Dangerous Waters

Chapter 3

My eyelids fluttered open and I saw rough, brown, rocky walls surrounding me. About ten feet away from me, there was a calm pool of water. The water was very translucent, and seemed deep, very deep. "Hello? Anyone here?" I questioned. My voice echoed throughout the cave. No answer.

Then the events of the "attack" flashed into my mind like a bullet. The boat, the enormous wave, the searing pain, the bubbles floating up as I screamed,
the cloud of my blood, The boy.

Am I dead? I have to be dead. Right?

The boy. The boy?

Did I imagine him? Was he actually there?

I must have imagined him because there was no one near me when I was in the boat.

Or at least I think there wasn't

I went to use my left arm to help push me up, but instead felt a rip of pain and winced back in place. I turned my head to my left shoulder, and I saw white bandages covering my left shoulder. Slowly, I unwrapped the bandages, revealing eight gnarly tooth marks. The areas around the teeth marks are slightly swollen, while there is dried blood near the teeth marks. I gasped in horror. I tried to put the bandages back in its original place, but I couldn't get them to wrap around my arm tightly.

I heard a male's voice behind me saying, "No, you did not imagine me." I flinched in shock. I recognize his face from somewhere. His light brown hair, small freckles spread on his cheeks, high cheekbones, and eyes that are a deep soft blue like the ocean. Wait. Eyes that resemble the ocean. He was the boy that I saw before a passed out!

"Who are you?" I asked curiously.

"My name is Jonah, and no, you are not dead." I stared at him in awe.

Did he read my mind or something? Wait, he couldn't have. There is no such thing.

He noticed that I tore off my bandages, "Here, let me help you with your arm." He insisted. With a slight nod of my head, he walked over to me and began to tightly wrap my arm. His touch is so gentle, I can feel shocks running through my arm.

"My name is Maren, and why did you save me?"

"Well...  You were about to die... and the rest... It's complicated." He hesitated

"I have plenty of time." I implied.

"Don't you have like a family to get to?"

"Nope. My parents died in a car accident about two years ago, and my sister... she hates me."

"Oh, I'm sorry I had no idea." He responds with sympathy in his voice.

"Eh, it's fine they weren't very good parents anyways." I replied indifferently. "Do you know what bit me? It seems like a shark, but I'm not sure."

"It was... a siren." He puffed out

What did he say it was? A siren? What the heck was that?

"What in the world is a siren?" I questioned full of confusion.

"I'll explain later. But we have to leave now, they are coming." He commanded with concern.

"Wait! Who are 'they'?" I nagged.

"I said I'll explain later. Come on!" He ordered.

"Okay, okay I'm coming! Take a chill pill!"

He grabbed my wrist with an annoyed look on his face and dragged me through some entrance to the cave that I never noticed before. As we exited the cave, we were ten meters away from the crashing waves, and the sun was just about to set. The sun's fading glow reflects onto the clouds giving them a soft orange and pink color. We dashed for a far off palm tree to rest at, and there were tall, beautiful trees not far off from our palm tree. I sudden pang of thirst hit me so I question, "Do you have any water?"

"Does it look like I have any?"

"So can you-"

"I will explain after I find water. If I am not back at this spot in exactly one hour, you run, got it?" He explained.

"Why can't I come with you?" I object.

"Your arm is in bad shape, you'll be holding me back. And it's faster if I do this myself."

My arm is fine, but other than that... Good point.

"Okay. But promise you'll be back in one hour?" I pleaded.

"I swear." He pledges and holds out his right hand. We both burst out laughing.  

"Okay. See you in an hour." I finished.

"One hour." He replied and into the trees he went.