Forty-Three
Tuesday, December 21
Parrot Tree Lagoon
“Ja, you guys are alive!”
Deep in Thomas’s brain, the voice registered as a friendly one, but his thoughts were fogged. It took a moment for him to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. They were on Charlie’s boat in the lagoon. In the background, he could hear a dolphin’s whistles. Taffy? No, it had to be Cleo, still in the lagoon, watching over them and recovering from her own injuries and exhaustion.
He cracked his eyes, and saw it was morning, the sun still low in the sky. He sat up slowly, feeling his bones creak.
I’m getting too old for this.
Beside him, Oliver moaned. “This feels like the worst hangover ever.”
Axel stood in the doorway of the cabin looking down at them. “Hung over is better than dead, which is
