Underwater

by Doe, Anna B.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue I

  Epilogue II

  Acknowledgments

  Playlist

  Other Books By Anna B. Doe

  Did you like Underwater?

  Chapter 1

  About the Author

  Text copyright © 2019 Anna B. Doe

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN: 9781071373378

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are production of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Copyediting by Emerald Eyes

  Proofreading by Gem’s Precise Proofreads

  Cover Design by Najla Qamber Designs

  Original Cover Design by Little Miss Tease

  Formatting by Pink Elephant Designs

  Blurb

  Marissa Davenport is just a regular girl living in a small town on the island of Hawaii until one fateful night changes everything for her. The ocean takes away the boy she loves, and to save him, she will risk her own life.

  * * *

  Now, she has to confront the consequences of her actions. The consequences of her choice. With the pressure of a dark secret looming over her, Marissa has to figure out how to return things to how they were before or she might lose everything forever. Her friends, her family, the boy she loves and even her own existence.

  * * *

  Some fairytales are real; they live underwater.

  To the little girl who lives inside of us even when we grow older.

  Some fairytales do come true.

  Marissa

  “You should really pick that tongue up off the floor, Marissa.”

  I turn my gaze to my giggling best friend. I’m going to strangle her one of these days, and I’m not even going to feel sorry about it.

  “My tongue isn’t anywhere near the floor, Noel.” I shove her away playfully. No matter how annoying she can get sometimes, Noelani is still my best friend.

  My sister.

  We both start laughing, but my eyes find a way to sneak a peek at the ocean.

  The endless azure surface has always been my home. Living in the small beach town on the island of Hawaii my whole life, I grew up at the ocean and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

  I learned how to swim even before I could stand on my own two feet, and there was nothing quite like it. The lightness of my body cutting through the waves. The saltiness dancing on my skin. Diving underwater only to feel the chilly kiss of the ocean on my cheeks, lifting my hair all around me as I go deeper inside.

  It’s simply magical.

  Watching Taylor Reed surf is just a bonus. His wetsuit-covered body taming the waves beneath his board. His blond hair, messy and wet, a shade darker than usual. The look of complete concentration crossing his handsome face as his blue eyes scan his surroundings, always expecting the unexpected.

  “You’re looking at him again, Risa.” Noel jabs me in the side with her elbow. “He’ll notice.”

  “We’re friends. It’s not strange if I look at him.”

  “Friends don’t look at each other the way you look at Ty,” Noel contradicts.

  It’s all in a playful manner, but I know somewhere deep down, under all this cheer, she’s worried about me. If the situation were reversed, I know I’d be worried about her, too.

  “And how is that?”

  “Like he’s your favorite dessert, and you’re in need of a sugar fix.”

  I roll my eyes, trying to play it off.

  We’ve been friends since diapers. We grew up together, living next door to each other. And although we come from different families, we are more sisters than some blood relations.

  “Noel!” I scold, hiding my bright red cheeks behind the wall of golden brown hair. We went swimming earlier, and after my hair air-dries, it always gets this kind of crazy curly look that only a day at the beach can give you.

  “Don’t ‘Noel’ me, missy! I say it like I see it.” A light breeze picks up, messing Noel’s pale, blond hair. Sighing, she pulls up the long strands and ties them to the top of her head in a ponytail. “This weather is no joke.”

  “They did say the storm is coming,” I agree, happy with the change of subject.

  The crush I have going on for my friend isn’t news or anything like that, but Noelani likes to tease me any chance she gets.

  I’ve been crushing on Ty since kindergarten, but he looks at me as a friend only. On various occasions, I debated whether to confess my feelings or keep quiet but, in the end, the need to have Ty in my life, if only as a friend, won over. We’ve known each other almost as long as I’ve known Noel, and I don’t want to ruin it by confessing that my feelings for him have changed.

  “Maybe we should go back. When that dark cloud comes, I don’t want to be present.”

  I nod in agreement.

  It’s not strange to have big storms pass through our town. Usually, they come out of nowhere, fast and furious. A bright, sunny day is quickly exchanged for dark clouds, cold, hard winds and rain. The ocean darkens, too, losing its usual bright blue shine. The smooth surface ruffles, and the waves rise high toward the sky.

  Angry and untamable.

  We collect our things in a hurry and start walking back inland with a few other people who lingered on the beach.

  “Oh, shit!” I tap the top of my head. “I left my sunglasses on the beach.”

  Noelani looks at me before her brown eyes lift to the sky. It’s even darker than it was only a few minutes ago. “Do you really have to go back now?”

  “If I don’t, I’ll probably never find them again. And you know they are my favorite.”

  Sighing in surrender, Noel turns toward the beach. “Let’s go then.”

  “No, you go home.” I wave my hand. “I’ll just run and grab them and be home in no time.”

  Noel nervously bites at her lower lip. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” I smile reassuringly. “You go home. I’m right behind you.”

  “Text me when you get back, okay?”

  “Will do!” I throw over my shoulder, then start jogging down the beach to the spot where we were sitting earlier.

  The whole beach is deserted. Nobody wants to mess with the force of nature thunderstorm can be. Islanders learn it early on, and when tourists come around, they’re always warned. Not that they all listen. Every once in a while, some crazy tourist would show up and decide the storm is the best day to go out on a boat or something equally crazy. So far, we were lucky because in our town everybody returned home safely, but I knew it wasn’t always the case.

  Once I get to the spot, I bend down, my hands gripping my knees. I’m panting hard
from exertion, since the biggest workout I get is riding a bicycle a couple of times a year.

  Taking a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart, I start looking for my sunglasses.

  “Gotcha!” Grabbing them from their hiding place behind a rock, I pop them on top of my head.

  The first drops of rain start falling and, after a few more, it’s a real downpour.

  Turning on the heels of my feet to go back home, I notice one lone figure in the ocean.

  “Ty?”

  I narrow my eyes, trying to see through the heavy rain if it’s really him or not. I call out to him, but my voice is lost in the wind. He’s getting out of the water, his board close to his side so he doesn’t lose it to the waves, but he’s still far from the safety of the beach.

  Then I see it. As if in slow motion, a wave starts lifting high in the sky.

  “Ty!” I scream, but it’s no use. Angry raindrops crash on the sand, and the howl of the wind makes it impossible to hear my own voice.

  Running toward the ocean, I hope Taylor will see me coming so I can warn him in time, but he’s too focused on getting out of the tempestuous ocean to look around.

  “No… Ty!”

  A wave crashes over him hard and fast, pulling him underwater. The force of the impact suppresses my loud scream.

  Running faster than I thought possible, I scan the surface of the ocean, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but Ty’s blond head is nowhere to be found. Only waves upon waves, crushing and colliding against each other.

  My flip-flops fall off, and my bare feet touch the water.

  Struggling against the angry nature, I look around, searching for him.

  “TY!”

  Waves crash against me, pulling me here and there, impeding me from moving farther into the water. I continue to fight against the force, trying to keep calm when all I can feel is desperation.

  “Where are you, dammit?!”

  One wave rises higher than others and crashes against my back, making me stumble on my own feet. I feel myself lose balance, so I take one deep breath and let myself be pulled under.

  The current is strong, even beneath the water, but Taylor isn’t anywhere near the surface.

  I have to find him. The ocean can’t take him away.

  Forcing my eyes open, I fight against the blurriness clouding my sight. Something on the right catches my attention, but the need to inhale fresh air is strong. Too strong to resist it. Giving up, I start swimming toward the surface. If I don’t get some oxygen into my lungs, I’ll be of no use to Ty.

  Only it’s not the air I find when I break the surface. Without a second to compose myself, another wave is waiting for me. Falling over me and pulling me under.

  Deep, deep under.

  Marissa

  The wave pulls me under, and there is nothing I can do. I try resisting the current, but the harder I resist, the deeper I fall. It’s hard to think because my oxygen levels are low and I can feel the salty water slowly enter my mouth.

  I’ve never been caught in a storm of this magnitude before, but I know the strength nature possesses.

  The beauty is in its power, my grandpa likes to say. Some love it, some fear it, but one way or the other, it can’t be dismissed.

  So I surrender.

  The ocean has always been my friend.

  My ally.

  You can swim against the current, but that won’t get you far. It’s one of the first things you learn when they teach you how to swim. Go with the current. Become one with the water. Don’t fight nature because you can’t win.

  The ocean. Our best friend and our worst enemy.

  Where is Ty? Did he find a way out? Or is he just like me, falling under deeper and deeper?

  Darkness creeps at my consciousness and more water enters my mouth, filling my lungs, making it impossible to breathe. I didn’t have a chance to take a breath when I surfaced. Now I’ve run out of air, and the only thing left is the saltiness on my lips.

  Is this how it ends?

  Is this how I’ll die? Sinking underneath the water?

  Will I drown? Will it hurt?

  Will salty water fill my lungs until I won’t be able to breathe?

  I can already feel the sting of it. The burn of the ocean water in my throat and lungs.

  I was practically born and raised in this ocean. Will it be the reason I lose my life, too?

  And what about my parents?

  I can see their faces in my mind. The picture is blurry, but I can see their smiles. What will happen to them if I’m gone? Will my body be found somewhere on the beach once the storm is over, or will it be lost at the bottom of the ocean?

  Tears gather in my eyes. Sad, angry, desperate tears.

  I don’t want to end like this.

  Not today.

  Not like this.

  It can’t be my turn to die.

  I have to live.

  I want to live.

  My hands start clawing through the water, desperate to find their way to the surface. I resist. Every cell in my body protests the destiny that was pushed on me. My lungs cry in need for air as I struggle against the pull.

  I push. I grab and I struggle. My hands and legs cut through the wild ocean water, but it feels like the only thing I manage to do is drink in more of the ocean. I choke when the salty water touches my raw throat.

  The pain radiates through my whole body, my muscles hot and tired. I feel my hands give up, and my legs grow weaker with every push I make.

  The mix of tears and ocean burn hot in my eyes, and I can feel my body betraying me.

  I can’t give up.

  This is not me.

  I don’t want to die.

  I’m so concentrated on the task of getting to the surface, I almost miss it. The soft whisper calling my name.

  “Marissa.”

  It’s almost inaudible. Just a murmur, lost in the wild waves around me. But it repeats. Over and over again.

  Calling me.

  “Marissa… Marissa…”

  I will my eyes open. Eyes that everyone tells me come from the ocean. Deep blue-green gems that change their color depending on the weather. They can be everything from the bright blue of the ocean and sky in the early morning light to the deep, tormented green-blue of a summer storm.

  A storm like this.

  The child of the ocean. That’s the nickname my grandpa gave me. That’s where my name comes from.

  “Marissa…”

  My gaze is blurry as I blink my eyes open, burning from the salt water. Then I see her. Or maybe I don’t. Maybe she’s only a figment of my imagination. A product of my subconsciousness that’s fighting to think reasonably, clearly.

  A mirage.

  “Who are you?” I ask before I can think better of it. I expect more water to fill my lungs, but it doesn’t. What the… is this real?

  I look around myself. My vision is suddenly clear, and I can finally breathe.

  Breathe underwater.

  “This is impossible,” I whisper, my voice carrying a mix of awe and confusion.

  “Nothing is impossible, my child.”

  Her voice draws my attention. A soft murmur that reminds me of the hum of the waves. I turn around to look at her, forgetting about everything else because she’s the prime example of impossible.

  Dark, almost black hair floats all around her, although we’re enclosed in some kind of bubble, away from the turmoil of the ocean and storm raging just beyond the border she created around us.

  Her face is perfect. Timeless beauty. Pale skin, rosy plump lips, a small nose and big, exotic eyes.

  Eyes the exact same color as mine.

  But that’s not the strangest thing about her.

  “Is this… Are you…?” I can’t make myself finish the sentence. Because it’s Impossible. Impossible with capital I.

  Her breasts are covered in some kind of bikini top decorated with small jewels and seashells. And her legs… I gulp down the lump in my throat. Sh
e doesn’t have any. There is a tail. A mermaid tail. With scales in every shade of green and blue covering it. A dark, deep aqua tail. Silky and sharp. Cutting through the water with ease. Almost boredom.

  “You’re a …” I point with my finger in the direction of her tail, still unable to form the words.

  “A mermaid,” she says, nodding her head. “Yes. That’s what you humans call me. Although the right term is ocean nymph. Mermaid is so… mundane.”

  “That’s impossible,” I utter once again, stupefied. “Mermaids don’t exist. They aren’t real. Oh, God. I’m going crazy.”

  She laughs. The light sound flitters around us.

  “Everything is possible, Marissa.” Her voice changes from carefree to serious in just a few seconds. “Even saving yourself and your friend.”

  Her words are like a cold shower. Everything that’s been going through my mind since my eyes landed on her falls to second place as desperation once again flows in my veins. “I couldn’t find him. I couldn’t save myself, much less Taylor.”

  “I can help you. I can give you what you need to find your friend so you two can get back to land safely, but…”

  “Yes!” I shout, not letting her finish her sentence completely. If there is a way to get out of the ocean alive, both of us, I’ll take it. I would do anything to save Taylor. Anything.

  She stops, a frown marring her forehead. “Are you sure? If you take my help, there is no going back.”