Chapter One: The Voice in the Cave
The wind blew her auburn hair back behind her as she looked out over the open ocean. Her hand held onto a rope as she leaned out over the ships rail to watch the dolphins swimming alongside them. The day was warm and the skies were clear, summer was just beginning.
"Clara." She turned around at the sound of her name.
He stood there dressed in his usual leather attire minus his long jacket, too warm for a day like today. He held his hand out and she took it. He drew her close, raising his arm he stroked his cheek with the smooth back of his hook. Smiling he placed his lips to hers.
Buzz….Buzz….Buzz
Clara Morgenson let out a small groan as she reached over hitting the off button on her alarm. That dream again. She really needed to stop reading so many fairytale and pirate romance novels. Not that a dream involving a very attractive pirate captain, including a very appealing Hook, was terrible, but she had been having the exact same dream, or ones similar, for months now. Sometimes he rescued her after she had been washed onto a strange beach after being caught in a storm. Other times they were fighting side by side in a battle, but mostly she dreamt of his embrace.
Shaking the thought of the dreams from her mind Clara climbed out of bed. The sun was not even awake as she slipped into her sports bikini and brushed her hair into a ponytail before silently tip toeing through the house and out the back door. Her parent's home was nestle right on the beach of Maui. Being home from college always felt wonderful.
Walking down to the shore Clara waded into the water as the sun slowly began to shed light on the ocean. When she was waist deep in the water Clara stretched her arms one last time before diving under the waves. Clara swan out past where the waves began the crest than surfaced. As she did almost every morning Clara floated on her back watching the sunrise paint colors across the sky.
There was a buoy a short distance out Clara swam laps between the buoy and a small rock formation. Clara loved the feeling of the open ocean. She started every day with an early swim before heading to her summer job at the Maui Country Club where she taught swim lessons and was a life guard. Clara could have used the pool at the club for her early morning swims, but she much preferred the freedom of the open ocean.
Clara loved the feeling that she could just swim off into the open waters and have an adventure if only she had fins. Despite being twenty-five Clara's heart still held to the small dream of living the rest of her life at sea. Hopefully she would once she finished her doctorate in marine biology at the University of Hawaii Marine Institute in Honolulu. Clara dreamed of deep sea diving and discovering new marine life in the deep waters.
Normally Clara would have finished her laps than headed back home to get ready for work. Today was different Clara felt a little more adventuress. Diving under the water Clara decided to explore the coral below. Clara had explored the coral beds and the caves many times and every time there was something new to discover. As she swam around the coral Clara thought she heard a male voice calling out under the water. She had not seen anyone else around. Surfacing she looked around not seeing anyone. Diving below again Clara looked around the coral, when she found nothing she headed for the rock formations. Almost perfectly in the middle of the formation was a cave entrance that Clara had never noticed before.
Making for the cave the voice became stronger. The voice called her name over and over again. Curious Clara quickly made for the mouth of the cave. Looking into the entrance of the cave Clara saw light at the other end. The cave's tunnel was short and no dangerous sea life appeared to be living inside. Pushing off the rock she was resting on Clara swam forward. Clara had been right, the cave was short. She reached the other side and quickly surfaced.
Blinking in the bright sunlight Clara looked around. The land around her was very different than what she had left behind on the other side. Yet at the same time she felt a sense of familiarity. The beach of the island in front of her had white sand beaches, tropical tree, and not a home or other person in sight. The waters around her were clearer and the height of the sun looked to be midafternoon.
Heading for the beach Clara decided to look around. She walked away from the rock formation where she had emerged. After walking away down the beach she confirmed that there was no one else around. Turning back to where she started Clara headed into the tree line. Not too far in she found a cool spring, Clara was thankful she had been getting thirsty. The waters was cool and refreshing, in fact the water was the best she had ever tasted.
Clara continued to explore along the tree line. She found delouses fruits and nuts when she became hungry and there was always a spring whenever she became thirsty. Other than there always being food and water when she needed there were also colorful birds and playful monkeys.
After some time Clara returned to the beach. Wading back into the water Clara floated across the surface. Below her all sorts of fish, large and small, swam by. Clara panicked when a shark passed by, but he paid her no mind. The dolphins however did become curious. Four came to see who the new comer to the ocean was. Clara soon found herself swimming and playing with the dolphins. She completely forgot about home and her job that was until she noticed the sky darken and the wind picked up.
The dolphins scurried away to fined safety as the waves quickly became violent. Clara swam as fast as her now tired legs would carry her. She needed to get back to the cave and home. Clara dove under the water by the rock formation where she had emerged. She swam up and down the expanse of the rocks, but there was no sign of the cave entrance. Clara was tiring fast, she was becoming depurate.
She swam back for the surface only to find the waves had become even more dangerous. As Clara broke the surface a large wave slammed her backwards into the rock wall. Clara cried out in pain swallowing a large amount of seawater at the same time. She needed to get to the shore. The waves continued to throw her body back against the rocks, but Clara fought on. Thunder rumbled over head as lighting slashed across the sky. Clara was taking in more water than breath and her body was weakening, becoming heavy. The last thing Clara remembered was a bright flash of lightening and the pain of the rocks against her back.
There was nothing but darkness. No not just darkness, water, dark black waters. She was still underwater, but now the water was calm. She was drifting in the calm water, not drowning, not dying, just drifting. The water rippled in front of her. The water showed her a ship. She knew that ship, Clara had been on that ship many times in her dreams.
The imaged changed. The water showed Clara the captain's quarters. Hook was asleep at his desk. Feet propped up covering maps a bottle of rum laying near his foot.
"Hook." Clara whispered. The moment his name left her lips the water began to swirl again. Clara threw her arms out towards Hook's image. "HOOK!" He did not move. "HELP ME!" Nothing. The water started the pull her deeper into its depths, "HOOK HELP ME!" He did not move.
The waters swallowed her and darkness took her.