Atlantis

Eight | The New Discoveries

Austen rubs his eyes and sits up, taking half the blanket with him. He rubs his eyes and winces, remembering the painful burn he had given himself the night before. 

"Hey, dummy!" Renee's head peeks in his bedroom. Austen smiles to himself, "Are you finally awake? It's like the afternoon already." 

Renee over exaggerating was a thing of the past, present, and future. If there were awards given for it, she would've won it. He stands up, cracking half the bones in his body on the way. "Jesus." Renee walks into his room and to his side, "you sound like a firecracker."

"Feel like one too." Austen kisses his girlfriend once on the head, once on the neck, and once of the mouth. Renee grabs his hand— the burned one— and turns it over to the blistered skin side. "What happened?" 

"Burnt my hand while making you food," he shrugged.

"Aww, poor you," Renee said, kissing his hand gently before letting it fall back to his side. Austen smiled at her and she smiled back, flinging her arms around his neck to kiss him yet again.

A knock on the door frame and a scream made the kiss break.

"AHHHHH! MY EYES!!" Peri's voice screamed as she ran from the room.

Renee just giggled, walking out of the room after her best friend. "Peri!! Did you make any food?! I'm starving!"

"No, I didn't! I'm starving too, though!" Peri yelled back at Renee. "How about the leftover pasta?!"

"Sure!" Renee yelled, walking into her own room to get a book.

The three had soon ate, dressed, and brushed their teeth, ready to go. They walked out of the apartment and sped out of the complex toward the bus stop. Soon, their usual bus came and they hopped into it. Austen paid, and like usual, grumbled about giving him a bad Yelp review. They sat down on the bus and looked out the window at the ocean. It was still beautiful and never failed to amaze them, no matter how long they looked at it. Austen actually wondered if the girls had gone to Atlantis, despite the fact that there was the obvious proof of a scroll and coin... not to include the sediment from the 'bottom of the ocean'. He didn't really believe it. They might of just gotten lucky and found discarded scrolls from the Athens or ancient Romans, even if they weren't anywhere near Rome.

"Annnnnnd, were here." Renee hopped out of the seat taking her bestfriend and boyfriend with her. Austen never took things for granted and was always thankful to have Renee and Peri willing to do anything for each other and himself.

"I have no idea why the hell why," starts Peri, "But i'm actually dreading going to work and observing the new evidence." She jokes, Austen gives a small laugh and Renee shoves Peri.

"Dumbass." she laughs, giving Peri another shove for good measure. "I locked myself in a metal deathtrap for 'the new evidence' " Austens laughter dies off and his face turns down into a frown. He keeps walking, going faster and not noticing. He didn't want the girls-- his family-- going back to the ocean. It was dangerous and they were taking a big risk every time they stepped into the metal contraption R.L.E.O called a submarine. The girls chatters mindlessly in the background, but Austen was more focused on his own thoughts; what would happen when the girls went down-- in about five days time-- they didn't come back? What if there existence was just another blip in the system that could be easily removed with a few well placed tweaks? What would happen if Renee and Peri died and Austen was suppose to pretend like it never happened? Those girls were his life. Especially Renee.

His Renee. The girl of his dreams. The girl that was the one for him. And Peri, the perfect best friend. The one that was always there for him.

A few gasps and pants breaks Austen's concentration, "Wait. Up!" Renee and Peri almost run behind him, trying to keep up. As soon as they get to him, panting like they had just ran the marathon.