Chapter 2
I woke up on a beach. The sun was hot on my back. Somewhere along the way I’d lost my shirt, my sandals, and Carlos. I struggled over onto my back and lay recovering on the soothing, damp sand. I needed water, and food. In all the world they were the only two things I cared about. I sucked back on my tongue to produce some saliva, to moisten my mouth, but it seemed my salivary glands had gone on strike. I didn’t blame them. It would have been so easy to close my eyes again and let the tide take me back into the ocean’s cool caress, but no. I had made it to land. The hard part was over.
I willed myself to move, calling up every ounce of strength I had left to roll back onto my stomach. I rested a moment to catch my breath. When I felt ready, I struggled onto my elbows, pushing m
