Daughter of the Tide

The Great Plunge

"In the ocean, 

I slip from my skin

into the soul of the sea."

—Angie Weiland-Crosby

~~~

My heart was racing as we drove through the storm, going slow now from the rising water instead of the rain. Ryan and I were headed back to the aquarium so I could warn Mira.

"Ryan," I forced out as we drove.

"Rina?" I glanced over at him, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill.

"I'm scared."

Ryan reached over and grabbed one of my hands in assurance. "Trust me, Rina, you're tough enough to get through all of this."

"What do you think Hans is going to do to Taron?" I asked, "why was he even near the shore?"

"I don't know," Ryan replied. We came upon the aquarium and I rushed out of the car, running through the halls and stopping in the arena, where Connor was standing and talking to Hans. Ryan yanked me back behind the rocks and I pressed my back flat against them.

"Oh my God," I breathed.

"Was that Connor?" Ryan whispered.

"There's no way he's working with Hans," I shook my head, "no way."

"I'm glad I ran into you here," Hans spoke, causing relief to rush through me. "I caught something in the waters and need some help getting it to where I'm taking it."

"Oh yeah?" Connor asked nervously.

"And since the arena is closed until the weather clears, I was thinking of keeping it in here. If you could come help me load it from the truck when we get to the destination, I'll pay you for it," Hans offered.

"What did you catch?" Connor questioned.

"That information is confidential, I'm afraid."

"Can I at least ask where we're taking it?" I looked around the rocks just in time to see Connor glance in our direction.

"The old lighthouse on the edge of the island, near the airport," Hans answered.

"Alright, just give me a second to grab my things from the locker room and I'll come to help," he stated.

"I knew I could count on you!" Hans beamed, "just meet me outside, we don't have any time to waste." I waited as I heard Hans' retreating footsteps. Connor appeared around the corner, causing me to jump.

"He caught one, didn't he?" Connor asked in a whisper.

"My friend Taron," I spoke, "Connor, we have to stop him before he hurts him."

"And we're on a time limit," Ryan added, "the island is flooding quickly. After the island comes the rest of the world." Connor looked at me and I blinked back tears. Now wasn't the time to freak out.

"Shouldn't we call the cops?" Connor asked me.

"No," I told him, "we have to do this on our own." He stared at me for a minute before he sighed.

"Alright. I'll go with Hans and keep from doing anything brash until you two can meet us at the lighthouse."

"I need to go tell Mira what's going on," I stated.

"I'll go get the car ready," Ryan told me. I nodded and turned from them, heading over to the tank and kneeling down. Thanks to the dim lighting and the depth of the water, I couldn't see anything down there. That meant Hans hadn't either. I placed my hand in the water, letting that thrum travel through and warn her of my arrival. It didn't take her long to surface.