Stone of the Sea

1. Serena

Darkness surrounded me, flooded within me, completely absorbing me. I felt as if a ballon had been blown up inside my head lifting me past the skies. The feeling in my body returned, and I wasn't in the most comfortable condition. Not only did my head feel like it was in some surreal dream, but I was wet; and not in a fun way. The jean high waist short I had been wearing, now felt like I was deep in a sloshy stiff pamper. I'm sure the white cropped tee looked like I had been thrown off the road, and just by chance, landed in a swamp. Flip flops barely last a week, I bet the strap has already abandoned the sole leaving a hole big enough to foresee someones future.

I heard a muffled sound and my head ticked towards it. It was only one syllable. I heard it again, and again, and it didn't stop. One syllable multiplied, becoming sentences etched together. I guess my ears weren't ready for words quite yet. I took the plunge and attempted crack my eyes open, realizing how much of a challenge it seemed to be. My lids eventually opened in my favor, but my situation was not prosperous- I couldn't see. It's like when you wake up from a good sleep and your eyes are very blurry. I moved my arms and lifted myself to a sitting position, feeling the full weight of gravity hitting me. The noise continued with no intention of stopping; only getting closer. I tried to wipe the sleep out of my eyes, but no matter how hard I rubbed it was all a blur. Is this the lords way of telling me that I don't need my sight?

My mind wondered to all the things I'd never see again. I'd never read a good book again. Never see the world and what it has to offer. My thoughts were cut off as a pair of hands landed on my shoulders, helping me to my feet. I opened my mouth to thank them, yet no words passed my throat. The hands shifted from my shoulders to around me as they led me away. My blurred vision could only tell so much. I knew that we were traveling inside, and I was being led up the stairs into a room. My hands shot out onto their arms; it must have been a woman. Her hands were soft and her shoulder were dense and slightly caved in, She was an old woman,

" Are ye able to hear?" My head shot up towards the voice. "Well news, ye'er pretty, It'd be a shame if ye lived a soundless life a well. What on earth are ye wearing?" My eyebrows crush together and I blink furiously as I try to clear my vision. " I've some water ready, ye need a good cleanin'. What are ye wearin' ?" I feel her bony fingers at the edges of my shirt, cautiously lifting them as if she were afraid of what to find underneath. My inner self was delighted to get rid of those soggy clothes, so I lifted my arms complying with every move she made. I heard her inhale once my shirt hit the ground, probably confused as to what a bra was. She circled around me looking for some sort of clue for her to begin her attack. By the time she returned inferno of me, I moved my arms behind me easily unhooking my bra and tossing it to the side. Now don't get me wrong, my body and I have a love hate relationship, but I wasn't afraid of this woman seeing me. Honestly I couldn't care as long as I could get this muck off of me.

My mind turned towards the previous events that I could remember.

My best friend Jordan and I were on vacation around the Caribbean. It was around nine o clock, when we decided to go to the local coffee shop to relax, and enjoy the fine world of caffeine. Jordan had pointed out an unusual looking rock that was covered in mud on the ground. Of course I pick up the rock, and take it with me inside, to keep as a souvenir, as a memory . We sat down at a table for two, chatting about the weather, the water, and the beautiful local men who pranced about. As she was going into detailed story about a particular male that she had an encounter with, I took out the rock, and began cleaning it.

When I got most of the mud off of the rock,I looked at it closely noticing that they appeared to have some sort of fluid swirling inside of it but ... that couldn't have been possible. My eyes squinted as I brought the rock closer to my face. Before my eyes the liquid began to freeze over, making the stone as solid as a diamond, and at that instant my eyes began to burn. I scoot back from the table abruptly, wafting air onto my face trying to find some sort of relief from the pain behind my lids, as tears began to stream down my face. I heard Jordan calling my name, but I couldn't get a word out that overshadowed my cries of distress. The air that filled my lungs seemed to become thinner by the second, and my body automatically begins to convulse.

I fell to the ground holding onto my chest hoping that this was not going to be the end of everything. I closed my eyes attempting to regain composer, when my head felt the violation. It had felt as if my existence weighed along a string that was being plucked by an iron grasp paling me from this world in seconds. With each second that passed my fight was coming closer to it's end. A brutal final tug seemed to have taken away every pain, making my body go numb - I felt weightless. My eyes sunk to the back of my head and I just let go as the world grew dim.

I snapped back as I see a blurred version of the woman moving towards where I discarded bra, lifting and examining it. I shifted in my sloshy shorts on edge due to the thick liquid curving itself around my body. The woman was still distracted by my undergarments, so I removed my bottoms completely and stepped out of them. I reached my hands out hoping to find the bucket of water she had prepared. She then moved and grabbed what I assumed to be a wet rag, wringing water everywhere. She stood up and paused a moment, " What is that jewel doin on yer belly?" Continuing forth she grabbed my hand beginning to my arms, sliding the rag down my arms, letting the water cascade onto the floor. Curving up she swept across my shoulder and down the other arm. The warm water felt marvelous as it lingered on my neck, my cheek, my lips. As she swept down my body, she began to carefully wash around the piercing at my naval. " Ye have no hair like a child." I rolled my eyes at the criticism, doubting that she would be in any better position. She turns me to my back roughly washing away the filth. It took a great amount of energy not to fall over at the force.

Once she was finished, she left me to fetch something for me to wear. By the way she spoke, I highly doubted she'd own any sort of fashionable wear. I lifted my arms, waiting for her to to dress me. The dress fell down to my ankles, and the sleeves bore past my elbows bunching at the wrist. I put my hands to my chest feeling the itchy material opened at a small v going into laced cloth. " Do ye know where ye are?" I shook my head, "Do ye know how ye got ere?" I shook my head again, " Do ye have a name?" Did I? I thought in confusion as to how I couldn't remember something as simple as my name. " Ah well, to repay my kindness, I have a job for ye." She grabbed my shoulders and led me out of the room.

The sound of noise and ruckus grew louder and louder as the woman led me away from the room. My foot felt the floor descend into steps and her arms again wrapped around me, holding not me, as we slowly slid down the stairs. When we reached the bottom, she grabbed both of my shoulders and jerked me towards her, " It's a simple job, do as you're told." Her whispered echoed in my ears. Those bony hands retreated from my body, and I became lost without direction. All I could see through my blurry vision were people moving all around me, both men and women by the sounds of it. The men were blatantly barking with laughter, and the women's giggles floated around the room, probably attempting to caress some man.

" An unfamiliar face!" A shrilling voice engulfed me, "The job is a bit unusual when you first begin, but it is easy to get use to. All you have to listen to what they want, but be sure to get the money." Her arms wrapped around me, as she moved me closer into the room. Rough hand yanked at my dress, pulling me into them. Those hands worming their way onto my ass. Laughter sneered all around me from multiple men and women. I was pulled back into the shrilling woman, arms crossing across my chest, " Careful with this one," Her hand lowered covering and squeezing my breast, " She's new."

I knocked her arm off of me, and she giggled, swaying us side to side. Taking one of my hands, she swirled me around in back to back circles; making me extremely dizzy. She pushed me out, and brought me sharply back into her still giggling fiercely. Again she pushed me out, letting go of my hands, and I went flying. All the contents inside of my head rammed against the inner walls, and my balance was knocked off of its scale. My feet stumbled against the floor and I ran into a solid body, bouncing back instantly. I would have hit the ground if a hand didn't hold onto my arm.

" Captain Knox I apologize much, I didn't intend for her to run into you." Her hands grab onto me, " I'll remove her from your way."

" Don't." The rich-deep voice vibrated through my core system, " I'll have her." The woman retreated instantly, backing away. His grip tightened on my arm, and then I was being dragged elsewhere. We traveled back up the set of stairs, and around the crowded room from above. The noise constantly reverberating down along my right told me that we were traveling around a bend to the right, when he stopped me. I heard the creek of a door opening, and laughter one second, then I was hauled inside.