Ace's father, Calvin Eastman, always sponsored the before-trip parties for the A&A Club. The Eastman house was large enough for everyone to have their own room. Around eleven o'clock, everyone went to various parts of the house to indulge in their favorite activities.
In the recreation room, Ace was watching cartoons with William and Mike as they shared a pizza and discussed plans for the upcoming trip. The trio had been friends for a long time. The other members of the group often referred to them as the "three musketeers." All three were very muscular and tall, almost as tall as Jandor, but aside from that they were fairly different.
Ace was, of course, heir to the Eastman fortune. His family was always very generous, but still had more money than they really knew what to do with. Most of it came from wise investments. Ace never made a big deal out of it and always actively participated in the club fundraisers, even though his father did occasionally donate to the group. He had short neat black hair, hazel, sometimes green, eyes, and a slightly pale complexion. He was a quick thinker and full of surprises.
Mike loved to travel, and he dreamed of someday working for the CIA, the FBI, or as he put it, "some department with cool initials." He was slightly shorter than Ace and William, but built just as strong. He had deep brown eyes and short thick black hair that always seemed to stay in one place, no matter what he did.
Although all three loved adventure, William loved it the most by far. He was hyperactive and wild, which seemed to be reflected in his brown hair. It stuck out all over the place, despite his best efforts. He was going to the same local college that Ace, Mike, and several others would be attending, but still hadn't figured out exactly what he wanted to do. Most of the A&A club members agreed that William had the same light of adventure in his brown eyes that Jandor always had.
"I know what you could do on the Isle of Adventure," Ace said to William between bites of pizza.
"What's that?"
"You'd make a great rustic, outdoor hero type."
"Like a superhero?"
Ace shook his head. "You wouldn't need super powers. You're already heroic and pretty strong. You just need the right hero outfit."
Mike grabbed another slice of pizza. "Well, I know what adventure I wanna have: Mike Bond, secret agent."
Henry Simmons, a short, 16-year-old boy, popped his head in the room. "Has anyone seen Allen?"
"No," the trio said in unison.
"He'll be in the last place you look," Ace offered.
Henry smiled. "Thanks."
***
In the basement, Jandor refereed yet another argument between Amanda and Daniel.
"When we get to the Isle of Adventure, I'll prove my sword's better." Daniel wielded his family's rapier. In the dim light of the basement, the thin blade seemed to have a purple tint.
"I don't need an expert to prove to you that the unicorn sword rules." Amanda swung the broad sword at the door in front of her, just as Henry entered. His hazel eyes widened with fright as the sword passed over his head and hit the wall. For once, he was glad he was shorter than everyone else.
Amanda lowered the sword. "Sorry, Henry! I didn't know you were coming. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. but what're you doing?" Henry asked as he checked to see if he had lost any hair.
"Daniel and Amanda are just putting their swords to the test," Jandor explained. "Don't worry; I don't think they'll kill each other. yet."
"Want to stay and watch?" Daniel's rapier gleamed in the dim basement light.
Henry ran his fingers through his short black hair one more
time. "No thanks, I really need to find Allen."
***
Most of the A&A girls had congregated in the Eastman living room. Becky sat with Tabatha Wright and Ashley Summerson. The topic revolved around their male club members.
Tabatha and Ashley were fairly good friends, but total opposites. Tabatha had fiery red hair and a temper to match. She, like Becky, was known for her sharp tongue. Ashley was exactly the opposite. She was as friendly as they came. She had a cheerful personality and a persistent smile. Even though people would occasionally tease her about being a "bubbly blonde," she didn't care.
"No, Sam's definitely the weirdest," Becky laughed. "I mean, with a last name like Cosmos, what do you expect?"
Ashley was lying on the floor next to a large bowl of popcorn. "Sam isn't weird, he's just silent. I like him."
"Ashley, you like everyone." Tabatha tossed a piece of popcorn at her. "You'd like a bulldog even if it bit you."
"Well, it could be worse," Becky said. "She could be sarcastic and argue with everyone like you do."
"Hey!" Tabatha rolled on her back.
"Oh, that's just Tabatha's way of being affectionate," Ashley said with a grin.
"Oh, then in that case, she's really affectionate with Ace," Becky said with a mischievous smile.
"Cut it out, Becky," Tabatha growled. "We're just friends. I've known him forever."
Henry knocked politely on the open door. "Hey, has anyone seen Allen?"
"Nope, try downstairs," Tabatha answered. Henry nodded and left the room. Tabatha returned to the conversation at hand. "And what're you talking about, Gabbie? We all know you're sweet on Jandor!"
Tabatha knew this would hit a nerve. Most members of the group suspected that Becky had a crush on their leader. Jandor seemed to be the only one oblivious to this. By all accounts, Becky was very pretty. She was thin and fit, with brown hair that came down to her chin and soft hazel eyes. Despite her bossiness, she could still turn on the charm when she wanted. However, Jandor usually had one thing on his mind, and it wasn't women.
"You'll pay for that one!" Becky jumped up and prepared to pounce.
Tabatha scampered out the room, a huge grin on her face. "You've gotta catch me first, Gabbie!"
Becky tore after her.
After being left by her two friends, Ashley joined Stephanie Jameson, Alyson Silvers, and Terri Henderson in their conversation.
Stephanie was showing the other girls her flute. "I thought maybe I could use it some way on the island," she told them before putting the instrument to her lips and playing a light melody.
Stephanie loved two things: nature and music. She always seemed to have a tan from being outdoors constantly. She loved animals, but her family never had any pets, so she spent her spare time traipsing around the woods behind her neighborhood looking for wild animals. At school, she was in band and played several instruments.
At first glance, Stephanie looked like the last girl in the world who would be interested in rock climbing, mountain biking, or white water rafting. She could have been a teen model with her long auburn hair, bright green eyes, and hourglass physique. She always wore the latest fashions and was extremely popular. Who would believe this clean-cut, 17-year-old girl spent her weekends walking through the woods in mud-caked boots and torn jeans?
"Wow, that was so beautiful," Terri said in awe after Stephanie finished playing. "Why are you so perfect? It's really unfair."
"I'm not perfect." Stephanie laughed. "Why do you guys always say that?"
"Because you are!" Ashley, Alyson, and Terri said in unison.
Stephanie shook her head with a light chuckle.
"So what do you want to do on the Isle of Adventure, Ashley?" Alyson asked.
"I don't know." Ashley shrugged. "What are you doing?"
"I'm not sure, something spontaneous." Alyson tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth. She was almost pure tomboy. She had blonde hair cut almost as short as a boy's, and she was in great physical condition. Both Jandor and Derrick often used her as a sparring partner. She didn't mind being treated as "one of the guys," in fact she enjoyed it, but she still hung out with the girls as much as possible.
Ashley sighed as she stretched out on the floor again. She was thin and lanky and loved to sprawl out with her long hair behind her. "You have it easy; you can handle anything. You're just like Jandor; you're tough."
"You don't have to be tough," Terri assured her. "You just have to have courage."
Ashley shook her head. "I'm not sure that I do."
Mrs. Guardman was now standing in the threshold. "Ashley, dear, there's a phone call for you."
Ashley got up and followed her out of the room.
***
"I think I see it," Ben shouted as he stuck his head deeper into the compartment under the Eastman gym floor. "Sam, hold the light farther over to the left."
Sam stood over the compartment in the dark gym, silently holding a flashlight. Bernie Steward and Derrick Banks were waiting to play a game of basketball, one-on-one, on the Eastman's private basketball court. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no power, but Ben Wilson was taking care of that.
Ben loved computers and mechanics. He often toyed with the idea of being an inventor. He was one of the seniors leaving for college, and the only one going to a technical school halfway across the country at the end of the summer. He had short dirty blond hair, and was tall and slender with blue eyes. Although he was very intelligent, he never acted like a "know-it-all" and his friends respected him for this. Of course, he was also in the Action and Adventure club, which meant there was a tough, macho side to him as well.
Ben's favorite member of the group was Samuel Cosmos. Although Sam didn't speak much, he was very wise and crafty for a 17-year-old. Sam was the kind of person who would never stand out in a crowd. He was neither tall nor short, and neither skinny nor bulky. He had short neat brown hair and brown eyes that were usually expressionless. He had a dry sense of humor; at least the others assumed it was humor. Mostly Sam just told the truth and kept his statements abbreviated. No one knew why he joined the club, but from what they could tell, he enjoyed the trips. Ben hung around him often because he thought if he did, he might learn something.
Finally Ben pulled his head out of the compartment and signaled to Melvin, who was standing at the light switch. "Let there be light!"
Melvin flipped the switch, restoring power to the room.
"Ace said that no one could fix the circuit in here. That was a piece of cake," Ben boasted. He turned, expecting to be looking at Sam, but Sam was already on the far side of the gym, sitting quietly on the bleachers.
Ben jogged over to where his friend sat. "How'd you do that?"
"Do what?" Sam asked blankly.
"Move so quickly?"
"One step at a time," Sam answered without sarcasm.
"No, I mean. oh never mind." Ben turned his attention to the basketball game.
Bernie was Greengale High School's star athlete. He was almost as tall as Jandor, and had curly brown hair and deep blue eyes. He was lean but muscular. He was going to get a full scholarship to college for baseball. Bernie loved all sports and enjoyed a worthy opponent, like Derrick. Every time the two came together it was one challenge after another. They were good friends, but loved competition. Though Bernie was more skilled, Derrick would not give up. He was strong and fast, and used that to his advantage.
The basketball battle was heating up when Henry arrived on the scene.
He walked up to Melvin. "Who's winning?"
Bernie flew by on the court. "I'm beating this chump seven to three."
"He won't be winning for long," Derrick assured them as he ran after Bernie.
"I was looking for Allen, but he doesn't seem to be here either. He owes me a rematch on the video game we were playing." Henry sat down. "Oh well, I guess I'll never get my rematch. I've looked everywhere in the house and I still can't find him."
"Well then, maybe he's not in the house," Sam interjected.
Henry beamed. "Sam you may not say much, but when you do, it's brilliant."
Sam gave a rare but unnoticed smile as Henry rushed out the gym.
***
Allen was outdoors talking with Amber as they walked the path around the house.
"Amber, I just don't understand you. Ever since you moved here last summer, you've been very aloof, even to me, and I've known you forever and a day. Jandor and the others are your friends. You can tell them what's bothering you. They'll understand."
"You should know by now that it's hard for me to trust anyone," Amber said with a frown.
"But you trust me. don't you?"
Amber said nothing.
Allen took her silence to be an answer. "I see."
"Of course I trust you," she said finally. "You were my only friend when I lived in the city. Your mother helped my family move here to get away from all those gangs."
"Right, and now you're in Greengale but you're still paranoid, even though there's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah well."
"You've got to let your guard down a little," Allen insisted.
"I let down my guard once," Amber snapped. "And my brother died because of it. I'm never going to make that mistake again." She stormed off, leaving Allen alone.
"You've got to stop blaming yourself for Ryan's death," Allen said softly.
Henry rounded the corner of the house almost crashing into his friend. "Hey Allen, I'm glad I finally found you. I want my rematch now."
Allen followed him inside. "You're a glutton for punishment."
***
Later that evening, the lights finally started to go out as people began to tire and go to bed. The girls slept in the bedrooms upstairs with Mrs. Guardman, and the boys were in the rooms downstairs. While the A&A Club took over the mansion, Ace's parents escaped to the guesthouse, where they would remain until the crowd left the next morning and life returned to normal.
***
Veda Guardman awoke suddenly in the middle of the night after a disturbing dream. In the dream, all of the children of the A&A Club were with her in front of a large mountain. A tall man with deep brown skin and silver hair, in a purple robe, stood with them, holding a small white dove. In front of them was a sinister-looking man in a blue robe. Grotesque creatures surrounded him. Throughout the dream, she heard a voice say, "Do not be afraid, Veda. This is their destiny." What did the dream mean?
Mrs. Guardman turned over and tried to go back to sleep.
***
Dawn found the Eastman household busy again. The kitchen staff was hurriedly preparing and serving breakfast while the group made last-minute preparations and phone calls to family. Derrick, William, and Bernie were loading the A&A Club bus. Jandor, Becky, and Allen made sure everything was ready for the trip. Then everyone poured into the bus. Veda Guardman was at the wheel, and that meant the trip was going to be fast and furious.
Just as it was when they held their meetings, everyone had pre-designated seats on the bus. Allen sat by a window and tried to get some sleep. He had spent half the night playing a video game with Henry, and the other half making last minute preparations for the trip.
Henry, who was sitting behind Allen, shook him from his daze. "Here we go."
Mrs. Guardman shifted gears and the bus tore out of the driveway. The group was on their way.
***
It was only a few hours before the members of the A&A Club were resting in the comfort of the Eastman private jumbo jet cruising over the ocean. There was plenty to do, but after the previous night's party, everyone relaxed in their seats and held private conversations.
Amanda sat next to Melvin. "I know what kind of adventure I want to have."
Melvin looked up from the magazine he was reading. "What?"
"One where I find my family." Amanda stared out the window. She could see herself reflected partially in the glass. She had her mom's reddish-brown hair and her father's reflective eyes that never seemed to stay the same color. Sitting there, seeing the different parts of her parents in her face, she realized once again how deeply she missed her family. Her mother and father went on a trip to Europe four years ago. Their last known stop was a tour of Stonehenge, but after that, no one knows what happened. They just vanished. Then one year ago, her brother was taking a road trip, and he also disappeared; no one knows exactly where. Now she lived with her aunt and uncle.
She sighed. "I want to know what happened to them."
In front of them, Ashley talked quietly with her best friend, Allen. Although Allen had close friendships with several members of the group, nothing was like the bond he shared with Ashley. The two had known each other for as long as they could remember. They had always been friends, and shared everything together. Allen was extremely protective of Ashley, and often regarded her as a sister.
"I just can't believe that Aunt Sharon died. It was so sudden. Dad called me last night and told me. Sharon was only 5 years older than him."
Allen nodded in understanding. If it was one thing that many of the group members had in common, it was family tragedy. "How are you taking things, Ash?" He always called her by this shortened version of her name.
"I guess I'm okay; it's just so weird. She was always so healthy and vibrant. Then suddenly one night. she's gone. I just wish I knew why."
"I understand." Allen silently recalled his father's sudden death several years back, and how it came as a shock to everyone when one day he just didn't wake up. He still had dreams where he would talk to his father as if he were still alive and watching over him.
"You know, it's funny." Ashley started again.
"What?"
"In a way, I think she knew this was going to happen."
"Why?" he asked.
"When I saw her last week, she said, 'I heard you're going to be going on a trip soon. It'll be the adventure of a lifetime, I'm sure. We won't see each other for a long time, so just know that I love you and I believe in you.' Then she gave me this." She tugged at the necklace she was wearing and pulled a small, round golden medallion from under her shirt. It had intricate carvings all over the front and back. "I've always been close to Sharon. We look almost identical; it's weird." Ashley tried to hold back the tears. "I was going to bail on the trip when I found out, but Dad absolutely forbid it. He said that Sharon would want me to go."
Allen wrapped an arm around her, but said nothing. He simply let her cry on his shoulder.
Becky sat in the window seat next to Jandor. As she gazed out the window, she noticed a small dove fly to the side of the plane and land on the wing.
She punched Jandor's arm. "Look at this!"
Jandor turned to the window, but the dove had disappeared. "What're you talking about, Gabbie?" Suddenly the plane jerked.
Jandor leaned over Becky to get a better view out the window. "Whoa, we must be hitting some turbulence."
Amber jumped nervously. "Allen, did you hear that?" She leaned over the back of her seat to talk to him.
"It must've been turbulence," Jandor repeated.
Allen shook his head. "Not that, Jandor; the pinging sound. There it is again. Did you hear it?" Allen asked Amber.
She nodded, eyes wide.
"Hear what?" Jandor looked from Allen to Amber in confusion.
Allen strained to hear the noise. "It sounds like one of the engines."
The noise of the engines seemed to lessen a little. Jandor looked out of his window again and saw that one of the engine's turbines had stopped moving. Soon, it started emitting dark smoke. "One of the engines just. died." The huge corporate jet had four engines; three were left.
Allen lifted the black cap just high enough to reveal the fright in his eyes. "Jandor, I think we have a serious problem."
All the passengers became frantic. Mrs. Guardman attempted to calm everyone down. "There's no need to panic. We're all going to be fine."
Tabatha wasn't convinced. "What about the engine?"
Jandor stood. "The pilots will take care of everything. We just need to sit tight and wait."
There was a loud sputtering noise. The plane jolted. Another engine had failed. The plane was sinking lower and lower.
Tabatha let out a scream.
Ace was next to her. "Don't worry, Tabatha. Nothing's going to happen to us."
She grabbed his arm. "What makes you so sure?"
"Because it's not my time to die, and you're with me, so it must not be your time either," Ace reasoned.
Tabatha managed a weak grin.
"I think we're all going to die!" Amanda moaned.
Mike tried to be optimistic. "We still have two engines left."
The plane seemed to be losing altitude quickly now. There was a very audible pinging sound this time, and then the third engine was gone.
Mike sank down in his seat. "We're going to die."
***
It was no calmer in the cockpit. David, the pilot, was frantically pushing buttons and turning dials. "I don't understand. what the hell's pulling us down?"
Peter, the co-pilot, hit the radio receiver. "No use. There's some kind of interference. I can't make contact anywhere."
David was watching a meter on the panel in front of him. "At this rate, we've got less than a minute before the last engine fails."
"We've got to find a place to land, but we're hundreds of miles from anywhere." Peter looked up as he said this and saw a miraculous sight in the waters before them. "Look, there's an island."
"But will we make it?" David asked pessimistically.
"There's only one way to find out. Let's just try to keep her up a little bit longer."
***
Back in the passenger section, everyone was still on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what would happen next. All except Ace, who was now calmly reading a book as if nothing extraordinary was happening.
Tabatha, who was holding on to Ace for dear life, finally noticed that he was showing no signs of concern for their fate. "How can you stay so calm?"
"I see no good reason to panic," was his reply.
Tabatha was so angry she almost forgot her fears. "We're in the middle of the ocean about to crash to our doom, and you see no good reason to panic?"
"There's never a good time to panic," Ace philosophized. At that moment, the last engine let out a loud screeching sound as if it was being extremely overworked. Ace peered out of his window as the engine sputtered, then died. "But this is the best bad time I've ever seen."
For a split second, the plane seemed to hang in the air. Then it hurtled downward with incredible speed.