When the Ocean Calls

Chapter Three | Caribbean Secret

Something wasn't right.

I felt suspended in a frigid, lilting bubble as if liquid enveloped me. Ice seemed to invade my blood, circling the frost throughout my body. Salt overpowered my nostrils with each shaky breath I inhaled. My eyes flew open to darkness.

Where am I?

I tried to sit up, through a viscous substance that resisted my arms and legs. Pressure strangled me on all sides, so forceful that I feared I might snap in two. Panic swelled in my chest.

What is happening to me?

Memories flooded my brain as I tried to figure out my location—and how I got there. I remembered hanging out with Lani, swimming in the ocean...until the waves picked up, the ocean turned against me. It was such an abrupt change. Yet when it occurred, I was too far from shore to get out of danger.

A realization settled upon me, so weighted that it alone could drown me.

I'm in the ocean.

I'm alone in the depths of the dark ocean.

And yet...I'm still breathing?

That wasn't right.

The thoughts in my brain blurred into a rapid, endless whirlpool. Was I dead? Captured? Rescued?

The classic pinch test should tell me if this is real. Maybe. My arm slowly floated through the water, and I finally felt the bite of my fingers telling me that my nerves were still in perfect working order. I forced myself to breathe deeply, especially now that I knew I could.

It's okay. Just don't panic. At least you're probably still alive.

For now.

I sighed. Now was not the time to be pessimistic. I needed to determine what to do.

The only word that came to mind was "brine." Lani always soaked our Thanksgiving turkeys in that, and they tasted delicious. I squirmed as sharks and other predators invaded my thoughts.

Don't think about that. Think of solutions.

But there was no way to develop a plan when I couldn't see my surroundings and I didn't know where I was. The ocean is an immense place. I could be near the beach, and a short swim would get me to Lani. Or ocean currents could have swept me halfway across the world. I was left, quite literally, in the dark.

"Are you awake?" a cheerful voice rang out.

Terror ripped through me. I whirled around to face the voice's direction. A faint pink light glowed in a piled-stone entrance. It intensified, just like my racing pulse, enabling me to make out the smooth, grey walls of a cave. I wanted to cry out, to run. But who would hear me in the depths of the sea? And where could I possibly hide? A whimper escaped my throat.

Is this really the end?

Every muscle in my body tensed. The source of the light stopped in the doorway. I squinted into the blinding brightness.

It was...a girl. A teenage girl. I stared at her dainty face, dumbfounded. She brushed her body-length honey-blonde braid over her shoulder, her small lips upturning.

What's going on? Who is she?

"Are you feeling better now?" Her voice oozed with warmth.

I glanced at the pink, scale-covered orb that glowed where her legs should have been. At the bottom, two silky fins flowed in the water.