The Promise

Chapter 1

I peer up at the light streaming from the surface of the water, those little rays that just kind of float there close to the top. I glide through the cold water right into one of the beams. The light warms my skin, but makes my scales quiver in discomfort. I let my body relax and my hands and feet return to their normal soft fleshy selves, and I take one final breath before letting up my shift completely. I hang there a few feet below the ocean's surface, soaking in every bit of the sun's warmth with my eyes shut as I slowly blow bubbles out of my nose. I can feel my thoughts speeding up, and I know a vision is coming. The darkness explodes into a full on scene. I'm standing in the middle of a burning field, and my soothing warmth changes into a scorching heat. A guy goes running past me and there's a loud sort of roar as storm clouds gather overhead. A lightning bolt strikes right in front of me, blinding me. When I open my eyes, the guy that was running is standing right in front of me, staring at the ground. I open my mouth to say something, but I know it's only a vision and he can't hear me. I can't make out the features on his face because it's too dark, but then he slowly starts to raise his head. His eyes are burning a dark crimson, glaring right at me. I hear the roar again, but this time it's literally right over me and a ginormous shadow is casting over me. He's not staring at me, but at something behind me. The guy opens his mouth, showing his sharp fangs as he lets out his own roar and charges straight forward at me. I snap back to reality and I can feel my lungs start to scream in hunger for fresh air, but I just wanted to stay here in the silence of my undersea paradise. Eventually I give in and swim up to the surface. I gasp and the salty sweet air fills my lungs and a smile spreads across my face. If I could just live like this forever, then that would be just fine with me. I swim back over to my small sail boat and climb back on board. I raise the sail, and make my way back to the port by our light house.

Our family has been the care takers for the lighthouse for as long as anyone in the city could remember. My parents loved carrying on our family's tradition, well I guess it's better for me to say it's a clan tradition and my parent's loved being the one's to get the job, heck I'd even go as far to say they lived for it. I tie off my boat, snatching my towel off a guide wire and start drying off as I walk back up to our cottage type home.

"Good morning Honey, how was the water this morning?" My mother asks as I enter the kitchen.

"Absolutely amazing." I tell her, smile still plastered on my face.

"That's good. Now you better get dressed and ready for school." She tells me. I swear, it doesn't matter how old I get, she will always be treating me like a baby.

I walk farther into the house and bump into a man as I round the corner to the living room. "Excuse me." I say steadying myself.

I look up to see my grandfather turning back to look at me. A smile spreads across the grey headed man's face, "Good morning, Dawson." He says to me.

"Good morning, sir." I reply to him. It wasn't unusual to find my Grandpa in my house, and he was always either in a super serious or happy go lucky kind of mood.

"Give your Grandpa a hug will ya?" he asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Been for a swim this morning?" he asks lively. I guess today was happy go lucky.

"Yes sir." I tell him with a smile as he ruffs my hair. He was the one person who would always make me feel like a little kid.

"You did?" I hear my uncle ask from across the room and I freeze dead in my tracks. I glance over and he and my father were sitting in chairs against the far wall. I gulp. He's not so easy going on the rules. Don't get me wrong, I love my uncle, but he takes the safety of the clan a bit too seriously sometimes.

"Yes sir." I say, standing straight like a soldier in line.

"Were you alone?" he asks, standing from his chair.