Rising Tides

Prologue

"Sarah! Come away from the side of the ship! You could fall." Her mother called, hurrying over to six-year-old Sarah McCallister's side and gently pulling her away from the railing.

"But I wanna see the fishies." Sarah whined.

Her mother sighed and tucked flyaway strands of auburn hair behind her ear, squinting at her daughter from under the wide brim of her sun hat. "Not too close to the rail, dear. You could fall. Those aren't fishies, sweetie. They're dolphins."

The dolphins launched themselves out of the water in high, graceful arcs, almost as if they were showing off for the little girl. The sun glinted off their sleek gray bodies, making the droplets of water that flew off them sparkle like diamonds. Little Sarah squealed with joy and giggled, struggling against her mother's firm grip on her arm to go back to the rail and watch.

"No no no, sweetie." Her mother tugged her away from the rail and towards the cabins. "Come along, now. It's time for lunch."

They were vacationing in Italy for the summer; Sarah, her mother, and her older brother Adam. The cruise ship was going to take them all over the Mediterranean for a little sightseeing. It was a beautiful day out. The sea was a brilliant turquoise and clear as crystal, the sky piercing blue, the temperature was warm but not too hot, and the breeze was soft and carried the scent of salt and her mother's perfume.

The ship was massive and pure white. Long and lean and elegant, it cut through the water as smooth as butter. People lounged around the pool or enjoyed a game of shuffleboard. Some sipped their drinks and mingled, some sunbathed on the main deck or snapped photos of the scenery. Rocky shorelines and cliffs jutted like fangs out of the water, beautiful and dramatic in a way that only nature can manage.

Sarah was always drawn to the water. She loved to watch the dolphins play, the seagulls cry and swoop overhead, and the way the light shined on the water. It was fascinating to her young mind.

Sarah found her brother, Adam, reclining on a chair on the upper deck, looking down at the Ninetendo DS in his hands and furiously tapping buttons. He wasn't as excited about the sea as she was. He preferred being indoors playing video games and eating Doritos.

They ate lunch together on the deck, a simple meal of fruit, sandwiches, crackers and cheese, and apple juice. As they ate, Sarah noticed the clouds starting to darken and grow bigger.

"Mommy, the clouds look scary." She said.

Her mother looked up and hummed. "Hmm. Looks like a storm is rolling in."

An hour later and the sky was covered in dark clouds and thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind was picking up, the waves were growing more violent, and the seagulls cried in panic.

"Attention, passengers." Said a loud male voice coming from the speaker above their heads. "This is your captain speaking. A bad storm's abrewin' and we insist for your own safety that you all return to your cabins. Thank you."

Sarah's mother wasted no time in getting the kids into their cabin. Soon, rain could be heard pounding the deck. Wind howled and thunder boomed, lighting could be seen flashing from the windows. Sarah wasn't afraid of storms. She was a big girl now.

Sarah touched her hair and let out an alarmed cry. "Mommy, I left my hair ribbon!"

Running to the cabin door, she ignored her mother's shouts and ran out into the pouring rain. The wind whipped her hair around her face violently, the waves crashed hard against the side of the ship and splashed on the lower deck. Sarah hurried down the steps to the deck where she saw the dolphins and looked around wildly.

She couldn't find it! The hair ribbon her grandmother gave her before she died. She lost it. She wanted to cry. Then, a flash of red caught the corner of her eye and she found it trapped under the leg of a chair. She went to lift the chair, but the wind blew it away before she could grab it.

"No!" She chased it all around the deck. It blew over the side of the ship and she quickly reached out to grab it, leaning over the rail and reaching as far as she could. "I got it!"

"Sarah!" She heard footsteps and her mother's shout behind her. She turned to show her mother the ribbon.

"Mommy! Look I-aaaaahhhh!!!" Her foot slipped on the wet floor and she lost her balance and screamed as she fell down, down, down into the raging sea. She faintly heard her mother's scream over the rush of wind and water and the deafening booms of thunder.

She hit the water like a stone. It knocked the wind out of her tiny body, and she barely had time to scream in terror before water filled her mouth and nose as she sunk down, down, down. She flailed her arms and kicked with all her might, pushing to the surface for a moment before the waves crashed into her and knocked her back down again.

She felt pain erupt on the back of her head, slamming hard against a jagged rock, and her vision blurred. I'm sorry, mommy, was her last thought as her body went limp. She faintly could feel arms wrap around her before darkness overtook her.

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Her head hurt. Really bad. Her mouth was dry and her lungs ached. Am I dead? She felt dizzy and tired and her body hurt. She moved her arms and felt rough rocks scrape against them. Huh? Rocks? She tried to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry.

I want my mommy. Where's my mommy? She thought, frightened, and started to cry. Her body trembled with exhaustion and fear and pain.

A soft shuffling sound made her look around. A blurry figure moved into her field of vision and she froze. She couldn't see much, just lots of long hair and pale skin. It was silhouetted in a halo of bright orange sunlight that made her squint and shy away.

Who are you? Where's my mommy? She wanted to ask, but her throat hurt and her mouth was so dry she couldn't do anything but cough loudly, which hurt her throat more. At least she was alive.

She tried to sit up, but the figure vanished so quickly. She heard a loud splash and saw a silver flash of what looked like a tail arch out of the water before disappearing. A dolphin? She wondered before blackness swallowed her again.