Below the Surface

Chapter 8

Summer's p.o.v.

I nearly fainted.

"You're.... in... a realm?" I struggled out. Chase nodded.

"Which one?" Janise asked, sounding unamused.

"Earth realm."

I looked at Janise. We burst out laughing. Chase looked as confused as ever.

"What?" He said, giving us weird looks. I managed to stop my self from laughing.

"Well," I said to Janise. "At least he doesn't look weird." Janise laughed.

"I think he looks weird!" Janise said. I glared at her. I lunged for her and tackled her. We both fell onto the sand, trying to pin the other down.

I pinned her down by the shoulders, and stared right into her smirking face.

"You may think he looks weird-"

"Well thanks!" Chase retorted behind me. I looked back at him and smiled. He smiled back.

"But not everyone has the same opinion as you-" I blushed. "But, Ian is still super scrawny!" I quickly jumped off of Janise and ran away just in time to miss a giant wave Janise sent towards me.

"Missed me!" I screamed towards her. Janise took off running towards me. I held out my hand in truce. Janise ran up, then grudgingly shook.

"Well now that that's settled-" Chase said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He was sitting up now, sand falling out of his short brown hair, some of the color back in his face.

Janise and I slowly walked up to him, and I sat down next to him. Janise sat down next to me.

"I guess I need to go home," Chase said, than he said sourly, "my parents will be excepting me." I almost forgot the time. The sun was nearly set, casting our long shadows across the sand.

I held out my hand, and he took it. I helped him up, then he brushed himself off, little clouds of sand cascading off his body.

"I would walk you home..." Chase smiled. "But I can't exactly breathe water." My eyes pleaded with Janise when I glanced her way. She shook her head the slightest bit. I pouted and stuck out my lip, then I thought of an idea.

"Well... I could walk you home." I said hopefully.

"Alright I guess, since you already know." It made me giddy just to think we shared a secret together. Well, Janise too.

"Then I guess I will walk home alone." Janise said, trying to sound annoyed. I new she wasn't. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She winked, then started walking off into the waves.

I turned back to Chase, and we starting walking up the hill together in an awkward silence. When we reached the top, I stopped and looked out over the shore.

The sun was almost all the way down now, turning the water a brilliant red. The sand sparkled, and up above the stars shone beautifully. While I was busy admiring, I felt Chase walk up beside and lace is hand with mine.

His breath tickled the hair behind my ear when he said, "It's beautiful isn't it." I was surprised he couldn't hear my heartbeat, as loud as it was in my head.

I nodded, because I knew all words would fail me now. I looked over at him. His eyes shone in the sunset, his jelled hair messed up cutely.

He grabbed my other hand, and pulled me to face him.  My heart started doing flips. I looked up to his face, and nearly died. Chase was smiling so sweetly at me, like he was a blind man who learned to see. This couldn't be possible, no one ever liked me! All my friends told stories about the boys who liked them, and how they were flirting in class and how they were afraid of the guy asking them out.... Blah blah blah....

Chase brushed a loose hair behind my ear, and he leaned down, closing his eyes. Of course now was the perfect moment to turn into a wimp, and not kiss him.

I leaned in, savoring the moment but then something caught my eye. It was a figure beyond the brick house, slowly disappearing into the town. A figure with red hair, and a fancy suit.

"Chase," I whispered, not taking my eyes off the figure.

He heard the concern in my voice. "Sorry... I shouldn't have-"

"No, just look!" I can't believe he thought that.... Chase looked over and saw the figure disappear in the distance.

"Ian," I said. My insides churned.

"What about him?" Chase tried to sound casual, but I could tell he was holding back something.

"He was running, from most likely here." I pointed back the way he disappeared. Then the thoughts connected.

"Oh no... Do you think...?" I said, starting to worry.

"He might have." said Chase. I looked back to him, still looking to where Ian disappeared.

"Ian's trustworthy, he won't tell anyone." He said reassuringly. I wasn't sure if it was to reassure me or him.

"Are you sure...?"

"Ian's one of my best friends, I'll talk to him about it. And, maybe that wasn't even him. Maybe some other red head that forgot to use the bathroom before heading to the beach. You never know!"  Chase joked. I laughed a little bit, but the worry quickly set in again.

"Ok." I said grudgingly.

"Well I need to go home before my parents explode," Chase said. He turned to me. "And you are going home."

"What." I said.

"Yes, you are going home." He said sternly. I pouted.

"Why."

"You've had enough trouble tonight, now you need to go home and rest... And," he paused. He looked out at the ocean and smiled. I looked and saw a blurry shape in the water. "You'll have an escort."

"Good night Summer." Chase said and started walking towards town.

"Night Chase." I watched him walk towards town, then veer off and head on an old backroad.

I headed back down the hill and waded into the cool ocean water, the only thing left that could effectively relax me.

I dove in and waited for my lungs to adjust, but I didn't have to wait at all. They instantly started breathing water, no delay in between.

I started to swim out farther, when I saw a glimpse of dark brown hair.

"Hi Janise." I said bitterly.

She appeared to my right and started swimming with me. We swam in silence all the way home. I would tell her about Ian in the morning.

When I made it home, I flopped onto my bed. I landed on something heavy and small. I winced and rubbed my stomach where I had landed on it. I pulled it out from under me and saw it was a smooth flat stone, the kind for writing on.

I looked closer and saw that there were glowing green letters engraved into it.

I'll be back