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"We'll get you down."
"It's okay, Maya."
His voice was as strangely calm as his smile. My heart was thudding so hard I could barely breathe, and he just kept smiling up at me, his gaze locked on mine. Calm washed through me, slowing my heart, as if I was feeling what he did, an oddly disconnected peacefulness.
"It's okay," Rafe said again. "They've got you."
The helicopter spun, whipping us around. Pain shot through me as Rafe's weight almost wrenched my shoulders out of their sockets, and my hold on his wrists broke. Corey lost his grip on my leg. I heard him shout and Daniel shout and the girls join in, and I kicked, trying to get my leg back up where someone could grab it.
The helicopter tilted again. I started to slide, Daniel sliding with me. And I knew we were going to fall. Rafe, me, Daniel, we were all going to fall.
"Hold on!" I shouted to Rafe.
"It's okay," he said, and I wasn't even sure he spoke aloud, didn't see his lips moving. "It's okay."
He let go.
I clawed the air, screaming.
I didn't even see him drop. The helicopter banked and I caught only a blur of treetops spinning past and when I looked around, there was no Rafe. No sign of him at all.
Corey and Daniel dragged me back into the helicopter. Someone got the door closed. I don't know who. I was crying and shaking so hard I couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't think.
As I huddled on the floor, I felt Daniel behind me, his arms around me. Kenjii pushed onto my lap, and I buried my face in her fur, gripping handfuls and sobbing against her.
It took a moment before anything else penetrated, but when it did, I heard Sam and Corey arguing, Nicole crying, and I felt the helicopter jerk and shudder, and I remembered where I was and what was happening. I couldn't break down now. No matter what had happened, I couldn't break down now.
I pushed my dog away, patting her head, and staggered to my feet. Daniel rose with me, his hand still on my arm.
"Maya."
"I'm..." I'm what? Fine? Good? Okay? No. I'm not. I'm absolutely not. I took a deep breath. "We need to land."
My voice shook. My whole body shook. I could hardly breathe, it hurt so much. But I squeezed up to the front of the helicopter. Sam glanced over. She opened her mo
uth. Nothing came out.
"He might be okay," Nicole said. "He might--"
"He's not," I said. "We all know he's not."
I couldn't even hope Rafe had survived because that would mean I'd have to think about it--about him and what just happened and if I did, I'd curl up in a ball on the floor again.
I started toward Sam. I had to talk to her. Get her to land the helicopter. But I froze. Just ... froze.
Daniel nudged past me. "We need to land this," he said to Sam.
"That's what--"
"That's what you've been trying to do, I know." His voice was calm, reassuring. "But we need to get her down, any way we can. Before anyone else gets hurt."
She swallowed hard. Her hands trembled on the controls. Daniel crouched beside her, his hand on her shoulder.
"How much do you know about flying?"
"M-my dad had a friend who was a helicopter pilot. He showed me how. That was a couple of years ago. It's not the same as his helicopter either. I'm really trying but--"
"I know you are. How do we get her down? We're over the strait now. Does that help? Water?"
