Free The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke Page A

quarters with a small octopus that doesn’t want to leave, and there are three spiny lobsters on the floor I want to catch. At least we can have lobster for dinner later,:
he says, trying to sound cheerful.
    I don’t have the heart to tell him just how disgusting raw lobster sounds to me. I turn around to watch for Marine Guard divers. Sokya appears between the kelp stems, Densil right behind her, towing Lena.
    :this female let go of my fin twice,:
Sokya complains.
:divers saw us. they chased us, but we were faster.:
    :we will lead them away. one of us will come back and keep watch,:
Densil says.
    :Thank you,:
I tell them both.
    The dolphins disappear into the kelp. My mother was right. We never could have survived our first hours in the sea without them.
    :I hope you’ve found a place I can sleep for the next two days,:
Lena says. She looks ten times worse than Robry. Her face is pale, her eyes are red, and her whole body slumps with exhaustion.
    Robry pops his head out of the cave and grins at us.
:A hammock awaits you.:
    I force myself to swim in after Lena. I try to ignore how small the cave feels as its black walls close in around me. I see that Robry has already strung up his own hammock.
    :Can I sleep in that thing?:
Lena asks him.
    :Sure.:
    :Thanks, kid,:
Lena says and heads straight for the hammock.
    :You should probably eat something first,:
I tell her, but Lena ignores me. She pulls off her seapack and fins, drops her speargun, and crawls into the hammock. Seconds later, she’s fast asleep.
    Frowning, I pick up her gear and wedge it into a crack in the cave wall so it doesn’t drift away. After taking two food pouches from my pack, I pull out my own hammock and stash my equipment in another crack.
    :We should eat, and then one of us should keep watch,:
I say to Robry, and hand him a food packet. Now that we’ve found safety of a sort, exhaustion slams into me. I can hardly find the energy to chew the fish bar I find in my packet.
    :The dolphins will keep watch for us,:
Robry says.
:We both need to rest.:
    :Aren’t you afraid they’ll accidentally lead the divers here?:
I ask, fighting a huge yawn.
:Now Hycault and the Marine Guard must know the dolphins are helping us.:
    :I think Sokya and Densil are smart enough not to let themselves be seen,:
Robry replies thoughtfully.
:The divers probably spotted them this time because they were helping Lena.:
    I glance over at Lena, deep in an exhausted sleep.
    :Do you think she’s strong enough to survive down here?:
That’s just one of a dozen worries whirling around in my mind while I tiredly set up my hammock.
    :Are any of us?:
he asks me in return.
    I grimace as I lie down and tie myself into the hammock. It’s a good question, and I don’t know the answer.
    ~ ~ ~
    It’s nighttime when I wake up. For a long, terrible minute, I have no idea where I am. Why is there a dark rock wall above my head? I take a deep breath. I’m startled when I feel cold water flow down my windpipe and enter my chest. Then my memories come flooding back. I remember my mother holding my head under the waves until seawater came rushing into my lungs. I see Cam stagger when the solar blast hits him, and then the soldier clubs his head, and Cam falls to the sand. I try not to picture the moment they killed my mother, but it’s no use.
    Now I know exactly where I am and why I’m here in this close black cave. I shut my eyes. Tearing sobs rise up inside me. I cover my mouth with my hands in case the sound carries to the others. If only James were here. Maybe he’d understand the mixed-up pain and anger clawing at my insides. But my big brother isn’t here, and I’ve never been so alone.
    I cry until my head aches and I run out of tears. At last I drift off to sleep again.
    When I wake up, it’s lighter inside our cave. I check my watch and see it’s actually seven in the morning. I’ve just slept for almost