Under The Waves

Atlantis

I'm fairly certain that everyone knows the story of Atlantis. It had been a constant topic in San Francisco for many years. Mainly because a few years back, scientists had discovered how to accurately predict earthquakes, and the city was right on top of the epicenter. They couldn't tell how big it was going to be, but they did suggest people evacuate when the time came. Of course, when had anyone in America ever been known to listen to things like that? A teenage girl named Abigail was one of them. Her parents wanted to leave, but she refused to go. She was 17, why did she have to listen to them?

Abby wasn't as rebellious as she tried to be. The worst she had done was sneak downstairs at night to make a sandwich. But she was not leaving. Not without her best friend. And Benny couldn't leave because his parents were the stubborn type, and weren't leaving because some silly scientists told them to. Some people had already evacuated; the earthquake was due in a week. Everyone had a week to get as far away from the city as possible.

Abby's neighbors have been gone for nearly a month. They left their dog to Abby, though. She always loved the dog. So now, Abby Thompson, 17, was hiding in a slide at the park while her large, black german shepherd stood guard at the bottom of the slide. She didn't think there was a more childish way of protesting her move. She waited on Benny, watching the city bustle about, doing its own little thing. The city was so pretty at night. It was to bad it would all get destroyed.

Benny had finally arrived, the smell of oil announcing his arrival before he could. Benny and her had been friends for ten years. "So how did your little protest go?" He laughed, peeking up the slide and petting the dog, Kase. The only response he had gotten from her was a groan.

"Terribly." She laughed. "They are going to leave, you know." She sighed at the thought. "Wether I'm with them or not." Abby knew this for a fact, and it made her question why she wasn't going most days. But she took one look at Benny, and she knew. Benny had been her friend since...well, forever.

Benny laughed softly, pushing his hair out of his face again. He insisted on never letting any sort of unnecessary product touch it. It was a light golden, and caught the city lights perfectly. So did his eyes, with their whiskey color, but let's not dabble on that. "You know, you could always stay with me." He offered, tapping the plastic of the slide to get her down.

Abigail shimmied down the slide, stopping at the bottom, only to be greeted by Kase licking at her. "Get off!" She laughed, pushing at the black fur. Benny, of course, did nothing to help. He only encouraged the dog, laughing as he did.

She was finally able to push the dog off, fixing her black hair as she did. "You it my hair all staticky." She whined playfully, blue eyes darting over to Benny, who was leaning against a pole. She huffed, turning away from him dramatically.

Abby always did this, so it was no surprise to Benny. "Oh cut it out." Benny would say in some accent he couldn't place. Abby couldn't tell where it was from either, so she just went with it.

Kase darted between the two of them, pawing at the ground occasionally. Eventually, Abby gave in, clipping the leash to her collar as she stood up. "Well, I gotta get going." She groaned, fighting against the dog as Kase tugged on the leather leash. Benny did their salute they made up as kids, walking away.

Abby sighed. Just the thought of going home made her head spin. She trudged through the wet grass, crossing the empty street. The warm air felt nice as the slight breeze tugged at her hair. Soon enough, she made it back to her house, with the black roof, the white picket fence and the perfectly cut green lawn. All most things to add to the list of things she would miss.

To think this would all be gone. All of it. All of the houses she admired. All of her friends. All of the sights to see, gone.

"John, this isn't Atlantis. We touch the Pacific Ocean." Abby heard her mother say as she crept in. Her father wasn't doing so good; he wanted to leave. John was one to have panic attacks, and he was in the middle of another one. She tiptoed upstairs, ignoring the rest of the conversation. Kase stayed outside for a while, before scratching at the door. When she was let in, she made a beeline to Abby.

What was Abby going to do with her dog? If they weren't leaving, Kase would be stuck in the chaos as well. She shook her head, thinking about how this was her fault. At least they got out of school. She tapped her fingers on her knee as she sat in bed, scrolling aimlessly through her news feed.

"That shirt is so not pretty." She mumbled, liking the picture anyway. Kase whined at the door, eventually falling asleep in her tan little bed, situated right at the foot of Abby's bed.

Eleven o'clock rolled by. Abby got up to get into her pajamas, which consisted of a onesie, with an elephant hood. She reluctantly fell asleep, phone in hand, as always. She was rudely awoken by her alarm screaming is wail of agony and despair. At least, that's what she called it, since anyone who heard it woke up depressed.

"Cereal, cereal, cereal..." She mumbled through the silent house. Everyone else was asleep. She grabbed a bowl of Mini Wheats, eating as quiet as possible while she watched the news.

"We request that all civilians evacuate the immediate area of San Francisco as soon as possible."