I'll Track You Down

Dive back down

Someone shakes me out of my slumber, however gently I'm frustrated why I have to get up.

I bury my face in my hands, shielding myself from whoever disturbs me from my sleep.

"Five more minutes." I groan, not knowing why someone has decided to wake me up in the first place.

"I wish, Kali but we've got to get going." A familiar voice answers, I rub my eyes and look up at the face staring down at me. Caspian stops shaking me the instant I sit up.

"Where are we going?" I ask through a yawn, although I can't see what it looks like outside, I have no doubt it's the middle of the night.

"I let you sleep as long as possible, we're going home, remember?" I look around, it's only Caspian in the medical room. I don't know how long I slept but it was enough for me to forget that Nye's funeral is tomorrow. I spring out of the bed. "Willow has protected your stitches as best she could." It's only now I realize that I'm in my wetsuit again.

"When did-" I start to ask.

"Willow, don't worry about anything Kali, you just have to listen to what I say." I look up at him and nod. "Okay, Willow and Vance are coming back with us, they're joining us on the dive. So that Willow can make sure everything's okay when we're done, and Vance is just an extra for security purposes."

Caspian leads me back into the same room with the pool on the floor, Vance helps me with my weight belt, vest and tank.

There's no need for the earbuds and microphones now, all I need to do is slip on my flippers and mask and wait.

I opt for pulling my hair into a braid this time, protecting it a little bit better than yesterday. Caspian sits beside me on the cold stone floor.

"How are you feeling?" I scan his face, he doesn't look like he slept at all but for some reason he's full of energy.

He still has that twinkle in his ocean blue eyes, and his hair has seen much better days.

"Tired, but I'm ready to get this over with." Caspian looks like he shares that sentiment, and I conclude that neither of us like diving very much.

Maybe I'd like it better if it was on a vacation or something like that, but I don't think that's the case, before I can finish my thought Vance has toppled into the water, Willow follows as soon as he clears the area.

They both sink into the clear water leaving Caspian and I alone. Again.

"Are you ready, Kali?" My only response is putting my mask over my eyes and nose, and shoving the regulator into my mouth. Caspian copies my actions and waits for me to flip over before following suit.

We sink down together into the much cooler water. If not for the lights on the sides of the rock it would've been pitch black, I face Caspian as we go down together descending into the dark water.

Once we've exited the entrance Caspian turns on a handheld flashlight I didn't see him have before. Either way I'm thankful for it, it's our only source of light now that we're swimming farther away from the entrance.

Caspian swims a little ahead of me and I'm grateful for that, because although I usually have a great sense of direction, I become a little disoriented when I'm this far deep underwater. I can't see much other than what's being illuminated by the flashlight.

My eyes eventually adjust, I don't see many fish but plants are bursting all around the seafloor. Some are tall and have bright colors peeking out from their edges, others are much smaller and dull.

I think it's all beautiful.

I can't hear much aside from my own breath, but when I hold it for a second I stop to listen. As my fins go up and down the water vibrates with the touch and I can almost hear the sounds of the ripples radiating off of it.

I can't help but smile. Caspian stops briefly and turns back to me, he points upwards and I nod, inflating my vest slightly.

He seems so focused, which is a little out of character for him.

Come to think of it I don't know much about this man, I know he was quite the troublemaker in high school, and that's how he ran into Malgrave, I'm assuming his parents weren't around much then for them to stop him, he was tricking into believing he was helping the world but he was really murdering innocent people, so he left and founded an organization just like my own.

Even though I have a general idea of his life, you're still a mystery to me Caspian.

I'll be sure to ask him when we get home, for now I just have to focus on swimming up and inflating my vest.

When I reach the surface Caspian helps me up, he takes off my tank and unbuckles my vest and weighted belt.

Vance takes my flippers and mask and I let myself breathe in the cool night air. My braid bounces as the wind picks up, I unbraid the tightly woven hair and let it fly loose, twirling in the wind.

The stars twinkle in the clear night sky and I'm reminded just how much light pollution there is in Detroit. I'm still admiring the stars as I slip on my boots and pants still slung over my bike.

"Stunning." I whisper under my breath.

"The stars?" Caspian asks, cocking his head. "They're just stars."

"Well these stars are barely visible in Detroit, and I think they're just another way that mother nature surprises us. It's uncommon for me to find beauty in our world, but now that I think about it, it isn't our world that I struggle to find beauty in. It's the people. So, nights like this let me find joy in our planet. These stars might be boring to you but they're magnificent to me."

I take one last look at the everlasting flames in the sky before hopping on my bike and following Willow and Vance who've already started riding ahead.