The Atlantean Chronicles: Call of the Sea

Chapter Nine

Diana hadn't even realized she had gotten to her feet until she heard her chair clatter to the floor behind her. "Diana?" Arielle asked in a small voice; Diana's blood roared in her ears and Arielle's voice sounded far away.

She looked around the room, unsure of what to do, her heart pounded and everything she looked at was framed in a cloud of haze. Her muscles felt numb as she backed away from the table. Thunder barked in concern somewhere beside her, but she ignored him.

"Diana are you--" Reith began, but she put a hand up to stop him, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

It was too much, too much at once. She didn't even realize she was hyperventilating until her throat closed up and her breath came out in quick rasps. She staggered back a couple of steps until she bumped into the glass doors. "I- I just need some air," she gasped, turning and sliding the door open.

Diana walked briskly across the yard until the hill sloped down and the lush grass slowly gave way to rocks and sand. As soon as she was sure she was out of sight of the house, she took off running down the beach, taking in huge gulps of air as she tried to calm herself and clear her mind.

They hadn't said it, only suggested it. Could it be possible? Were she and Arielle really the rightful heirs to the throne of Atlantis? It seemed foolish considering up until two days ago, Atlantis had been nothing more than a myth to her. How could they possibly expect her to be Atlantis' last hope? And unifying Atlantis with the surface world? That would be revealing a long forgotten country to a land full of ignorance and greed, while acting as a diplomat as well...

Diana stopped running, bending over and bracing her hands against her thighs. She shook her head. What the hell was happening? A week ago she was nothing more than a cafe waitress and college student. The biggest thing she'd had to worry about was making sure her interview went well for an internship. Now her mentor was dead, her aunt missing, and she and her sister were apparently long lost royalty of an undersea kingdom. Could she even breath under water?

Her head spun and she fell on her back in the sand, staring up at the sky. The sun hung high overhead and warmed her skin. She closed her eyes, the bright sunlight turning her eyelids red as slowly, her breathing returned to a steady pace.

"Did you pass out or are you awake?"

Diana's eyes flicked open as a shadow fell over her. She blinked in surprise as she saw Jacin standing over her. The sunlight struck the back of his head, turning his blonde hair a brilliant golden color.

Diana propped herself up on her elbows and looked questioningly and hesitantly at him as he sat down beside her, gazing out at the ocean.

"You were the last person I expected to run after me," she admitted, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. She rested her arms on her knees and watched the waves gently lap at the shore, the foam nearly tickling her toes, but not quite reaching.

"Technically, I didn't run after you. But I know you didn't want to be alone," he said simply, still looking out at the ocean.

Diana pressed her lips together. "What makes you think I don't want to be alone?"

Jacin tilted his head just enough to look at her from the corner of his eye. "Believe me, the times when you think you want to be alone, are the times you need someone there for you more than ever."

Diana studied him, there was an emotion in his voice that she had never heard from him, though she couldn't quite place it. He was staring back out at the ocean and she saw the same longing in his ocean blue eyes that she felt every time she stood on the shore. He clenched his jaw and looked down at his chest. Diana tilted her head, she had never really looked at him, she realized. Most of the time they were avoiding each other's gaze, too irritated with one another.