by Katie Dunn
Myth Blessed
Katie Dunn
Copyright © 2019 Katie Dunn
Cover design by Phoenix Designs
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For information, address the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781699214985
Any references to historical events or real people are used fictitiously. Other names and characters are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Facebook.com/AuthorKatieDunn
Kdunnauthor.com
Titles by Katie Dunn
Ancient Elements
Pirates from Under
Myth Blessed
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Acknowledgements
About Author
Chapter 1
The Day I Almost Drowned
“Put your hand in the fire,” the crazy lady said excitedly.
I stared, mouth agape, at the woman in the tropical shirt and sandy brown hair, sitting by the hotel fireplace. I looked around to see if anyone else heard the insane suggestion, but it was just us.
“I am not putting my hand in the fire!” I shouted.
My mother, aka crazy lady, pouted. “But how will we find out if you are blessed by a fire myth?”
I snorted in disbelief and scooted away from the fire. I was tired of reminding my parents that my myth blessed test results were negative. If I was myth blessed, I would have been identified by now, so it was pointless to keep testing me.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes to wait for my dad. I just wanted to relax and enjoy my summer break in Hawaii. We had only arrived a few hours ago, and all we had done so far was check in and put on our stupid tourist shirts.
“One little touch of the flames would not hurt you,” my mother persisted.
Sighing heavily, I stood and walked out of the hotel. Our hotel was right next to the beach, so I decided to run along the sand to get as far away as I could for a while. I needed a few minutes away from my mother and figured I could be back in time for our first tour. I really hoped she would put aside the myth blessed stuff for the rest of the trip, otherwise it would be a sucky vacation.
I used to hope for amazing abilities to manifest and sometimes I would daydream about which mythological creature blessed me. Then I turned thirteen, then fourteen. By fifteen, I had given up hope since abilities often manifested by thirteen. My parents constantly talked about it and still hoped I would show signs, but I was done dreaming about the impossible. By seventeen, I got orders to take the myth blessed test as required by law, and it came back negative. If that was not the final nail in the proverbial coffin for myth blessed hopes, I did not know what was.
I fell into a rhythm and soon thoughts of my mother and the negative results of my exam drifted away. I focused on my breathing and the sound of the waves, letting them calm me. I always felt at ease next to the ocean yet being in the water scared me. Something about swimming in deep water set me on edge and made my chest clench in terror.
I did not know how long I ran but my chest burned, and my legs ached. I stopped and put my hands behind my head, breathing in deep and letting it out gradually to slow my heart rate. I sat on the sand to rest for a moment and laid back, not caring if dirt got in my hair. The waves crashed against the shore and the sounds of the water lulled me into sleep.
At some point my body jolted awake. Momentary confusion caused my heart to race as I tried to figure out how I had gotten there. Ah, that’s right, my mother wanted me to touch the fire. The sun was still high, telling me I hadn’t been gone for long. I frowned as a sound caught my attention. I could hear someone singing but could not pinpoint where it was coming from. I listened closer, realizing it was the music that had woken me. I frowned in concentration and tilted my head forward trying to figure out if there were words in the song. It was a haunting melody full of pain and sadness. Tears stung my eyes and I wiped at them, staring down in confusion at the wetness on my hands. Why was I crying? The music cut off suddenly and I stood, trying to see if I could hear it again.
An object bobbing in the water made me forget about the song. It looked like a head, but it dipped under the water before I could get a good look. A moment later it reappeared, and I was sure it was a head this time.
My heart raced as panic set in. “Help!” I screamed, looking around for a lifeguard or someone who could help the drowning person.
The head bobbed back under the water. I ran to the edge of the ocean trying to find the person again, hoping that it was not too late. Water crashed against my legs, trying to push me back. The head surfaced again, and I noticed it was a young woman.
“Hold on!” I shouted to her.
I looked at the water, my chest tightening and a new kind of panic set in. I looked around one last time for anyone who could jump in and save the girl, but no one appeared. Biting my lip, I looked for the drowning girl then once I had her in my sights, I jumped in the water and swam to save her.
My chest clenched even more until it was hard to breathe. My flight instinct was in overdrive, but I ignored it. I ducked under an oncoming wave and resurfaced, trying to wipe the salty sea from my eyes and swim at the same time. I caught sight of the girl again, her haunting eyes and sad expression making me want to reach her faster. Why wasn’t she trying to swim? I pumped my arms through the water, racing to get to her side.
A large wave hit me in the face unexpectedly, sending me tumbling under water for a few seconds. I spluttered as I resurfaced, drawing in a lungful of air as I tried to regain my senses. I gagged at the taste of the ocean on my tongue which forced its way inside my mouth when the wave hit. I looked around the water for a floating head but found only choppy water.
Oh no! I lost the girl.
My head darted side to side, trying to find the drowning girl again. Was I too late?
“Hello? Can you hear me?” I called out, hoping the girl would answer.
I ducked under the water as another wave crashed over me but popped back up immediately. I could not find her anywhere. Suddenly, water rushed over me and into my mouth. I could not breathe. I could not find the surface. My sense of direction was all turned around. Starting to panic again, I kicked around in the water until my head finally burst through into open air only to be knocked under again by another wave.
I never had the chance to breathe in air before I was pushed under, so I was out of air and I was pretty sure I was crying since drowning was my greatest fear. Yeah, no way I would be getting over fear of water anytime soon. I felt like I was hallucinating, because I thought I heard music as I tumbled under the water.
The music got louder, and I realized it was the same song I heard on the beach. The song filled me with sadness again, making the tears fall harder, though the ocean swept them away. I felt drawn to the song and wanted to hear more. I drifted in the direction of the music wanting to dive deeper into the water to find its source. I shook my head to clear those thoughts. I needed to breathe! I swam in the opposite direction of the music and broke through the surface. I had enough time to breathe once before I was sucked under again.
This was it. I was going to die in the waters of Hawaii. At least my mom would know I was not blessed by a water myth. The song seemed closer now and something scaly darted by in my peripherals. If I wasn’t surrounded by water, I was sure my face would be covered in salty tears from pain and fright. My lungs were burning, and darkness began to close in. The last thing I heard was the sorrowful music before I passed out and the last bit of air left my lungs.
My eyes snapped open and I drew in a deep lungful of air. I was back on the beach, laying on the sand and feeling…fine. I would have thought I dreamed the water experience except that my clothes were soaked. I grabbed a piece of my wavy, chestnut hair and examined it. I flung it behind me when I confirmed that it was also wet.
That means I did not dream the near-death experience. However, that did raise a ton of questions. How did I survive? Where was the girl in the water? What was that music I heard?
I needed to get back to the hotel and call for a search and rescue. I jumped up and raced back down the beach as fast as I could. When I saw the hotel, I ran faster, kicking up sand behind me.
I burst through the hotel doors, probably looking like a maniac, and shouted, “Help! Someone is drowning in the water!”
The hotel clerk picked up a phone and began speaking into it urgently. A few seconds later, a manager appeared with a walkie talkie and a few guys who I might have thought were athlete swimmers if they weren’t wearing logos for the search and rescue team.
“Where did you see this?” The manager asked with a calm voice.
I explained everything that happened, leaving out the part about hearing a strange song and led the manager and rescue team to the place I had almost drowned. My mother tagged along having heard my shouting in the hotel lobby and fretted over me.
I waited on the shore while the search team scouted the water for any traces of a body. I was starting to shiver but did not want to leave until I knew they found the woman. A blanket wrapped around me and I looked up to see my mother hugging me close. She rubbed my arms to warm me and made sure the blanket was tucked around me snuggly.
One of the rescue members jumped from a boat and into the water, disappearing for a few minutes. I stared confusingly at the water where he had gone waiting for him to resurface. He had been under there for quite some time. Looking around, I could see no one else was worried about the man so I waited.
Finally, I saw him shoot from the water like a dolphin and land gracefully on the boat deck. My eyes widened at the display. He must be myth blessed. I assumed either selkie or merman. I could not hear what they were saying but I saw the myth blessed man shake his head and look toward me.
Dread filled my stomach and fear started to make me shake. Did they find her body? What was wrong?
The manager’s walkie talkie crackled and a voice from the boat sounded out of the device. “There was nothing there. The girl must have been mistaken.”
I bristled. I most certainly was not mistaken. I saw a woman in the water more than once and almost lost my life trying to save her. The manager stared at me, waiting for an explanation.
“Sir, I would not lie about this. I saw a woman in the water right there,” I pointed at a spot in the water, “and I even tried to swim after her.”
The manager looked like he did not believe me, but he said calmly, “I will have them check a wider perimeter. You should head back to the hotel and rest.” The manager looked at my mom, silent communication passing between them.
My mother gripped my shoulders and turned me around, leading us back to the hotel.
“I am not lying mom. I saw her in the water.” I looked at her pleadingly, hoping she would believe me.
My mom rubbed my shoulders to comfort me. “I know honey, I know.”
When we got back, my dad waited with coconut drinks in each hand. “Where did you two go?”
When he saw our expressions, his smile dropped. He handed my mother a drink then wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, guiding me to our room.
I waited hours for any news about the search. A knock on our door had me bolting to my feet and racing to answer it. My mom and dad were right behind me wanting to know what the search team found.
The manager of our hotel nodded in greeting and clasped his hands. “Hello. I wanted to let you know that the search team found no one under the water. Either they survived or there was no one there to begin with.”
I started to argue that there was someone, but my father laid a hand on my shoulder, silencing me. “Thank you, sir.”
The manager nodded and my dad closed the door. I turned to my parents with my arms outstretched. “I saw someone drowning, I swear!”
My dad patted my shoulder and gave me a smile that caused lines to appear around his chocolate brown eyes. “Ok honey, we believe you. You heard the manager, maybe she survived and left the area.”
I dropped my arms by my side and turned to the window looking out at the water. “Yeah, maybe. I hope so.” I wasn’t convinced but no amount of arguing would change anything.
For the rest of the trip, I refused to do any water related activities. My father suggested volcano tours, so I went on those, but the memory of the woman, the song, and my near-death experience kept me from enjoying Hawaii as much as I wanted to.
Eventually, it was time to leave the beautiful state and head back to the mountains of Colorado. I looked out the window on the plane at the Islands we were leaving behind and wondered what happened to the girl or if I did hallucinate the whole thing after all.
Chapter 2
Is My Singing That Bad?
A week passed since the near-death experience, meaning there was only one more week of summer break. Soon, I would have to start thinking about going back to school. I was excited to be spending senior year with my two best friends, who had also received negative results on their myth blessed test. However, I was dreading the looks my parents would be giving me since I was not going to Myth Blessed Academy.
As if it was my choice not to go.
I just had one more year, then I would be out of Colorado, away from my parents’ disappointed and hopeful looks. I wanted to graduate then go to a university on the other side of the country and become a detective or an analyst. It did not matter where, as long as I was far away from Colorado. My parents usually told me not to think that far ahead whenever I spoke about my plans. According to them, I should wait to see what myth I was blessed by before choosing a profession. I gave an internal sigh at the thought.
“Hello!” Long slender fingers with purple nails snapped in front of my face.
I blinked and frowned at the owner of the fingers. “What?”
“We were asking if you wanted to go do karaoke,” Tamara, one of my oldest and dearest friends, asked. She was crossing her arms and tapping her purple nails, waiting for my answer.
I had been too wrapped up in my thoughts, lately. Karaoke would be a fun way to get my mind off Hawaii and plans after graduation. I looked at my panda watch. It was only six, so my parents would be fine with it.
I played with the strap on my watch and shrugged. “Sure, I will go. But don’t expect me to get up on stage. You know I am a horrible singer.”
“Serena, you are not that bad!” Rae, my other oldest and dearest friend, exclaimed.
I glared at Rae’s orange, poofy, short hair and round freckled face. “Remember what happened at your cousin’s birthday party?”
Rae waved away the memory. “That glass was already cracked. It would have broken anyway.”
“Yeah, and that time at the ski resort was not your fault either,” Tamara said as she brushed her dark bangs aside.
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for bringing that up again. I will go, but you cannot force me to get up there.” I crossed my arms in finality.
“Fiiiine,” Rae and Tamara said simultaneously.
I stood up, and opened the screen door, yelling into my house and hoping someone would hear me, “I’m going to Tang’s Karaok
e with Rae and Tam!”
I waited for a response but did not get one. Oh well, they could text me if they were wondering where I was. My parents were usually cool with me going out as long as I let them know where I would be. I figured yelling into the house was fulfilling that agreement.
“C’mon! I want to get my hands on one of their pretzels!” Rae shouted from the car.
We hopped into Tamara’s midnight blue Jeep Cherokee and blasted music as we headed to Tang’s Karaoke. Every year at the end of summer, since we were ten years old, we would go to Tang’s. It was always a different experience because Tang changed his business every couple of years. One time it was an arcade. Another time it was an old-fashioned soda shop with ice cream. That one was my favorite. Now it was Karaoke. Last year was the beginning of his Karaoke business so I would not be surprised if Tang changed it next year.
We found a spot across the street in front of an old video store and piled out. We were able to cross the street easily since there were not a lot of cars passing by. Historical downtown was neat, because most the streets were small and meant for walking or biking, making it difficult for cars to get around so no one usually tried.
“Oh, hello, hello!” Tang greeted us from behind the counter as we entered.
“Hello, Mr. Tang,” Rae, Tam, and I called out and took seats at the counter.
“What can I get you girls?” Tang asked as he laid down a book of songs in front of us.
Tamara grabbed it and flipped through pages. She wrote down songs she wanted us to sing on a napkin and I felt nervous as the list grew.
“Three pretzels and a chocolate shake please,” Rae ordered.
“Oh, make that two shakes,” I added, “with a cherry.”
Tang left to make our order. I looked around and noticed business was slow. There were a couple groups hanging around, and a man singing a screeching version of Sister Christian on stage, but otherwise it was empty. Thankfully, it wasn’t long until food was placed in front of us.
