The Tail of Emily Windsnap - Liz Kessler [35]
I froze.
“Only me,” he said, scanning the room without coming in.
“You didn’t tell me he was going,” I whispered, grabbing at her coat while Mr. Beeston waited outside.
“Of course he’s going — he’s the chairman!” she whispered back. “And he’s offered to help me set up,” she added. “Which is nice of him, by the way.”
“Mom, I don’t want you to go!”
“Don’t want me to go? What on earth are you talking about?”
What could I say? How could I get her to believe me? She wouldn’t hear a word against Mr. Beeston — the sweet, kind, lonely man. Well, I’d prove to her that he wasn’t anything of the kind!
“I just —”
“Come on, now. Don’t be a baby.” She pried my fingers from her sleeve. “Millie’s here to look after you. I’m just up at the shore if you need me urgently. And I mean urgently.” She gave me a quick peck, rubbed my cheek with her thumb — and was gone.
“How come you don’t go to the Bay Residents’ meetings, Millie?”
“Oh, I don’t believe in all that democratic fuss and nonsense,” she said, shifting me up the sofa so she could sit down.
We sat silently in front of the television. Once her first show had finished, I waited for her to tell me it was bedtime. But she didn’t. I looked across at the sofa; she lay on her side, her eyes closed, mouth slightly open.
“Millie?” I whispered. No reply. She was fast asleep! When would I get an opportunity like this again? I had to do it.
The Great Mermer Reef might be too far to swim — but it wouldn’t be too far by boat! And now was the perfect time. In fact, it might be my only chance.
Could I do it? Really? I looked at the clock. Half past eight. Mom wouldn’t be back for ages yet, and Millie was fast asleep.
I grabbed the engine key from the peg and crept outside. There was probably another half an hour or so before it was dark. I could handle the darkness now anyway; I’d gotten used to the sea at night.
But would I remember how to operate the boat? I’d only done it a few times. We have to go around to Southpool Harbor every couple of years to get the hull checked out, and Mom usually lets me take it some of the way. We hardly ever use the sail. I don’t know why we have it, really.
The pier was quiet except for all the masts clinking and chattering in the wind. I pulled at my hair, twisting it frantically around my fingers. I probably looked like somebody about to take their first bungee jump. But I simply had to do it, however dangerous or scary or insane it might be.
Uncoiling the ropes, I had one last look down the pier. Deserted . . .
Almost.
Someone was coming out of the arcade. I ducked below the mast and waited. It was Mandy’s mom! She was heading down the pier, probably to the meeting. And a figure was standing in the doorway of the arcade. Mandy!
I ducked down again, waited for her to go back inside. Had she seen me?
The rope slackened in my hands — I was drifting away from the jetty. Close enough to jump back and pull the boat in again — but floating farther away by the second. What should I do? There was still time to abandon the whole thing.
Then a breeze lifted the front of the boat off the water and, without any more thinking on my part, the decision was made. I glanced back. She’d gone. I hurled the rope onto the jetty and turned the ignition key.
Nothing happened.
I tried again. It started this time, and I held my breath as its familiar dunka dunka dunka broke into the silence of the evening.
“HEY!”
I turned around.
“Fish girl!”
It was Mandy! She stepped onto our dock.
“What d’you think you’re doing?” she called.
“Nothing!” Nothing? What kind of a stupid thing was that to say?
“Oh, I know. Are you running away now that Julia doesn’t want to be your friend?”
“What?”
“She doesn’t want to know you anymore, after you blew her off last weekend. Lucky she had me there to make her see someone cares about her feelings.” Mandy paused as she let an evil smile crawl across her face. “Your mom knows you’re taking the boat out, I assume?”
“Of course!” I said quickly. “I’m just moving it over to Southpool.”
“Yeah. Shall we check?” She