Free wrath of the Sea Queen by Cynthia Woods Page B

Someone called out to him from behind .  Vin turned suddenly to respond at the exact moment that C a eli stepp ed onto the edge of the concrete.  Neither was aware of the proximity of the other.  His elbow knocked her off balance and sent her flailing toward the water . Vin's quick reflexes allowed him to catch her around the waist and pull her to safe t y .   He tugged her forward with enough force that she fell forward against his chest and into his strong embrace.  She remembered the moment she look ed up into his sparkling blue eyes and how her heart had skip ped a beat.  It was one of the best mishaps of her life , and C a eli re called it vividly .
    C a eli finally e merged from her pleasant memory and handed the photo to Max.
    "Here you go.  You can borrow this one as long as you promise to t ake good care of it and return it when you're done ."
    " I will.  I'm going to color a picture of you.  It will be as pretty as you are. " Max smiled and returned to his own seat.
    " It was nice talking to you , Max . "
    " I'm sorry if he bothered you , ma'am. "   The boy's father apologized sincerely.
    " It was no bother at all.  Max and I had a very nice chat.   I'm C a eli, " she introduced herself to the boy's father.
    " I ' m Apela.  Thank you for keeping my son out of mischief . "   He smiled at her then re turne d his attention to his son, who was already working on his masterpiece.   Max proudly showed C a eli's photo to his dad , who recognized he r team jacket.
    " Did you attend Washington High ? " Apela asked her.
    " Yes , high school and State U niversity .  Both my husband and I are from that area.  In fact, high school is whe re I first ran into Vin .  How did you know? "
    " Your jacket in the photo is familiar.  My sister, Lorrie, also attended school at Washington. "  
    After a brief chat with Apela, including a synopsis of her first encounter with Vin, C a eli finally laid her head back and closed her eyes, but she still could not fall a sleep.   She continued watching the other passengers .
     
     
    A few hours later, Salma placed her hand on C a eli 's s houlder , pull ing her a ttention away from studying the redhead in the forward seat .
    " C a eli, " Salma implored in a tense voice, shak ing C a eli lightly.
    " What's the matter? "   C a eli asked as she placed a hand on her churning stomach to help ease the discomfort .  She wasn't feeling very well and thought she might be sick again.
    " Are you all right?  You look a little flushed. "   Salma inquired after noting the redness in C a eli's cheeks, the dark circles forming under her eyes, and the generally haggard look on her face.  C a eli looked like she might have the flu.
    " I'm not feeling well, but I'm sure it will pass.  Wh at's wrong ? "   C a eli fluidly changed the subject so that Salma would not worry about what was probably nothing more than a little nausea or perhaps a twenty four hour stomac h bug.  She could tell that Salma was concerned with a more pressing matter.
    " Look out the window, " Salma whispered.   When she woke twenty minutes earlier, what Salma saw out the window disturbed her.  Yet she waited before bothering C a eli until she was certain that the weather condition w as not improving and others were beginning to notice as well .
    Since Salma occupied the seat closest to the window, C a eli had to turn and lean her head forward in order to see whatever was troubling her .  What she discovered instantly brought her out of her lethargy.  No matter which direction she looked, the entire sky around the plane was pitch black.  Thick, dark clouds were rolling ominously in a circular motion around the plane.  C a eli's first thought was of being inside the eye of a tornado, which forced her to recall a terrifying memory and escalated her fear .  Yet, they were over the ocean .  S omething like what she and Vin experienced in the forest should not be possible here .   Should it?
    " Ha s anyone a s ked