Read Online Storm Rescue by Laurie Halse Anderson - Free Book Online

back to the clinic,” she suggests uncertainly. “Gran or Dr. Gabe must be back by now. They’ll know what to do to help Lucy.”
    â€œSounds good to me,” David agrees. “There’s no sense hanging around here any longer. Because the only way we could possibly reach Lucy now is in a—”
    â€œCanoe!” I shout.
    â€œThat’s it! The Jermaines have a canoe in their yard,” David adds.
    â€œWhat are we waiting for?” Maggie yells.
    â€œNow you two will be able to prove who’s a better canoer,” I say, running back up the hill toward the Jermaines’ house.
    The canoe is right where I remember. It’s a lot heavier than it looks, though.
    â€œMaybe we should dump out these life jackets,” David says.
    â€œNo!” I say a little too quickly. Maggie and David blink at me in surprise. “Um, I mean, let’s put them on. Better safe than sorry.”
    The others shrug and do as I suggest. I strap my vest on carefully. It makes me feel braver—a little bit, at least.
    We turn the canoe upside down and rest the yoke on our shoulders. We can move it only a few feet at a time, even with all three of us carrying it. Soon my shoulder muscles are aching, and my hands are numb from gripping the edge of the canoe. The half block to the water’s edge seems more like a mile.
    Finally the water starts splashing over our shoes. We lower the canoe to the ground and shove it through the shallow part of the floodwaters until it starts to float. David grabs the line tied to the front end and holds it steady as Maggie clambers aboard.
    I still can’t stop worrying about Lucy. I hope she’s not trying to escape. With her broken leg, she won’t be able to swim very far. Besides that, she needs her insulin injections to control her diabetes.
    â€œGo ahead, Sunita,” David says. “I’ll hold it while you get in.”
    I look at the canoe. It bobs in the little waves the wind is making in the water. Then I stare down at the muddy water, feeling queasy and scared. “Um, maybe one of us should stay here,” I say. “That way I can run for help if you guys get into any trouble.”
    David blinks at me in surprise. “What?” he says. “But the canoe’s plenty big enough for three people.”
    â€œYeah, but you guys are the great canoers, remember?” I add. “Now go ahead! Lucy’s waiting for you.”
    â€œOkay, okay,” David says, splashing out and vaulting into the canoe. He picks up the second paddle, and soon he and Maggie have the long, slim boat moving away from me.
    I collapse against a blue mailbox on the wet sidewalk, watching them go. They’re shouting to each other—I can hear them over the water. But the words don’t really sink in. I picture Lucy alone in her house, scared and confused.
    The rain is coming down so hard now that I lose sight of the canoe after just a few minutes. I can barely make out the outline of Mrs. Clark’s house. I peer toward it, wondering what’s happening.
    Â 
 
After what seems to be the longest fifteen minutes of my life, I finally make out the shape of the canoe returning. Crossing my fingers, I wait for it to get closer.
    â€œDid you get her?” I call when Maggie and David are finally in shouting range.
    They don’t answer. They’re paddling hard, and I can see that their expressions are grim. And I don’t see a blue-eyed Siamese anywhere.
    My heart drops like a stone.

Chapter Ten
    I don’t even realize that I’ve waded out into the flooded area until I feel the water lapping at my knees. I grab the rope David tosses to me and help pull the canoe up into the shallow water. “What happened?” I ask, my heart in my throat.
    â€œWe saw her,” Maggie says breathlessly, wiping water out of her eyes. She’s soaked! “Lucy was sitting by the attic window meowing her head off. But