Chasing Atlantis (5 page)

It was completely dark now. It struck as me as odd almost. I was the only one on the beach now, with the exception of the starry-eyed couples walking hand in hand along the water. After what I’d just encountered the couples seemed oddly out of place.

When I was sure
I was completely alone I sat down on the creamy white sand, running my fingers through the grains. I knew I’d have to go home and apologize for how I acted to Gaby, eventually. I also knew Mom would be angry that I left without clearing it with her, again. I groaned, pushing all the worries out of my head. I just wanted to sit here, enjoy the view, and not worry about anything right now like any normal teenager.

The moon was just a sliver in the sky, the gentle light glittering off the majestic waters, twinkling one color for one second, then another the next. The gentle breeze cooled me down, slightly ruffling my wreck of a bun. I took my shoes off, dipping my sweltering feet into the cool ocean.

A soft lulling sound make me look up in surprise, I thought I was alone. I lifted my gaze to meet a pair of blue-green eyes, startlingly vivid even in the pale moonlight. My intake of breath was only audible to me. About twenty feet away stood the most amazing woman I have ever seen. She had the same vivid blue-green eyes as the lifeguard, though somehow not as serene to me, her eyes had a hard glint to them. Her tan skin actually seemed to shine in the dark night. Her dark hair blew about her wildly, even though there was no breeze. Only her upper torso was showing, covered by her long brown hair, the rest of her was swallowed in the water.

Her lips moved in some unknown song, lulling my dull human senses. The song was extraordinary; her voice was sweeter than honey, twisting from a high octave gently dropping to a lower one in some unknown chant too brilliant for me to follow. Her voice caressed me, warmed me, forcing me to believe that it was okay to follow her, despite the fact that every human instinct wanted me to bolt. More than anything in the world I just wanted to hear this song, more than my own life.

Once her eyes locked onto mine she smiled, a treacherous smile, the cat toying with the mouse before it devoured the prey. She stepped down so that her angelic face lurked only slightly above the water. She raised one slender finger and motioned for me to follow. I could feel the cold sting of the water wash around me, getting higher as the tide came in—until I realized with horror that I was moving towards her! I couldn’t look away from her. Her voice had a hypnotic quality over me. I was her prisoner; as if my body wasn’t my own. I sloshed towards her in a dazed fashion.

I couldn’t control myself, the scream I had built up died in my throat, my legs continued to move towards her. I knew the fear shone brightly in my eyes, she seemed to enjoy that most of all. She opened her mouth in a wider smile, a harsh pitch like sea shells scraping against each other erupted from her mouth, I realized with awe it was a giggle.

She glided silently towards me until now we were only about ten feet away; she reached one sleek hand towards me, like a mother gesturing for her child to take her hand. “NO! NO!” I screamed at myself. “STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! SHE IS EVIL!” I tried desperately to think of some brilliant plan like in movies, where the heroine escapes right before she is killed. My mind was blank, except for the blood curdling screams of terror.

My eyes saw what my mind tried to stop; my right hand was rising up to meet hers, now only three feet away. Her eyes gleamed with the ferocity of a wild animal. I tried with all my will power to turn and run far, far away.

I couldn’t. I was rooted to the spot with no hope of escape.

Her full lips pulled back into a snarl, her pearl white teeth loomed closer to me with every passing second. Sloshing, slipping, and falling my body continued towards her without hesitation.

That’s when I knew I was going to die.

5.

Savior

In movies the hero always sees the
highlights of their lives flashed before them in fleeting glimpses, showing them why they are fighting. Instead of seeing my whole life flash before my eyes, I only saw her eyes slowly looming towards me. Her pupils bored into mine forcing me to keep focus as she approached me with the killer instincts of a snake. Her body shook with the hypnotizing song, stringing me further and further into her reach, her perfect oval face in harmony with the calm ocean.

My breath came in ragged gasps and wheezes as I attempted to furtively break her hold on me.

Our hands were just millimeters away. My heart was thumping so loud I was sure the whole world could hear it. Please. Please I don’t want to die. Not here, not this way.

Then I heard
him
.

I’m not quite sure how I knew it was him, it was like a part of me had always recognized him and wouldn’t have been able to go on if he wasn’t there.

A low hissing sound that quickly turned into a screech wailed behind me. Her pupils narrowed into slits, her voice changed into wailing screeches to match his.

As if his voice was all I needed to break the spell, she no longer had any hold over me. I tilted sideways like I lost my balance, just as she lunged forward to latch herself onto me. I felt a slippery arm snare me in its grasp and pull me away, just as she landed at the spot I had been not two seconds ago.

The once beautiful face was contorted in rage and disgust at losing her prey. She snapped her fangs at his hand, while he pulled me up to the shallows. I put my arm on top of my savior’s, afraid that he would be more than just a little angry that I had come back, and nearly died. But that was beside the point.

He let out a low hiss that made my blood run cold; it was more terrifying than the crazed woman could have ever been. She flinched away, then turned and, to my horror, sank into the depths of the ocean. Muttering what sounded like curses all the way.

Why am I so afraid of her? What is she capable of? These were the questions that haunted my mind.

I felt strong arms, steady as the strongest coral lift me up, carrying me easily to the shore. I couldn’t stop the trembling in my limbs. It was embarrassing that I was so terrified of something just because I didn’t understand it, just like any other human. I feared the unknown. But I couldn’t stop.

He set my trembling body on the cool sand. Physically I was fine, not even a scratch, which for a scatterbrain like me that was something to marvel at. My mental state was a completely different story. I knew the image of the devil’s cruel face twisted in rage would haunt me forever. It was all I could picture, all I would ever see when I imagined my worst fears.

My savior crouched down beside me, waiting for me to make some normal response to my near death experience. I could barely blink much less form a sensible response to his patience. I was terrified and more than a little embarrassed at my cowardice, at nearly being killed by a… a…. well whatever the hell that thing was. The thought brought her face back in all its terrifying glory so that I had to start the calming ritual all over again.

It took me a few minutes of intense work to force the gruesome picture out of my head so that I could control the trembling. It was now only down to nothing more than an occasional rattle of my fingers. I dug my fingernails into my palms so that pain could block out all other emotions. I stared down at my hands until the silence became uncomfortable. I didn’t have the nerve to look him in the eyes, not yet.

I was shocked when he placed a comforting hand on the upper part of my back and started rubbing to ease my fears. He leaned in so his mouth was only an inch from my ear, his breath tickling it. I shivered in response.

“Are you alright? Do I need to take you to the hospital?” he whispered.

“Nnno. I’m okkaayy. Now.” The stammering was more from his closeness than from any actual fear. I heard him chuckle.

That was the first time I heard the lifeguard chuckle. The noise filled my ears with his soft laughter, the tones of his voice crashing gently against his lips.

“You came back.” It wasn’t a question, so why did I still feel the need to answer it? I looked down, ashamed. I was afraid he’d be angry with me, for some unknown reason.

The gentle rhythm he made while rubbing my back made me feel better, I leaned back into his hand letting him support the bulk of my weight. He didn’t seem to mind. I felt nervous to the point of nausea at the thought that my guardian might be angry with me.

Without thinking my eyes looked up to face his. I expected to find anger at my not heeding his urgent warning. What I found wasn’t anger, or even sadness. In his blue-green eyes anguish and even anticipation was clearer than any emotion I have ever seen. His beauty made my stomach twist. I cringed away from him, afraid that I hurt him.

“Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t know where else to go.” His hand abruptly stopped.

“It’s fine. I’m so happy you came back.” He didn’t give me anytime to react. He deftly took his other hand and wrapped it securely around my neck, enveloping me in his soft fluid grasp. I felt lightheaded and dizzy, no longer from my imminent death.

Did I miss something? Only one day ago this strange beautiful boy had made it clear I was not wanted anywhere near him, forcing me to leave the beach. Now he was saving me from strange creatures, hugging me, and murmuring soft words into my ear. What kind of parallel universe am I stuck in?

His words held something deeper than what was on the surface, he was truly happy about me coming back, there was some other reason. I wanted to ask what he meant, but I was too busy repeating “He’s hugging me, he’s hugging me,” over and over in my head. Be quiet brain! I was too shaken up to attempt to hug him back, so I settled for keeping my hands at my sides. I could feel my face turn red, as my heart thumped so loudly against my rib cage I would swear he could feel it.

He continued as though there was never a pause, emotion saturating his already husky voice. “I thought for half-a-second that I was too late. That I’d lost you forever… then this afternoon I didn’t know how else to stop you from going to the club with your mom. The thought that they were going to do that to you this afternoon…” He inhaled deeply trying to calm the anger that was rising in his voice. “It may have been wrong of me to mess with the car. But it is your decision to make, Amy. For you, not them.”

My thoughts spiraled out of control, quickly picturing my killer’s face, then back to my trivial day with my mom. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, with the minor exception of the car. Perhaps also the strange way Mom talked to Steve about “interference.” I wasn’t exactly looking for something to be out of place; I’d been too absorbed in my own thoughts to notice anything about others. Just like every other human.

I’m not sure when I found my voice. It came out in whispers to match his own mysterious tone. “Please don’t be angry with me, but I really have no idea what
you are talking about.” The coral strong arms instantly released me, holding me rigidly at arms length away.

It was too dark to see any sign of a blush on his tan skin, but his eyes were a dead give-away. Embarrassment quickly flooded out anguish, so that his majestic eyes swirled with whirlpool stealth through some internal conflict. He bit down on his lower lip deliberating. I tried to show him my understanding face, to show that I would listen without judgment just in case it was something bad.

“I don’t know if you are ready for me to tell you. In your present condition you weren’t even ready to face your—uh, visitor.” He smiled sheepishly at his reference to my attacker. “Your mother would quite literally kill me if she knew we were even together.” His smile widened at the thought of pissing off my mom, even I had to smile at that.

“Do you always do what your mommy wants you to do?” I asked. His smile turned mocking. The answer was so obvious he should have seen it coming; any teenager would have used it. It’s one of the teenage commandments. “Neither do I,” I whispered He relaxed his position slightly allowing his arms to bend, while still keeping me in a vice grip so that my eyes couldn’t leave him.

“I’m not even sure where to start.” He answered honestly.

“Well introducing yourself always helps. You know an awful lot about me, but I don’t even remember meeting you.” I was more than slightly miffed about being left out of most of our conversation, my life and death included. I folded my arms unconsciously across my chest.

To my astonishment the smile was wiped off his face, he flinched away from me as if I’d punched him. I gaped helplessly at him, trying to think what had caused this sudden change in his emotion. “You really don’t remember me do you, Amy?”

“No,” I whispered. The frustration was mounting in my voice even though I didn’t want him to hear it. I was trying desperately to recall something about him, some reason that I should remember him. I had nothing. The haze was returning, stronger and denser in my head; muddling my thoughts, past and present so that everything converged together, in one continual stream blocking out any hope of me remembering.

He sighed barely loud enough for my dull human senses to hear. “My name is Ty.”

“Um. It’s nice to meet you, again, Ty.” I smiled sheepishly at him. Once again we were left to stare awkwardly at each other.

The silence had gone far beyond awkward, to the point of embarrassment. Neither of us relaxed our positions. “My head hurts.” It sounded so childish to me, but his eyes were burning into mine almost pulling the truth from me, making my thought process so much worse. I had to change the subject.

He snorted. “I bet it does.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” This time it was my eyes that probed his face, searching for something deeper in his words.

He flashed a slight smile, melting all my pettiness. “Nothing.”

A slight breeze interrupted our tense conversation, ruffling his dark hair slightly, it made me shiver. For the first time I realized that I was soaking wet, not just from walking into the water, but my shoulders too.

“Oh. Sorry bout getting you all wet I was doing a bit of late night fishing, although I thought it was a fair tradeoff for saving your life and all.” His teasing made my face flush scarlet again. That’s when I noticed for the first time that he was soaking wet. Ty’s perfectly muscular chest was glistening in the pale moonlight with small droplets of water, the tan skin picking up every stray ray of light, his dark brow was perfectly smooth studying all my features as I stared at him. I wanted to look away, but once again I was mesmerized by his strange, intense beauty. His movements mirror liquid, not like the blocky movements most boys would make if they were that muscular. It is surreal.

Instead of all the questions that were yearning to come out, all the answers I craved about how we knew each other before, and the burning desire I had to just stand there with my mouth shut and stare at him, I said the first dumb thing that came to my mind whenever I looked at his face.

“Your eyes are so incredibly beautiful. They remind me of the ocean, the way the green and blue pull and push at each other. It’s amazing. I’ve always loved the ocean.” Oh why must I continue babbling like an idiot? Stop talking now. Stop talking. “The way it changes everything that it touches. I’m sure that girls tell you that a lot though.”

He chuckled under his breath, turning me so that we were side by side, no longer at arm’s length, facing the majestic waters. “Girls do tell me that a lot but it doesn’t matter to me. No one’s opinion has ever mattered to me. Except yours.” He turned to relinquish the full beauty of his eyes on me.

I scoffed, trying to hide my embarrassment. I had to look away. “Oh, yeah right. I bet you say that to every girl. It’s okay though, it is flattering.” He opened his mouth to argue with me, but I changed the topic too quickly. I wasn’t in the mood for arguing, especially with my savior.

“The ocean is so calm tonight. It’s nights like these that I wish I could swim.” Whoops. Apparently it wasn’t the right thing to say, again. I felt him stiffen next to me. He took in a sharp breath trying to calm whatever emotion was surfacing. I turned to look at him, to show that I was sorry, but he stared straight ahead at the water.

“I can teach you, it’s easy. If you want I mean. Just meet me down here anytime tomorrow, or sometime. I can be very patient.” He turned to offer me a weak smile, my stomach churned in knots. I wanted to reach out to him, to stroke his god-like face. I looked down at my hands to hide my shame.

Without warning he grabbed me firmly by my shoulders, lifting me off the ground for an instant; his eyes bright with fear. I don’t know what I had hoped he was going to do but it definitely wasn’t what I initially thought.

“They’re looking for you. GO NOW! I can only distract them for so long.”

“Wh-what’s looking for me? Please, I want to know what’s going on?!”

“Not now, Amy. I’ll explain it to you if I can some other time. I’m begging you, please, I just want you to get home safely.” I couldn’t argue with the care in his voice, it suffocated me. He leaned forward as if to kiss me, stopped suddenly put me on the ground, nudging me gently forward.

I ran blindly forward tripping over dents in the sand as I went. The horror on his face was real, he hadn’t even been afraid of my attacker. I didn’t want to know what he could be afraid of. Or did I? As I crossed the wooden bridge, the barrier between the land and beach, I turned and looked back. Ty wasn’t looking at me. He was turned towards the sky, his shoulders braced in a defensive position. I thought I heard a low gurgling sound escape from his throat, but I didn’t stay long enough to see if I was right.

I drove home in a daze, panicking the whole way. I thought a harmless tree was something to grab me. An oddly shaped bush was a horrific demon there to snare me. My hands shook the steering wheel, I wanted desperately to turn around and see if my savior was alright. I did turn my car around twice, but each time I remembered the look on his face, the horror and fear that creased his dark brow, making my heart thump loudly in my chest. I didn’t want to make things harder for him though. I was sure that my returning would just make matters worse as it usually did. I vowed then and there that I would go there as soon as I could tomorrow. I
would
make sure he was safe. I will return the favor that he granted me.