"Hurry up!" cried Jenny. "Let's go already!" Kicking off her blue sandals, she rushed towards the calm crystalline ocean. She dived in gracefully, then turned back and waved at Amy.
"Slow down," her best friend yelled back. "You're going out to far!" Ugh, Amy thought, she never listens. She put the book she was currently reading, The Phantom of the Opera, into her bulky, waterproof backpack to protect it from getting dirty and wet. She then took off her sandals as well and ran into the ocean after Jenny. "Wait up!"
As a celebration of the beginning of summer and the end of school, Amy Kyros and Jenny Forest had decided to go to the beach together with their families. While their two families picnicked on the sand in the midst of a sea of umbrellas and towels, the two girls had opted to hang out in the clear blue water.
"C'mon Amy, let's swim across to the other side of the beach!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Ugh, what a bother," Amy complained. "Whatever, I could use the exercise I guess…just let me go tell our parents." Amy splashed back to the shore. After notifying everyone so that no one would freak out over their disappearance, Amy headed back towards Jenny. She then turned around again, debating on whether to bring her backpack with her. There was a camera in there, along with some other things that would come in handy. Deciding it was better to bring along her backpack, she took her camera out so that she could have it at hand, slung her backpack over both shoulders, and walked back into the water.
"What's with all that junk?" Jenny asked.
"It's my camera, our cell phones, and some other emergency supplies. Just in case. Better safe than sorry. Besides, my mom would've made me bring it anyways, and we would've had to gone back there to go get it. It was easier to just bring it with me," Amy explained.
"Whatever. Let's just hurry up and go in so we can get back soon." Jenny acknowledged.
As Jenny swam closer and closer to the side of the rocky cliff, she realized there was a cave inside. How strange, she mused, any cave so close to the surface would have been discovered by now. But she realized, as she drew nearer, that there were no signs around the cave, unlike the rest of the area, where every little thing was recognized by a small sign with a historic note on it. The entire area looked untouched. There were lots of colorful fish swimming around just inside the cave.
She looked around. The people nearby the cave didn't even seem to notice it was there! "Hey Amy," she called out. "Take a look at that cave up ahead!"
Amy peered over Jenny's shoulder. "What about it?" she asked.
"Doesn't that look a little out of place here? I mean look, there aren't any signs or anything, and the people around it don't even notice it! Besides, I don't think I remember ever seeing that there."
"Huh. You're right. I'm sure we would've noticed a cave like that before now. Unless of course, we were totally inobservant morons, which is totally possible," Amy joked. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!" She snapped a picture of the antre, wanting to capture the moment they'd discovered it.
"Are you sure it's safe though?" Jenny interjected, wary.
"Oh don't be such a wimp. You were the one that noticed it in the first place. A little exploring won't hurt you. C'mon!" Amy started for the cave. She reached it before Jenny did, so she waited just outside for her to catch up. She looked around, seeing if anyone had seen her. No one took notice to her. She pondered this for a while, before turning around and realizing Jenny was already next to her.
"Let's go then," Jenny said. They both slowly swam into the cave. The further in they went, the colder the water became.
"Wow, this area is huuuuuggggeeee!" Amy cried, her voice echoing throughout the cavern. The cave indeed was quite large. It was almost as big as a football field, with many smaller passages leading elsewhere. It was dark, with only a minimal amount of light coming from the opening, not nearly enough to illuminate the entire area. The occasional drip-drop of water was heard, creating a steady rhythm that bounced around the cave. Amy took a few more pictures, the flash from the camera brightening
Swimming further in, they spotted a sandy shore on the far end of the cavern. They started for the shore, when Amy realized all of the fish were suddenly swarming out of the cave. "Umm…Jenny…the fish are acting…weird."
"Hmm? Oh… you're right…uh oh, do you think there's something big and dangerous here? Like a shark?! I mean you never know, it's too dark to see anything!" Jenny panicked.
"I-I don't think so… the shark would've been trapped in here… Besides, it's too shallow for a shark," reasoned Amy, who was also trying to stay calm. Suddenly the entire cavern shook, pieces of the ceiling falling into the water.
"What the- what's happening? Ugh, I told you we shouldn't have come in here!" Jenny accused.
"Too late now, let's hurry and get out while we still can!" Amy yelled back, racing towards the exit as fast as she could. "Come on Jenny! You'll get trapped in here if you wait any longer!"
"I'm trying! I'm try-" Jenny was suddenly cut off by a wave a water created by the falling rocks.
"Jenny!" Amy screamed, horrified to see her best friend going under. She tried to swim back to her, but the current was slowly dragging her under as well. Using the last of her energy, she flailed, attempting to keep her head above swirling water while moving towards Jenny, who looked like she had reached her limit. Reaching out, she put one hand on Jenny's arm, before another towering wave crashed down, separating the two again. Everything went dark for Amy.
