For at least another twenty minutes, we were allowed to explore the main cellblock. Dylan and I stuck together, swimming up to the second level and peering in. I nearly laughed at the fish playing in the toilet of one of the cells. It repeatedly dipped itself down into the bowl and then back out again.
Swimming up towards the ceiling, passing the red demarcating paint between each level, most of which had already been peeled away. We wove carefully through the pipes still hanging from the ceiling, careful of the hanging lamp as well. Rounding a corner, we continued to view the cells around the edge. Oddly enough, clinging to the bars of one of them on the second row was an octopus. It scurried away when Dylan shined his flashlight directly at it to get a better look.
The dive leader’s voice piped in once again. “Okay, everyone, gather under the skylights in the center of the main cell block. Once all of you are here, I’ll guide you through the tour of the rest of the island.”
Dylan and I were two of the first ones to join the dive leader. When the rest had joined us as well, the dive leader took us through the rest of building showing us where the solitary confinement area, the library, and the laundry room were. Each of us was allowed to take turns swimming into the cell where the solitary prisoners were kept. Eventually, we ventured back outside into the open water to visit the rec yard and the rest of the complex. We saw the powerhouse, homes of the people who lived and worked there, and more.
Throughout the entire time, I couldn’t help but think about how the ocean had reclaimed this place. The seas had risen and claimed so many of our precious monuments and historical sites, but the fish only saw this as a place to colonize. Eventually, I started to find the historical site less interesting and instead became more interested in how the ocean’s residents had taken it over.
Finally, I understood the allure my father had for nature. The allure that called him to distant and remote places with a touch of danger. Not only did nature give peace and solitude, but insight into a world so different from our own technologically driven societies. It brought us humans back to a primitive state where we were one with nature instead of apart from it.
For weeks, I had explored the ocean and its secret city in the deep. Yet I had failed to find a connection between my marine expeditions and my own life. I’d felt a disconnect between my life and the life of the Oceanians. I thought of the Oceanians as living in harmony with nature, and the land world in discord with it. But in reality, my world was also engulfed by the natural world—one only had to step outside the city to see it.
In a flash, two hours had elapsed and the tour was over. We all surfaced, returning to the boat and climbing in. Dylan and I talked each other’s ears off all the way to the dock and back to the parking lot where Gran’s car was.
Both Dylan and I climbed into Gran’s car and she pressed the button to turn it on, but this time, she set it to automatic instead of manual and instructed the car to take us home. Unlocking her seat and swiveling it around so she could see us, Gran’s face lit up. “So, did you both enjoy your time in San Francisco?”
“You bet we did, thank you very much for allowing me to come along.”
Gran laughed, the smile lines adding to the permanent wrinkles on her face. “You are quite welcome, Dylan. Thank you for being such a good friend to my granddaughter. She was really upset about there not being anyone her age to hang out with while she’s being forced to stay here all summer long.”
“Gran!” I chastised through clenched teeth.
“What?” Gran’s brown-eyed gaze turned toward me. “It is the truth, is it not?”
“It’s no problem. I didn’t have anyone else to hang out with either, so I’m glad I’ve made a new friend as well.” Dylan placed the bag of souvenirs he was holding on the seat between us. “My parents often take me along on their business-related trips, but I’m usually alone and pretty bored most of the time. They buy me games and things to be entertained, but it isn’t the same as having someone to hang out with.”
I glanced over at Dylan, surprised at how easily he lied. But then again, maybe it wasn’t a lie. Maybe he was telling the truth about how his parents in Oceania treated him. Maybe it was why he was so fascinated by the outside world and had befriended Dr. Wilcox. I felt like I was beginning to understand Dylan in a way that I hadn’t before. Perhaps his home life was just as complicated as mine was.
. . .
The hover car drove itself into Gran’s space for it beside our house, parking, and opening the doors for us to get out.
“Thank you again for inviting me to go along with you,” reiterated Dylan to my Gran.
“It was no problem. You’re always welcome here, Dylan.”
Dylan nodded back with a smile.
Gran glanced up and down the street. “Aren’t your parents coming to get you?”
“No, I’m just going to walk home. It isn’t far from here.”
“All right, stay safe, Dylan.”
“I will,” replied Dylan. When he looked at me, I gave him a wink, indicating that once we went back into the house, I’d find an excuse to take him to the restricted beach so he could return home to Oceania.
Chapter 21
After I dropped Dylan off
