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Kaye’s trying to make me feel better. I gently shake her off. “It’s gone. Let’s get out of here before the smoke gets too bad.”
I slowly get to my feet. Everyone’s looking at me now. I can see the sorrow and the fear in their eyes. Without the boat, what’s going to happen to us? We’ll be vulnerable and weak. The vultures will circle.
“Let it sink,” I say harshly, taking a measured, shaky breath. I want to cough but resist the urge. Instead, I turn my back on the dock. “Let it fucking burn. It’s only a boat. We’ll get a new one, and I’ll retake what those bastards think they can steal from me.”
I begin the trek back through the caves. Kaye stays by my side, holding my hand. My head’s pounding and I’m exhausted by the time I reach the exit, but the cool, clean air feels good in my lungs. Everyone spills out around me, looking as tired as I feel.
“You’re right,” Lesley says, loud enough for everyone to hear. “It’s only a boat. How many boats are there in the world?”
“It won’t be that easy to replace,” Paola says, scowling. “But we can do it.”
“Bro, I got Craigslist open on my phone right now and there are like ten boats we can buy tomorrow.” Nathan grins at me as his screen glows in his hand.
I smile back at them. They all know what this means. Burning our boat isn’t just a setback, it’s an act of war. They know it means there will be fights ahead, violence and revenge. We can’t let this insult to Calico stand.
But for now, it feels good, being with my friends and letting them try to make things feel all right.
We start the trek back to the house. We go slow, reminiscing about past runs. Mostly we complain about our lost ship and it’s like a memorial service for a departed friend. We all have stories about how awful that damn boat was, from endless routine maintenance and repairs, to dragging case after case of beer up those creaking, unsteady stairs.
I squeeze Kaye’s hand. She smiles back at me. Lost in this is the afternoon we spent, the storm we survived. That boat was decked out in every top-of-the-line piece of equipment imaginable, but it’s the memories of what happened on the deck that’ll stay with me for a long time to come.
As the others talk, I notice the flickering against the trees, and I hear the soft wail of sirens in the distance.
Kaye hears it next. She moves closer to me, head tilted to the side. “What is that?”
“I’m not sure,” I say and glance at Lesley. “You ever hear that before?”
“Emergency department,” she says with a shrug. “I don’t think they ever have to do much around here, but there was a fire in one of the kitchens my freshman year. I think that’s what their siren sounds like.”
“Emergency department? I didn’t know the island had one.”
“It’s like a private fire department, I guess.” Lesley chews on her nail. The sirens are getting louder and the smell of something burning comes thick through the underbrush. I thought it was the stink of the boat still clinging to my clothes, but the flickering, the noise—
“Emilio, is anyone at the house?” Kaye sounds terrified, and I haven’t figured out why yet.
“No, nobody’s there. Dirk’s with Terrence. Everyone else is here.” And slowly is dawns on me.
The house.
The fucking house is empty.
I start running again. It’s not far this time, and the smell of smoke and the sound of the sirens gets louder and louder as we crash down the path. Kaye and the others keep up, and we burst out into the back yard of Calico House together.
Flames lick up the walls and the back windows burst out in a shower of glass.
“Oh, fuck,” Dom says, backing away in horror.
Lesley goes toward it and drops to her knees. The inferno is brutal, intense. The sirens are getting louder and louder.
Coming to put out the blaze.
“No,” I whisper. I join Lesley, but stay on my feet. “How?”
“The boat,” she says and looks up at me. Her face is ashen pale and her eyes are twitching with terror. “It was a distraction.”
I nearly double over. It’s like someone punched me in the guts. I want to vomit, or scream, or writhe in pain. Instead, all I can do is stand there, surrounded by my friends, deep in shock.
The house is on fire. Calico House is burning to the ground.
