by S. M. Wilson
“But why?”
“Why not?” She wasn’t about to give everything away. “What’s important is that I think that’s where the final box must be hidden.”
Leif looked bewildered. “What makes you think that?”
“Look at Kronar. He hasn’t stopped looking since he got up there. He’s spotted all the other boxes quickly enough. You’ve already said that the water in the loch is remarkably clear. If a red box was anywhere within his line of sight he would have spotted it by now.”
Silence. They all looked out over the loch.
Lincoln spoke first. “Let’s not think about it yet.” He glanced around. “Most of the other teams have managed to get their second box. We need to concentrate on the blue box. If we can’t do that, there’s no point even considering the final one.”
The rest of the team nodded. She was still mad. She was still furious at being manoeuvred into a team with a nonfunctioning member. But there was another reason why she was being so snarky, one she couldn’t explain to them.
It was being here. Being at the loch where it had happened. The loch was usually a private place for her. A place where she could have time to think about how close she’d come to dying. A place where, she’d realized, she could be truly on her own. The place where she’d forged her real-life connection with the plesiosaurs – where Milo had saved her. And now it was being invaded.
All her emotions were on edge. Maybe that’s why she was so rattled. Lincoln was right. She was getting ahead of herself. They might not even be able to retrieve the third box. That would be the end of the competition for them all.
It made up her mind.
“Let’s do this. Let’s get organized.”
Rune stared at her. “Well, it makes sense for you to dive. Do you think you’ll need help to get the box to the surface?”
She didn’t hesitate. Her head was clearing. “I know I’ll need help. I can reach the box easily, but I’ve only got strength in one hand. I can’t manage the weight on my own.”
Leif nudged her. “Then I’ll dive with you. Are you two happy to tread water and help get the box to the side?”
Lincoln and Rune nodded. Rune pointed to the hill. “Look, Kronar’s moved. He’s pointing to the far side of the loch. Do you think he’s spotted the red box?”
Storm tilted her head, trying to imagine what he was thinking. She knew in her bones that the red box would be in the cave. What could Kronar have spotted? But Lincoln realized first.
“No. I think he’s stating the obvious. We don’t need to try and drag the box back here. Taking it to the loch’s edge over there is a shorter distance. It will be easier.” He slapped his hand to his forehead. “We should have thought of it last time. Kronar could walk it around the edge of the loch while we concentrate on the fourth.”
Storm had moved back into the water. After being out of it for a few minutes, it felt even colder this time. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Reban had shown them where the boxes had to be left. He hadn’t made any comment on how they should get there.
It annoyed her. She was used to thinking for herself. But this time around, she’d just followed the crowd. It wasn’t like her at all.
The water rippled around her as the others approached. She didn’t speak. She just took a deep breath, put her head down and started front-crawling across the loch.
All about her, others were swimming in a variety of directions. She glanced around quickly, trying to catch a glimpse of Dell. Finally, she saw him at the edge of the loch helping lift a pink box out of the water with the rest of his team. He seemed to be doing fine.
They passed over the top of an orange box on their way to the blue. Off to the left another team were struggling with a green box, which kept slipping from their grip and falling back to the loch floor. It took a few minutes to reach the water above the blue box. Storm felt confident. The loch floor might be deep here, but she was certain she could reach it. Leif didn’t look quite so sure.
She started treading water. “Are you ready? Let’s go.” She took a deep breath and dived underneath the water, keeping her eyes open until she reached the loch bed. Her breath held easily, while Leif took another few seconds to reach her. He joined her, crouching on the other side of the box. A few little bubbles escaped from the side of his mouth. He gave her a quick nod and gripped on to his side of the box as they both pushed off from the sandy floor.
The weight unbalanced Storm for a few seconds. If she’d been on her own, it would have taken her straight back down, but with Leif’s help she powered upwards. As soon as they approached the surface, Rune and Lincoln dived a little under the water to help take the weight.
It worked. Kronar shouted to them immediately after they surfaced and this time the journey to the edge of the loch wasn’t quite so long, or quite so difficult. Maybe Kronar was more useful than she’d thought. He pulled the box from their hands as soon as they reached the edge.
“I’m sorry. I can’t spot the red box anywhere. I’ve even walked further around the loch, but it’s nowhere in sight.”
“It’s okay,” Lincoln panted. “Storm thinks she knows where it is.”
“Really?” said Kronar, surprised. “Where?”
“In caves at the bottom of the loch.”
Kronar’s face visibly paled. “What?”
Rune shook his head. “Never mind. Take the blue box back over to the starting point. Now, whereabouts are the caves, Storm?” It was clear he didn’t want to waste any time. And he was right. From a look around, Storm could see they weren’t the only team on box three.
She turned in the water to face the other side of the loch. She gave a nod of her head. “Over there. About two-thirds of the way across.”
Lincoln frowned. “You said you could hold your breath for four minutes. Is that how long it takes to get to the caves and back?”
She shook her head. “No. But it probably takes about a minute and a half.”
The guys exchanged worried glances and Kronar thumped the blue box down behind them. “That’s crazy.”
But Rune stayed focused. “I have no idea how long I can hold my breath for.” He shot a look at Kronar. “You’ll need to time us.”
Storm nodded, it made sense. She watched as all three took a deep breath then stuck their heads under the water. She floated on her back while she waited, looking up at the darkening sky around them and counting in her head.
Leif was first to surface, spluttering with his face red and eyes bloodshot. Rune followed about ten seconds later. Lincoln was last, his face the same shade of white that Kronar’s had been a few moments earlier. It didn’t suit him. It ruined his poster boy good looks. It took him a few seconds to realize that he’d surfaced last.
Storm was relieved. There was something sort of reassuring about diving with Lincoln. She might barely know him, but he’d already put himself on the line for her. The other three guys seemed fine, but she didn’t yet know if she could trust them – especially as she’d just made sure they were mad at her.
Teamwork. She just couldn’t embrace the concept, having spent most of her life alone. Her reaction to Kronar’s secret could have broken the team apart.
“Look.” Rune pointed to another team struggling out of the loch. “That’s their last box. We’re falling behind.”
Kronar stood back up, heaving the blue one into his arms. “I’ll take this one back and then meet you at the other side of the loch. It will be easier to get the red box from there.”
Leif gave him a small nod. “See you soon.”
They started to swim across the loch. This was Storm’s favourite part, her long arms slicing through the water. But it was best when she was alone. Or when Milo was by her side. She slowed and started treading water, shaking the wet strands of hair out of her eyes. “We’re here. It’s just beneath us.”
The others stopped and started treading water next to her. They all looked down through the clear water. “I can’t see anything,” s
aid Leif. “I can’t see any caves.”
“They’re definitely there. There’s lots more vegetation in the middle of the loch. We have to go through it to reach the cave entrance.”
She could see the expression on Lincoln’s face as he watched the long, dark green strands of kelp oscillating in the water below like an underwater forest. “It’s fine,” she said quickly. “I think it’s nature’s way of hiding the cave entrance. After all, if a plesiosaur can get through there, so can we.”
He swallowed and gave a nod, but he didn’t look convinced. She was beginning to worry – she’d never be able to get the box up here on her own. She needed his muscle power to help with the weight. She reached over and touched his arm. “Are you ready? Take some deep breaths before we go. If you get into trouble, just come back up to the surface.”
She was trying to be reassuring, but her tone must have been wrong – which wasn’t unusual for her – because there was more than a flicker of annoyance on his face. “I’m fine. Are you ready?”
She tucked her hair behind her ears, slowing her movements and focusing on the hill in the background. In. Out. In. Out. This was the way she always prepared for the caves. She needed to concentrate.
She sucked in a final deep breath, gave a nod and dived underneath the rippling waves. Down, down towards the dark green forest. The strands tickled her face and nose, but she was ready for it, pushing on forward through the kelp.
The strands parted easily and the pale light from up above vanished as she swam through the cave entrance. Her eyes were still open and even in the much-reduced light she could pick out the red box easily. She punched upwards in triumph, sending a swirl through the water.
She felt the tips of Lincoln’s fingers connect with her toes. He was right behind her. She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. Up till now she’d been the only person to see Milo’s home.
Then it struck her. Of course she wasn’t. She’d always assumed this place was hers alone, after she discovered the caves by mistake when she was training herself to dive for longer. But someone else had obviously known they were here. Her eyes adjusted to the dimming light. The box wasn’t just painted red. Oh no. The paint almost glowed. Whoever had positioned this box had known exactly how dark it would be down here.
She moved towards the box, crouching on one side and waiting for Lincoln to join her. It only took him a few seconds. They had to be quick, after all. She slid her fingers under two corners of the box, feeling the dark silt underneath. Lincoln did the same and the box shifted slightly. They lifted, adjusting to the weight. This box seemed even heavier than the others, but maybe that was because they’d had to dive deeper and expend more energy.
She could feel the burn in her thighs again as she pushed off from the loch bed. Her legs kicked madly trying to steer them towards the entrance of the cave, but they were holding a dead weight. It was much harder than before. When they finally reached the entrance, Lincoln signalled to her to stop for a second. She tried to adjust her side of the box to get a better grip. Then they pushed upwards again, brushing through the fronds, but the box lurched suddenly to Lincoln’s side and tumbled from her grasp. She waved her hands through the thick kelp.
Lincoln had vanished.
Panic flooded through her. She’d only ever seen plesiosaurs in this water. She’d always felt safe. But what if there was something else here?
All thoughts of the box vanished. The pressure was building in her chest, her body was crying out for air. She continued to flail through the kelp, trying to push it from her view.
There. A flash of skin. She grabbed for it. Lincoln’s leg, caught fast in the stringy kelp.
His face was scarlet underwater, his eyes bulging. He was panicking, his hands tugging at the kelp wound around his ankle, tightening its grip.
She tried to help, slapping his hands away as best she could underwater but he was lashing out blindly, his eyes darting up to the surface.
She knew instantly what to do. She pushed upwards, away from Lincoln and erupted from the surface. Ignoring the shouts from Leif and Rune, she filled her lungs as quickly as she could and dived straight back down. She was trying to stay calm. Trying not to think of the seconds ticking past. She could see him underneath her, his arms still flailing madly in the water. She grabbed his shoulders, ignoring the terror on his face as she tried to push his arms to his sides. There was no time for hesitation. The panic was beginning to subside, as the last dregs of oxygen left his system. She pressed her lips tight to his.
His eyes widened, a few final seconds of awareness still there. She slid a hand across his chest and nipped the skin around the bottom of his ribs.
The effect was instantaneous. He sucked in a breath of the air she had stored in her cheeks. Then she dived down to his foot to start loosening the kelp around his ankle. As soon as he was free she gave him an almighty push, powering him upwards, and followed on behind.
His body seemed to kick into gear on the journey to the surface, hope and fear resurrecting his weakened muscles to push him onwards.
They broke the surface at the same time, where Leif and Rune were ready and waiting, still treading water. “What happened?” They grabbed Lincoln’s arms to help support him.
Storm could only pant, as she tried to suck more air into her lungs. Lincoln’s eyes were closed but his chest was moving up and down.
“He got stuck,” she said eventually, her eyes never leaving him. “His foot got tangled in the kelp.” Her lips were stinging and confusion swirled around her mind. She’d put her lips on his. It had been necessary – Lincoln could have died. She’d had to do it. But for some strange reason it hadn’t felt like saving someone’s life. It felt like something else. She just didn’t know what.
“Why did you come back without him?” Rune’s tone was accusing.
She tried to focus again. “I had to get him some air. He was panicking. I couldn’t get near his foot to free it.”
Lincoln’s eyes flickered open, his breathing was steadying now. He shook his head, showering them all with droplets of water. Storm moved forward, pressing a hand to his chest. “Are you okay?” Now she’d touched his lips it didn’t seem too odd to touch another part of him. His gaze met hers. He seemed stunned. Those green eyes of his. It was almost like he was seeing parts of her that hadn’t existed before. Thank goodness she was treading water, otherwise she’d have frozen to the spot. She bit her tender lips. Trying not to think what might have happened.
“Hey! What’s happening?” Kronar had reached the side of the loch. “Where’s the box.”
Storm pulled her gaze away and looked downwards. “We got it. We got it out of the cave. We just haven’t got it to the surface. It seems heavier than the rest.”
Leif spoke quickly. “Is it a straight dive down?”
She nodded. “The three of us can do it and get it over to Kronar.” It was so much easier to talk about something practical than try and make sense of the thoughts in her head.
“No.” Lincoln’s voice cut through. “Give me another minute. We’ll all do it together.”
“You don’t need to. You already got the box out of the cave, give yourself a chance to recover.” Guilt was flooding through her. He’d seen the kelp but he wasn’t experienced at diving in the loch. She should have warned him it could tangle, but she hadn’t wanted him to panic.
“Just wait.” His voice was hoarse, but fierce. There was no arguing with him.
Her arms were becoming heavy treading water. Swimming was so much easier than trying to stay in one spot. “Let’s get this over with. One attempt. If we don’t get it, then that’s it.”
Her eyes were sweeping around the loch. One team had finished. The rest of the teams seemed to have stopped at three boxes, bewildered as to where the fourth could be. She’d thought there was only one red box in the cave. But maybe there were more and she just hadn’t seen them.
Rune spoke. “Are we ready? Good. Then one, two, three…”
They disappeared underwater. Storm led the way through the kelp to the silt at the bottom of the loch and the red box. This time it was easier, there were four to share the load. They pushed off in unison, but instead of going straight back up, they pushed in a diagonal direction towards Kronar at the shore.
It was still tough. Her arm burned, her fingers ached at the pressure on them. As they broke the surface they could see Kronar impatiently holding his arms out and urging them onwards. He struggled to take the box from the water, grasping hold of an edge and tipping it towards him, rolling it to gather some momentum.
Rune pulled himself from the water and tried to help, while Leif pushed Lincoln out, dragging him onto the wet ground. Lincoln collapsed, rolling onto his back and breathing heavily.
Storm looked anxiously at the figures of Rune and Kronar stumbling along with the box between them. She wanted to help, she really did. But the diving, the weight of the boxes, rescuing Lincoln – suddenly everything caught up with her; her legs turned to jelly and she felt like she was about to be sick everywhere.
Leif shook his head. “Let them do it. We’re good now. Hardly anyone else will have got all four boxes.”
Storm pulled herself further up the bank onto some cool grass. She was trembling. Thank goodness they were finished. She couldn’t do another Trial if her life depended on it. Every single bit of energy she possessed was gone.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows. “Linc? Are you okay?”
He didn’t even look at her. He just fixed on the darkening clouds up above. “I don’t get it.”
Leif turned to look at him as Storm felt her skin prickle. It was the way he said it.
Leif screwed up his face. “Don’t get what?”
“Don’t get what it is between Storm and those creatures. Why would you even know where the plesiosaurs nest?” The unspoken accusation lingered in the air.
“It’s just…I just…know. I live around here.” She could feel their gazes on her. She was under scrutiny. And it was unnerving. She didn’t really know these people. It didn’t matter that they’d completed this challenge together. She still didn’t want to share. She’d shared too much already. Too much of herself – too much personal space.