Secrets of the Deep [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Twenty-One

Luke stumbled up the trail, and it wasn't until I came closer to steady him that I realized his feet were bleeding.

He heard me gasp, and immediately turned around with a sour expression on his face. "Don't worry," he said, following my gaze. "It's only a few blisters."

But upon closer inspection, I realized his feet were cracked in multiple places—and on top of that, they were horribly sunburned.

"You need to rest," I said, motioning for him to sit down.

"But it's getting dark," he argued, "and you said we still have a ways to go."

"Never mind what I said, we can rest for a few minutes."

Too tired to argue, Luke collapsed onto the dirt and stretched his legs out in front of him. I placed my hands on my hips and gazed down at the churning ocean. It was barely visible now, save for a few hot flashes of white where the waves broke on the shore. When I turned back to face Luke, I saw that he was staring at me wide-eyed.

"Um...you do know you're glowing, right?" he asked after an awkward silence.

I self-consciously reached up and touched my hair. "Oh. Yeah. About that—"

"It's a mermaid thing?"

I laughed. "Yes."

"Well, after everything I've been through lately, I have no trouble believing that." He smiled, closed his eyes, and leaned his head against one of the rocks behind him. "Oh, Rayne," he murmured, "I'm so sorry."

"What?" I kneeled down next to him. "Luke, if anyone should be sorry, it's me. If it wasn't for my dumb mistake of missing our date, you would have never—"

Luke shushed me by placing a hand on my arm. "No," he said simply, his gaze flickering up to mine. "No, it's not your fault at all. Two days stranded in the middle of the ocean gave me a lot of time to think. I realized I had gotten worked up over a simple misunderstanding, like you said. I was so blinded by my crushed hopes that I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry for hurting you, Rayne. I care for you—I really do."

I glanced away, hoping the darkness would hide my flushed cheeks.

"Anyway," he said after a few moments, "we can get going."

I gave him a hand up, and we continued our hike. Luke never stumbled again, though it may have been to the fact that we were clinging to each other in case we tripped over an unseen ditch or boulder.

Finally, just when the last traces of sunlight had fled the sky, my house came into view. It was a huge, looming object barely distinguishable from the surrounding gloom.

"Wow," Luke breathed, "is that your house?"

"It looks more like a castle from here," I laughed, "but yeah, that's my house."

I helped him across the rough, weed-choked ground to the front door. We made it, slightly out of breath but smiling from our adventures. The worst was over—or so I thought.

With a relieved sigh, I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Rayne!" Dad nearly attacked me as Luke and I stepped into the hall. "Oh, honey, I was so worried! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you! Why haven't you answered your phone?"