Tidal Vortex-Book One

Chapter Nine

Teal:

The next day came all too soon. Excitement and nervousness run through me. Today I will finally see Atlantis! I lay in bed, feeling frozen with nervous energy. I can hardly believe that I'm going to get to see the city that the entire world has written about for centuries! The one that had gone missing overnight and no one in the human realm knew where it had gone or even if it was actually real.

A knock on the door sounds startling me. Oddly enough, I realize I had heard no one approach in the hallway.

"Yes? Come in," I say as I sit up in bed, expecting Bianca to walk in.

Surprise settles over me when Connor sticks his head in the door. His black hair is tussled, and his shirt hangs unbuttoned as if he has just rolled out of bed. Black ink tattoo waves cover his muscular chest, the designs peeking out from beneath the shirt as he stands there in the doorway. His green eyes swept over the room and my flimsy white nightgown. Unfortunately, the white sheer nightgown was worn and left little to the imagination. The cool breeze from the open patio and my growing traitorous attraction I feel towards my reluctant guard helped neither, as his eyes land on my perky chest. Teal for the love of God, think of his horrible attitude and how he hates being your guard. I plead with myself. How could I feel anything for this man so soon after losing the Gareth? Had I loved Captain Gareth? I wonder internally. Realizing his gaze is transfixed on my chest, I quickly grab the blankets, pulling them up to cover myself.

Visibly swallowing, he then clears his throat before he spoke. "It's time to get ready, we will leave in less than half an hour." Then, without another word, he closes the door and leaves.

Pushing the blankets off me, I swing my legs out of bed. Padding barefoot over to the closet, I'm about to grab the dress Bianca had let me wear yesterday, only to be surprised that it was no longer there. It's then that I notice a note laying on the chair where the dress from yesterday had once been.

It reads: 'Teal, today is a special day. Here is a bathing suit and a shorter dress. A long dress or too much clothing, it will just hinder your ability to swim down to Atlantis. Best to have less on in case you develop a siren tail, Dear.'

Looking at the pile of clothing underneath, I see a teal colored two-piece bikini and a short white dress. I absently wonder, where do they get these clothes from, since we are in another dimension? I log it away as a question to ask in the future. It feels odd to wear nice clothing when, for years, I wore only prison jumpsuits. Orange and blue have been the extent of my wardrobe fashion for over five years. Quickly I get dressed into the teal colored bikini, which covers very little. Next, I pull the sheer white halter dress over my head, securing the halter dress strings around the back of my neck. My mind is caught up worrying about how we will swim underwater to Atlantis city. What if I can't breathe underwater like I did after the shipwreck? What if I truly don't belong here and I don't breathe underwater at all? What if this time I died?

Another knock at the door sounds just as I smooth my long black hair back behind my ears and push my anxiety back down.

"Yes, come in," I say as I plaster a smile on my face then turn towards the door.

Bianca walks in, smiling warmly. She wears a blue halter dress today with an apron over top.

"You look such a sight. Beautiful, just like your mother. Your hair is awfully long, and I was thinking I could braid it back for you if you would like? That way it doesn't end up looking like a rat's nest by the time you reach the palace in Atlantis."

"Thanks, that would be wonderful," I say as she smiles then unloads her apron pockets of a hairbrush, mirror, and hair elastics laying them out on the bedside table.