The Aquarian

Chapter 23

We hadn't found anything in days, since leading us into this bay, full of lurking huge fish. Every minute I spend here threatens my sisters life, as well, just another reason to find some information we may have
missed.

Jack told me that he had doubts that we had found the right bay, but I the area matched exactly the one the dreaded humans had described in textbooks, so how could it not be?

Nonetheless, General Todulumus was aware of our slacking of resources, and let us know that just before the sun rised this morning.
"We have spent 3 days in search of this stone in this unknown bay and I'm afraid that our strategy so far has not worked, well not in the time span I had hoped for.
Instead, where going to have to split up and explore different areas of the bay.

I will split our group in partners and assign areas of the bay for everyone."
He announced.
General Todulumus circled around us and started assigning groups.
"Milaksmead and Jack, you can go together." He told us, thankfully for me, as I didn't really know any of the other researchers that well, and it is easier to talk to him, sort of.
Me and Jack where assigned the right side of the front of the bay.
We had to maneuver through columns of multicoloured corral and reeds.
Finally, we had made it into a semi-clearing.

Then I realized my fingers where tingling, not just a nervous rush, but an uncontrollable tingling.
What's going on, and why does it have to happen now? I wondered.
Then I remembered; I had forgotten to drink my bottle of transformation serum, to make sure I stayed in the form of Milaksmead.
I usually took it right when I got up, but General Todulumus's strategy plan had distracted me.
I had to get myself away from Jack, as quickly as possible.
"Um, maybe we should spread out?" I suggested.
"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Use those crazy brains of yours. The stones where supposed to be under the coral." Jack reminded me.
I nodded in reply, and set off through a gap in the corral, getting through the cavern into a separate one.
I swam quickly, looking for a small crevice, or a large patch of corral so I could-
What.... the stones.
I thought that I might mistake them for regular pearls once I saw them, but there was no mistaking this  scintillating view.
There was a vast field of shining blue lights, that seemed to be glowing themselves, rather than reflecting.
The cavern stretched on for miles, milled of just scintillating small blue gems.
It was the cure, inside the Aquamarine stones.
I started towards them, and felt myself slowly morph back into myself, after almost weeks of portraying someone else.
I didn't even think about the fact that I could be spotted, or that I should take the serum, I was completely in a trance.

And besides, it felt so natural, so right, to find the stones in my real body.
I was now right beside the stones, and their perpetuating reflection had intensified, mostly in the middle of my view.
I then realized how long I had been gawking at the beautiful stones, and decided I should call out the signal to Jack and the rest, and just quickly take the serum.
I started to call it out, my voice mellow and higher than I was used to, when I saw that more and more of the stones had began to float, just slowly at first, and then they swirled quickly
upwards.
Their was a low sound coming from somewhere at the surface, that was drowning out my signal call.
I reached out in the blinding light, quickly, to take the stones and put them back, when I saw the ship come towards me.
It was like it had just appeared there, my heart racing, as I could see that it had me cornered in the cavern, and it could simply swoop down for me.

Then, a human with dark hair and a confusingly familiar complexion reached out of the ship towards me.