Page 102 of The Island

Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

It hung in the sky and then tilted its body toward the sun and headed east.

“Did they see us?” Olivia asked.

“I don’t know.”

Bloodhounds and a drone and an entire extended family after them on a small island—Petra’s sacrifice would buy them at most only a few hours, Heather thought wretchedly.

“We can’t go back. We’ve got to get down here,” Heather said. “There are two ways to do this. One, I lower you as far as I can and then drop you the rest of the way into the sand. Two, I jump down there first and try to catch you guys when you jump.”

“If you lower us, you won’t drop us until we say OK, right?” Olivia asked.

“I’ll hold you until you tell me to let go.”

“Then I vote for the first way,” Olivia said.

“Owen?” Heather asked.

“I guess.”

“Good. Remember to land like a paratrooper—bend your knees and roll to the side. Olivia, you first?”

Olivia walked to the cliff edge, turned around, lay on the ground, and carefully dangled her legs over. Heather held on to her arms and gradually lowered her down. Heather’s arms and Olivia’s body length took about six feet out of the drop, but it still looked like a long, long way for a child to fall.

Her mind reeled for a second or two. How the hell had it come to this? That this was the least bad choice—forcing a little girl off the edge of a goddamn cliff.

Olivia was a skinny thing but Heather’s arms were aching already. “Are you ready to drop?” she asked.

“Yes!”

Heather opened her hands and Olivia slipped and fell into the sand with a disconcerting clump.

She bent her legs but sort of splatted instead of rolling.

She lay there and didn’t speak.

“Olivia? Olivia!” Oh my God.

“Are you OK?” Owen asked.

Olivia got up and waved. “It’s OK. Come on…no! Wait! Go back! There’s someone coming. Hide! Go back!”

29

Heather didn’t know what to do. She froze on the edge of the cliff until Owen grabbed her hand.

“She said to hide!”

They dived into the long grass.

The drone appeared again in the southern sky.

The sound of dogs was getting closer.

She heard what sounded like a muffled scream.