Deep Blue

Chapter 1

A fair warning that I came up with inspiration for this story from the above song (Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by MISSIO). I love the tone and lyrics and it made me think of deep sea monsters and seduction.

I don't plan on including anything highly graphic, but I will change the maturity score based on future updates if need be.

All characters and places are 100 percent from my imagination and purely coincidental if it matches anything from the real world or other reads. This is the only place I am publishing my story, so if you're reading it on anything but Wattpad and a different author than IntuitiveWolf it's infringing on my rights as the original creator. Please let me know if that happens.

Aside from all that, I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts in the comments and if you love it make sure to leave a vote. It really helps motivate me to write more and better. Enjoy!

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My phone's ringtone rings through the fabric of my skirt pocket as I sit on my back porch. Excitement swims through my veins at the thought of it being one of the laboratories I had applied to in the past two months. A glance at the home screen confirms it is a number I don't personally have. Either it's another tax scammer or it's a research facility finally getting back to me.

I carefully press the green button to accept the call. "Hello? This is Kai Augustine speaking." The air in my lungs stills for the other person's response.

"This is Trisa Johnson from the Center for Marine Biomedical Research calling about your application status. You have been accepted on the team," says a woman with a husky voice.

Pure happiness washes over me. It's been a while past graduation since I've had a real job. I wouldn't consider working at Randy's Cornershop a real job. "Great! When do I start?"

Trisa quickly replies, "This Monday will be best. We will schedule your training at 9:00 in the morning. As posted in the advertisement, your daily shifts will be 9:00am to 5:00pm."

A grin stretches my cheeks. "Sounds awesome! See you then."

"Bye," she says shortly and cuts the call.

I place my phone on the table beside me and star into the thick coniferous forest that hugs my backyard. It's always been a dream to be on a research team, especially one that combines my two favorite subjects: marine wildlife and medicine. I'd considered being a marine biologist and veterinarian when I was still in high school, but after being introduced to the wonders of laboratory studies I found my calling. I decide to call my mom about my big news.

She picks up after the fourth ring, "Kai bear! I can't believe you finally called. It's been in ages! Where have you been?"

I chuckle at her exaggerated drama tone. " You know, just selling my soul to Randy's. It's easy but unfulfilling work."

She's quick to insert, "And not a job that I expected my Graduate School child to depend on."

"Hey, I just graduated. Not all of us are lucky and hired before we get our degree," I say, a little hurt that she once again brought up her discontent with my current job status. She's been on my ass about getting an 'adult' job now that I'm graduated. Every call she has something passive aggressive to say about it.

She sighs, "I know, times are tough. I'm assuming you called me for a reason though?" Right to the point she is.

"I just got accepted into my first real job at the Center for Marine Biomedical Research here in North California!" I exclaim excitedly.

"Oh honey that's just great! I knew you could do it. Look at my little girl growing into a scientist. You know, Kai, I always knew you'd end up in some fancy science field. You've always had the mind for it," she says happily. It feels good for her to finally be proud of me. She's always been a little critical, but at least I can say my mom has always been my support. I can count on one hand the number of times she has let me down.

"Yeah, I'm really excited. I hope I get to work with the orcas and their breathing habits. I know the lab said something about humans and aquatic respiratory research," I ramble on, one thing I'm best at.

My mom chuckles, "You've always had an odd fascination with the weirdest things Kai. Next it'll be if werewolves really do exist."

I roll my eyes. "That's impossible."

"The birds on the porch are calling my name honey. I've gotta go. I really am so proud of you," she quickly says.

"Okay mom, I love you."

"Love you too Kai bear. Bye bye." She ends the call before I can say bye back.

I scroll through my social media and feel like posting about my new job, but I refrain from doing so. There might be ramifications to talking about my position since the research might be sensitive. It's better to avoid nosy questions from friends and keep it to myself until I get more guidelines after orientation.

A cool wind starts to blow in from the north, making the trees shiver. I take my cup of hot chocolate and go inside before the chill brings in the rain. A patter of sprinkles hit the back porch before I slide the door fully closed. I stand halfway in the door, just watching the outdoors as Nature takes her time. Is she crying or watering her garden? Does she mourn the destruction we cause or is she feeding the life around us? Will I contribute to her pain or will she embrace my discoveries? Only time could tell.

I eventually step inside and slide the door fully closed behind myself. The steadily darkening sky gives me the creeps so I end up pulling the curtains in front of the doors. R.I.P scenic view. With nature fully closed off from me, I find myself sitting in bed with the laptop in my lap and my drink on my bedside table.

Somehow my fun pinterest searches turned into marine species research. What exact species will I probably working with? What native marine species will I encounter? What kind of precautions should I be thinking of?

The only results that pop up are a variety of whales, barnacles and occasionally seals. If I'm really lucky I'll run into giant sea turtles. It's been a dream of mine to swim with the giant reptiles of the sea. Because my studies focused on the lab, I never got the opportunity for scuba diving lessons and cool field trips like the marine biology majors. I can't say that I'm totally jealous though. I'd never want to give humboldt squids the chance to drown and eat me, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Hours pass on the computer before I realize that my searching has led to supposed counts of mystical sea creature sightings. I giggle at the counts of the kraken, nessy and mermaids. Everyone knows those don't really exist.

They were created in folktales to scare the people and teach about the worlds dangers. What could scare a kid into good behavior better than convincing them monsters laid in wait of naughty children. Human history has painted us as a creative species with exaggerated explanations for phenomena. I'm sure today's story tellers have the same dramatic flare, just like these monster testimonials.

A quick look at the time leads me to closing the laptop and getting out of bed. It's 10 at night and I still need to shower. I take a towel from my closet and go to the bathroom I share with my roommate. The air feels fresh meaning that the water is probably warm. Jessica has a nasty habit of stealing all the hot water in her random shower schedule.

I drop today's clothes in the hamper beside the sink and remove my hair tie. It's time I finally scrubbed my hair. Two months into boycotting shampoo has led to my hair being stronger but greaser. I can't walk into work like this tomorrow.

My shower steams up the bathroom and I relax under the hot water. There's nothing better than a long hot shower. Regardless of my pining for a long shower, I make it quick for conservation's sake even though I doubt my one shower has much impact on our water resources. I walk out feeling fresh, clean and smooth. Like most girls, I prefer the feeling of smooth skin and hairless armpits, not to mention shaved legs for the fresh sheets wiggle.

I wrap the towel around my waist and gently comb through my dark auburn locks. The ends fall just below shoulders, kissing my collar bone when they're dry.

Tomorrow is guaranteed to be a long day, so I make my going-to-bed routine fast. I turn off my light and snuggle deep into my sheets. The cool air in my bedroom cools me off enough to easily fall into a slumber filled with dreams of marine monsters and the deep blue water of the sea.