Secrets of the Deep [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Twenty-Five

Happiness welled up within me. Shady Cove had been my childhood home, and now it was my home to stay.

"Well," he said, unlocking the car doors, "I guess you better head off to class. Have a good day at school, honey."

I pushed open the door, but Dad stopped me with one last reminder. "And don't pull another fast one on your swim coach," he warned.

"What do you mean?"

He gave me a stern look. "The school said that you quit the swim team."

"Oh." I suddenly felt like a deer in headlights. "Yeah, about that..."

"I don't blame you one bit, Rayne," he reassured me. "But your mother reminded me that only saltwater causes a transformation. You don't have to fear growing a tail unless you're in the ocean."

Hope bubbled up within me. "Really?"

"Really," he confirmed. "You might have to straighten things out with Coach Hansen, but I'll be right by your side."

I grinned. After everything I had been through, another conversation with Coach seemed no more daunting than winning a swim race. "Thanks, Dad," I said.

He gave me another tweak on the nose as I scooted out the door. "Have a great day."

Once my feet hit the pavement, Dad pulled away, leaving me standing with an amused smile on my face. I couldn't wait to tell Sage and Marley that I was still on the swim team—and that Luke and I were back together, closer than before. My heart was content.

"Rayne!" a voice called as soon as I stepped into the school hallway.

I turned around and saw Sage barreling towards me with Marley right on her heels. "You're back!" she shrieked.

"Of course I'm back." I chuckled as Sage slammed into me, trapping me in a tight hug. Marley wrapped her long arms around both of us, and we all laughed.

"Rayne, you were gone for three days! Everyone's been wondering where you went!" Marley exclaimed as soon as we pulled apart. "You left right after punching Madeleine's guts out—which was pretty awesome, I might add."

"Well, thanks...but the strangest thing happened to me." As Marley and Sage listened with wide eyes, I told them the fictitious story about how I had found Luke lying unconscious on the beach. "Once my dad got home," I continued, "he helped treat Luke for his concussion, and then we brought him to his parents."

"No way," Sage gushed once I'd finished. "I'm so glad you found Luke! When I heard he was the person who had been kidnapped, I just couldn't stop thinking about him."

"Yeah, while the rest of the school couldn't stop thinking about you," Marley added. "Everyone was shocked when you beat up Madeleine. We thought for sure you would get suspended, or even expelled."

Sage grinned, and I knew she had something juicy she wanted to tell me. "But guess what happened?" she said. Without waiting for an answer, she blurted, "Madeleine's track record finally caught up with her, and she got expelled!"

"You're practically a legend now," Marley added. "The whole school thinks you're a black belt in karate."

"Karate?" I rolled my eyes. "Come on, all I did was throw a few punches."