Dea Shattered

⎈Prologue

When I was little my grandfather and I would go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California every summer. I remember the adrenaline I felt being so close to the thin glass separating the jaws of a great white from my little 10-year-old face. It's like when you are about to go on a roller coaster, unsure what will come next but confident you'll survive to tell your friends about it. It's that same feeling, but just think, If there were no seat belts would you go on that ride? Would you be confident enough to tell yourself you can hold on? Now imagine that aquarium. Now...imagine the glass breaks.

*****

The boat rocked slowly on the water, and the glass of champagne held in my mother's hand sloshed against the side of the glass. Her laugh trickling across the boat dock. Brushing my blonde windblown hair from my face I headed towards the commotion.

Suddenly the boat tipped heavily to one side, I crashed against a sun chair with a gasp. A crash of glass soon followed. Looking up I found my flabbergasted Mom looking down at the broken champagne glass.

"Now that's just inconvenient," she tilled with a shake of her head. Her blue-grey eyes looking down at the mess of glass shards and champagne.

"Here Mom I got it," I carefully bent down to pick up the glass. My brother James and grandpa joined me. The glass was slick with champagne and the shards dug into my palm. As I picked up the last shard I winced and glanced down at my hand.

Blood dripped down it, some drops landed on the boat deck. It seeped into the wood, leaving behind dark red circles.

"Oh, Dea. James be a good lad and get the first aid," my grandpa called out. Taking the now bloody glass from my hands he dumped it into a bin. When James returned with the first aid he grimaced at the blood that pooled in my hand.

My father set into carefully cleaning and wrapping my bloody hand in a clean white bandage. The pain was faint but still was there. I pulled my hand close to my chest and thanked grandpa. He quietly patted my shoulder and smiled at me.

"I hope it doesn't leave a scar" my mother frowned, "come. Let's go and eat lunch inside-." She was cut off as a strike of lightning blazed across the sky. The rain started to trickle down from the now cloudy horizon.

Staring up at it my brows furrowed. I could have sworn it was clear earlier, but now rain pelted down on us.

My Mother ushered my grandpa inside, but my brother stalled and glanced hurriedly around the deck.

"What is it?" I called over the wind that had started to whirl around us. The cold rain slipped down my shirt, and my soaked hair clung to my face.

"Where's Sasha?" James shouted over the winds. It was my turn to glance rapidly across the deserted boat. Shit.

I waved at my brother to go inside. He nodded his head, and then slid clumsily across the deck and inside.

Another beam of lightning cracked across the dark sky, I flinched. Grabbing the nearest object to steady myself, I listened over the howling wind. Almost completely drowned out by the wind a dog's bark could be heard.

Slipping across the deck I came closer to the sound. Another wave crashed across the boat, and it sent me sprawling to the slick ground. I gasped and clawed at the wall, trying to find any hold I could find. Another bolt of lightning crashed down, this time on the water.

"Sasha! Come here girl," I belted out. I kept moving through, and as I rounded a corner a blond soaked shape huddled against the wall.

"Sasha, it's okay I'm here." I slid towards her and crashed to the ground when another wave knocked the boat.

Sashas beady eyes looked up at me from beneath her shaggy drenched form. A whimper sounded from her and I crept closer wrapping my arms around the soaked dog. She huddled against me and I gripped her, in a desperate attempt to keep her from sliding around as the boat began to rock more hostilely.

I grunted as I began to lift her up in my arms, I needed to get inside. Struggling to my feet I began to head back to the door. Water swished around my feet, and then the boat tipped.

I screamed as my back went flying into the side of the boat. I felt myself tip over the edge, and at the last minute, I tossed Sasha to the ground. The last thing I heard was a small pained yelp as I plummeted into the hostile waters.

Water filled my ears and I crashed against the sea. The waves clawed and grasped onto me, slowly dragging me under. Turning and twisting in the water, I uselessly flailed around.

My palm burned with pain as the salt in the water seemed to claw at it. My throat burned and I felt myself tire. My movement grew slower and heavier, and I found myself drifting slowly down into the dark waters.  

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Published: April 3rd, 2020 at 10:29 pm

Words: 880