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Chapter 4

I blinked several times, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was spinning through the water, and dark shapes were circling me, light occasionally catching on their dark, shiny skin. Bubbles rush past me, tickling my sides, and I allowed myself to be pulled to the surface over ten feet above.

My ears popped as I broke through the surface of the lake, water crackling in my ears like it does when you go into deep water. I clawed towards the floating dock, feeling the cool animals brushing against my feet.

I hate deep water, I told myself, not meaning to panic but not being able to help the bubble of fear growing in my stomach. Then a solid surface slid under my feet and forced me up to the surface.

I gasped and blinked the water out of my eyes, looking for the dock.

"Jasmine, over here!" Hazel's voice called to me. I turned towards the noise; Claire, Brooke, and Hazel were crouched at the edge of the floating dock almost 50 feet away, watching me as I quickly swam over through the still writhing mass of water.

I reached up and the three grabbed my arms, pulling me onto the platform. I laid there in the sun for a minute, trying to get my breath back, as I heard the creatures splashing and bumping into the dock.

"Jasmine," Hazel said, bending over me. She stared into me face, concerned, as I just watched the sky, just realizing how dark the water was and how badly I could've been hurt.

"Wait, you guys," Claire said, who had looked up and was watching the animals. "Look."

I rolled over, my head aching from the pressure of the water and the stress of what happened. My brain seeming to be pounding against the side of my skull and the world was tilting the way it does when you get really dizzy, but I squeezed my eyes tight for a second to straighten out the landscape.

I looked at the dark, slippery animals. They looked like seals but each of them had a small, shiny silver spot on their head just between their eyes. But then... They were all popping their heads and upper bodies above the water and the spot seemed to be glowing slightly. The animals made a big group - there must've been at least fifty - and then suddenly the ones in the front dove down under the water, the rest following the one in front of them.

I quickly crawled to the edge of the dock to see the tiny dots of light swirl underneath us, grow dimmer, and then start to slowly head in the direction of the land.

"Wow... What was that?" Claire gasped, in awe.

"I have no idea - wait, I think they're coming back!" Hazel exclaimed. Sure enough, the seals, or whatever they were, circled back and made a quick break through the surface before turning around again. They repeated the action, this time coming closer.

"Not to be weird or anything, but somehow I think they was us to follow them," I said through the buzzing pain. My voice sounded muffled, and I could barely understand what I was saying.

"Okay, if you want. I mean, this time if they throw us off our own boat we know what to expect, am I right?" Hazel said. "C'mon, Brooke, let's go get the canoe."

The two of them dove smoothly off the dock, bright bathing suits visible under the water. I watched them swim over to where the canoe was lightly bobbing, somehow all our gear (in waterproof bags, luckily) still strapped to the inside.

Brooke retrieved the oars and they brought over the equipment. They helped me in while I held my pounding head and watched the seals circle the canoe. They showed no action of wanted to flip us again, though.

"Okay, okay, we're coming," said Brooke irritably, swatting at an animal who was nudging her elbow with its snout. "Ew, you are slimier than I expected. And bigger than you looked from the dock." She wrinkled her nose and brushed her elbow on Hazel while I laughed at the whole scene.

"Ew, don't put it on me!" Hazel scoffed and brushed the invisible stuff off her arm.

A shudder went through the canoe and we all froze. I gripped my head with one hand and the boat with the other, and held myself there until the canoe stopped rocking.

"Um... they really need to stop doing that," Claire commented, glaring at the spinning mass of glowing dots.

I laughed. "But I wonder where they're leading us."

Soon we made it around a piece of land jutting out from the small island, and I was surprised to see the diving cliff. Luckily there was no one at the top that I could see; I suppose we'd look a little odd following a dim glowing spot in the water.

"Wait, is that-" Hazel started.

"The diving spot?" Claire looked up ahead. "I think so."

Then I noticed something I hadn't seen before. Off to the left of the jumping spot was a tall crack between two huge rocks. Although we could clearly see it once we made it around another small jut-out area, it was invisible from anywhere else.

"Holy shit... is that a cave?" Brooke muttered, eyebrows creased.

I was also gaping at the crevice, wondering why it hadn't been found before... or maybe it had?"