Two

The Depths: Part 2

"HELP" You cried, desperately.

You were swimming. Swimming in what looked to be some sort of mysterious, creepy basement. The waters were a murky brownish-blue color. When you looked down you couldn't even see your own feet. Just the foggy water. 

You continued to paddle forward, with no clear path. You were swimming faster and faster, when you suddenly felt something cold and boney, wrap around your leg.

You were suddenly dragged down-

. . .

"HELP!" You cried, suddenly sitting up and breathing heavily as the world came into focus.

In reality, you weren't being dragged down into the depths by some mysterious monster. 

Yet...

You were sitting on a small wet mattress, your brother right next to you, safe and sound. You weren't alone.

You were never alone.

"Bro?" Your brother asked, sleepily rolling over and looking at you. Even though he was technically the older twin, you were already taller than he was. However, he usually acted older, always making sure you were safe. "What was it? Nightmare?"

"Yeah," You told him. 

"What was it about this time?" He asked.

"Drowning."

"How convenient," He chuckled, "considering we're on a boat. Don't worry though. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know. S-sorry for waking you, Mario."

"Don't be, Luigi."

The nightmares were never too bad because he was always right there next to you when you woke up.

Since you two were both awake, you decided to get up. You and your brother Mario had been stuck in the lowest level of the boat for about a week now. You two had been in and out of different boats, simply trying to find a new home. 

The constant rocking almost made you seasick and you hated being stuck in the murky lower levels, especially since most of the rooms were flooded with water. Out of all the ships you two had found yourselves on, this one was most definitely the scariest. You and your brother planned to find your way to the lifeboats and escape as soon as possible.

The two of you were fourteen years old. In about three months you would be fifteen. Your birthday was always your favorite day of the year because you'd get to celebrate it with your brother. It always brought back memories of when your parents would bring you cakes and presents.

You missed them dearly.

"Got your lighter?" Mario asked you, reaching into his left pocket and holding his own silver lighter out. He flicked it on, illuminating the darkness so the two of you could see.

"In my back pocket," you replied with a smile, not bothering to take yours out since he was already using his. He nodded at you, then started forward, through the darkness and away from the leaky mattress the two of you found the night before.

You could hear footsteps coming from the levels above you, and could only pray that whoever was making those footsteps couldn't hear you. You and Mario quickly learned that this boat had a very clear "No Stowaways Allowed," rule. Anything that didn't belong was caught and dealt with. 

You and your brother called the person who was working on the ship's lower levels the Janitor since he often worked maintenance. His arms were too long for his body, but the rest of him was fairly short for an adult. He was proportioned all wrong. It was like nothing you and your brother had ever seen before!