Okay people, I know I promised quicker updates now that I'm on holidays, but I had a problem with the internet and couldn't come online for several days *pure hell it was!*
But now I'm back with a longer chapter for you guys! XD
Enjoy, and sorry for any mistakes...
XXIII
- He... he wants me to be like him...
Toothiana immediately peeked over her scaly shoulder, her eyes leaving the tunnels and holes where crab was hidden the minute his deep voice reached her hears. However, she did forget to retrieve her prying hands, and in that brief gap of attention from the hunting mermaid, one of her slim fingers was caught in a nipper's strong hold.
A pained shriek left the girl's lips, a flash of red running through her glossy skin, as she shook her arm in the futile attempt of expelling the angry crustacean. And when the stubborn crab refused to let go, Toothiana decided to finally satisfy her hunger, and in one mighty bite, down the mermaid's throat it went. She struggled a little at first, as she tried to swallow her too-crunchy snack. But after a few seconds she turned back to the boy, with the sweetest of smiles plastered up on her beaming face, and with a slight cough she quietly spoke.
- Sorry what?
- Humm... what? – stuttered the shepherd, finally leaving that dumfounded face and focusing on the conversation, blinking his eyes in order to get the desired effect. But as he remembered what they were talking about, his features became gloomy once more, his gaze lost in the sea ahead of him. – My... my father... – and he failed to notice the widening of her pinkish orbs, the minute the boy spoke of the family member.
Somewhere along the way, in one of their many talks, Jack had briefly referred to a certain 'father', an entity that the mermaid was completely ignorant about.
According to the boy, humans were born, like most of the animals, from a couple, a male and a female, being the latter his mother and the male progenitor his father.
A spiteful figure, from the way Jack talked about him, but still the supreme authority in his small family circle. And the fact that the older man had some kind of control over his son's life drove Jack nuts.
On these last few days, Toothiana had come to the coast line more often, at the young man's request, and frequently found herself in the need taming the violent storm that dwelt inside him. Their meetings would normally end with his forehead set on her wet shoulder, and her small palms rubbing circles on his back or caressing the soft locks of his hair.
Not that she minded giving comfort to the boy! Believe me, she didn't mind at all! But... it pained her, to see him so worn out like this, so haunted, so broken...
Of course that most of the time he was all laughter and pesky smirks, all fun and no such thing as those serious grownup talks.
But in the end of the day, when the sun had already disappeared and it was time for them to go, she always saw it: the light fading from his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching down for the briefest seconds. And he already knew that there was no coming back, that he couldn't fool her with a simple 'It's nothing'; because every time she opened her petit arms to him, the boy would willingly come, finally collapsing in her warm hold as the first stars started twinkling in the nightly sky.
And every time they parted, her tender heart cracked a little more. (She was the one that had to do it now; she was the one that needed to swim away, because the shepherd wouldn't leave on his own...)
Leaving him there, in that ocean of constant torture and suffering, abandoning the boy like that, was the worst thing the once innocent mermaid ever had to do...
...
..
.
The young man gulped, as if the words were too thick to easily roll of his tongue. His sapphire blue irises flickered towards the mythical being before him, as his explanation started.
- My father... he wants me to be a fisherman, just like him.
The mermaid her head, colorful fins puffing a little. Her sweet voice hesitantly stammered the next few words.
- And you don't want to.
It wasn't a question, but the boy still scoffed in response, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and even suggesting otherwise would be personally offensive.
- Of course not!
- Why?
And in his mind this single truth was so certain, so intrinsically accepted by his rebel self that the Tooth's question seemed to completely catch him by surprise.
It was strange, how such a simple question demanded for so complex answers.
Now, if the boy said that he wouldn't do it because of the killing in which he was taking part, it would be a lie. And Jack had long understood that there was no use in being dishonest to the mermaid. So he opted for the plain easy, but in a way true, answer.
- I don't want to... – he muttered, like a sulking child. But Toothiana, arms crossed and frown settled, wouldn't falter so easily.
- Why?
And the young man snapped, jumping to his feet.
- "Why, oh why"... Because! Why do you want to know this, all of sudden? Why do you care? Nobody does!
Panting, the shepherd stared at the mermaid, who hadn't moved an inch, probably immune by now to his sudden explosions of rage. Her serene eyes didn't leave his tense stance for a second, but her scowl quickly disappeared and her arms unfolded just as gently.
- Because I do.
And it was so sincere, so undeniable, that the boy saw the flames of his anger suddenly go out, as if his own tired sigh had extinguish them. Sitting down again he proceeded, gaze heavily set on the gentle waves.
- I don't want to because it would a hell for me, to be stuck in a boat for half a month, going god knows were, with no certainty of returning. Do you imagine, what would be like being trapped in a nutshell, with nothing around you but an infinite blanked of water, with nowhere you can run to, no chance of escaping?
The boy panted already, as if the mere thought of being trapped like that suffocated him, as if he was starting to drown on his own despair.
Toothiana fixated him with big sad eyes, trying to figure out what the feeling would be. She could only remember the first time they met, when she was merciless cornered on that hidden bay. And the mermaid was about to lay a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, when his next few words made her retreat with a pained expression.
- Besides, I hate the sea...
Jack wasn't looking at her, so he totally missed the mix of confusion and outrage that colored the girl's visage. But being wise as she was, Toothiana knew that it wasn't the best choice to confront the shepherd with her indignation. Violence would only originate violence, so she calmed herself and tried to understand him.
Swimming a little bit closer, glowing sun making her iridescent skin sparkle, Toothiana gently inquired.
- Well, I don't hate the land... What would the ocean do to earn your odium?
Her petit hand landed on his knee, and the soft gesture made the boy stare at her from under his bangs, with the most sorrowful eyes the mermaid had ever seen. She almost gasped, confronted with such immense pools of grieve. When he spoke, his voice was nothing above a whisper, breaking slightly in the end.
- I took my Em...
And something told the girl that there was no greater explanation than that, and such guilt filled past ought not to be touched... not yet, at least.
With hung heads, they both let the silence weight on them, until Toothiana decided that it was enough, and the words started leaving her like an unstoppable torrent.
- Would you like to be a fisherman, and go with your fathe-
- I already told you-
- If it wasn't for the sea... – she quickly interrupted his sulking mumbles, and at this the boy finally lifted his beautiful blue eyes to her, curiosity taking over. Toothiana sighted, and at last buried her own pinkish gaze deep into his curious one. Then she measured her next words more carefully.
- If it wasn't for your mistrust in the ocean, would you like to go?
Tooth continued to stare intensely at him, even when his cerulean orbs drifted away in deep thought. A minute passed, and his answer came out silent, like a secret confession that he wouldn't dare to tell anyone.
- I... I just want to make him proud...
And when his shy gaze slowly returned to the mermaid, he only found the sweetest of smiles, something tender making her eyes shine.
Biting her lip, Toothiana glanced with slight hesitancy to both the boy and the waves. But then, with a deep breath, the mermaid's petit hands found the shepherd's big ones, and started to softly pull the boy into the water.
- What... what are you doing? – he started panicking, but Tooth shushed his fears with her quick reasoning.
- If you want to end this tension between you and your father, you have to trust the sea again!
"And maybe he'll become happy and playful like he used to be, before life broke his heart..." Toothiana hopefully wondered, with an enthusiastic smile upon her face. And for him to be happy was what the mermaid wished the most.
- What? No! – and he swiftly made his palm slip out of her excited grip. At this, Tooth locked eyes with him, and every trace of that buoyant attitude of hers disappeared like a footprint in the sand. The girl was dead serious.
- You do want to go, don't you?
The boy's crystal-blue gaze flickered doubtfully between her face and the extended glossy hand. And when his irises meet hers again, from under his bangs, a hopeful smile bloomed in Toothiana's heart-shaped face. He hadn't said "no" yet.
- I... I want to help you, Jack. To be happy again! – she started, and gently took his pale hand again. But before saying the next words, her brow slightly creased again. – If facing your fears is the way, then I'm here for you.
And before the boy could indignantly contest the word "fears", the mermaid spoke again, with a nervous giggle.
- And... you do trust me... don't you? – but at the last few words, Jack noticed how her irises uncertainly meet his, how there was a certain shimmer of expectancy in her gaze, as if she really did need confirmation. And the young man willingly gave it, with a gentle smile and a brief nod.
- I do.
With that said, the boy quickly took his light linen shirt, and started walking towards the mermaid, hissing slightly as the water reached higher and higher, its cool touch making goose-bumps sprout all over the shepherd's skin.
But then he stopped, panting slightly, more from nervousness than from cold, and his wide orbs quickly found Tooth's, staring nervously at the mermaid from under his bangs. However, the mermaid's excitement was now in such high levels, that she couldn't be serious about the whole situation anymore.
So she crossed her slim arms over her chest, a put up the smuggest expression she could muster. Jack had been the one to thought her such humanlike show of emotions, and seeing the mermaid imitating him was just hilarious.
- I can always make you, you know.
And the boy visibly relaxed, and with an amused chuckle his eyes returned to hers. Only this time, there was a playful glint in them.
- Oh, I would love to see you try! – he said in a low, husky voice.
But Tooth's half-smile only got wider and wider, all her membrane-like fins fluttering from the thrill. She then recalled those creepy stories that fisherman made up about merpeople, those Jack used to tell her, after the sun set, that either made her laugh or cringe in indignation.
- Are you defying a mermaid's ability to lure a man into the sea?
And the boy met her cocky pose with a wider smirk of his own, and continued to play his role in this little game of theirs.
- Your charms no longer work on me, blasted creature!
Despite herself, Tooth broke the contained laughter and giggled freely at the last few words, making the boy smile even widely for coercing such wonderful sound to leave the girl's gills.
But when her pink orbs caught his again, Jack's smile faltered slightly. There was this unusual glow in the pink irises, and the smirk that stretched her lips clearly told that the mermaid was up to no good.
- Will just see about that.
...
..
.
What... what is this?
There was this... sound... this astonishing sound, seeping into his ears, filling his entire soul in a warm, peaceful feeling. Was there something on this Earth or on others more soothing than this melody?
It made the pressure, that weight in his heart, completely disappear.
There was no more grief, no more sorrow, no more fright, no more frustration, no more guilt, no more nothing...
It made him forget.
He was... completely... at... peace... And what a wonderful feeling, peace was... It was everything he ever searched for in his life, and now he got it.
He could taste it in the enveloping melody, like honey slipping on his tongue, like a flied of wild flowers close to the sea.
It was as pure as freshly fallen snow, that one that fell in the highest peaks.
It made him feel as free as the wind, as light as a snowflake.
The coolness of the water, the lulling splashing of the waves against his torso... was there anything better in the whole world?
And as his dilated pupils softly wandered around, wondering what on heaven could be producing such magically freeing tune, he saw that there was in fact something better in the world.
There before him, was a pair of huge pinkish seas, blinking back at him as if they held a thousand stars captive inside those irises. Now that he looked up-close, Jack had no doubt that there might be a whole universe contained in each one of those orbs. Those eyes alone showed a kind of sweetness, a tenderness that was quite rare in this mercilessly cruel world.
And the once guilt filled young man, believed in that very moment, that he could spend his eternity like this: gazing those irises, lulled by that impossibly soothing song.
But then, as abruptly as it had started, the melody ended, and Jack was painfully tossed back into reality, as if awakened from the most wonderful dream ever dreamt by a living soul.
As it was somehow supposed to, the first thing to kick in was his traumatized instinct of survival. So what the boy inevitably felt first, as he dazedly recovered his senses, was the cold wetness that surrounded his entire body, reaching dangerously high, with an undulating line circling his neck.
Water... water everywhere...
So it was with a strangled gasp, as if he was about to sink at any second, and a fluttering movement of arms and legs that he suddenly launched himself onto anything that he could hold. And in the vast emptiness of the ocean's surface, that thing was Tooth.
The mermaid let out a surprised shriek, as the boy suddenly weighted down on her, both bodies briefly submerging in this cold water, until Toothiana recovered from the shock and her powerful fin kick them up back to the surface.
The panicked panting continued to wreck the boy's chest, leaving him out of breath, dizzy and even more frightened. His impossibly wide orbs stared back at the calm, shimmering surface as if it was about to swallow him hole. And the notion that the sea could, in fact, do it, unsettled him even more.
It was Tooth's soothing voice that came to his rescue again.
- Jack, Jack... easy. I'm here, I won't let you drown! – But the boy didn't even remove his gaze from the undulating surface, as if frozen by fear. So the mermaid continued, softly trying to reason with him. – It's all in your head, Jack. Don't you see how far we've come? You swam this distance all by yourself!
And for the first time, the frightened shepherd dared to take his eyes from the threatening ocean, trying to focus instead on his surroundings.
She was right. The shore was a few dozens of meters away, just enough for the mermaid to take him back if it was necessary.
Jack didn't dare trying to guess just how deep was the water, but what was the difference, anyway? Ten meters or a hundred meters: he would drown just the same.
But then something caught his eye, something moving in the depths under them. He was about to freak out again when he realized what it was: Tooth's tail, powerfully sustaining both their weight up in the surface.
And it was then that he suddenly became conscious about what he was holding onto, and quickly let go, with mumbled apologies and a violent blush creeping all the way up to the tip of his ears.
His arms and legs could perfectly sustain him up by himself; there was no need to panic! Well, he had always been an extraordinary swimmer, even when he was still a little child and his father took him on Sunday fishing trips, Jack would simply jump out of the swinging boat and wave his chubby members, swimming freely like a happy dog.
But Tooth called him back from his happy memories, all bubbly and excited again. It was understandable: she would finally show him her world.
- So, did the song work?
From the look he gave her, the mermaid quickly realized it was a stupid question. But then, she seemed to become slightly hesitant, biting her lip, as if she wasn't sure whether or not to ask the next few words. Jack missed all this shows of emotions, too concentrated on checking his levels of adrenaline. So, as if afraid of losing her courage, Tooth suddenly blurted out her doubts.
- What did you see?
The boy only frowned in response.
- What do you mean? – Was he supposed to see something? Was something wrong with him? The only thing his irises caught were her – I... I only saw you.
He tried to sound casual, eyes flickering back to the water surface again, hoping that the mermaid didn't notice the new layer of red coloring his face.
- Oh... – the mermaid sounded disappointed, frowning slightly as she turned around from him. – I guess I have to train harder...
- Why? What are you supposed to see?
And the mermaid turned back to him, waving a hand dismissively, as if trying to hide her own discontent.
- I suppose you see what you find most beautiful in the whole world. But maybe I sang it wrong, or something.
But when she finally examined him properly, her head tilted in a confused concern.
- Jack, is everything alright? – she inquired, and them chided him, frown set on her face, as her irises took in his suddenly much redder complexion. – I think you got sun burnt again!
- Bloody song! – he mumbled under his breath, like an embarrassed sulking kid, and quickly dove into the salty water.
...
..
.
Oh, he definitely missed this... this freedom of movement!
It was the closest he would ever get to flying, and he couldn't believe that he had been so long without coming down here.
The boy's members pushed their way through the liquid environment, leaving behind a fluttering line of air bubbles that hurried its way up to the surface, like a thread of pearls shimmering in the sun.
Jack smiled, despite himself, strands of floating hair tickling his puffed out cheek.
He could see the bottom, a few meters under his hovering feet, where massive congregations of rock sprouted here and there, harboring all kinds of marine beings. His thirst for adventure returned in full power, making him want to explore every hole and every crack in those life filled reefs.
Suddenly, he heard the water rush behind him, and he quickly turned around, only to catch the brief sight of a blue tail disappearing from his field of vision. Then, something quickly passing by right underneath him.
He told himself that it was just the mermaid, messing up with him. Either way, the nervous chuckle that shook his chest, stole the last of his oxygen, so the shepherd swiftly pushed his way up to the surface.
He swam faster, and a part of him convinced that he was sensing a strangely large body coming after him. Jack tried to keep it cool, of course, but there was always this nagging fear that... and why on earth was the surface so far away?
Jack gasped, when he felt the smooth blanket of water tear apart and the warm air finally enveloping his face, the sun greeting him by blinking even brighter, it seemed.
The wide blue eyes took in his surroundings, partly searching for some fin breaking the gentle waves or a spray of water ascending to the skies.
But a part of him suddenly marked his worries as unimportant, and a radiant liquid joy filled every particle of his being.
He made it... he was swimming again, here, out in the open sea!
A toothy smile started madly stretching across his wet face, and with an uncontained yelp of ecstasy, the boy kicked his legs, propelling half his body out of the water, victorious fists raised high up in the air.
But his overjoyed celebrations were suddenly interrupted, as something jumped out of the water right beside him, splashing the salty liquid everywhere.
With a craned neck, his impossibly wide irises followed the iridescent creature as she arched in the air over his head, briefly blocking the blinding sun, sparkling droplets flying everywhere.
The mermaid graciously dove into the ocean again, causing much less of a mess than her sudden jump had created. Not a second had passed, when Tooth's gleeful features broke the water's surface, all her gleaming with excitement. But she said nothing, with an excited giggle she disappearing under the waves. It was all the invitation he needed to follow her into her world.
His blurry sight caught the iridescent form of the mermaid just ahead of him, and oh... how he wished he could see her properly. She flipped and twirled and looped with such gracefulness that the shepherd couldn't help but smile. If he could fly, he would do that too...
Toothiana was next to him with a mere flick of her colorful tail. Jack could distinguish her perfectly delighted smile, even in the blurriness of this underwater environment. Tough seeing it was unnecessary. Jack could almost feel the happiness roll out of her in strange waves of warmth, seeping into his bones, into his frozen core.
She vanished as swiftly as she had appeared, and the boy felt a pure laugh trying to burst out of his chest. The mermaid's attitude was adorable, and he cursed his lungs when they strongly demanded for air. To spend so much time without training can do that to his amazing respiratory capacity.
Jack was almost reaching the surface, smile hitched on his lips, when a distant cry reached his ears, echoing through the water.
One might assume that it was just a bunch of whales, passing by. But to the haunted boy, such scream brought back to much pain.
He broke the water surface with a gasp, eyes desperately sweeping the waves, a mad part of him as if waiting to find her there, shouting for help... shouting for her brother.
Em...
He couldn't help but twist quickly, the moment he heard the splashing behind him. And god... he could swear he had seen the maple brown of her tearful eyes, a flash of her soaked hair.
Jack... I'm scared...
Instead, he was violently confronted with the pure glee of a mermaids gaze. And it felt wrong...
- Did you hear that? – she breathlessly gasped, and swiftly disappeared under a wave, only to pop up again behind the boy, scrutinizing the horizon with her bright orbs.
The shepherd struggled to focus. But he felt a pang in his heart, as if the excitement lacing Tooth's voice was utterly disrespectful towards his grief, towards his Em.
He chose to show none of this, concentrating in maintaining the conversation.
- Were those really... – But the mermaid wouldn't even let him finish, as she turned around, giggling and flaring this dancing rainbow of colors that waved all over her morphing skin.
- Come! – she hurried him, pulling him by the arm, her eyes snapping quickly from the frowning boy to the distant horizon.
But Tooth seemed to have forgotten his pulmonary condition, and without further warnings brought both her and the boy to the underwater world, trying to flicker her tail as quickly as possible. They glided through the currents for a few startled seconds, all Jack could see were bubbles swirling past him.
But then his lungs started to burn, longing for the essential oxygen that lay over his head. So with one swift movement, the shepherd took out his hand from her thrilled hold, and urgently returned to the surface.
The mermaid followed him right away, slightly apologetic for her disregard towards her human friend. But when her fins shot up again, as she felt the vibrations in the water, that huge smile returned to her face and she spun towards the horizon.
- It's a mother and her calf! – she breathed, completely elated. – They are migrating! Wouldn't it be nice to go say hello?
- What?
- They only pass here once a year! It's a unique opportunity! – And then her eyes turned dreamy, and her innate curious nature kicked in again. – Oh, what we could learn with them! They could tell me all about the calm warm bays from the south!
- What are you even saying? – the shepherd inquired, starting to feel irritated with all this fuss just about some passing whales. She could certainly not talk to them... could she?
He used to love them, you know; he used to love to see them pass, sitting with Em on the cliffs to find out who could spot one first. But he guessed that, like everything else related to his little sister, even the mighty whales had lost their sense of wonder.
- Come on, they'll go away! – Toothiana both begged and whined, seaming more like a little child than a wise mermaid. – It will be so much fun!
At this the boy seemed to snap. How could she be so bright and free and happy, when he was weighted down by his guilt, by his sorrow? How dare she laugh when he hadn't laughed wholeheartedly since the lost of his sister?
Seeing so much joy, even if it came from Tooth, felt suddenly unbearable.
But worst of all, how does he dare to feel such happiness, how does he allow himself to enjoy all this, when his own little sister couldn't do the same... because of him?
Jack betrayed her... he betrayed Em by forgetting her, even for the slightest moments. No... he couldn't allow himself, wouldn't allow himself! Because it was all his fault...
So he suddenly became bitter, angry at her, angry at the whales... but mainly angry at himself. With a venom filled chuckle, the boy mocked her for her silly words and for her silly happiness.
- Do you even hear yourself? We can't go near the whales: they are wild beasts! Besides, we would never catch them!
- They are neither wild nor are they beasts! – replied an offended Toothiana, crossing her arms in indignation, chin lifted high up in the air. She wouldn't dare to show how the change in his tone hurt her. – They are one of the wisest creatures of the ocean.
She then submerged quickly, listening for a second, and when her fin-filled head broke the surface once more, there was an urgent look in her features.
- Let's go! – she urged, tugging his slippery hand again, hoping that this time he would comply.
- Leave me alone!
His sudden bark made the mermaid jump away from him, as if the boy's words had physically smacked her. She stared at him for god knows how long, eyes impossibly wide in horror, panting even so was the shock.
But her hurt quickly gave place to a never seen fury.
All her fins fluttered madly, and she puffed out a fuming breath, clenched fists glued to her body. The mermaid's skin now flared furious hues of red and black that waved across all her form, a violent blush tingeing her face. But it was not due to embarrassment.
- We could reach them, you know? – Toothiana shouted, angrier than the shepherd had ever seen her. Her eyes were mere slits, pinning him down with such strength that it was Jack's time to be completely frozen. The mermaid spitted the next words with such viciousness that the young man had to swallow a gasp. – If only you weren't so... so boring.
At this the boy visibly looked affronted, as if the mermaid had just suddenly slapped him across the face.
To the old him, the prankster who carelessly ran through the fields with laughter in his eyes, there was no greater insult. That mirthful boy seemed to resurface a little, so when he swam a little closer to the mermaid, who had now her back turned to him, he wondered doubtfully, as if he had heard it wrong.
- Did you just call me boring?
Toothiana turned around, with a nose raised up in the air and a confident stance strengthening her next words. And the confident glint in her orbs made something jump inside the shepherd's chest.
- You, Jackson Overland, became a fearful, tedious boy! – she spoke, fiercely, all her previous delight completely drained out.
But then, as violently as her fury came, the flame that feed her remarks seemed to simply go out.
Her eyes then became abruptly gloomy, sadly meeting his wide open ones with a look of pure compassion. And the mermaid spoke, with a humorless chuckle, the words that would hurt him so much to hear.
- But perhaps boy is not the right word at all... You became a dry old man, with no wonder, hope or dreams.
She turned her back to him once more, gazing the setting sun, arms embracing her form for comfort and warmth. The icy breeze had stolen all her heat and the bright red disc was almost gone. The whales were going away too, but she could not help but let that disappointment sip into the truthful words that left her heart now.
- And I'm sorry... I failed and I am sorry. – she continued, irises falling to the reflexive surface under them. – I tried to... I hoped I could... I could make you happy again...
And then those huge eyes of hers meet his again, who were now wide and shaken, the boy panting visibly.
Tooth might not realize this, but... It was... it was as if Em herself was speaking to him... his dear Emma telling him those very words that he desperately needed to hear. Those very few words that he could swear he heard her whisper during his calmest nights, those he would so promptly deny when the morning came.
But... he couldn't! He couldn't just pretend that it didn't happen... that she didn't happen! He could never forgive himself for what he had done!
However, the mermaid broke his violent inner battle with a deep sigh, trying to regain her assured stance, eyes penetrating deep into his soul as she spoke. He almost shivered at the finality gleaming in them.
- But I now realize Jack that the only one who can ever make you happy again is not me, nor your father, nor your herd, nor even Emma... – she enumerated, breathlessly, and her voice almost cracked. Almost.
But it all sounded so definitive, so unchangeable, that the boy felt his heart helplessly squeeze in despair. It sounded awfully like a goodbye.
She pronounced those last few words in a whisper, as if it pained her to do so.
... but you and you alone...
The last thing he saw was her tail, disappearing under the orange glow of the ocean. A strangled gasp, the sound of someone drowning, reached his ears. He would later realize the sign of pure despair had left his own lips.
But now he was frozen, absently moving his members just enough so he wouldn't sink. His shocked mind spared him that. And there he stayed, wide blue irises unbelievingly fixed on the fading sun. He would stay there, floating up and down in the gentle rocking of the waves, for what seemed an eternity, trying to wrap his mind around the consequences of his harsh words.
When an almost animalistic scream of frustration left his throat, night had long fallen around him.
Sooo, I know many of you must be tired of all this peace and want something bad to happen to them. Don't worry, because I'm reaching the climax here... slowly but steady )
Please review if you read the chapter! You have no idea how good and motivating feedback is 3