Atlantis Tide Breaker, page 8
I was parched of affection from Gill. Hurt by his uncaring attitude. Worried about his future. But I couldn’t express any of this.
Maybe he believed I’d just enjoy our time together and not think about a future. It would be best if he believed this. Better for my ego. I didn’t want him to think I’d be pining away for him.
Straightening my shoulders, I decided to get tough. My toughness came out in sarcasm. “At least you’re saying goodbye this time.”
“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “Can I have the nautilus.”
He wasn’t really saying goodbye. He’d just come to get the nautilus. Pulling his usual routine by taking what he wants. From me.
The string bag felt heavy on my back. I should just let him take the shell and crawl back into the ocean. Let him figure out the stupid cipher by himself.
But that wouldn’t help Maris. Plus, if I shared what I discovered maybe he’d stay longer. Maybe he’d realize how important I am to him. Maybe we could work a relationship of some sort between us. “I saw something on the nautilus. I think I figured out the code.”
“That’s great, but I need to get back now. If Maris needs the code I’m sure she’ll find a way to be in touch.” He didn’t say it, but I knew he wouldn’t volunteer to be the messenger. He held out his hands.
Failure.
His words summarized my thoughts. I’d spent most of the night figuring out the code on the nautilus. But the message had to be found before I could apply the key.
If the picture was a map to find the message I couldn’t figure it out. I’d wracked my supposedly-brilliant brain for a solution and come up with nothing.
Anger at myself for total loss, anger at Gill for leaving, anger at my own stupid emotions ripped, shredding my insides to pieces. My eyes prickled and stung. I wanted to collapse onto the sand.
Instead, I removed the string bag from around my back and shoved it at him. “I’ve got to get ready for my competition.”
He grabbed my arm to stop my progress and for a second I thought he’d changed his mind about leaving. “Don’t compete.”
The order stopped my action. I froze. “Excuse me?”
What right did he have to say goodbye and then demand I not do something? My team counted on me. I couldn’t live my life listening to him when he was leaving. He wouldn’t be around.
“Those guys who attacked me might recognize you in the ocean.” His voice sounded like a tight string ready to snap at any moment.
I yanked my arm out of his. The thought that he worried about me crossed my mind, but I couldn’t take comfort. “They weren’t after me. They were after you.”
“The ocean is dangerous for you now.”
“So I should never swim in the ocean again?” My voice rose, incredulity sneaking into the sharp tone. He had no right to even ask. Anger boiled over inside. “I don’t think so.”
I stormed away to the dock where my competition was taking place. Yanking off my shorts and sweatshirt, I tugged my swim cap and shook out my arms and legs a bit too hard. The competitors lined up on the dock and I took my position. “I don’t care what he thinks. I’ll show him.”
The starting gun fired. I dove into the ocean.
I wasn’t worried about the attackers. Really I wasn’t. My arm came out and hit the water. They didn’t care about a simple human. Why would they?
But like a tiny kernel of seed, his warning germinated and grew.
I stroked again and took a breath. There were a bunch of humans about. Humans who would notice if I suddenly sunk to the bottom of the ocean in the middle of a close race.
With each stroke my thoughts changed. Gill didn’t like me. He had a war to fight that was more important. Maris still might care, but she was busy with her new duties and her new sisters.
Making the turn fifty yards out, my hand hit the water hard splashing a little too much.
I searched the sand below for a weird change in color or a sudden shift. My insides quivered. Gill had instilled a bit of fear. Which made me angrier at him. I hated that he planted this additional worry inside me.
There was a war going on under the ocean, but it wasn’t my war to fight. It didn’t concern me.
My speed increased. From fear or anger, I didn’t know.
I pushed harder, swam faster. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.
My hand hit something hard.
I raised my head out of the water.
The dock. My hand had hit the dock. I was done with the race.
One of my teammates reached down to pull me up. People cheered.
I’d won.
Won the race.
Relaxing, celebration rushed through me. A big smile grew on my face.
Nothing had happened to me. No one had attacked under the water. With a told-you-so smirk plastered on my face, my gaze searched for Gill.
He wasn’t near my teammates. He wasn’t standing on the docks or sitting on the beach. He wasn’t anywhere.
Gill had left. Gone.
The celebration inside evaporated. Died. I’d sort of hoped he’d stick around. Achiness spread from the pain pounding in my head and chest. After warning me not to go in the ocean, Gill hadn’t even stayed to make sure I’d be okay through the race.
Confirmation that he didn’t care about me at all.
***
“You’re done with your events, right?” One of the more senior beach lifeguards approached after I’d finished my last race with no incidents. “Run up to the Boardwalk’s Kingdom of Atlantis miniature golf course and get ice from the snack shack.”
“Sure.” It’s not like I had anything else to do or anyone waiting for me.
I trudged through the sand and took the steps two at a time onto the Boardwalk. Getting away from the noise of the event cleared my head.
If Gill and I could never be together just because we came from two different places then it was better he left. Better for me and my heart.
And maybe one of the experts in Atlantis could figure out the cipher and the picture, too. The images on the mirror burst in my head. The meaning was at the back of my subconscious I just couldn’t pull it forward.
Rock music blared over the loudspeakers at the arcade taking away the images completely. A hard song about love and betrayal fit my mood perfectly.
I pushed open the door to the indoor miniature golf course held in what used to be a large warehouse. The place was designed like the Kingdom of Atlantis. Little did the owner know that there was a real Atlantis not far from here.
No one was playing mini golf. The Lifeguard Games and the bad weather must’ve kept everyone away.
“Hello? Anyone here?” I leaned over the snack counter to glance into the kitchen.
To the left side of the counter, the door from the kitchen flung open. Hairy, the guy who’d attacked Gill on the beach, stood there with a snarl on his face. He held a sharp, pointy weapon that looked like a spear attached to a gun “You.”
My pulse spiked and I took a step back. Nerves exploded spreading across my skin. What was he doing here?
His brow furrowed. “Get her.”
Two shadows emerged behind him. The second attacker Tattoo-guy.
And Sky.
Chapter Eight
Faux Friend
Betrayal cut across me like a rusty knife in the back. The pain was sharp and the damage spread like a tetanus infection.
“Sk-sky? What’re you doing?” My jaw tightened with lockjaw symptoms.
“Grab her. She’s the key to getting Gill.” Sky pointed the same type of weapon at me, but it’s blade seemed sharper.
Frozen in shock, I spurted out the first thing that occurred to me. “I’m not the key to getting Gill.” Didn’t Sky realize Gill used me?
Hairy dropped his spear gun and leapt over the counter.
I turned and ran. My heart beat like a bongo. My breath wheezed. Sweat poured down my back. The door seemed so far away.
Arms wrapped around my knees and yanked me down.
I put my arms out bracing for the fall. My knees hit the fake grass. Hairy fell on top of me. His weight brought my body crashing to the ground.
Air whooshed out of my chest. I fisted my hands and punched hitting nothing. I tried to kick, but Hairy pinned me down.
I couldn’t move. Helpless. Captured.
Tattoo-guy played with the point of his spear like he couldn’t wait to jab someone. “She’ll bring Gill running.” Tattoo-guy’s tone scraped sending shivers of fear through me.
“He’ll hand over the nautilus for her.” Sky’s authoritative voice turned the fear to anger.
“You took the nautilus from Ashtyn. Why didn’t you just keep it?” Why give it back to Gill?
“Ashtyn didn’t steal the nautilus. I did.” Sky propped her hand on her hip holding the spear gun loosely at her side. She obviously felt in complete control. “But I couldn’t figure out the code. I thought if I returned the nautilus you’d be grateful and let me help you decipher, that way I’d learn the secret. Unfortunately, you’re not as smart as I thought.”
Everything inside me hardened. I’d shared my secret intelligence with her and now she cut me down. Turning my head, I glared. “I thought you were my friend.”
Her face paled. Then, her lips formed an ugly smirk. “Just like you thought Gill was your boyfriend this summer.”
Hurt slashed and vibrated in my chest echoing my embarrassment. When I’d told her Gill was my cousin she’d known I was lying. Not that I felt guilty. Look at all she’d lied about. “You knew about that?”
“You’d be surprised at all the things I see.” Sky’s grim pitch told me she knew more than I’d ever know.
Which would be normal. While I might be considered smart among humans, Atlanteans seemed to have another dimension of secrets and charades. I pretended to be a party girl, but Atlanteans posed as friends and boyfriends.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re an Atlantean?” If she was working with Hairy and Tattoo-guy she had to be Atlantean like them. And if she was working with the two attackers she was… “You’re a Separatist.”
Which meant Sky was working against the Royalists. Against Maris. Against me.
Her betrayal cut deeper, the pain sliced harder. Not only had she betrayed me but Gill and Maris and their Royal cause.
Hairy grabbed hold of my wrists and dragged me to my feet. “Does Gill know you’re here?”
“No. He left with the nautilus.” He was out of danger, gone, so maybe they’d let me go.
Hairy yanked on my wrists, his nails digging into my skin. “What’re we going to do with her?”
Or maybe not. A fissure of terror gashed my midsection leaving a gaping wound of uncertainty. Maybe they’d get rid of me because I couldn’t help them get what they wanted.
My limbs shook. The only way out was to prove to them I couldn’t help and I wouldn’t sound the alarm. “I don’t have the nautilus. I don’t know where Gill went. And I promise, I won’t say anything to anyone about this.”
No human would believe me.
Tattoo-guy carried a small microwave from the kitchen. “I don’t believe you.” He yanked my arms behind my back and wrapped the cord around my wrists.
The microwave thunked to the ground at my feet.
My fingers numbed. Not from the loss of blood flowing to my hands, but from fear. Fear that since they didn’t need me they’d kill me.
“Gill will be here.” Sky said with confidence as if she could see into the future.
She was wrong. Gill had left. He didn’t care enough about me to watch my race. He certainly wouldn’t come and save me.
“We can’t sit around all day waiting for Gill.” Tattoo-guy tugged the microwave toward the lagoon.
Since the microwave was attached to me, I had no choice but to follow.
My gaze darted around searching for an escape. The indoor miniature golf course was empty of other people. The only exit was yards away. Water poured from the waterfall into the lagoon.
It wouldn’t be easy for them to take me out of the miniature golf course with no one noticing, especially with a heavy microwave dragging from my tied up hands.
“We need the nautilus.” Hairy clashed with Sky about who was the leader.
“The nautilus does us no good unless we can figure out the cipher.” Sky moved closer to me.
“That’s why you acted like a friend.” She’d never cared about me. Just like Gill. I was being used by all the Atlanteans. Except maybe Maris. “You knew I was your best chance to figure out the code.”
“Yeah, I should know better than to count on an air-breather.” Sky’s eyelids flickered. Her forehead scrunched into multiple lines. Her mouth shaped into an O, as if she tried to read my mind.
The door banged open. Gill stood on the threshold. His cheeks were red. His hair stood on end. His stance appeared forceful and angry. “Let Tori go. She’s not involved in this.”
My bones liquefied and I wanted to fall to my feet. Gill had come back. He’d come to save me. Maybe he did care. At least a little.
Hairy and Tattoo-guy picked up their weapons. They pointed their dangerous spears at Gill. Hairy flicked his long hair and moved to my left. Tattoo-guy shifted to position himself on my right. “Give us the nautilus and we’ll let the air-breather go.”
“I can’t do that.” Gill sounded defiant, but I heard the slight quiver in his voice.
Loyalty ran deep. Which was a good trait.
But maybe not when my life was on the line. Nausea spread from my stomach. The acid burned through my lungs.
“Then watch the air-breather take her last breath.” Hairy picked up the microwave and made a motion of tossing it into the fake lagoon.
If the microwave went into the water, so did I.
Acid came up my throat. I swallowed it down. Fighting the turmoil in my tummy, I searched the lagoon beside me.
The water didn’t appear deep. But it would be over my head. And the weight of the microwave would force me down to the bottom where I couldn’t breathe. I squirmed, trying to move away from the attackers and the water.
Hairy grabbed my shoulder ready to aid the microwave. “The nautilus or the girl?”
My heart clutched, squeezing like an accordion screeching a sour note. My muscles tightened preparing for the push. Preparing to die.
“Stop.” Gill rushed forward his hands out. His panicked expression showed his concern. He cared about me.
My heart un-clutched letting out a slow, steady breath.
“Are you going to give us the nautilus?” Hairy’s hand on my shoulder tightened.
“No.” The panic in Gill’s tone matched the expression on his face. His wide eyes shined with fear. His mouth dipped down in a hard line.
Hairy cackled a strangled sound that was a mix of anger and triumph. And then he pushed.
Leaning in the other direction, I set off his balance. I kicked him and screamed. “Don’t!”
Hairy tossed the microwave into the lagoon. The weight of the machine yanked me. The cord pulled. I tottered trying to keep my balance.
Hairy pushed me. My feet slipped on the wet Astroturf.
For a second I was flying through the air. Time stopped. But my pulse picked up pace and my brain raced.
“No!” Gill’s shout came too late.
Hairy and Tattoo-guy rushed him into a headlock.
My body hit the water with force. I started sinking with my hands tied and the microwave digging into my legs and back.
The physical pain was nothing. The emotional pain shredded my insides into ribbons of fear and sorrow as I sank to the bottom.
“She’s going to drown!” Gill’s garbled tone pleaded.
The ribbons twisted causing sorrow to chafe against fear. I thrashed beneath the water. Struggling with the cord, I tried getting my hands free. I kicked off, trying to swim to the surface.
I was an excellent swimmer. Could hold my breath for a long time—for an air-breather. But the microwave weighting me down was like an anchor.
An anchor that would keep my head under water.
Bubbles dribbled out of my mouth. My chest burned from lack of oxygen. Panic tore through my muscles making me twitch. With all my water and lifeguarding experience, with my knowledge of Atlantis, I could do nothing.
Despair floated through my veins like the water floating around me. My shoulders sagged and I quit fighting. I was going to drown.
There were so many things I wanted to do with my life. With my brain I could’ve accomplished so much. Maybe cured cancer. Maybe secured world peace.
Why had I hid my intelligence with my dumb blonde act? No one will ever know the things I was capable of except for my parents. And Maris.
I’d never see my parents again. Never get to talk to Maris. Never get to kiss Gill.
My heart crushed beneath the weight of my emotions and the water, ached with loss of things I’d never know.
The lagoon water around me vibrated. Stirred. Bubbled.
The water morphed into waves like a tsunami lifting up. The lagoon drained, but not from the bottom. The water rose and flew out of the lagoon.
Shock jolted my body. Well, shock and the water.
I rose with the waves.
The microwave floated and twisted. The turmoil forced the cord to untie from around my wrists and the microwave was carried away.
Cresting at the top, I took in a large, shaky breath. I relished the oxygen I needed to survive. Until I realized what went up must come down. My burning chest shot tingles of panic inside me. I scanned the edge of the lagoon.
Hairy and Tattoo-guy were frozen. Gill’s mouth gaped open.
He wasn’t staring at me floating on top of the large wave. He was staring at…
Sky.
Sky stood at the edge of the lagoon. Her arms raised. Her skin tinged a pale green. Her face in deep concentration.
“Who are you, Sky?” The stunned confusion in Gill’s voice multiplied my own befuddlement. He didn’t seem to understand.
My panicked-tingles exploded in bombs of disbelief. My incredulity and disbelief stuck in my skin like shrapnel.
Sky controlled the water. Raised the water out of the lagoon. Saved me from drowning.
