Author's Note: Hope readers are still enjoying this. I'm actually almost done. There will only be 20 chapters.


Chapter 11: Other Means of Transportation


The ocean was calm; still. It sparkled underneath the sun's morning light, making it seem more beautiful than ever before. It brought some form of beatific happiness to those who roamed its waters. Last night, the ocean had been angry, furious. It had unleashed all of its wrath upon those who dared to tread its blueness. Now, however, it was silent and serene. It was like a tranquil lullaby had brought it peaceful sleep. That's how it was, that's how it felt.

Sighing through her nose, Helen brought her attention to the Mariner who had finally decided to get some sleep. They were now just on one of the two pieces of the boat. Her mind wrapped around the fact that they had just endured a horrendous storm the other night. She had almost died, but the Mariner was there to save her. Gently caressing the male's cheek with her hand, she contemplated her feelings for him. She just felt so safe with him, like nothing could penetrate her when he was around. He was her shield, and Helen wouldn't have it any other way. Hopefully, the Mariner would be able to stay with her and Enola…well, once Enola was found, that is.

Pulling her hand back, Helen removed her attention from the Mariner and put it out at the endless water that was surrounding them. Concern and worriment was tormenting her now. Every time when she thought she stopped worrying about it, it would come back to laugh at her in dark glee. Enola was still captured and it had been days since that happened. How long would it take to find her? Would they ever find her? What horrible things have those brutes have done since Enola's capture? Helen would never know and would never receive answers. Knowing this, it caused her to become frustrated beyond belief. Her features morphed into that of ire and sadness. Her heart pounded against her chest and it just brought on dark feelings of pure aggravation. It was so…so infuriating!

"Helen…"

"Yes?" Helen responded to the Mariner's voice, whirling around to see that his eyes were open and they were glued to her form. "What is it?" she questioned him, not knowing if something was wrong or not.

"What's wrong?" The Mariner wanted to know, already noticing her troubled look. It was like he could read her mind or something, that's what Helen thought as she gazed upon him just lying there on his back.

Helen moved closer to him, trying not to frown. "I'm just worried about Enola. That's all," she answered him honestly. "It's been days and we still haven't found her. Plus, the storm from before might have pushed us in a different direction. We're…we're probably not behind them anymore."

"I know where we're going," the Mariner responded sternly, sitting up and getting to his feet, eyeing the piece of his broken boat that they were standing on. Seeing what the storm did made his emotions tip into negativity, but he held them back, refusing to show them on his face. He really did love his boat and now it was destroyed beyond recognition. The male had no idea how it would be fixed. They certainly won't be getting anywhere any time soon. They were just floating in the water aimlessly, but he didn't lose which direction they were supposed to travel in. They only required other means of transportation. "We're still behind them. We're going to get her back."

"I know…" whispered Helen, seeming defeated. "I know. I just…I just feel as though we're not getting anywhere. I might have said this before, right?"

"You did," the Mariner confirmed, allowing his eyes to scan their surroundings. There wasn't much to look at. Everything was water; water here water there. Still, they were calm and serene. They weren't thrashing and wailing like in the storm. "We'll need to find something else to keep moving on."

Helen couldn't stop the frown of puzzlement that jumped onto her facial features. "Like what?" she demanded to know, standing to her feet and giving him a look. "There's nothing around! It's all just water! The boat is broken…there's nothing left!"

"I know that," responded the Mariner as he brought his eyes to her sharply. "Something's coming. Just wait for it. When I say jump, you jump. Okay?"

"Okay…" Helen murmured unsurely.

Suddenly, something massive lurched out of the water below them, causing the still water to move unexpectedly. As the large sea animal flew up into the air before them, Helen could hear a loud and sonorous moan escape its humongous mouth. It sounded like a song to her ears. Helen had never seen anything like it before. When the creature landed back on the water, the Mariner howled, "NOW!"

Helen didn't hesitate.

The woman jumped as high and as far as she could towards the creature that was in the water and landed on its slick and black back. She clutched onto it, heart hammering against her chest. Soon the Mariner was right beside her. It was then that the creature started moving quickly, ducking back down into the water and submerging all of them.

Helen held her breath, eyes frantically looking towards the Mariner who was beside her and appearing calm. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to hold her breath. Seeing this, the Mariner moved closer to her and put an arm around her, putting his lips to hers and forcing her mouth open.

Just like in the past, he breathed for the both of them…

When the creature moved back up into the air. Helen removed her lips from the Mariner's and breathed in the fresh air. The animal was still moving quickly and she was so discombobulated and filled with nostalgia. "What is this? What is this thing?" she questioned her lover, still gripping the creature's back with her hands.

"It's a whale," the Mariner replied easily. "It's our other means of transportation."

"This…this thing will get us to Enola?" Helen wanted to know, a frown creeping onto her features.

The Mariner nodded his head. "We'll be there in no time."