Chasing Atlantis (7 page)

He screeched to a stop just before he ran into me. I went instantly slack jawed as he pulled me up into a big hug. Without thinking I wrapped my arms around him just as tightly as he hugged me, burying my face in his neck. There really was no reason for my behavior it just felt natural, somehow

“Ty, you’re alright!” I pulled my face up so that I could see his eyes clearly, my mistake, I instantly went numb. “I was really worried about you. You jerk! You could have let me know, at least.”

He laughed a deep throaty laugh, his body shook with the effort. It felt nice.

“Of course. You couldn’t expect me to fall to something that weak, can you?” His eyes flooded with happiness, it was contagious.

“Well, if I had known what exactly you were up against I might have been able to sleep last night.” I had to ruin the mood. Instantly he froze, his eyes scrutinized my face, looking for any sign that I “remembered.” What exactly I was supposed to remember was beyond me. It was starting to get annoying.

“I’m sorry. I really want to tell you...” He chomped down on his bottom lip nervously. “I just don’t know if you’re ready… to remember.”

“Well, try me.” I smiled optimistically at him, trying to show him that I would be able to understand. He smiled back at first then found something he didn’t like on my face. I felt his arms unlatch from behind me, sliding away from me. His right hand reached up to my face and stopped at the cheek that Janice kissed. He traced the outline with his fingers, my body shivered involuntarily. His eyes stayed locked onto mine. I couldn’t unlatch mine away from his. I just didn’t want to do anything but stay right in this place with him, forever.

“I guess I don’t have much longer to wait.” He mumbled.

“What do you mean?” I whispered. The only thing I could focus on was his hand, on my face.

He stopped tracing my cheek. Instead lightly he brushed his hand down so that it was on my right hand that Adam also kissed. He glared at it, rage piercing his usually serene face. The blue-green eyes shimmered with hate. I glanced down at my hand, when his eyes freed mine, looking for the source of this sudden mood swing. I gasped.

On my hand was perfect image of Adam’s lips, burned onto my skin. I was so preoccupied all morning I hadn’t noticed anything. I felt dizzy with the questions that began to swirl in my head. The charred skin looked worse out in the sunlight, or maybe it was just because of Ty’s gaze, than under dull fluorescent lights.

Ty steadied me with his hands. For the first time looked around at our spectators, almost everyone stopped what they were doing to glare, inconspicuously, at us. Children pretended to play, while stealing glances from the sides of their eyes. Mothers and fathers studied their books far longer than was necessary, looking up at us from under their eyelashes.

I realized it must look strange to them. We must look strange to them. The strangely attractive boy with the serious look on his face experiencing dramatic mood changes in a matter of minutes compared to the utterly boring girl barely able to comprehend the situation enough to form emotions on it. The way he covered me protectively from their view, the way our conversation left no doubt that no one else is invited, our sudden intense body language, it must frighten the onlookers. They must have been worried about my safety. It seemed so ironic to me that they were worried about me with him, when he had saved me just last night. He turned back to me.

“I will tell you what’s going on. You deserve to know and to have a choice in the matter.” he subconsciously leaned into me. “Just please, not here. Not now. There are too many…eavesdroppers.” He
chose his last words carefully, as if that wasn’t his usual vocabulary.

“Do you pro
mise?” I wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily, even if he did save me, and could possibly speak bizarre languages.

“Yes, on my life. I promise.” I couldn’t argue with him. His voice sounded with final notes that didn’t allow for lies. I held up my pinky, waiting patiently for his response. He grinned.

He reached his smooth hand up to entwine his pinky with mine. “I promise.” He whispered again. It felt childish to me but I just wanted to ensure that he wouldn’t back out on his promises.

“Well, since you are here, I presume you ready to learn how to swim. Am I correct?” I nodded a little too earnestly, he laughed in response. Then his face went very solemn. His heard jerked down to the sand. The sudden mood rush left me speechless. I wanted to reach out, to save him from his own demons as he saved me.

I decided to change the topic, just in case he didn’t want me to touch him. I am not sure how to act around him. I was pretty positive he liked me, or at the very least liked me enough not to want me dead, but you never can tell.

“So, um, your brothers definitely don’t look happy about this. Did I run over their puppy or what?” He smiled slightly.

“No. They just remember what happened to me… last time you were here.” A wave of sadness washed over me, the horrible headache returned at full blast. I tried desperately to swim through the muddled thoughts and mixed images, to dive deeper than I had before. I came up blank each time. The only thing I could absolutely remember are his eyes, the startling vivid orbs with pupils darker than night and irises the same vivid green as the top of the waves which radiated outwards like starfish to the cerulean band around the circle of his eyes.

“Amy, I know it’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.” Ty blamed my sudden immobile features on himself. “I’ve just missed you so much. I want you to understand, I just don’t know
how to start over with you… again.”

“I’m sorry. I really don’t have any idea what you are talking about.” I’ve never apologized as much as I have this summer. We stared down at the ground for a long moment, to
o embarrassed to look back up. He suddenly jerked his head upright, a huge goofy smile across his perfect face.

“I know! Come on, I’ll introduce you to them.” Before I had time to respond he grabbed my hand, towing me helplessly behind him. The scowls on his brothers’ faces deepened, I became more nervous meeting them than facing my attacker last night.

When we reached them Ty pulled me up to his side, carefully keeping one hand on my shoulder. “Patrick, Henry,” he gestured to each brother individually. “I would like you to meet Amy.” Both brothers simultaneously lifted the dark sunglasses to give me the full influence of their scowls.

“Nice to meet you.” They grumbled. They didn’t sound like it is very nice at all.

It wasn’t until I was up close that I realized how much younger Ty was compared to his two brothers. I was in awe; I tried unsuccessfully not to gap at their beauty. All three should have been in a painting from the Renaissance, not life guarding on a beach in Florida.

Patrick, clearly the eldest had short hair, buzzed off in the military fashion, though he wore his much longer than a typical soldier. His round chin sported a slight patch of black facial hair, which only added to his attraction. No human on earth could have pulled it off like he could. His eyes were the same beautiful ones as Ty’s, only they had a knowing look about them. It was clear that he’d seen a darker side of the world than the other two, which gave him a cynical view on life.

Henry looked to be only a year or two older than Ty. His muscles only slightly more developed but he still retained a childlike face, even younger looking than Ty’s. His dark black hair was shaggier than Ty’s but still well kept. He had a very relaxed air about him. If he hadn’t been scowling his calm face would have been set in a slight grin.

Again the awful mist covered my brain, making the fleeting pictures I had of them in my head disappear. Neither of us relaxed our positions, it was clear from their body language they didn’t want me anywhere near their kid brother. I felt like a villain in a bad soap opera.

“So we’ve apparently been introduced before—sorry I can’t seem to remember it.” I smiled nervously. Henry slightly relaxed his scowl until it only resembled slight annoyance. Patrick was still seething. Ty tightened his hold on my shoulder, protectively putting himself between Patrick and I.

Henry grinned as he gestured towards the water’s warning sign with his head. “It’s a nice day to learn how to swim.” His voice resembled a typical surfer’s, just like I’d imagined.

I gulped when I realized what he was talking about. The colors for “danger rip current” and “rough water” were flying high today, not exactly ideal conditions for a novice.

“I don’t think that will be a problem for us.” Ty smiled confidently towards his brothers. Eventually Henry and even Patrick grinned back, enjoying some private joke I wasn’t included in.

“Let’s go, Amy.” Every spectator snapped their heads back down as we passed. Trying hard to pretend they weren’t watching.

“There certainly aren’t any award winning actors here.” I thought angrily. They couldn’t be any more obvious. Didn’t they have something in their own meaningless lives to focus on? Just for once I wish people would stay out of mine.

I wasn’t scared until the icy cold waters started biting into my ankles. I tried to stop Ty, without any luck. He is incredibly strong. He didn’t even notice I was dragging my feet until I was up to my knees in the c
old water. That’s when it hit me. I saw my attacker’s face flash before my eyes. I stifled a scream by putting my hands to my mouth in shock. Only after I pulled my hand slightly in his tight grasp did he realize that something was wrong.

Ty turned, confusion creasing his dark brow clouding his usually clear eyes. “Amy, I won’t let you drown. Unless you make fun of me then prepare yourself.” I smiled weakly at his attempt at humor.

“No, I know you won’t let me drown, at least not with so many witnesses around.” He wasn’t the only one who could crack a joke. “I just saw…
her
face, again. Every time I close my eyes all I can see is her.”

Ty grasped me firmly by the shoulders, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. “Amy, she won’t get that close to you ever again. I’m so sorry I let her get that close. Mark my words if she so much as gets within sight of you I’ll kill her.” The threat behind his words was real, but I couldn’t make myself see it. I just blew it off as an expression.

Ty spent the rest of the afternoon trying to teach me how to swim. We kept to the shallow waters, just in case something happened. I was absolutely mortified. Kids younger than five swam by me, smiling smugly in my direction.

Ty’s patience was bottomless. At first he put me on my stomach, teaching me the correct way to kick my legs, and move my arms. At times he would tilt my hand the right way, or hold on to my waist so that I could swim without fear of falling in. My heart went spiraling out of control, it hammered in my chest. I was grateful that I could twist my face away from him. I didn’t want him to know how scarlet it got.

“You’re doing it, you’re doing it!” Ty let go of my waist while I paddled away from him.

“Yeah. She’s doing so well some people might even start to believe that she’s learned it before.” Patrick nearly yelled. Ty turned towards him, his lips partially open. I didn’t hear a sound, but Patrick stepped back slightly surprised. Ty turned his head back towards me, any traces of the fight were carefully smoothed over.

I grinned stupidly the whole way. I turned back to smile at him, when a huge wave crashed over me, forcing water into my open mouth. I jumped up from under the water, spitting it out.

Henry howled with laughter all the way from the shore. Even Patrick’s stone face cracked slightly into a grin at my inept ability to swim. Ty shot his brothers a dirty look that instantly melted when he turned to get an eyeful of me, sobbing wet and wiping the sea water out of my mouth.

It was my turn to glare as he doubled over in laughter at my expression. The way his eyes crinkled slightly as his white teeth gleamed in the sunlight was enough to set my heart thumping madly in my chest. I wasn’t about to let him get away with that. I splashed him with water.

I ran playfully away, splashing and sloshing in the water as I went. At first I didn’t hear him coming after me. I turned my head to look back. He was right behind me.

His movements were as fluid as the water, every step mirrored the waters tricky pull, he would lift his leg up and push it forward at the same time the water surged forward. His stealth-like movements never made a sound. He glided happily through the waves, watching him I froze mid-stride. I realized what it was I had been missing. The odd pattern that began to form since the first time I saw him in the water began to come together.

The water parted for him, or rather, he could part the water.

He playfully tackled me under the waves, wrapping his coral tough arms around me. He twisted so that he hit the sand instead of me. I heard his laugh clearer under water than on land, it was a beautiful sound. Not at all like the screech the crazed woman let out last night, but a soft crooning sound. It made my bones dissolve just to hear it.

We surfaced. He tilted his head back slinging water like a movie star off his face. I pushed my soggy hair out of my face, trying not to sling it around like a wet dog. I searched his face for the smile I was sure would be waiting, there wasn’t one.

His soft eyes were turned towards the vast expanse of the ocean, scanning for something I didn’t understand. He arms turned into make-shift walls around my waist, drawing me near him. Under his throat I heard the soft gurgling sound again. I turned my head left then right, searching for some sign of danger. The only things I could find were people laughing, enjoying the gorgeous summer day with loved ones or friends.

No one felt the cold fingers of dread start to creep over them. No one heard the low threatening sound escape from Ty’s wet lips. My fingers balled into fists against Ty’s sea-shell hard chest. I started to gently shake,

I just knew it was
her
. She was coming back from me.

Didn’t the other humans know what was going on? Shouldn’t they have time to prepare themselves for whatever may happen? No one noticed anything different. They were too preoccupied with having their own fun, or worrying over trivial matters about their own lives. They would never know how close they came to death until it was too late to help them.

That’s when I heard the whistles coming from the beach.