The Aquarian

Chapter 19

This was it. What me and my Grandmother had rehearsed for months.
An attempt to save an entire species.
Was this crazy? Absolutely.
Do I have a choice? No.
The reasons for going on the search and defying the Aquarian code have piled on like layers of a corral from the first time I knew my 'destiny.'
It's made me so much more determined, whereas when I had first docs covered this I wanted to scream into the seas "This is impossible!" And that I could never amount to anything like a researcher, something I had convinced myself years ago when I had dreamed it possible.
But now I knew I must.
Even if I still don't think I have the skills, I know I have to do this impeding task to help my species and help my sister.

The whole morning I replayed these thoughts over and over in my mind, thinking it would calm my pounding heart, but it didn't.
Not really. This anxiety is so fresh and intense, even more anxious than I've ever been before.
I keep worrying that something will go wrong.
My biggest worry was that mom would be suspicious of me, but it wasn't different from antithetical I had asked her to go to my friends house.
Not to her, anyway.
To me it felt excruciatingly hard not to run over and hug her and cry into her shoulder.
But I couldn't.
I headed over to Grandmothers house in a flurry, and arrived her quite a while before I would have to leave for the meeting at the Reasearchers Document building.
I got there while Grandmother was finishing up giving a fortune to a client with a pearl.
Finally, she left, and I took the bottle for the transformation.
I had prepared everything for the search, the equipment, the vials, clothes, armour, everything I needed other than food, such we would hunt for on the way.
I hope my hunts are limited.
"Are you ready, Marina?" Grandmother asked me, her voice a floating mixture of worry and pride.
"As ready as I can be." I said, lifting my chin up to face her.
She gave me a hug, and I feel onto her shoulder, my eyes watering like a damp seaweed
"You can do this. It just may not be what you think." She told me nonchalantly, as if I where going to a new seaweed den for dinner.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I addled, nervous tension gripping my voice.
She stared with her steely blue eyes.
"I mean that you will see what the search gives you, and that I know you can overcome what lies beyond the path."
*
"Thank you all Ethicans and Sirens!" I would like you to lead on these brave group of Aquarians into the unknown, to help our species!"

The King called out beside the trodden path, separated by the me and the researchers with a small line of glinting armoured soldiers, as cheers called out in the huge crowd.

The way he said 'the unknown sent shivers up my spine, but I cleared my thoughts and focused shakily on the Kings speech.
"Our reasearch leader, General Todulumus, has informed me that the area of which the Researcjers are travelling through is unknown territory. But, we all know that the Researchers are trained perfesionalls and have committed there lives to helping us Aquarians."
The King said, followed by another round of applause that echoed through the ocean, like a whales cry.
"I would now like you all to lead them own there journey and grant them the courage they need to face the journey up ahead." People sounded out chants of 'good luck!" and "farewell!" before the king stood beside the line of Researchers, signalling with his hand."

"5,4,3..." While he counted out, I saw mother in the corner of my eye.
I made eye contact with her steely blue eyes and my bright green..........right before she swallowed something disappeared.
But I didn't have time to think about it, because the King moved his hand when he got to 1, and I was off in the mob of researchers, racing to find the cure in the unknown cloudy land.