Winding Roads {A Creative Writing Journal}

Beneath the Waves (W2R Round 5)

Blue Belt

   "We are going to get into so much trouble for this," Emily moaned even as she steered the small speedboat further out into open water. "My dad is going to kill me when he finds out!"

     Maria rolled her eyes as she finished pulling on her wet suit. It was almost an hour till midnight, which gave her only a few hours before her parents found out she sneaked out. But she needed answers, and all signs pointed to finding them below the waves.

    "Quit being such a mouse," Veronica hissed, flipping her black braid off her shoulder as she met Maria's gaze, "You go ahead, girl. We'll cover you. Got everything?"

    "I think so," she hummed and pulled her blond ponytail tighter. It would be dark enough down there, and she didn't want to worry about her hair floating in her face.

    "Air tanks are full, and my flashlight's batteries are fresh. And we triple checked to make sure this is where the Fortuna sank last week." Maria looked over the side. The ocean's inky surface only reflected her shadow back. "If all goes well, I won't have be down there long."

    Emily shifted her eyes down. "I still think we should've called the boys."

     "Adrian didn't want us out here at all," Maria huffed, "And his two buddies are loyal. They would've talked us out of it."

   Veronica crossed her arms and smirked knowingly. "And that's why we're out here."

    "Adrian's hiding something," Maria agreed, "And I think it has something to do with the Fortuna."

   "If you say so, honey. Just be back up in an hour. Those tanks won't last forever."

"And don't stray from the downline!" Emily called.

    Maria grinned but said nothing as she slipped on her goggles and mouthpiece. With a final thumbs up, she slid off the boat and into the murky ocean below.

    For a few moments, she saw black, and her heart raced in a panic before switching on her flashlight. After finding the downline, she steadily began to make her way to the cargo ship that mysteriously sank last week—just a few short days before her family moved into Unda Blanc. How it sank remained a mystery, but she planned to at least find some clues tonight.

Maria paused every so often, letting her breathing regulate like Emily's dad taught her and sweeping her light around in search of any approaching sea life. Nothing. She should be grateful, but at the same time, she had watched Shark Week one too many times to feel comfortable in the open ocean.

A few agonizing minutes of silence trickled by before the Fortuna came into view. Algae and rust had already begun to cling to its sides, fading the once vibrant red paint and leaving the windows slimy with a mossy coating of flora. She did one more sweep with her light, unnerved by the lack of sea life, and she swam to the deck.

Shipping containers lay in unorganized heaps along the far side of the ship where it dipped dangerously to one side, and an array of machinery she couldn't name littered most of the open space.

Clang!

Maria jerked her light the left just in time to see a large tail fin vanish behind a stack of cargo units. At the same time, something heavy slammed into her from the right, pulling over the Fortuna's side.

A mangled scream clawed at her throat as something sharp dug into her wet suit but not quite tearing the fabric, and her first thought was embarrassingly that someone needed a manicure because that grip felt too human to be a fish. Plus, a sharp would've already taken a nice chunk out of her.

Maria fumbled with her flashlight before shining it directly on whatever had stolen her away from the ship. Familiar coffee brown eyes partially hidden by black tousles of hair glared back at her, and she felt her hold on the light slip.

   Adrian. Without a wet suit. Several meters below the surface. Totally unconcerned and totally shirtless. Her blood would have rushed all the way to her ears if she wasn't panicking.

   Her loose grip caused the light the tilt downward, and obsidian black scales gleamed back at her from his torso. Something brushed against her calve, and she jerked the light to reveal a translucent black tail fin half-wrapped around her.

    She teetered between shining the light in Adrian's face or his tail, and he quickly got the message. A strong, webbed hand pulled the flashlight out of her hand while the other made a shushing motion to her. He flicked the light off, and she latched herself to him like an octopus.

    She couldn't see. Something big was lurking around the ship above them. And Adrian had a freaking tail. This night definitely ranked number one on her top five worst ideas yet.

    At this point, she would just be happy to find the downline and ride like a fury back to shore.

    Adrian snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close, spinning them around so that her air tank lightly scraped against the ship's hull. Even without a light, she could feel his head strain upward, and she wondered how he could see in this abyss.

    She felt his head tip down again, and a soft hand cupped the small portion of exposed skin along her cheek.

   Safe, the motion whispered softly in her mind, I'll get you home. Trust me.

    Adrian flicked his tail, and they rocketed upward, past the Fortuna's deck. With each powerful pulse, they surged closer to the surface. Maria only opened her eyes once, and by then the ship was far from view, and she dared to click back on her flashlight.

The shark chasing after them was decidedly closer, and Adrian torpedoed to the side. A wide gaping maw full of teeth filled Maria's vision, and she screamed into her mouthpiece.

Until the roar behind her head deafened her and drowned out her own screams.

The shark didn't slow, and Adrian slapped his tail fin, causing the shark to barrel dizzily to the side. Adrian didn't wait for it to regain its bearings as he quickened their route back to the surface.

Maria kept her light focused below them in case the shark came back. Fortunately, she didn't see it when they finally broke the ocean's surface. She instinctively gasped for air as Adrian used his free arm to paddle to Emily's boat.

"You're an idiot going down there in the middle of the night," Adrian growled, "And you're lucky I was even there."

Maria tugged out her mouthpiece and pulled off her now foggy goggles. Even with the light from the boat she could barely see him.

"Thank you," she choked as the weight of everything crashed down on her.

"Tell anyone, and you'll be taking that blacktip on one-on-one within the hour," he snapped back. As they grew closer to the boat he added.

"But your welcome this time, Shark Bait."

Maria swore she saw fangs in his smile.