Chapter 30 Scuba Doobee Dooba

The water rippled with each time the paddle went under the surface. Lilac kept her eyes on said surface, the mesmerizing, enchanting surface. Even while some loose waves rocked the boat to and fro, she didn't feel afraid. She placed her hand in the water, allowing the soothing qualities of the salt-filled sea to lure her into a sense of confidence, a sense of peace, and a sense of belonging.

The others, unfortunately, weren't as soothed. Peppy looked like she would throw up as she hugged herself in a feeble position. Stormy looked out over the ocean with a sense of dread, and Wendy looked like she was two seconds away from nervously chewing on her nails. The only one who looked like he wasn't worried was Scale, but he was too busy rowing the boat to be focusing on all the aspects of this mission that had the potential to go wrong .

"Well," Scale said, "we're almost to the place."

Lilac pursed her lips together. Stormy had ended up bribing the Toad to tell them where they could find the sacred star. He admitted that the star was said to be spotted glimmering under the water of a place called Plessie's Cove. Granted, he also admitted that he wasn't one hundred percent sure that was true, and Lilac didn't exactly trust him considering that he held the information over her head and refused to give it to her without the promise of a large amount of money. Still, it was the only information they had, so the group decided to go together (excluding Opal, Michael, Gabby, and Adam, as they had all decided it would be best and safest if they stayed on the beach).

Lilac looked over at the place where they had been directed to. The water was surrounded on all sides save for the little eighteen inch stretch of water that allowed row boats into the cove. Trees and bushes, decorated by bunches of coconuts and blooming pink flowers respectively, aligned the bay's shores so close to the water that they looked like they were admiring their reflections. Seagulls soared overhead, providing the only audible sound amidst the quiet cove.

"Wow," Wendy said. "It's beautiful." She smiled. "I always love World 4; there's so many areas worth exploring."

Lilac nodded, giving Wendy a smile as she did. Scale, meanwhile, decided to show his agreement with nothing more than a gruff grunt.

"Yes, well, this time you'll have plenty of places to explore." He stopped the boat right in the center of the cove. The water, clear as a recently-cleaned mirror, showed Lilac a world that stretched down for miles. She was amazed at its depth, and Peppy was too. Granted, that amazement seemed more negative than positive, as she held onto the sides of the boat extra tightly.

"Okay," Scale said. He handed each of the girls a set of scuba gear that they had bought at one of the stores on the boardwalk. Lilac took hers, trying to wrap her mind around what wonders lay beneath the sea as she did.

Peppy looked like she was going to vomit. "Oh, I never liked swimming…"

Stormy patted her on the shoulder. "I know, Peppy. But you're the only one with a sacred star; we could use your assistance."

Peppy gingerly reached her hands up to the treasure glimmering on her neck. "But…but…it's fire. Can fire even be underwater?"

"Actually, yes," Wendy said as she strapped the dive mask to her head. "My brother Iggy once told me that fire can burn underwater so long as you have an oxidizer and enough fuel." She chuckled. "And I don't know about you, but I think a sacred treasure with the ability to produce fire on a whim is enough fuel to last a lifetime."

Peppy sighed. "You're right." She took her diving mask and placed it on her head.

Lilac looked back into the water. There was so much to explore. She could probably write thirty thousand essays about what lay beneath the sea. She didn't know if it was necessarily considered newsworthy, but she was certain that she could grab many people's attention with the wonders of the deep.

Regardless, she couldn't focus on that right now. She took a deep breath as she put on the snorkel. They were here to get the sacred star and save Wendy's brothers. Lilac had already screwed up and chickened out while trying to gather information, so she had no intention of screwing up with this.

"Okay," she said. She placed the oxygen tank on her back, feeling like the weight of it was enough to crush her lavender shell. She looked back at her friends. "I'm ready when you are."

Wendy nodded and fitted the second fin over her left foot. "I'm ready."

"Me too," said Stormy.

Peppy still looked unsure. "The Toad said that a monster lives in this cove…"

"HA!" Scale said. "That guy was probably full fo crap. I betcha that monster stuff is just a bunch of boohockey parents feed their children to keep them out of the water."

Peppy chuckled. "Who are these parents exactly; they sound like terrible people."

Wendy gave each of the girls a serious look. "Look, I don't care if there are a thousand monsters down there. We need to get that star. And I'm not going to rest until we have them and my family is safe."

Lilac nodded. "Neither will I, Wendy." She wasn't going to screw this up. She couldn't screw this up.

"Okay," Wendy said. She got out of the boat and lowered herself into the water. Before any of them knew it, she was submerged and swimming downward.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" said Scale. "Get going!"

Stormy nodded and dived down after Wendy. Peppy still shook like she was in the middle of the arctic, so Lilac took her hand.

"It's going to be fine. We won't be down there for long."

Peppy took a deep breath. "Okay." She chuckled, half in a nervous way and half in a humorous way, as she lowered herself down. "You're the rock, Lilac. You're a strong and sturdy rock."

Lilac chuckled. "I'm really not." If anyone was a rock, it was Wendy, if the display with comforting her about the Toad was any indication. All the more reason why Lilac had to help her.

So, she dived. She swam downwards at a steep, almost vertical incline, with Peppy just a few feet above her. Lilac kept the air regulator tightly in her mouth as she followed after Wendy and Stormy. She would also gesture to Peppy, which encouraged her friend to go even deeper. Lilac smiled; at least she was doing one thing right this trip.

The deeper they got, the more varied and colorful the scenery looked. Coral grew on the rocks in all colors of the rainbow, glowing like the most precious jewels in the Koopa Kingdom. Fish jitted around, also appearing in many different colors. Lilac watched as a yellow cheep cheep with blue fins swam past, drawn in by its mesmerizing, almost tantalizing appearance.

The other girls appeared to be just as fascinated by the scenery. Even Peppy stopped shaking and appeared to laugh as a spiny purple cheep cheep chased after a miniature unagi eel. The girls all gathered into one area once the novelty wore off.

"Okay," Wendy said through the noise maker. "Let's get looking."

All three of her friends nodded. Lilac stuck close to Peppy, both to reassure her and because there was safety in numbers. While Stormy and Wendy searched the right side of the cove, she and Peppy searched the left. Lilac's brow scrunched up once she got close to the coral. Without much thought, she began to dig. Peppy did the same thing, both of them getting their hands undeniably messy. When they didn't find anything, they moved to a new spot. Lilac digged and digged and digged, her heart thumping like a kettle drum. She would find the sacred star. She needed to.

Unfortunately, fate didn't care about what the Koopa girls needed. Their search turned up fruitless. Digging through the grimy sand, checking every nook and cranny around the coral…nothing shiny or of note was found. Frustrated, all four girls swam back to the middle of the cove.

"Nothing," Stormy said.

Wendy sighed. "Let's go get air."

Lilac and Peppy both nodded. However, Peppy's nodding was cut short by a bubbly and terrified scream. The others gave her looks of confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked Wendy.

Peppy pointed behind them. "M…m…monster!"

Lilac and the others looked behind, and Lilac's heart skipped a beat. With shiny orange skin and a humongous snout, a giant sea monster stared them down with a mixture of fear and anger in its eyes.

"Oh no," Lilac squeaked.