III - New Face in Town

The next morning, Tatiana checked her cell phone to see if there had been any calls from the hospital regarding the unconscious man - she had written down the hospital's phone number so she would know it was them when they called.

There were no calls or voicemails, leaving her to wonder and hope that the man was all right. But no update didn't necessarily mean a bad thing.

The company wasn't doing any actual salvaging work today, but she did have a meeting with Max at his office, and the rest of the day would be for herself and her own research. She spent all morning before the meeting cooped up in her house - still unfamiliar and not quite home yet - pouring over her books and notes and articles, searching the internet and locating every news story, every post about Atlantis and Amnesty Bay she could find. The lengthy list was daunting, and when it was time to leave she welcomed the walk to Max's office, feeling that some fresh ocean air would help clear her usual stuffy head. Fresh ocean air could be the best remedy sometimes.

"Hello, neighbour!"

Just as she was leaving, she heard someone call. She turned and saw a couple walking hand-in-hand along the beach right in front of her house. The man, who had called to her, waved.

She waved too. "Hello!" she called back.

"Heard we had a new face in town."

"Yes, that's me."

"Tom Curry," he introduced. "And this is my wife. We live in the lighthouse across the bay." He shook her hand and then gestured to the woman.

"Atlanna. Nice to meet you." The woman gave Tatiana a warm smile and also shook her hand before taking Tom's hand again. Tatiana had only just met them, but could instantly see the affection between them. What a sweet couple!

"Tatiana, nice to meet you too," she introduced herself, returning their smiles.

"Your accent, is that Greek I hear?" asked Tom.

"You're right!" She grinned. Not very many people who guessed got it right on the first try, and she was impressed.

"Very nice. Where from in Greece?"

"The islands, Santorini."

"Ah, lovely. Long way from home, then."

"Yes, I sure am! I feel very much like a fish out of water here, but am still glad to be near the water," she chuckled.

"And what brings you all the way here?" Tom asked curiously.

"I'm here for work."

"Ah. What do you do?"

"Archaeology," she answered proudly.

Atlanna's already bright expression lit up. "That's wonderful!"

"Thank you!" Finally, someone who didn't roll their eyes at her profession.

"I'm studying Atlantis, the old Ancient Greek myth. It's my life's work."

Tom and Atlanna exchanged a knowing glance before turning back to her. "Well, you'll certainly find no shortage of Atlantis stories here," Atlanna told her.

"So I've heard. I'm excited."

"Yes, that is exciting. Good for you."

"Thank you." Again, Tatiana was pleased by their obvious support for her work - most other people would tell her she was wasting her time searching for something that was no more than a myth, a legend. Nothing but stories and make-believe. Oh, she had heard that one so many times she had long ago lost count.

"How long are you here for?"

"I have a contract with a salvaging company for six months, but I've only been here a week. I've been studying this for years with little success, but, who knows, a lot can change in six months. Like here, for example, a quiet town suddenly erupts with stories of super-humans and underwater worlds."

"Yes, the tourism's certainly increased," said Tom. "Lots of visitors from all over."

Tatiana nodded. Suddenly, she remembered she had somewhere to be. "I'd love to continue chatting, but I'm afraid I have a meeting to rush off to. But it was lovely meeting you, thank you for saying 'hi'."

"Same, nice meeting you, too. Welcome to the Bay! And if you need anything, come stop by the lighthouse anytime."

"Thank you, so much." They were so friendly and so welcoming. She instantly felt better and a little more at home.

As predicted, the meeting with Max at his office didn't last long, only about an hour and a half. Also as she had predicted, he brought up the pub date he had mentioned to her yesterday. He had already asked if there was any word from the hospital about the man they had rescued - "I'm still baffled how he managed to get caught up in the net" - and said he hadn't heard anything either.

"So, what do you say? Interested in some fish tacos? I was thinking tomorrow, maybe? It's Friday, and it sounds like they do live music Friday evenings. No worries, if not, I understand if you're still getting settled in..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. He was rambling, and she found it kind of sweet.

"Yes, sure, that sounds fun," she said. "Thanks, Max. What time were you thinking?"

He looked a little surprised. "Oh - awesome! Uh, six maybe?"

"Sounds good. Meet you there?"

"Yeah, definitely." He gave her the name and address of the bar. "See you there and then, then."

"Mom! Dad!" Tom and Atlanna were just heading back to the lighthouse, discussing their new neighbour's search for the underwater kingdom, when they saw the unmistakable figure of their son standing on the front driveway, waving to them and calling urgently.

Exchanging a glance, they quickened their pace and soon joined him before the house. "Arthur, what is it?" asked Atlanna. "Is something wrong?"

Arthur was visibly concerned. "I don't want to alarm you, but yeah, kinda. There's been a prison break - Orm's gone missing."

So sorry for the updating delay (that took me WAY longer than I would have liked. Thanks so much for your patience!

I went to Santorini this summer with a friend and absolutely loved it! (so beautiful and amazing!) So I wanted Tatiana to be from there ;)

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)