Becoming Peter

Chapter 8

My stomach flipped as gravity took hold and tugged us down to the water. The Captain raced to the side, growling down at us. The moment we had hit the water, my gut fell back into place. Almost instantly, the boat swerved with the waves. It smacked back into the pirate ship once before drifting in the opposite direction. I covered my ears as children screamed and men laughed wickedly.

Repeating over and over again, I told them to stop. Hot tears trickled down my cheeks. Minutes passed like this with dangerous slides down waves that threatened to tip us over.

"Peter!" Sully drew my attention back. He was lying on the bottom of the boat. I glanced down at his pale face then followed his eyes above us. A moment passed before a wave crashed over us. The rowboat turned sideways. Balance ceased to exist as the ocean turned against us. I tumbled out into the glacial water. My bones shivered violently and I panicked before surfacing. I gasped for my lungs to expand.

Sully came up a few feet away. The waves were now only tall enough to wash over my head but not tow me under. The storm seemed to drift to the left of the ship that was now a half a mile away. The waters calmed near us, the storm going as quickly as it came. The rowboat was gone. Only shreds of wood floated around us.

"Lay on your back!" Sully called as he did the same. I stopped my struggle and did as I was told. My breathing steadied slowly with my heartbeat not too far behind. "We need to start swimming somewhere, Peter." He paddled towards me and held my arm tightly. "The storm could start up again. James said there's a bunch of islands around, right?" Sully eyed the grey clouds above. They threatened me and tempted the ocean.

"Right... Uh. Sully?" I winced, realizing I had a baseball-sized bruise on my knee from the boat.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know how to swim."

"Oh boy."

Before I could get the hang of it, the water came back to life. Clouds swept back in, ready for round two. Blood colored the water surrounding Sully's leg. The thought of sharks rising and snapping us in half took hold. Swallowing was hindered by my dry mouth. I coughed through my burning throat. Salt water, or maybe blood, trickled from my mouth.

"Breathe, Peter." Sully's voice was hoarse. "Stay above the waves."

For a moment, I thought he had said stars instead of waves and I dreamed of floating among the stars instead of the salt. The fantasy faded as the next wave splashed my face then dripped out my ears.

With a mind of its own, the sea insisted I join it and the seaweed below. Sully's hand desperately clung to my wrist, leaving crescent moons and red rings. Wave after wave slammed down on us. I would go under for a moment before kicking frantically to the surface. Sully's body drifted away but his grip drew blood. I yelped but it was muffled by water filling my throat. I shivered. The feeling in my toes and fingers were long gone. It seemed endless. My world became the ocean. But then my world shifted.

The water glowed beneath me, transforming it into an odd shade of turquoise. A wave dragged me under and I opened my eyes. Kicking desperately, a heavenly figure swam close to me. I stopped as a warm feeling filled my chest. I turned as another figure approached Sully.

They were beautiful. That was the only thought that pierced through my slipping consciousness. The fire burning in my lungs seemed like nothing when their warmth was so comforting. Their legs were missing and were replaced with an elegant fish tail. Perfectly shaped bikini shells were the only things they wore. The woman in front of me had blonde hair that flowed gracefully around her. She tapped my mouth. I opened without thinking. Panic flooded through me until she shoved something small down my throat. I choked it down before gasping for breath. It surprised me when my lungs didn't fill with water. All of the pain was pushed to the side as she took my wrist. The one that Sully was holding. I hadn't noticed he let go.

The water rushed past my ears as she glided effortlessly. It was a blur and I was forced to shut my eyes. My senses dulled except for touch. The water glided around my fingers, pushing them back. My body seemed like a ragdoll as she swam effortlessly. Instead of gazing at the passing sea creatures or trying to discover where she was taking me, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her soft skin, bright blue eyes. I noticed small pink starfish was sparsely decorating her hair.

A soundless yelp slipped out of my slips as my foot grazed bright orange coral. I scowled in her direction but she just giggled. Scowling, I kept my gaze down. The mystery and angel-like air about her vanished in an instant. The pain from the cuts and bruises returned along with a throbbing ache in my foot.

The fish lady stopped and smiled at me. The surface was just a few feet above us now. She threw me by my arm towards the shore. I scrambled desperately in that direction. My feet were like pins and needles as I crawled towards dry sand. The moment hit me when the sun shined down on my face. The reality took hold.

My arms and legs ached painfully. Everything hurt. My throat and nose stung with salt water but I didn't care. Sand dug into the heels on my bare feet. I barely noticed. I laughed out loud. It sounded out of place on the quiet sunny island. I opened my eyes and rested my hands on my forehead in disbelief. Grains of salt cracked the corners of my lips as I smiled up at the sun and empty sky.

We were free. Free from everything. Free from everyone. No more responsibilities and commands.

I sat up, calling Sully's name. I wanted to rejoice with him in our life-changing survival story. Maybe we could find a way to write out our own story, like in Sully's books. I hoped he hadn't lost his book in the storm.

I called for him again. The sun made me squint but I could see his still figure a few feet closer to the water. Bile rose in the back of my throat at the sight of all the blood painting the sand in shades of maroon. I swallowed hard and crawled over to him.

"Sully?"

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Yay! A longer chapter! Sorry for so many cliff hangers... and did you guys think I would forget to update? Well I did XD till just barely. With 8 minutes left of the day! Go me!
Anyway! Please vote and this time how about you comment your favorite color? My favorite is light blue.