Thursday

This night was the first night Sara slept bad. She tossed around, woke up a few times, at least once with a loud scream. Nightmares. Nightmares of the near death. In her dreams she wasn't rescued, she drowned slowly and painful. Inch by inch her body sank deeper and deeper, she saw a fish swimming by, it looked like it laughed at her, told her it was her own fault. The next time she was in the water, didn't see the island anymore when she felt something sharp grabbed her right foot and pulled her under water. Pain was mixed with panic, the water around her became red and when she looked down she saw she had no right leg anymore. It was gone. The only thing left was her tight and so much blood. When she tried to swim back up she saw she swam directly in the open mouth of a shark. Sharp teeth, some had parts of Sara's leg left and a dark black throat were her last destiny. There was no way she could escape her death, no way, she was dead, dead, dead.

When she dragger herself under the shower it was almost eight. The sun was up, shone and everything seemed to be as perfect as it was yesterday morning. The only thing that had changed was that Sara felt like she got ran over by a train. And she didn't feel sorry that she had to wait a little bit for her next dive instruction. This morning Sofia was teaching two new guests how to dive. That gave her the chance to…yeah, what to do? She felt like…go back to bed, pull the blanket over her head and hide there for the rest of the day. Maybe her nightmares wouldn't sneak up on her during daytime. Maybe she could get some sleep now. Heaven knew she needed some, there was no way she could leave her bungalow the way she looked right now. She was a disaster and there wasn't enough make-up in her bathroom to make her look a little bit normal.

After another hour of tossing around, not being able to sleep she left the bed. Time to face the day. Or at least have something to eat. She had ignored the sound coming out of her stomach for a while, it got louder and louder and she knew there was no way it left before she hadn't put anything to eat in it. For a reason. The last time she had something to eat was in the evening with Sofia, over twelve hours ago.

"Don't tell me how I look I know it myself." She greeted Rhys when she sat down at the bar. If she had anything to eat she would have stayed in her bungalow.

"Beauty." She simply said and gave her a cocktail.

"Grumpy suits me better today."

He bent down and gave her something she couldn't identify right away.

"What's that?"

"This." He took the little green stone, lifted it up. "Is something that will make sure you'll be fine soon and stay fine. I know." He continued when she wanted to say something. "You are a scientist and you live in that world, love it because it's a world you know, you feel safe in." From somewhere he took a leather strap, got it through a little hole in the stone. "But just because you feel safe and comfortable in one world it doesn't mean you will feel unsafe or uncomfortable in another one. The magic of life is to experience as many different things as possible. Sure you don't have to try everything, things that will endanger you, things that are the opposite of what you believe in, things that disgust you can stay out of your world. But there are no reason to keep something out you don't really know. There's more that matches to science than lists, computers and numbers. Science and psychology, science and economy, science and paranormal things. I know that one and one makes two and there's nothing that will change that, it's a thing you can't change. But I'm sure you've experience some moments in your life when things happened just because you thought of them hard enough, that you succeeded not because of science but because of the strength of you believe and thoughts." He stepped out of bar, went to Sara, pushed her has gently away and knot her stone with the leather strap around her neck so that the stone touched her upper chest.

"You don't have to keep it, don't have to believe it, all I ask you for is be a little bit open for things you don't know everything about." The whole time he spoke his words were serious and soft, they comforted her in a way she hadn't experienced before. Sure the sound of how people talked to her impacted her mood and reactions towards them somehow, made her happy, sad, mad or curious, his words simply made her feel good, like everything would be good at the end of the day.

"Thanks Rhys."

He pulled her in her arms and it was like something hit her. She felt warmth, she felt love, she felt…she had no idea what it was exactly. Something was there. Like she was sure for a second that the stone he had tied around her glowed and sent hot waves from her chest to her feet. Like there was electricity.

Before she could pulled back out of surprise he let her out of his arms, the heat and the other thing was gone and her body was back to normal. And she was confused, not sure if that was real what she felt or if it was all imagination.

Rhys smiled knowingly. "Some things are real because your heart feels them, Sara." He went back to his work place.

"Did you…" There was no reason to ask him if he felt the same, the way he looked at her, his words, everything told her, he had felt the same. More, he knew that would happen. He felt her surprise, how it confused her and comforted her in a strange way.

"You're hungry, I'll get you a salad, bread and a big sundae. You need some energy for your lesson later. And I'll prepare a fruit salad for your barbecue tonight."

"Is there anything Sofia doesn't tell you?"

"No. But she tells me without words, doesn't know that she tells me all these things. There's a little scientist deep inside her who stops her from believing entirely. Nothing wrong with that, not everybody has to believe as long as he or she doesn't fight the obvious. It's a believe and in contrary to science there isn't only right or wrong. A believe gives everybody the chance to make their own truth."

"Which truth is mine?"

"You can answer this question yourself, Beauty." He put the salad and bread in front of her. "Just listen inside yourself and you'll find out."

"Sorry I'm late." Sofia dropped a bag next to Sara's blanket.

"Don't worry about it, that's all right." Sara turned to face Sofia better. She had spent the last two hours on her blanket in the shade, feet in the sun and a new book to read. Rhys' decision for her was good, she had already read seventy pages and loved every word of it.

"I had to give another VIP an hour to remember the most important things."

"He pays better than I do."

"That doesn't make him more important to me."

"Don't let your boss hear that."

"I'm my own boss. Nice stone. Suits your eyes." She pointed at the green stone.

"Rhys gave it to me. Apparently the stone will make sure I'm fine. Your voodoo priest wants me safe."

"We all want that. Are you ready for some diving or is your book better?"

Sara knew what Sofia really asked. She wanted to know if Sara was ready to go into the ocean again or if she needed some more time after yesterday.

"Ready. I bring my blanket and book back to my bungalow and we can start. Hopefully they won't step on us." In the bay were a group of people playing a kind of water war with balls in the water, just where Sara and Sofia usually started their dives.

"If you want we can dive somewhere else." Sofia looked at the bay for a moment. "Why don't you get some of your stuff together, I get us a boat and we change from the main beach to my island? Nobody will bother us there. And if you take your tooth brush, your sleep shirt and your teddy bear you can stay over, we have a barbecue later, a few drinks and start tomorrow morning with the next lesson. I promise you a dive in the early morning is much better than one in the afternoon. You see much more animals at that time of the day. We could make it your first real dive."

That was a catch-22. Sara's first impulse was to say no, she didn't want to stay over at Sofia's place. Then she remembered about her plan to get to know Sofia better to find out what she liked and find something to thank her. She could only find out what the blonde liked when she spend time with her. And it wasn't like it was a punishment. Plus the idea of an early morning dive was more than tempting.

"Okay…and I don't have a teddy bear."

"I'll remember that." Sofia smirked. "Get your things, I get our gear in the boat."

Sara wanted to answer something because she felt Sofia was amused about her comment but she made the decision she'd swallow that and get her things.

Blanket and book ended on bed, she grabbed her sleep shirt, some underwear, a shirt, shorts, her bathroom bag and held on. It felt like she missed something. What was it? She had everything she needed for sleepover what could possible be missing? Her eyes ran over the bungalow and stuck on her suitcase. It was empty, everything Sara owned was in her little sideboard and the wardrobe...besides one thing.

She got the suitcase on her bed, turned the number lock to the right combination and opened it. There it was. Her little treasure. A box with six little bottles of wine she had made herself during one of trips in South America. Three bottles of red wine, three bottles of white wine. Each of them unique because each was made by her, she even created the label for it. Maybe they could have a bottle of these tonight while they ate. The bottles were supposed to be for special moments, what could be more special than having them with the one who saved her life? With a smile she packed a bottle of red wine in her bag, locked the suitcase again and pushed it under her bed. Now she was ready to go.

When she walked to the boat she found Sofia surrounded by two guys who were obviously hitting on the blonde, trying to get themselves in her boat.

"Sorry guys, all seats are taken." The smile she sent them was amused.

"Come on, I can see a free spot right next to you." The tall black haired guy said. His eyes were hidden behind shades, he wore red shorts and was very well build. His friend looked the same just with longish brown hair.

"It has a reservation."

"Who can possibly be a better company than we are?"

"She." Sofia pointed at Sara. "That was quick, give me your stuff." She took Sara's bag and placed it in a big plastic box.

"Looks like we could have a party for four." Mister brown hair grinned.

"I don't think so. This isn't a party this is work. I'm her teacher."

"You could teach me also something if you like."

"Sure, do you have a dive license already and want to upgrade it or are you a beginner? Ever dove in the ocean, in a pool?"

"I love to dive but not into water."

"Sorry, I only do water diving, for all other dives you have to find somebody else. Have a nice evening, boys." She started the engine after Sara sat down. "Oh and don't try to follow us, the outgoing tide is too strong to swim further away from the shore and it would also get you in the kayak and pull you into the open sea, no matter how strong your muscles are. Mother nature is stronger. Bye-bye." She sent them one last smile and guided her boat away from the beach.

"They had so many plans with you."

"They can make their plans with somebody else."

"Yeah but you're the dive instructor and they wanted to dive."

"They wanted to dunk their biscuit and they can do that with somebody else. I'm not available."

"Not?"

"No, I'm taken by you. You booked the last course for today and also a barbecue. Rhys gave me the fruit salad and the order to take good care of you."

"What did you tell him?"

"That as a former detective I always take care of my former CSI."

"He liked that?"

"He kissed me goodbye and told me to have fun. So I guess he was fine with my explanation. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Good. And I hope you did your homework, I want to finish the theory tomorrow. We'll have a look over the two chapters you were supposed to learn, repeat it and when everything is clear we get through the next two before we start a little dive."

"Sounds like some work."

"You'll be hungry when we have our barbecue."