where the water meets the moon | e.d.

twenty-two

ethan

i'm back in the dreaded, heavy wetsuit and bulky life jacket that barely allows me to move my arms.

evan hands me a couple sample tubes and some goggles, since i might have to go underwater to grab some algae from some other coral.

so far our research has been slow, and i've heard other boats have gotten a lot farther than us.

but addy always says slow and steady wins the race.

"okay, ready?" she asks, dragging the anchor across the deck and letting it sit on the side, where she'll eventually push it in.

"i guess."

the swim is a lot closer than it was a couple weeks ago, which makes me hate avery for putting the both of us through that. no wonder the girl didn't want to go out today. i wouldn't if i didn't have to.

"want us to time you? see how many laps you can get?" evan laughs out, starting to climb the ladder up the watch chair with some binoculars and a whistle.

if he sees a dangerous animal, he's supposed to blow it to let me know.

"michael phelps would cry," addison yells up at him, making me laugh a little.

i'm nervous, but as long as there's three people watching for stuff, then i'll be okay.

"jump in whenever," addy prompts, and i stand above the ladder than lowers into the water.

and then i leap off the deck into the cold, frigid water that makes me shudder when i hit it.

but i swim, keeping my eyes on the area of water that's supposed to have a lot of coral peeking up to the surface.

the life jacket restricts my arms, causing me to slow my speed and swim ten times slower than i could be.

"i'm not going to drown," i shake my head, bobbing up out of the water and reaching for the buckles of the floating device.

it unbuckles, and i try to keep it in front of me so they can't tell that i've taken it off.

the waves are slightly larger than they were the first time, but not enough to make me want to put the life jacket back on.

now does it cross my mind that we should have a tether that ties me to the boat. that might be smart, and i'll have to suggest it to avery when i get back.

i'm breathing heavy by the time i reach my destination with no complications from the water, or evan's whistle noise. i pull the goggles down on my face and duck under the water, leaving the life jacket bobbing at the surface.

i glance around under the slightly murky water until i spot some bright red coral, and swim over to it. i feel my breath running out, but i need to grab a sample before i go back up.

i force myself to chip of a piece before looking back up to the surface. i've been down for awhile, so i hope they're not getting worried.

it surprises me a little when i see another body swimming at full speed towards my life jacket.

with a forceful push, i'm reaching towards the top and coming out of the water, sputtering and trying to catch my breath.