PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 20

Next to Sarah in the jungle, Jake stood in the tire ruts of the dirt road. From high up on the mountainside, the waterfall rushed from a hole and splashed down into the turquoise pool. In the bend of the road, from their perspective, it looked like a single outpouring of water, not three. But their angle was from the side.

"It doesn't look like three claws to me," Sarah said, tilting her head to peer up at the waterfall. "We might as well stick to the road and find the second ranger station."

"Just a minute." Dylan held up a finger. "We need a better view to know for sure."

"And we can't get it here because the road goes right and we need to go either straight or left," Savannah said.

"But we can't go straight unless we do some serious weed whacking." Sarah pointed toward the jungle, blocking their way. "And we can't cross the river, not without getting caught up in the current. It wouldn't be easy at least. Besides that, it looks too deep to walk across. And it's too wide to jump."

"What about the fallen tree back there," Jake said. "We could use it to get across."

Sarah scowled at him.

He winced from the pain her sour countenance brought him. She could make his world brighter with a smile, make his heart thump with a kiss, or inflict pain with a stare. Although, there were times he cherished even a glower from her. At least that meant she was looking at him.

Jake huffed. "What have we got to lose?"

"He's right." Tony jumped in. "It's not even mid-morning yet. We have plenty of daylight to make it to the station and then back to the yacht by nightfall. What could a little probing of the jungle hurt?"

"A lot," Rachel said. "Remember the tree?"

"But it's a pretty waterfall...we could at least check it out." Tony shrugged.

Rachel turned to give it a look. The ripples in the pool shimmered with light from the morning sun. "I suppose we could go see it. It is beautiful."

"Of course it is," Dylan said. "So, how about it?"

Savannah didn't give them time to debate it further. She cut between Sarah and Jake, and beelined it back toward the fallen tree. Dylan followed like he was caught in her gravitational pull. Behind them, Tony took Rachel by the hand and started after them.

Jake nodded to Sarah. "Like Tony said, it won't hurt to take a look."

"Fine," she replied, "but keep your eyes peeled."

"For what?"

"You know what for...for animals...wild animals...animals with claws...big ones."

"I only have eyes for you." He smiled, but Sarah didn't return it.

She left him standing there as she joined the rest of the group. Jake looked right, at the road that led to the second ranger station. Then he glanced left, at the waterfall, pondering what they were about to do...cross a rushing river on a precarious log. And off he went.

By the time he made it to the dead tree, Dylan and Savannah were halfway across, acting like it was nothing. But it was something. Moss slicked the top portion of the log and the sides were darkened with mist from the river below. One wrong move and they'd get swept away to who knows where, maybe to the ocean and a lumbering school of hammerheads waiting for a snack.

After Dylan and Savannah made it across, Rachel and Tony went next.

Rachel took forever with one of Tony's hands on her waist, coaching her every step. She held her arms out for balance as she crept forward an inch at a time. Below her, the water frothed and roared within its banks. Finally, they made it to the safety of the jungle floor, stepping off the log, their boots kissing the earth.

"I'm after you," Jake said to Sarah.

"If I fall, I'm blaming you."

"You won't fall. I've seen you balance yourself on a sinking ship."

Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head, starting across the log, her boots treading carefully. Jake gave her some space but kept her in arms reach. If he had to catch her and stop her from falling, he'd try. If he couldn't, he'd go down with her.

As they moved, Jake's eyes darted from the log to the river, and then back to Sarah. Almost there...she continued forward...until she made it across.

To take his next step, Jake raised his boot an inch off the log and the sole snagged on a protruding piece of bark. He froze, wobbling side to side, his hands clawing the air for balance. He sucked in a breath, heart hammering.

"You can do this," Sarah said from the far bank.

Jake gathered his nerves after a few intense seconds. He remembered this was his idea in the first place.

"You've got this," Sarah tossed in.

He nodded and moved forward, half a step at a time.

"Come on, quit playing around out there," Tony said. "We don't have all day."

Jake frowned and found his resolve. In three lunging steps, he skipped over the mossy log and landed on solid ground.

When he looked up, Dylan stood in what appeared to be a footpath overgrown with the jungle. He aimed his machete toward the waiting pool. "Shall we?"

Jake pulled his machete from its sheath on his waist. "Why not? We made it across the river, we might as well do what we came to do."

"Took you long enough." Savannah glared.

Jake swallowed and pointed the tip of his blade toward the falls. "Ladies first."

The group trudged through the footpath, everyone staying clear of Dylan and Jake's swinging machetes. By the time they drew near the waterfall, sweat beaded on their faces, their arms itched from jungle weeds and ferns, and their gazes roamed the edges of the waterline, following it to the mist steaming up from the point where the falls impacted the pool. Jake breathed in deep and exhaled. Their trek across the mossy log was worth it. The spot was spectacular to behold. Green leaves from vines and trees climbed the mountainside all the way to the summit a few hundred feet up. But a hundred feet above the pool, the hole in the cliff gushed water like a spout.

Still, they only had a side view, seeing one downpour splashing into the pool.

Savannah high-stepped over a few ferns that hugged the ground. Her flannel shirt was tied off in the front, draped over a white t-shirt which was tucked into her pants. Dylan fell in line behind her, his blue button-up hanging loosely over his waistline. Their eyes widened and their jaws sagged as they made their way around to the front side of the pool. Jake and Sarah trailed Tony and Rachel, following in their wake.

Jake kept his gaze on the pool and the crashing water, expecting as they walked to see the single fall separate into three distinct waterfalls, like the riddle on the old map.

Dylan and Savannah increased their pace, hands held over their brows, shielding their eyes from the bright rays of the sun beaming down on them in the clearing. But when they halted with the perfect view of the waterfall, their stares hardened and their mouths cursed their misfortune.

There was only one large waterfall and not three like the riddle suggested.

Jake narrowed his gaze and studied the water spouting from the hole high above their heads. He had an eye for these things. So did Tony. His friend glanced at him and nodded. Jake had a suspicion about the waterfall, and so did Tony by the look of his wry grin. But before he shared his thoughts, he'd let Dylan and Savannah scowl and pout a little bit more.