Droplets (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 1) (3 page)

My mind racing, I whipped around. Dad and Derek were still arguing over what to do, completely unaware of the wave. Thinking quickly, I rushed towards them. This was a killer wave and it was going to strike the
Lady Marie
and strike her hard.

My boots slipped on the slick deck and I smacked into Derek’s side as he turned, catching me.

“Are you all right? What are you doing up here?”

Thinking my voice wouldn’t work, I turned and pointed to the huge wave, that was getting closer every second, while my hand shook in the pelting rain. I watched as their faces changed from confusion to realization and then to horror. Dad yelled, “Hurry, get inside! Sean, get over here!”

I looked to the left and saw Sean bounding up the sloped deck. Derek grabbed my hand and tugged me hard towards the cabin. Dad was just in front of us and Sean, being the faster runner, joined him.

The wave came ever closer. It was coming faster and faster; I pumped my legs, desperate to make it inside. 

Dad and Sean were in and moved to make room for us. All of a sudden my boots slid out from under me on the slippery deck. I let go of Derek’s hand to brace my fall. I hit the deck with a groan, and Derek was a few steps in front of me before he realized what had happened and turned around.

“No, run!” I yelled desperately and jumped to my feet. He saw me get up and continued the mad dash for the cabin door.

The wave was almost upon us. We had no more than a few seconds to make it inside. Derek jumped inside the cabin, and Sean and Dad stood on either side of the door frame, their hands outstretched to pull me in.

I reached out for them, but for that one second time seemed to stand still. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the wave coming. It had already hit the side and would soon hit me. A look of gut-wrenching terror was upon Dad’s face and the horror in my own eyes reflected the twins’. With one final lunge, I jumped for my father’s hands, knowing they were all that could save me from impending death. For a split second, our slippery fingers met and grasped for the others. And then the wave hit me. 

3. Request

My feet were thrown from the deck as the sheer power of the wave took over. I was hit so hard I couldn’t breathe and ice cold water stung my skin. It surrounded me on all sides, taking me in its vast current and ignored my struggling, flailing limbs. I tumbled around, searching for some way to escape, but I had no idea which way to go. Up and down no longer existed; the water pushed me in all directions and never paused for a moment. A burning built within my lungs, a choking need for air.  Frantically, I struggled for the surface even though I didn’t know which direction the surface was. I could see nothing—the shadowy water swirled and smashed and fell in every direction.  

     I was suddenly hauled by a current and my head broke the surface. I choked and gagged the water out of my lungs. Short gasps brought slight relief as the oxygen subdued my body’s strangled desire.

     A large wave rose before me and took me under. Again I fought for control, though pushed about against my will, and then the surface reappeared. I struggled for it and broke through, gasping as another wave pulled me under. Over and over it happened, the constant tugging on my body as though it were a rag doll in a hurricane. There was never enough air to satisfy my lungs, only enough to keep breathing.

     I resurfaced and waited for the next wave by taking full advantage of the break, but the next wave did not come. My stinging lungs throbbed as I searched through the rain. The waves were no longer as high as they had been before, and I was able to keep my head above the surface. The overwhelming iciness of the water engulfed me, and my teeth chattered as the terror of what had happened set in. Shivering, I saw my frosty breath in the torrential rain.

     I searched for the
Lady Marie
, but she was nowhere to be found. I yelled, but my voice was barely audible over the storm. In desperation I continued to scream, my raspy throat cracking out gargled calls for help.

     The seconds ticked by as if in slow motion. I turned around desperately hoping for a glimpse of the boat, but nothing came. Panic seized my heart, plunging my mind into the worst of fears. Logical thoughts fled and I could think of nothing to do but to stay afloat. That’s all my mind could process:
stay afloat Lissie, stay afloat
.

     As I turned in the water, something dark began to form on the horizon. Hope rekindled within me. Thinking it was the
Lady Marie
, I struggled through the waves toward it. Hardly progressing, the currents suddenly began to push me towards the shape that had seemed so far away. With everything I had left, I used the current to muster my strength as I swam harder. Lifting my head out of the water, my hopes drowned to the bottom of the ocean. The form was not the boat, but an island. It stretched for a great distance on either side, spanning what had to be a mile long coast. Relief flooded my veins replacing the disappointment and I began to swim toward it.

     My limbs felt like lead as I let the waves drag me toward shore. For a second, I was thrust under and my boot grazed the bottom. I realized then that my other foot was sheathed only in a sock and the roaring sea was now home to my other shoe.

     I cried out in relief when I saw how close I was to solid land. I could just make out a sandy beach through the rain and continued to struggle forward. The desire to get out of the water made me press on despite the overwhelming exhaustion.

     Out of the corner of my right eye something flashed. Perplexed, I pushed my hair from my eyes. The water level was just beneath my shoulders, but I was still being tossed about by the waves. A sense of foreboding pressed upon me as I looked to see what had flashed. I gasped.

     The strange, shiny form I had seen the night before was in the water. Intense fear froze my body and mind. It was one thing to look at a strange creature while you were on a boat, but quite another when you were in the water along with it.

     The shiny form floated not even twenty yards from me. I wondered if I would be able to make it to shore before it came any closer. Then, in the blink of an eye, it rushed straight past me. I screamed, and my throat burned from the salt coating it. I spun around, and the form was closer than last time. Once again it whizzed right past me; I screamed and moved out of the way, closer to the island.

     My body was paralyzed with fright—I had no idea what to do. I tried to find the form again, but could not see it. I desperately tried to locate it, and turned to see if it was behind me. A strangled shriek of terror escaped my lips scarcely heard above the storm.

     A shirtless man was in the water, directly in front of me. Dark hair blew about his face and there was a beast-like focus in his curious dangerous eyes as he stared at me with a gaze that pierced my soul. I averted my eyes from his quickly, and looked down into the water. 

     Once again I gasped, my eyes widening in horror. The shiny form was floating directly below the man, moving slowly back and forth counter to the rhythm of the waves.  I looked back up at him to see if he realized this: it seemed that he was unaware.

     There was something strange about him. He did not look like a normal human. His dark, long hair moved about his head and face as though he were still underwater. The wind moved it in a soft wave rather than whipping it around in the frigid air as mine did. 

     His skin was mesmerizing, shimmering as the rain splattered against it harshly. But the water did not seem to soak into his flesh; instead, it ran down his face and shoulders without the slightest glitch as though he was marble. His face was strong and beautiful, yet there was danger and boldness written in every feature. The eyes were a hard, deep gray as they stared at me in curious wonder. As he puckered his lips slightly and furrowed his brow, I realized that he seemed to be debating something.

     Without warning, he reached a hand to my face. His skin was slippery as though he was covered in grease. My body immediately pulled away from his touch, my instincts telling me to flee. My moving had angered him and fury creased the creature’s face. I tried not to let him see me move back even farther, but his eyes flickered toward my feet in the water. His face hardened even more and he shifted closer to me. With a strong hand he grasped my chin while turning my face from side to side. My breath came in short gasps, every nerve screaming at me to swim away before he got closer. I knew he was not human. He couldn’t be—he was too different.

     The creature continued to look at me, his judgmental gaze sliding over me. Grasping a strand of my hair, he fingered it, and then nodded his head. He pulled back slightly and I shrank away in fear, glad to be out of his reach. The waves picked up their strength again and I was taken under. A firm hand grabbed me under the arm and pulled me to the surface. I choked on the water and blinked to clear the salt from my eyes. With both hands, the creature reached out to me and I inhaled sharply. He paused. Again he stared at me curiously, and then all of a sudden he pulled me up against his chest. Like lightning we shot across the water far, away from the island.

    The wind whipped around my face and I couldn’t see anything around me. I held on to him tightly, hoping he wouldn’t let go. Rain pelted against my face, stinging my frozen cheeks. My hands were shaking and kept slipping off the creature’s slick shoulders, but he continued to crush me against his body.

     Confused, my mind tried to catch up with what was happening. Everything around us was a blur as I attempted to open my eyes through the thundering rain. The speed at which we moved was incredible; we were flying over the water with the greatest of ease. I tried to grasp how we were moving so fast when a bright flicker caught my attention. I looked down to see what it was—the shiny form was right beneath us and was keeping up. It was waving beneath us, so close that my legs were almost touching it. I peered at it trying to figure out what it was.

     It was long and shiny, reaching a few feet longer than my own legs. I had to lean to see the end of it and realized it slowly tapered at the end and split into a sort of “y” shape. All of a sudden it dawned on me. This was no separate form; this shiny thing was the bottom half of the man holding me. Shock consumed me. I could think of only one word for the creature that now held me against his chest; a creature that only existed in fairytales and myths. A merman.

     I peered back up at the merman and found him looking at me. He seemed to be aware that I had just figured out what he was. It did not stop him. He continued to use his powerful dolphin-like fins to propel us through the waves, his back taking the blunt of the oncoming water while keeping me stable.

     I tried to gather my thoughts, ignoring the increasing speed of the merman. Where was he taking me? I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t stop him. From the size of his arms and the firmness of his grasp I could tell he was incredibly strong. And escaping him by swimming was pointless because he moved faster in the water than anything I had ever seen.

     Then, out of the shadows, a shape appeared. The merman headed straight toward it. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. He sped up and I was able to make out the shape of a boat. My heart leapt. Had he really brought me back to the
Lady Marie
? I couldn’t believe it. Sure enough, her gold lettering identified her, and flashlights shimmered from her deck onto the crashing black waves.

     Without warning, the merman jerked us underwater and a small scream escaped my mouth while salt clogged my throat and nose. We plunged into the depths, with him grasping tighter when I squirmed. Panic constricted my throat, but he changed course and shot toward the surface, a great choke broke from my mouth once air reached my lungs.

     Gathering myself, I glared at him for not giving me a warning, but he did not seem concerned with my disapproval. Instead, he slipped one arm from around me and raised a hand in the air. I flinched hoping it would not come near me, making his jaw tighten at my reaction, but he did not bring it any closer. He placed his large hand on what looked like a wall. Confused, it took my mind a few moments to realize he was touching the side of the
Lady Marie
.

     Gratefulness consumed me as I looked at the boat in relief. Trying to escape his arms, I pushed against him but he held me forcefully. Cocking my head to the side, I tried to understand what he wanted.

     A wave crashed over us and hit the boat with a resounding thud, but I did not go under. The merman held me up as though the water had no power over him. A shiver ran through my spine as I realized the amount of strength he had. In a jerky movement, he flicked his head toward the boat, his hair rippling in a dazzling wave. I had no idea what he wanted.

     “Lissie! Lissie!” the desperately pleading voice belonged to one of my brothers, but I couldn’t tell which one. “Lissie!”

     “I’m down here!” All the salt water had made my throat dry and scratchy and I was certain my yell wouldn’t be heard.

     Within a second, the arms that had held me so tightly disappeared. I fell beneath the surface but kicked back up again. The merman was gone.

     Two beams of light found me and flashed over my face. I could see two figures on deck, but one quickly disappeared.

     “Lissie?! Oh, thank goodness!” Derek’s usually strong voice was stressed even through the pouring rain. “Just hold on!”

     The second figure returned and yelled, “Catch!” I caught the rough rope and held on to it with the little strength left in me. I was pulled up out of the water and before long a strong pair of arms reached out and yanked me into a desperate hug. I tucked my face into the wet jacket and shivered, the tears stinging my eyes.

     “Thank goodness you’re alive,” Dad choked. Bright lightning flashed and a crack of thunder exploded across the sky. 

     “Are you okay?” Sean asked, his hand rubbing my back. I had no idea if my voice would actually work and didn’t want to pull my face away from Dad’s chest. I nodded.

    “Let’s get you inside.”

     I felt a soft tug and my feet began to move, but I kept my face hidden. I didn’t want to see any more of this dreadful storm. All of a sudden Dad stopped, and his body stiffened.

     Reluctantly, I lifted my head. Five men clothed in black pants stood before us, their arms crossed over their broad naked chests. The rain filtered down their smooth bodies without a pause, their eyes peered at us with cold hatred. Yet I recognized the man at the front of the pack immediately. He was the merman who had saved my life, yet he stood on legs.
How was that possible?
My mind tried to grasp what I was seeing. I was sure that I had seen him with fins, yet here he was before me with two legs.

     The merman was still naked on the upper half of his body, and the cold pounding rain seemed to not faze him. A pair of modern, black board shorts rested low on his hips. Like a mighty ocean god out of an ancient story, with his hair floating in the wind, and his arms hanging loosely at his sides, he stared at me like he had before.

     The men behind him all glared, their eyes as dark as their leader’s—it was obvious that the merman who had saved me was in charge. Their folded muscular arms bulged against their broad chests, presenting a daunting sight. They were all various heights, but one stood out on his long lean legs and reminded me of a runner. Each of them had dark hair like their leader except for the one who stood toward the front of the group. His hair was a light blonde and cropped shorter than the others. It hung just long enough to touch his eyes. But out of all the baleful glares I received, his was the worst.