The night dragged on.
It had been a long day, so she and John knew that as soon as their heads touched their soft pillows on their beds it would be lights out.
After the mermaid had retired to her bedroom and left John to continue watching and admiring the stars before he himself went to bed, the island fell oppressively silent, as if it had been blanketed by snow.
Even the hum and chirps of the tropical insects creeping about in the forest surrounding their home had become muted. Everything was so deathly still. The atmospheric lull of the island had gone eerily quiet.
Marina found herself disturbed from her slumber. She slid up in bed and felt a few beads of sweat roll down her neck, the humidity of the room and dry air causing her to cough.
Although the room was moderately cool from the air conditioning which had been continuously circulating, she sometimes found it difficult to acclimatize when she was on land, missing the moist air she was accustomed to in the underwater palace she called her home. This was apparently one of these moments.
Being a creature of the sea, she sometimes found it difficult to adapt to the sensations of the surface world. She often slept with a dehumidifier in her room to recreate the conditions she was used to, but had failed to mention this to Mr Tracy, however hadn't really thought it would cause her any issues as she'd slept without one many times before.
She slid out of bed and pulled her silk night gown over her arms, gathering her green hair and flipping it over her shoulders. She picked up her glass of water and took a gentle sip, gradually rehydrating herself. The princess then approached the room balcony doors and slipped them open, feeling a wave of warm sea air hit her. The moon showered the tropical seascape before her in a perpetual glow.
Everything was so peaceful.
She could hear the sea lapping up on the shore nearby, foam sizzling in the sand as it drew back down the beach to be consumed by the sea once more. The sound itself was making her crave a midnight swim, but she didn't really want to disturb everyone else in the house. She also didn't really know how to navigate down to the beach through the house and didn't want to risk getting lost.
It was hard to imagine how this beautiful, quiet island was home of the incredible machines which were used as part of the International Rescue organization. It seemed unbelievable. It was just so different to Marineville, which was noisy at the best of times, rockets, missiles and airplanes being tested and flying over her apartment, left, right, and centre.
Tracy Island was a calm paradise in comparison, and she loved it. It reminded her so much of her home in Pacifica.
Marina gazed out to sea for a few moments longer before heading back inside.
As she turned around, her eyes met a pair of golden ones across the room, startling her. Feeling her breath catch in her throat, Marina could only watch in silence as the eyes stared at her harshly, making her feel like she was wrapped up in seaweed and being crushed.
After a few minutes of resisting the two golden orbs, Marina collapsed into a heap on the floor.
Gordon once again rolled over in bed, sighing into his clammy pillow as he winced at his clock. Bright red digits reading one thirty-three glared back at him.
He moved onto his back and let out an irritated huff, staring up at the ceiling.
He was restless.
For some reason he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was going to happen. Being reared in the navy had taught Gordon to always expect the unexpected, so when there was a lull amidst the usual chaos and things got too quiet, he knew trouble couldn't be lurking too far behind.
He always trusted his gut instinct when it came to anything - rescues, naval training, and even leisure, but his instincts were currently screaming out to him that something was desperately wrong, so he was inclined to believe them.
Maybe it was because he knew his old friends from Marineville were on the island?
Gordon sighed and dragged himself out of bed, grabbing a blanket and draping it over his bare shoulders. He trotted to his balcony and peered at the Moon.
Something felt a little odd.
He heard a slight motion of trees shuffling and peered across the landscape to see nothing, until several green figures emerged from the coastline, heading up from the beach. He then recalled his adventure with the Stingray crew under the sea, but these creatures were different to the ones he'd experienced before. They were more monstrous.
"What the-" Gordon was in disbelief at the fish-like humanoids. There were hoards and hoards of them beginning to surround the island.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Gordon exited his room and headed for Scott's.