Whispers Beneath The Waves (Boy x Boy) [Shortlisted for The Wattys 2018!]

Chapter 21 - Showdown

Hi everyone!

Once again, thank you SO MUCH for your patience with these story updates - as I have mentioned, I am writing  Whispers Beneath The Waves alongside other projects that I have had to prioritise, but the good news is that we are nearly at the end now. I think it will be another 2 chapters and I'll try to get them out a bit quicker...! :)

I really appreciate people still taking the time to read and keep up with this... I hope you enjoy this action-packed chapter!

Much love,

Becky x

Chapter 21

Showdown

As I cut through the waves, the only thing I focused on was my body. My arms and legs as they forcefully propelled me towards the tiny dot of Maryssa in the distance. The tang of salt on my tongue. The pockets of air that filled my lungs as my head bobbed between sky and sea.

I had swum out here too many times to count, but this time something was different. This time I knew something about myself that changed everything.

"You can Lennon, because... you're half merman."

How could it be possible? I didn't have a tail. I'd never seen so much as a single scale upon my skin. I guess that was the human part of me overtaking any aquatic DNA. Even so, I'd always felt different from everyone else in the Bay. I'd always felt drawn to the sea in a way I could never explain. Was this why? Maybe Kye wasn't the only reason for my obsession. Maybe it was inside me all along.

I sped past the grotto, the familiar ledge looking lonely and sinister in the current situation. This is where I'd had so many happy times with Keiko, and now look what was happening. The thought of Maryssa harming her in any way caused me to go even faster. I never normally swam much beyond this point, not since the storm when I was 14, but I had to keep going.

Wait. The storm. It flooded my mind, but this time I was seeing it with brand new eyes. I should have died that night, even with Kye's epic rescue. I got pulled so far out and so far down that no human could have survived it. Was this why? Because I had powers I never even knew I was capable of?

I'd never tested them since that night. I'd never pushed myself to see what I could do.

Well, I was damn well pushing myself now.

I became a blur in the water, this new knowledge about myself somehow unlocking a whole new level of ability. I felt stronger. Faster. I ducked my head down and found I could hold my breath effortlessly. I could no longer tell where the ocean began and I ended. My skin merged with the water as I got further and further out. Further than I ever thought possible. Until, finally, I reached them.

Maryssa was floating quite literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but an endless expanse of sea in every direction. Her red hair was wild, covering her bare breasts, and sparks still crackled off her body. Keiko was slung over her shoulder, completely unconscious.