Vengeance

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter 24

The Plunge

Edward had once told me that Carlisle swam to France, a hundred years after becoming a vampire, which I had always thought was a little strange.  Now, as I moved through the dark water off the coast of Canada, I realized how inaccurate Carlisle’s story must’ve been.  The moment I stepped through the waves, I found that my body mass was a great deal heavier than before, and, unlike a human, I did not float.  Instead, I sank to the sandy bottom of the ocean, unbothered by the intense pressure of the deep or the tumultuous waves that would destroy a ship, and found my footing alongside the others.

I wasn’t sure what would happen when I went into the abyss; I had been too concerned with what would come after to care about the water.  A bit of panic arose as I moved further and became fully engulfed; old, dim memories of a near-drowning as a child resurfaced, forcing me to claw at the empty space around me.  As I thrashed, something came from the darkness, and rested on my shoulder.  I turned to find Esme’s hand touching me, a reassuring smile on her face, and I felt myself calm a little.

The one part of being underwater I did not anticipate was the clarity of everything; my inhuman eyesight allowed me to see very clearly.  I could gaze around as if I was looking around at night, and there was plenty to look at. 

The entire floor of the ocean was like a mountain range, climbing high in the watery sky above us.  The rocks were jagged in some areas and smooth in others, providing evidence of the impact from the currents.  Speaking of the currents, they tossed our hair, but did nothing against our strength; we were able to move normally through the sandy bottoms, seeing morbid sea creatures scuttle out of our path.

The sea life around us was clearly aware of our presence; they maneuvered through the water on a path that always kept them at least ten feet from us.  Edward told me once that animals were aware that they were predators, which made hunting them even more of a sport.  Since I didn’t plan on doing any hunting on the ocean floor, I kept my attention focused ahead.

The Denalis led the way, flanked by the Amazons, my family, me, and tailed by Maria and Paulo.  I turned back every now and then, glancing back at the couple, and almost always caught them frolicking in the water.  Maria had discovered that, although our bodies sank, we could propel ourselves in any direction with our strength, and fly through the water for a good distance.  She and Paulo took turns spinning and doing flips before descending back to the bottom.

Once again, my mind began to wander while we moved, thinking of the best strategies to handle the upcoming battle.  Frankly, after we got on the beach, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do; should I just head off with Esme, or should I stay and contribute to the fight?  My main target during this insurrection was Jacob, so I would obviously be making a beeline for him; but, what should I do after I kill him?

Jacob was a skillful combatant, as I had been told time and time again as a human, so I was positive that I was in for one hell of a fight.  I tried to recall anything I had heard the Cullens say about the wolves’ fighting, but ended up with shady memories that I wasn’t even sure were real.  My brow knit in frustration, and I wanted to cry out, but remembered that I was underwater, and realized I would only succeed in filling my lungs with water. 

A swift movement caught my attention, and I caught sight of black and white as I turned to see what it was.  Maria and Paulo came to my side, pointing in between the rocks, fascinated expressions on their faces.  I waited and, after a few seconds, my mouth fell open as a giant mass appeared from the distant shadows; a killer whale.  As far as I could remember, I was sure that Renee had taken me to Sea World as a young girl, but this was my first encounter in the wild.