Out of Season Read Free Page A

and Dad know I was coming here? That hurt in my stomach grows and grows.
    Then Saul stands up and shouts into his radio, “Dad, they’re here.”
    What?
    My head whips around. What’s he looking at?
    A motorboat roars into the channel across from Riley Bay and Rugged Point. What does this mean? Whose boat is that?
    You mean he’s not looking for me? The question pushes at the space in my stomach where the hurt is. I turn the vhf radio on my life jacket on low.
    It’s hard to see. I pull my binoculars out of my backpack and focus. The boat moves across the water until it’s in the middle of the channel, then stops. There are two men on board. I put the binoculars down.
    What is going on? Why would Saul want to tell Dad about this boat?
    Then Dad’s boat, Storm Tide , comes into view. He pulls up beside the other boat. I put the binoculars back up to my eyes to watch.
    Dad walks to the back of his boat. He leans forward and points at something on the other boat. The other man waves at him. It’s weird, why is he waving at Dad when Dad’s right there? Dad says something, and the man shakes both his arms.
    Something is wrong.
    â€œCareful, Dad,” I whisper.
    The man steps toward Dad and pushes him in the chest. Dad staggers back. The man jumps onto his boat. Both Saul and I take a sharp breath. You never ever step onto someone else’s boat without an invitation. That doesn’t stop the man. He lunges at Dad. Dad shoves him away.
    He comes back, arms swinging, and hits Dad in the jaw.
    Dad spins. He looks like he’s going to fall. He regains his balance and swings at the man.
    He misses.
    The man bends down and shoves his head into Dad’s stomach. He pushes Dad backward until Dad trips over the gunwale of his boat.
    Dad falls headfirst into the water.
    His boat roars off. The other boat follows.
    Dad is alone in the water.
    â€œDad!” I shout. I can’t help it. The word slips out. My mind whirls in confusion. The binoculars in my hands shake.
    Saul spins around. “Maya, what…?” He leaps up from the stump. “Go away, Maya. You shouldn’t be here.”
    I know I shouldn’t. But Dad’s in trouble. I charge down the hill.
    â€œMaya,” Saul yells behind me. The two of us speed down the hill.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” I know Saul’s confused. He wants to know what I’m doing here. But I have only one thought on my mind. The water is cold. A swimmer only has five or ten minutes before hypothermia sets in. Dad’s a long way out in the channel.
    What if he’s hurt?
    We reach the bottom together. When we slide to a stop, we both have radios to our mouths. Saul says, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is Storm Tide calling. We’ve got a man overboard. We need help.” He’s babbling and not following proper Mayday protocol at all.
    I can hardly move. “Please, please, please answer,” I whisper.
    The reply comes. “Is that you, Saul? What’s happened?”
    â€œDad’s in the water off Rugged Point. He may be hurt,” Saul shouts.
    At the word hurt , he turns white. We both know it might be worse than that.
    â€œOkay, Saul, Coast Guard Vessel Marie Celeste is approximately ten miles south and proceeding to your location. ETA approximately thirty minutes. There are no other vessels nearby. Over.”
    â€œThirty minutes,” says Saul.
    It’s too long.
    I know what I have to do.

Chapter Six
    I rush to my kayak. I sweep the branches off it, shove it into the water and grab my paddle.
    â€œMaya, no!” calls Saul. He knows what I’m going to do. He lunges to stop me. He misses, and I hop into the kayak.
    Saul grabs my stern and pulls the boat back to shore. “Let me go, Maya. I’m stronger. I’ll get there faster.”
    â€œYou won’t fit,” I say. I look him in the eye. “Saul, let go of my boat. You know you won’t