemented in the floor and a patio. A chimney was built with the cement and bricks. It smoked a little, but worked.

  Dad and Dylan set traps and captured three more turkeys. We killed one to eat and added the other two to the enclosure. It became my job to dig for worms and grubs every morning and night. More and more dirt caked under my nails.

  I also learned to pluck a turkey. When I was through with the smelly job, Zoë scooped up the feathers, boiled them, and spread them out to dry. “For my pillow,” she said.

  My hands smelled like turkey for days.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Every evening, I sat on my rock, and stared out at the sea. My muscles were always sore and I could get never get totally clean. Dust and dirt caked my skin and crept under my nails. The fresh sea air called to me.

  I turned my short-wave radio on while I sat, hoping Takumi would contact me. But he didn’t. Either he was too far away for reception, or something had happened to him.

  I missed him so much. There was a constant ache in my heart that wouldn’t go away. And I needed his words of wisdom.

  My father nicknamed me his baby girl. He gave me lots of hugs and patted my head. At first, I liked it. I felt safe and loved. But then I noticed that he really didn’t pay attention to any suggestions I made.

  Dylan and Zoë seemed to fit right in with the ranch program. Mom and Dad sought their guidance. I was happy to do the chores I was given, but it was hard for me to stay silent.

  Was this the way my life had been before the tsunami? I’d been okay with being the baby of the family. But had my opinions always been ignored?

  I tried to be understanding. I was two years younger than my brother. He and Zoë were married and having a baby. That made them seem more grown up.

  But I’d found my voice on the journey we’d been on. I missed being heard.

  I sat on my hill holding my radio. Willing it to come to life. Wanting to hear a voice. His voice. Takumi would know just what to say to make me feel better. He’d told me that they’d be done in two weeks. It had been eighteen days.

  Maybe he wasn’t coming. A wave of panic washed over me. What would I do if he never came?

  I sighed and headed down the hill to the ranch. It was time I went back to work. The turkeys had to be fed. I searched for a soft piece of ground someplace where I hadn’t dug already, and pushed in my shovel.

  I thought I heard Takumi’s voice. Did I want to hear from him so badly that I was imaging things? The voice was so faint. I looked around and searched for the source.

  And then, there he was, on top of the hill, waving from my rock.

  I started toward him, then glanced down at my clothes. They were caked in mud and bits of dried cement. I ran my fingers through my hair. It was greasy and dirty. I hadn’t looked in a mirror in weeks.

  Takumi sprinted toward me. The closer he got, the more handsome he became. My heart almost leapt out of my chest. And then he held me in his arms, and nothing else mattered.

  “You came for me!” I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.

  “I couldn’t reach you by radio. The repairs took longer. I’m so sorry.”

  He kissed me and I forgave him.

  We sat on the rock and Takumi put his arm around me.

  I leaned on him. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  In between kisses, he told me about all the work that had been done on the boat. There was a new sail and instruments.

  “I can’t imagine how great it must be to sail with all that information.”

  “It is,” he assured me.

  “Have you heard anything from the crew?” I asked.

  “I see Jervis all the time. He installed most of the equipment on Whistler. He and his girlfriend are still together and seem happy. Nick finally radioed Angelina. He found his family. Before he left for the U.S., he said he’d try to bring some of his family cows into Mexico, but that isn’t going to work out. It sounds like Nick and Angelina want to stay with their own families.”

  “I think Angelina knew this would happen.”

  “Maybe. How is it to be back with your family? Are you happy?” Takumi smiled.

  “I am. I love my family. I’m not so sure about being a farmer, however. And my father treats me like the little girl I was. I love him, but sometimes…”

  Takumi took my face in his hands, and kissed me before I could finish. “Toni, I love you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you.”

  I kissed him back, slow and sweet. How I’d missed him. He kissed my lips, my neck, and my mouth. I held his head and our tongues met. I pulled him down into the grass with me. I needed to be closer. The kisses grew urgent, our breathing ragged.

  And then, a turkey hidden in the grass gobbled, flapped its wings, and flew over us. Its feet brushed Takumi’s back.

  Takumi yelped. We laid back in the tall weeds and laughed as we caught our breath.

  “What’s with this island and its attack turkeys?” Takumi brushed his hair to make sure he didn’t have any feathers in it, and then helped me up. “Let’s go. I need to meet your parents. Later on, I have something to show you.”

  We walked slowly down to the ranch. I was nervous about introducing Takumi to my parents. What if they didn’t like him? What if they told me I couldn’t see him anymore? What if they grounded me?

  I snickered at the thought of them grounding me. I was not their sixteen-year-old protected daughter anymore.

  “What was that chuckle for?” Takumi asked.

  “I’m just happy you’re here. You’re the first boyfriend I’ve introduced to my parents. Guess I’m a little scared.”

  “Yeah. Well, me too. But, it’ll be good to see Dylan and Zoë.”

  I told him how much Zoë had changed.

  “A happy Zoë? This will be worth the trip.” Takumi grinned at me.

  I punched his shoulder.

  My family saw us coming down the hill and gathered to wait. My dad shook Takumi’s hand and studied him. Mom gave him a big hug. They both thanked him for protecting me.

  Takumi smiled and put his arm around me. “Toni and Dylan saved me. They invited me to join them on Whistler.”

  We toured the property all together. Takumi seemed impressed by what we were building. “This house is awesome,” he cried as he inspected the new addition.

  “This is going to be my room when it’s finished,” I said.

  Both he and Zoë scowled.

  When we checked out the turkeys, Takumi commented that they looked smaller and less vicious behind a fence. He looked serious when he said, “I’m sure the one that attacked me was at least six feet tall.”