The Heartwarmer

Chapter 2

June couldn't even hear the tiny splash that the necklace made as it plopped into the ocean. The waves were big and the sky was gray. The world was tumultuous.

June couldn't think. Even when she tried, all that went through her head was what have I done what have I done what have I done I gotta get it back gotta get it back oh god what have I done?

She immediately kicked off her sandals, ran to where the sea reached the shore, and dived. The cold rudely shocked her body, her lungs constricted to the point where she couldn't breathe. But she splashed her arms around and managed to move forward. She tried to open her eyes underwater, but the salt burned her eyes. Plus, it was too dark to see such a small thing as the pendant. But that didn't even enter June's head. All that she cared about was finding the goddamn thing. She didn't care how, she didn't know when. She wanted it back. She needed it back. June was around fifty meters from the shore, but she was already showing signs of fatigue. She sputtered to a stop.

Panic made her arms stop flailing and her legs stop kicking. She wiped her eyes and looked around. She was swimming. In the ocean. In the ocean. She stopped functioning. All she could see was gray. The sea was gray and the sky was gray and the foam was gray and

Suddenly gray surrounded her. A giant wave thundered down on June like a wall of translucent steel. She went under. She couldn't see much under the surface, and couldn't breathe either. Panic held on to her and didn't let go, which didn't help matters at all. She waved her arms and legs around until her head broke the surface of the water. She was allowed a few quick breaths before another wave enveloped her again. This time her body had to struggle more to come up for air. June did a 180,and turned her body towards the shore, so that it would be easier to travel with the tide. But just then, a 10 foot wall of water came crashing down on her. June was caught completely unaware, and her body spun round and round underwater. The wave had pushed her deep into the water, and June was running out of air. Her lungs were burning, but she kept trying to swim upwards. Her arms gave up shortly after, but her legs kept kicking. She tried, tried as hard as she could, but it felt like June was rooted to the spot.

Her eyes slowly closed and June didn't know what was happening anymore.

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Luke loved the rain.

It was a sign from the universe that said: I know the earth is hurting. Let me cleanse it for you. Especially in this part of the world, the rain was the purest he'd seen anywhere.

So he sat in his spot on his island, same as everyday. Only, today was special. It was raining.

The cliff where he sat had the perfect vista of the ocean. He could also see most of the other islands dotting it like eyes on a potato. Luke's eyes then fell to the sea. He loved seeing it like this. Usually it was so calm and lazy and boring; but today it was roiling and twisting and turning on itself, like an action movie produced and directed by nature.

Something caught his eye on the sea near his island. There was a clump of red seaweed, floating slowly among the waves. Luke took out his telescope; it was a little rare to find red seaweed in this part of town. But the clearer the image became, he could see the white t-shirt and black shorts the seaweed was wearing. That confused him. Why would seaweed wear shorts?

It suddenly occurred to Luke that the seaweed may not be seaweed at all. Oh crap! He thought. That's a person!

He rushed down to the beach and dived into the water, keeping his eyes on the mop of hair the whole time. He struggled to swim in this weather, but he was happy to engage himself in physical work. And to save the other persons life, of course.