"Can we go in the water, dad?" I ask, chomping at the bit to put my boogie board in the surf off the North Carolina coast. We live in a grand old lighthouse. It's every kids dream to live in a lighthouse. There are all kinds of nooks and crannies to hide in. I'm the youngest of three kids. Matt is the oldest followed by Stefan and then me.
"Yes, you can go in the water but don't go too far out," he warns me albeit with a smile on his face. Although we live on the ocean, dad is very over the top about our safety. A good friend of his drown when he was a boy so he insists that he always come down to the shore with us. Usually he brings his cell phone and lap top so he can work while he's basking in the sun's warmth while my brothers and I swim or rough house in the surf.
I also enjoy collecting shells and sand dollars. We have a small boat so there are times dad takes us out fishing. My mom is the best cook. She works magic with the fish we catch. Stefan and Matt love to surf. I'm not quite ready to tackle that yet but I do like my boogie board.
It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the waves are lapping the shore line. I love living here. Once we get down the water's edge, I jump walk in, smiling at the feeling of sand between my toes. Once I get into waist deep water, I get on my board and paddle out a little farther.
The water is chilly and a little murky today but I still love how being in the water is like floating. I'm pretty much minding my own business, lost in my own little world as I float among the waves. When I hear yelling, I sit up, hanging my legs over the sides of my board. Looking towards shore, I see my dad and brothers frolicking on the beach, tossing a football to each other. When I look around, I realize that I've drifted pretty far out so I start paddling to get closer to the shore. Feeling a painless tug on my leg, I look down, my eyes widening in fear when I see the water turning red.
Confused, I look up only to see my dad motioning frantically for me to get to shore but I'm too far out to hear what he's saying. Suddenly I'm knocked off of my board with a jolt. Finding myself staring into the cold black eyes and razor sharp teeth of a bull shark, I panic and begin thrashing hard to get to the surface. Starting to feel faint and short of breath, I struggle, trying to get away. My leg hurts so I reach down, feeling only a shard of bone and tattered flesh. Terror fills my body as I start to flail in the surf. Even though I'm certain I'm either going to bleed to death or drown, I helplessly founder, trying to stay afloat.
Miraculously, I feel someone grab ahold of my arms and pull me onto the beach. Although it feels like I'm in a dream world, I hear someone yelling to call 911 before succumbing to the darkness..
Lurching upright in bed, I take a couple of deep breaths when I realize that it was a nightmare. Reaching down, I feel my stump. I lost my left leg just below the knee that day. Fortunately, there was enough of my leg left that they were able to save my knee. It still aches sometimes. I had to do a lot of rehab to learn how to walk again with an artificial leg. Besides getting callouses in my arm pits from crutches, I also got blisters from the first prosthesis I had. Fortunately they were able to fit me with a stump sock and new prosthesis that fit well.
As I grew up, I had to be refitted with one from time to time to accommodate my growth. The first time I went back in the water, I felt a deep visceral fear. I would only go out a short distance and only when the water was clear enough for me to see any predators lurking. My parents took me to a counselor. Losing a body part is pretty traumatic for an eight year old. At least I lived to tell the tale.
Unable to get back to sleep, I decide to get up. I grab onto my crutches and hobble into the bathroom to shower. Once dressed, I put my leg on, jump in my car and drive to work. Rather than hating sharks, I decided I needed to learn all I could about them. I threw myself into studying them, eventually deciding to turn my newfound love of sharks into a career. I have relocated to the west coast. Every day I'm living my dream as a shark biologist working with other researchers at the Marine Conservation Institute.
I spend my time researching shark behavior in waters surrounding Guadalupe Island in Mexico. I also spend valuable time studying the sharks that inhabit the waters in and around the Farallon Islands. The Farallons are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco. They lie thirty miles outside the Golden Gate and twenty miles south of Point Reyes, and are visible from the mainland on clear days. The only inhabited portion of the islands is on Southeast Farallon Island which is where I stay from time to time so I can get up close and personal with the sea life common to this area.
Having hit a traffic jam and bumper to bumper traffic, I'm in a lousy mood by the time I walk into my office.
"Good morning, Dr. Salvatore," my secretary, Jenna greets me.
"Morning," I huff then step into my office, dropping my brief case on my desk. It's foggy and overcast today so my leg is bothering me on top of everything else. Just as I'm about to sit down, Jenna steps into my office.
While handing me a cup of coffee, Jenna tells me, "Dr. Salvatore, your summer intern is here." Rolling my eyes, I sigh exaggeratedly.
Dropping into my chair, I take a sip of my coffee. "Thanks Jenna. Send him in."
"Um... Dr. Salvatore, it's not a him, it's a her."
"Alane Gilbert is a she?"
"Yes, Dr. Salvatore, I am a she and my name is Elena Gilbert," she sings songs. Raising my eyes, my mouth drops slightly when I see the beauty who's now standing in my doorway.
Welcome to the new story. I finally got through the rough patch and all I have left to write of this is polishing up the epilogue. I do hope you'll like this. I LOVE SHARKS. I think they're the most fascinating creatures. Yes, I eat 'Shark Week' up! I was so excited to post this, I forgot to thank Eva for being the best friend and beta ever. Also to another truly great friend, Kate for making and gifting me with yet another beautiful cover. 'What if I Was Nothing' will update later this week as will 'Shatter Me'.
Anxious to hear what you think of this. Have a fabulous day everyone. REVIEWS ARE LOVE...