Blueview Island: Book One

1

Going to a doomed island in the middle of the ocean wasn’t something I was planning to do that summer. I wouldn’t have been on the stupid trip if it weren’t for Terri, my twin sister. She just had to beg my mom to go somewhere exciting, so my mom dumped us there. She said our grandfather, Theodore Hunter III, owned a resort that was supposed to be loads of fun.

I didn’t really know my grandfather. Every time I asked about what he did or any details about him, my mom just pretended she was busy, so I never learned much about him.

So Terri and I found ourselves on a boat headed to the island, about fifty miles off the coast of California. I liked to stand on deck and let the cool, gentle breezes weave through my hair, smell the salt air, and catch a whiff of fish while wondering what the island would be like.

Terri was jumping all around and asking a bunch of questions as she usually did. How long till we get there? What’s the island like? What’s grandfather like? I can’t wait to meet him!

I don’t know, was all the patient captain would tell her.

I’d heard a few other kids were there also. I hoped that they were my age, fifteen or sixteen maybe, and that they wanted to hang out with me so I wouldn’t be bored the whole summer. I’m one minute and twenty-four seconds older than Terri, so I was technically the older brother.

I also wondered what the island looked like. I imagined it as a luxurious paradise with butlers serving us strawberry-lemonade frozen drinks as we lounged. I conjured up visions of perfect beaches, soft and warm sand, and gentle breezes pushing small waves to shore.

I pictured a giant hotel with special rooms for Terri and me complete with snack bars, TVs, soft beds, and maybe a video game console. I figured chefs would prepare our meals and we could watch movies in a theater room while munching on candy bars and popcorn. I dreamed of the happiest place imaginable complete with helicopter service so I could go back to California for a day or so whenever I wanted.

Jayce! Hello? Are you there? Jaaaaaaaayce! Are you daydreaming again?

That was Terri.

What? Oh, sorry. Quit yelling at me. I’m thinking.

Whatcha thinkin’ about?

Sometimes, it seemed she just wanted to annoy me. None of your business. What did you want to tell me?

It’s lunchtime. Come in the cabin to eat. We’re still fifteen miles away. We’ll get there in about forty-five minutes.

Fine. I’ll be there in a few minutes.

Terri, being her usual vivacious self, skipped into the cabin. I realized my stomach was indeed growling. I hadn’t eaten all day because I was afraid of getting seasick.

In the cabin, I saw a table with two chairs. Terri was in one, munching on a turkey-avocado sandwich. I always thought avocados were disgusting, but she loved them so much she’d have them as snacks by themselves. She was weird like that, but I was used to it. I sat, unwrapped my sandwich, and bit into it. Mine was roast beef with mayo, which I devoured. It tasted great. I wiped mayo off my mouth and took a sip of water.

Terri hopped outside to look at the seagulls; she hoped one would land on her arm for a bite of turkey. I asked the sailor how far we were from the island.

He smiled. Really close. He pointed to a dim outline of an island on the horizon. We’re almost there.

I was relieved the boat trip was almost over. My stomach had started churning from the sandwich and the ship’s rocking. I saw the island get bigger and bigger. Soon enough, we docked alongside at least ten other boats.

An old man who looked young for his age came up to us. Jayce! Terri! Welcome to Blueview Island! I was sure he was my grandfather Theodore.

2

Terri shouted, Granddad Theodore! even though she had never met him.

He was tall and had gray, curly hair. He had a cane but didn’t seem to have any walking problems. He wore a suit; I guessed that was his work outfit. His voice sounded like a bass drum.

Hello, Terri! Hi, Jayce. You guys can just call me Theo. I think Grandfather Theodore is too long and formal. Welcome to the island! I’m sure you’ll get along well with the other workers here. Yes, you’re going to work here, but don’t worry, it’ll be fun!

I’m not too sure about that, I thought. I scanned the area, which was nothing like I had expected. I saw a big, open field in the middle of the island with a small, old hotel. No helicopters, no butlers with drinks on trays. I saw a volleyball pit and a pool, and the beach looked nice. I spotted a restaurant with a patio and some people inside eating lunch. Everything else seemed to be pretty much a massive, dense forest. I hoped I could live through the summer without dying from boredom.

I’ll show you guys to your room, Theo said.

He walked over to another building I hadn’t seen yet that was bigger than the restaurant but not by much. Apparently, it was a shop. A sign read, The Blueview Shop in curly letters. Yeah, really creative name. We’re going to live … in a shop? I asked.

Not necessarily, Theo explained. "Your rooms are above the shop."

He took us through the shop, which had lame Blueview T-shirts and merchandise that read, It’s the paradise getaway you’ve always dreamed of! I quickly decided it wasn’t. We went through an Employees Only door behind a rack of T-shirts with some fishing designs. We went up an old, wooden staircase and through a door that opened into a hallway with three more doors. Theo pointed to the nearest one. "See this door? This is my room. Never go into it. I forbid you. Terri and I nodded. The second door said, Storage." The last door had a golden doorknob.

Here we are, Theo announced, the place you’ll be staying for the next couple of months. He turned the knob. I hoped my room would be nice. I’d hoped too soon.

Terri and I went inside and saw nothing we had expected. We were obviously going to be sharing a room. Two beds were across from each other but not by much. The room was small. Everything was crammed together. The old carpet on the floor was more scruffy than soft. A rickety wooden chair and a small desk with a lamp sat in a corner. It looked like no one had sat there in a year. By the beds stood little shelves; the bottom shelf was just big enough for my suitcase.

A couple of skylights let in a little illumination but just made the room look dull. Between the beds was a window that surprisingly offered a pretty good view of the forest. I could see the woods stretching all over the island to a tip occupied by a giant rock with a huge oak tree on top of it. One day I’ll have to go there.

All right, I’ll leave you guys settle in. I’ll be giving tours if you need me. The other kids, Zack and Emmett, are working right now, but Livia is somewhere around here. See you around! Theo vacated the room.

I’m so excited to meet the other guys here! Terri said as she grunted and tossed her giant, purple, customized suitcase on her bed.

I slid my suitcase onto the lower shelf and plopped on my bed. I looked at the ceiling.

Everyone knows doing nothing doesn’t get you anywhere near having a fun time, said Terri, who was bouncing on her squeaky bed.

Okay, we’ll look around the island. Let me unpack first, I said, as I reached for my bag.

Let’s go now! she said. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door.

Okay, okay, okay. Fine. But once we’re done, I’m coming back and unpacking. Nothing else.

Deal, Terri said with a smile.

Man, I loved her dazzling smile. She’d gotten her braces out a few months before, so her teeth were straight, white, and pretty. I’d gotten mine out too, but my smile wasn’t nearly as flattering as hers was. How could she be so perfect with that smile and her long, brown hair?

Let’s go! Terri said, dragging me out the door.

I snapped to attention. Okay, okay, fine! I’m coming!

We went down the hallway and clomped down the creaky stairs. We walked around the shop, weaving our way through the merchandise to the door. We were going to see the island.

3

We walked across the field with all the buildings and stopped by a sign in the middle of the field that had arrows pointing different ways—Blueview Shop, Hiking Trail, Beach, Dock, Blueview Hotel, and so on.

Look at the top of the pole! Terri said.

I looked up, shielding my eyes from the bright sun and saw a red bird in a nest. I’d never been interested in birds, so I didn’t know what kind it was. It chirped at us, but its chirp was different from other birds’. This one seemed soothing, as if it had something magical about it.

It’s so pretty! Terri said as she walked around the pole trying to get a better look at the bird.

It chirped at us a few more times before we headed toward the dirt trail that led through trees—massive giants staring down at those who dared go through. As we walked through, I pulled out my little notepad—I’d never told anyone but Terri I had it—and started writing and drawing in it. Terri was dragging behind taking her time to look at everything as she always did.

I was what I’d guessed to be halfway down the trail when I heard a voice from above that made me almost jump.

Hey you!

I shoved my notepad into my pocket. I looked up. Who’s there?

A girl was swinging across the trees. She was beautiful and looked about my age. The girl had long reddish brown hair and amazingly blue eyes. She wore a necklace with a key attached. I saw her swing across the trees, making her way farther and farther down until she was a little higher than me but still in a tree. I could tell she liked to be up high.

Hey, I’m Livia. Are you Jayce? she asked, smiling.

Yes. We were just looking around the island. I thought we were looking for you, but I guess you found us, I said, grinning.

I was climbing my favorite tree, waiting for you to show up. She grabbed a branch, leaned to the left to look behind me, and pointed to Terri. Is that Terri?

Yeah. She’s a little too excited to be here.

Terri ran up to Livia. Hi, I’m Terri! I’m guessing you’re Livia. I bet we’ll have so much fun on the island!

Excuse my sister’s hyper state. She’s always been a little wild.

Livia grabbed a branch, swung on it, and landed in front of me. She was just a touch shorter than me. No problem! I like her excitement. It gets me fired up. It’s almost dinnertime. Let’s go to the restaurant! I’m starving. Since we work here, we always either get our food for free or half price.

What’s for dinner? I asked.

I don’t know. Let’s go find out. I’m so hungry I could eat a cow. She smiled.

We walked back the way we had come. Livia and I were walking together; Terri was behind us because the trail was too narrow for all three of us.

I was thinking about building a tree house or something in that tree, Livia said, pointing. You want to help? It could be our summer project! she said and nudged me.

I hadn’t climbed a tree in a while, but I wasn’t scared of heights. I said, Sure, it’ll be fun. Then I lowered my voice. "But you might not want to ask Terri. She hates heights."

That’s okay, Livia said. So does Zack. And Emmett isn’t really the build-and-climb type. So it can be just our thing.

Our thing. That sounded as if we’d been friends forever even though I’d known her for only a few minutes. Man, she was friendly. Terri and I had been on the island for only a few hours, but I’d already made good friends with a girl who liked what I liked to do.

Once out of the woods, we headed to the restaurant. Livia checked her phone. Shoot. Gotta go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Theo gave Zack, Emmett, and me a day off so we could hang out with you guys. See you guys! She ran toward the hotel, and I could’ve sworn she winked at me.

The rest of the day, we ate