I should've listened to the sirens, the warnings, the cops. They were all signaling a storm was approaching towards the shore. I didn't listen to the warnings though. I didn't know this was going to be the biggest regret of my 'life' and I didn't know that I was going to be taking a HUGE risk here.
I rode towards it, but my anxiety kicked in. The wave was too big and it wasn't even close to me yet, but I could sense it. The grey storm clouds seemed to grow a darker shade and the sun's rays were long gone.
My vision began to get blurry, struggling to see. My mind was clouded just like the skies, and I couldn't see anything that was going on. The only thing I felt was the massive impact that knocked me completely off of my board. The suddenness took me by surprise and the salty waters traveled into my mouth. I coughed it up and opened my eyes.
My breaths were becoming shallow and I felt myself getting heavier. I was getting farther away from the surface and my mind went blank. I couldn't think and I couldn't breathe. It would be very helpful if I was part fish right now.
Clumps of seaweed, schools of fish, and even a couple turtles all floated past me as the wave sped toward the shore. I was quickly running out of oxygen, and if I didn't get to the top of the waters soon, I would black out. I tried not to focus on my breath as I swam toward the edge for the thing I needed most.
I began slipping in and out of consciousness and started seeing things. The first thing I saw was a dancing lighter out of the corner of my eye. The fire was blasting out of the lighter, and it felt like I could feel it. The heat was radiating onto me, but it went away as quickly as it came. I didn't see the lighter anymore, and was hoping it didn't come back anytime soon.
Swimming towards the shore was my main obligation. I was so close, but I had little to no air left in my lungs. My lungs began to close in and my eyelids grew heavier. After each passing second, my head began hurting more and more. I did the only thing I could do, I took a deep breath. My lungs filled with the distasteful ocean water as my fingertips touched the only thing of air that I could get.
All of the water filled my lungs, no space left untouched. Before I let my eyes close and sink into the endless pits of the ocean, I saw something- no! I saw someone. I saw the familiar face of one of my new housemates. I saw the familiar face of one of the twins. I saw the familiar features of Ivan Martinez. I wonder, how do I see him? Probably the hallucinations.
I reached out to him, only to find my hand went straight through his dry, clothed body. I tried to touch his hair, but it wavered, almost as if it were a hologram. I opened my mouth to say something, but all of the water traveled into my mouth and down my throat, causing me to choke. What a stupid decision for me to make.
Ivan opened his mouth as if to say something, but at first no words came out. "Natalia." Ivan said which startled me. I couldn't take it anymore, I choked and my eyes shut. I was starting to lose consciousness and my throat felt scratchy. I let it be and gave up. I was going to die. I stopped struggling and went into an endless sleep.
"Natalia." I heard. Wait! Aren't I dead? "Natalia." What are these voices that I'm hearing?
"Natalia!" The voice screamed and I instantly woke up. I was lying in my room, the lights were on, but it was still dark outside. The digital clock on my nightstand read 3:43 A.M in big, bold, red letters. I looked up and saw two figures standing above my bed. Jake and... Ivan.
"What was your dream about? You're shaking pretty badly." Jake said in a calm, quiet voice. He was trying to seize my shaking and not wake up Rosalinda at the same time. We all know what happens when we wake up Rosalinda... even the twins know what happens.
I hadn't even noticed the shaking until Jake pointed it out to me. I took a huge, deep breath, relived that I had gotten air and not water in my lungs. "You might want to sit down." I said gesturing toward the couch that sat right across from Rosalinda and I's bunk bed. They didn't argue, but proceeded to sit down. I waited a second before I continued to speak.
"Well what happened was..."
