Forsaken

“It’s the most likely possibility if Sirens like Isadora are being allowed in,” Olivia added looking up from the laptop.

“How can we be sure the poem has anything to do with our current situation?” I tried unsuccessfully to put the puzzle pieces together.

“Unfortunately, we can’t.” Olivia chewed on her lip, thoughtful. She glanced at me tentatively and weighed her words carefully before speaking. “There are a lot of legends in our world. Some true, some not. I think this poem refers to one of them or is maybe foreshadowing something.” I had a feeling she knew a lot more than she was telling us. And whatever she was hiding had something to do with why she decided to help us. I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her, but we still needed her help. I glanced down at the second stanza. It appeared to be instructions. anchor off her shore whilst shifting currents slew cease the tidal surge and arrive her sprites to woo

“So we anchor off shore. That makes sense. But what does the second line mean?” I spread jelly on another piece of toast.

“I think it means high tide. Which we think is confirmed by the third line,” Willow pointed at the paper.

“So we anchor off shore at high tide and calm the waves?” I guessed. An uneasy feeling pushed its way into my throat and the anxiety in my heart became overwhelming. We had to calm the waves. That meant either I or Carmen would have to do it. I didn’t know if I could do it again.

Especially without Finn. And with so much at stake.

“That’s what we’re thinking,” Willow touched my arm with compassion.

“I don’t even want to know what the forth line means, do I?” I closed my eyes.

“We think the water sprites are the ones who decide who enters the islands and who doesn’t.”

Olivia sighed.

“And how does one go about wooing a sprite?” I asked, exasperated. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute. What if we couldn’t figure it out? What would happen to Kira?

“We haven’t gotten that far yet,” Willow shook her head, clearly frustrated. Thankfully, I had learned about sprites last week in class. They could breathe both air and water, but lived mostly in the sea. They were all female and the color of the sea, so it was very difficult to see them unless you knew what you were looking for. They were harmless unless provoked, but that didn’t do much to calm my nerves, which were completely frayed by that point. How was I supposed to woo a sprite?

Tell her how beautiful she was? Sing her a love song? I sighed and stood up.

“Hey guys! Guys! Come down here! Quick!” Phoebe yelled to us from the stairs. We ran to see what had her all excited. She just shuffled us down to the first level and out to the deck.

“Look!” She pointed over the side of the yacht. I peeked over the side not sure what to expect.

An entire school of dolphins was swimming on both sides of us. Jumping and darting back and forth, I could almost feel their excitement. No, I could feel their excitement. It was like a thousand buzzing bees flying through my veins; tiny vibrations shooting through me all at once. It felt like I’d drunk a gallon of espresso in one sitting. My whole body was jittery and my head began to spin. I sat down on one of the seats and pinched my nose. I tried to concentrate on just one dolphin. Maybe that would block out the rest of them. I zeroed in on one of the smaller dolphins closer to the boat. It was a darker gray then the others and very, very fast. Eventually, my head stopped spinning and the buzzing in my body lessened to only a light tickle. I glanced up and met the piercing gaze of Olivia. She was watching me intently. She narrowed her eyes momentarily, but then looked away.

“Dolphins are good luck, you know.” Phoebe launched in to a lesson about dolphins and their symbolism. I did feel somewhat comforted by the ocean we were gliding over. As weird as it sounded, I felt like we were being trailed by more than just dolphins.

Chapter 30

Since we had been going full speed for almost twelve hours, we decided to anchor the boat for the night so all of us could get some sleep. The high-tech weather system on the yacht told us there were no storms brewing or even a chance of rain, so I wasn’t too worried. Willow had spent two hours in the kitchen making us a dinner of roasted chicken with potatoes and artichokes on a bed of kale. I was amazed at what she could do with the modest ingredients we had available to us on the yacht.

After dinner, everyone piled on to the leather couches on the second level to watch a of couple movies. After an overwhelming veto of Phoebe’s first choice, The Perfect Storm, we decided to watch Sweet Home Alabama first.

It started tugging at me about halfway through the movie. That familiar pull. Slightly different than the sea turtles and no singing involved – just a slight urge to go to the back of the boat.

A little apprehensive, I tried to determine if it felt friendly or threatening. It was hard to trust anything right now. I excused myself, saying I had to go to the bathroom. I made sure none of the girls followed, then quietly snuck out to the back deck.

The night was warm and clear, with only a slight breeze swirling through my blonde hair.

The only sounds I heard were the waves lapping at the sides of the yacht. Thousands of stars sparkled above, but the moon was nowhere in sight. The ocean resembled black tar, rolling and extending into the darkness. I couldn’t figure out where the pull was coming from. The only thing on the deck was me. As I continued towards the back of the boat, it grew stronger. I gazed down at the dark water. I saw nothing but my own perplexed expression staring back at me.

“I’m here” I whispered, instantly feeling ridiculous. Why was I talking to the water? Did I expect it to talk back? I laughed softly at myself and perched on the back of the boat, allowing my legs to dangle toward the water. Every fiber of my being wanted to slide into the comfort of its arms below. It was tantalizingly close; like a part of my soul speaking to me from the deep, longing to be reunited. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to oblige. We were in the middle of the ocean. But at the same time, the boat was anchored. It wasn’t going anywhere. After a couple more minutes of deliberating, I looked over my shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. Quickly stripping off my clothes so I wouldn’t get them wet, I was left standing in my bra and underwear. I looked over my shoulder one more time and stepped up on to the railing of the yacht. I climbed over and leaned against the top bar, balancing myself with the backs of my legs. Once again I was reminded of Rose in Titanic right before Jack talked her out of plummeting to her death. Fortunately, there was no Jack on this voyage to rescue me from myself. I reeled with sweet anticipation and dove in head first.

Trying not to over think it, I forced myself to take a deep breath of water. I got a huge rush of adrenaline as the water expanded in my lungs and my eyes became acclimated to the darkness.

Instead of being in the ocean, I felt like I was actually a part of it. The fine line between my body and the water surrounding it quivered and blurred. I relinquished all control as the salt water caressed my skin. Then instinctively dove deeper.

The pull was still as strong as ever and it wanted me to go down farther. I did. I stopped and looked down. I couldn’t see the ocean floor and an odd fear of heights hit me. I’d never been afraid of heights before, but the black abyss below my feet was pretty scary. Although my vision was much sharper in the water, there was still nothingness all around me. I didn’t see any fish, animals, or anything else for that matter. It was very disorienting, but I squelched the anxiety building in my chest. Just when I was about to give up and swim back to the surface I saw something floating up all around me. Silent and steady they continued up, surrounding me. I felt like I was caught in an upside down snow storm. They were all I could see in every direction. Upon further inspection, I identified my new friends; hundreds of sea horses. With so many around me, I was hit with a strong sense of purity. Their spirit was innocent and playful as it wrapped around me, making me smile. They responded to my happiness instantly. Looking at the whole, it appeared they had begun vibrating, but looking at just one, I could tell they were simply propelling themselves faster with their coiled tails. I reached my hand out to touch one. It