The three of us take a vote. Cross the river or not? “This is the most dangerous thing we’ve done since the raft,” Mia reminds us.

“We have to do it,” Imani insists. “A life may depend on it.”

“Daniel?”

“I say we go for it.”

“It means trusting Deke with the other end of the rope.”

“I know. I do trust him, at least about this.”

We put our hands together, and make our pledge. “All agreed! One for all, all for one!”

Ten minutes later, we’re all safely across. Soaked to the skin, chilled by the powerful current, but safe on the other side.

Deke is eager to get to work. “Dan! Grab the other end and lift! I heard somebody under there, I swear!”

I take hold of a large tree branch, and put my shoulder under it. I lift with all my strength while Deke does the same thing at the other end. Slowly the big branch rises, bringing with it a mass of wet leaves.

“There! I see her!” Deke shouts. “Pull her out while we hold this up! Hurry! Careful! Careful! She’s badly hurt!”

Deke and I hold the branch up, our knees trembling with effort. Imani and Mia duck beneath the branch, and then, ever so carefully, they drag out a frail and broken body, and carry her clear of the leaves under which she’d been hidden.

Cindi Beacon. Soccer star Cindi, who helped save us, who was swept away by the flood.

She’s alive!

39. A Better Idea

Cindi is alive but badly injured. We can’t tell for sure, but it looks like she has broken bones in every limb. Probably broken ribs, too, because she can’t take a deep breath without crying out in pain.

I’m frantic to help her but don’t know where to begin. Imani is the calm one, gently touching her fingers to Cindi’s wrist, and bending low to hear what she has to say. Her voice is weak, little more than a whisper.

“She wants to know if Sky and Tony are okay,” Imani says.

Mia’s face falls. She shakes her head and says, “We’re sorry to have to tell you this, Cindi, but they didn’t make it.”

Good answer. That’s all she needs to know right now.

Imani listens as Cindi tries to speak, her voice barely a whisper.

“She doesn’t remember the flood,” Imani tells us. “The only thing she remembers is waking up under this tree, and drinking rainwater from the leaves. Then hearing voices—us—and using all her strength to cry out. She thought she was dreaming, but she had to try.”

“Tell her she saved us. Without her we’d never have made it up that cliff.”