The Ocean's Call: Part One | ✔

Part Twelve

I drop my shoulders when I don't find a pair of eyes watching me, but the feeling doesn't dissipate as I head for the water.

"What are you doing?"

I turn to the sound of the voice coming from behind me. My vivid imagination has brought the guy from my dreams into my line of vision. He's standing at the top of the steps on the upper deck.

He doesn't move or say anything, just stares at me. I wait for him to move, to do anything but nothing happens. Instead, he disappears when nana walks through him as she goes upstairs.

I blink repeatedly. Someone touches my shoulder and I jump, pulling myself away from whoever it is. Emily raises her hands up innocently. "Sorry...are you okay?" she looks to where I was just staring.

I follow her gaze to see if the guy from my dreams is actually there and she can see him but he's not. It was just a figment of my imagination. "I'm good."

She gives me a look. "Did you see something?"

I sigh, grabbing her hand and pull her to the edge of the boat with me. "I thought I did but I think I've probably had too much sun." I mutter.

I drop her hand before I dive into the water. The second I hit the water, plunging into the depths a deeply uncomfortable feeling washes over me. I ignore the feeling that tingles up my legs as I dive to the bottom of the ocean floor.

I push off the floor and return to the surface. "You need to start taking this stuff seriously, Isla. What did you see?" Emily swims up beside me.

She's right. "I saw him."

Her eyes widen, her gaze snapping to the treeline. "Like he's actually here? On the island?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so, he was kind of floating above the ground."

"You were imaging him then?"

I shrug. "I guess so." I turn away from her, diving under the water. I make the mistake of opening my eyes, but the salt water doesn't burn my eyes like it should. I look around, the water crisp and clear to my eyes.

I can see Emily wading water perfectly. Nothing about my vision is hazy, it should be though. I shouldn't be able to see so clearly under the water, especially not salt water. I look down at the ocean floor and shake my head, I think I'm going to lose my mind.

We ignore each other for a while, well I ignore her. I put my goggles on despite not actually needing them, the goggles hinder my vision under the water. I dive for shells near Emily, keeping an eye on her as I try to rid myself of the awful feeling that has still not subsided since I entered the water.

Something about seeing the guy from my dreams isn't sitting well with me either. I don't know what either of them mean. Did I see him for a reason? I mean I haven't actually seen him in a couple of days, maybe him being here is a sign. I have no clue what the sign could be though. He's supposed to be a figment of my imagination, some guy I conjured up in my dreams.

"I have a crazy theory." Emily says when I resurface with a fully bag of shells.

I swim over to the boat to dump the bag's contents in the bucket sitting there. "What kind of theory?"

She appears beside me, emptying the contents of her own bag into the bucket. "It's about you."

I give her a look, pushing the goggles onto the top of my head. She mimics the move. "Go on then."

"Just hear me out, okay? What if you're a mermaid?"

I stare at her, blink a few times. did she just say what I think she just said? I don't know whether to laugh or yell at her. "What?"