An Earth-Shaking Experience
Plot: A newly graduated girl finds herself sucked into something out of her history books when she encounters a teenage boy who can seemingly control the seas.
- Chapter 1 -
It crashed into me. Like a bowling ball taking down a pin, but I was the pin.
I landed flat on my back with the water rushing in my nose and mouth. Salty water. It stung the back of my throat as I tried to suck in air. Realizing it wasn't helping, I scrambled to move before the next wave hit.
I loved it, the ocean. As unforgiving as it might be, there was always a natural beauty about it that no one could change. Something so massive was impossible to ever change.
Back on my feet and away from the shore, I looked out onto the view. The sun was hidden behind the monstrous clouds that extended as far as the eye could see, black as night and as unruly as the twisting mass below it. The gulls had gone inland that morning; their instincts told them when a storm was coming, and they knew better than to stick around for it.
I guess I was lacking in that sense, though. Whenever I saw the flocks lining the roofs of town I always made a point of making a trip down to the beach.
"Ack," I grumbled as I spit the salt out of my mouth, "Next time I'll have to bring a towel."
The long strand of beach was empty except for me and a few piles of bleached and burnt wood. The latter were the last remnants of the summer's activities. I could still smell the sweet scent of graham crackers and melted chocolate from the s'mores we had made not a few weeks earlier. It was a fun night with friends - the last one for a while, now that the autumn weather had hit.
The stormy beach was nice, but I was getting cold. I took one last look out into the eternity before turning myself in the direction of home and the promise of warmth. It was easy for me to admit that around the water was where I felt the most comfortable. I wasn't an Olympic-level swimmer or anything, I just enjoyed the crashing of the waves and the knowledge that it connected things. The ocean never forgot, was never altered, provided life to countless plants and animals, and encompassed everything. Sometimes it went with the flow. Sometimes it got a little bit moody. But it was always calm below the surface. It was like an immortal boy I had fallen utterly in love with.
Xxx
I walked up the little hill from the beach to where my car was parked. I blasted the heat as I drove. As much as I would have liked to live in one of the waterfront houses a stone's throw from the waves, I was living on a student's salary. My little basement suite was a five minute drive inland. I shared it with my older sister. She had moved out of my parent's house a few years earlier, and I followed when I graduated that past spring.
The instant I opened the door, I was met with the smell of dinner. Salmon, I guessed. It was Tuesday, which means Mel had been busy in the kitchen.
"Hey! I'm just gonna get changed – how far off until dinner?" I shouted as I took off my soggy shoes.
A voice from the kitched replied, "Two minutes!"
Taking that as a hint to hurry, I rushed down the hall and cleaned myself up. The five-or-so months I had been living with my sister had their ups and downs at the beginning, but we had eventually worked out a system that was satisfactory for both of us. We both worked during the day, and both had classes a couple nights of the week. Mel made dinner the nights she got home early, and I made dinner the nights I got home early. We split the grocery bill and split the rent. Fair. Except that she was a much, much better cook than I was. The nights I was responsible for dinner, I usually just threw together a Hamburger Helper dish and a salad. My specialty was baking, though, so that evened out as well.
"I fell in again," I explained when she gave me a questioning look at my still-wet hair.
Mel let out a giggle. "I swear, you have legs like a baby giraffe. Can't keep upright!" On her way to becoming a marine biologist, Mel shared my appreciation for the ocean. Not to the same extent, maybe, but she often didn't mind if I took a quick detour on my way home from class. So long as I was home for dinner, it was alright.
"The team and I are headed out this weekend to do some more tracking of the killer whales. Jim was wondering if you wanted to come with us."
I could feel my eyes lighting up at her invitation. "Of course I do!"
Jim was her supervisor. A cute old man, must have been about 65 years old. I loved going out on the research boat with him. He sometimes let me steer, which was worth bragging about – that boat was his baby. He never let anyone touch her controls except for me, on occasion. There were two others in the group. Johann was one year Mel's senior, which gave him a little bit more authority than her. He was from Austria. Teasing him about his foreignness was one of my favorite pastimes. Lynn was the rookie. It was her first season with the team. Even I, as a tag-along, had more experience than her, last time I checked. But they worked notably well with each other, which meant Mel came home happy.
The rest of the night was quiet. We both had studying to do, and midterms were creeping up fast.
I paused to look out the window before getting into bed. The silhouettes of the trees had stopped moving in the wind, so the weather had apparently calmed down. I couldn't see much more than that in the darkness.
Sleep seemed overly inviting after my long day. I shut my blinds and climbed under the covers - I was out like a light.
- Chapter End -
A/N:
Yay! So my first fic in a long time! I'll do my best to update regularly, but wouldn't mind a little bit of a shove if I start to take too long between chapters
3 Maux