Falling in Deep Collection Box Set

by Pauline Creeden

  “That’s yours, right?” He pointed at the bungalow with its flower garden and peaked roof. The white trimmed porch held a red door that beckoned to me.

  “Yep, that’s me.” I hadn’t expected to be so happy to be on land, but in that moment, I couldn’t see how any other dwelling would be more agreeable than the one standing in front of me.

  As we approached my small home, and Gregorio mentioned, “The festivities will kick off around 7 tonight. The tavern will be full, I’m sure, and I’d love to accompany you. There is nothing I’d like more than to have the whole tribe see me in such wonderful company.”

  Live music and plenty of dancing would set the stage for a wonderful festival on land the same way the opening ceremony did in the sea. I knew the details of the night as well as he did, but I assumed he was just used to knowing things and reporting them. While I tried not to take his informative tone personally, it irked me a little to be treated like a guest on my own island.

  “I’ll be there. In fact, I’m meeting Phoebe and Fiona, but I’ll be sure to look for you,” I said trying to avoid the commitment of a date at this point.

  I opened the door and he escorted me in but demurely remained in my foyer. Claiming exhaustion, I promised to see him later that night.

  “Oh, Anya, I don’t mind if you rest. Maybe we could rest together,” he suggested.

  I couldn’t hide my surprise at his forwardness, so I didn’t try. “Gregorio, stop it,” I said flirtily. I wasn’t ready to close the door on him as an option, just on him in my house right then.

  As he left, I excitedly settled back into my home.

  I had never lived alone before I took the cottage. But with the hours I spent at the lab and in the sea, it made sense to live alone and as close as possible to both. The idea of three enclosed rooms just for me made my head spin initially. But I had furnished it nicely, warmly, and it felt as much like home as my father’s house had as I grew up. I walked in, running my hand along the mahogany table the color of Fiona’s hair, the wide, white chair rail, the wallpaper covered in the tiniest pink rose buds. I was in love with the cottage and wondered why I had been so hell bent on spending time at sea lately when I had this here.

  But there wasn’t much time to enjoy my home. As I sat on my bed, I realized Gregorio had steered me home instead of to my lab. With the new information floating in my mind, I decided to give my legs a break and lie down a bit before going to the lab.

  Six: Luke

  I FELT BADLY watching the crew work so hard testing the equipment when I knew there was nothing wrong with it. Considering the other option, confessing why I knew the equipment wasn’t at fault, I let them waste a few days. We didn’t have much to do otherwise, so we sat, hovering in one spot as not to miss any collectible data.

  Kate pouted her way through another testing cycle.

  “All five tests have shown this tracker’s working. I don’t understand. No variance at all,” she explained.

  Amir lugged in another tracker. “I’d call it a day, Kate. You’re going to make yourself crazy. Besides, the others were all working, too. So maybe it wasn’t the tracker.”

  “George will be so disappointed to hear this is all we’ve done this week.”

  “The little man will understand. Or just tell the kid something exciting. Tell him how Lucy kicked Brando’s ass when he drank her Pepsi,” I laughedsaid laughing.

  She wasn’t impressed by my idea. “Absolutely inappropriate. Hilarious, but inappropriate. You do remember he’s only six, right?”

  Maybe it had been inappropriate, but she was right. It had been hilarious. Lucy launched herself out of her chair when Brandon grabbed the last cold Pepsi. I still don’t know how she did it, but she had him in a head lock at one point, her feet not even touching the floor anymore. All this happened as she vehemently pointed out her name in black marker on the side of the can.

  “Do you see that,” she bellowed. “Look! L-U-C-Y. Yep, that’s Lucy, ya fool.”

  Brandon, knowing he’d been beaten, begged for mercy, crying uncle like kids did in grade school, and handed her the open can. After conceding, he leaned over and opened a 24-pack of warm soda and refilled the fridge, adding insult to Lucy’s injury.

  “Let’s take the trackers out back. We’ll see if we can replicate the issue. Maybe that will make Kate feel better,” I threw out as Norton, our captain, walked in.

  “You guys gotta get up on deck and see something,” he said quietly. Norton normally walked and talked with far more gusto than he displayed at the moment.

  Obviously shaken, he sat down, not making eye contact with any of us, and clearly not planning to head on deck.

  We filed out solemnly, equally worried and anxious to see what had thrown our salty dog captain off balance. Emerging on deck, we noticed small balls of light fluttering around the Sea Star.

  “Lighting bugs?” Brandon asked.

  “If you mean fire flies, no,” Lucy concluded. “They can’t fly this far out to sea.”

  Kate took a minute for offering a sensible, thought-out hypothesis. “Maybe they’re airborne, glowing plankton. They could be hovering in the water vapor.”

  We all looked at her in amazement as her mind conjured up a new species or one whose lifestyle adapted to humid air faster than the rest of us formed thoughts.

  Standing there silent, we gawked. As we stared, the flecks of light seemed to attract to one another, forming golf ball-sized groups instead of what we assumed were single entities. Hovering over the boat, bouncing off the waves, the balls tripped along.

  Amir reached out to touch one. He was rewarded by a sharp reprimand from Kate and an equally sharp, be it small, electric shock. Looking at his finger, he saw no tissue damage, but it tingled where he had contacted the energy ball.

  Norton ventured onto the deck at that point and asked one question, “What do your studies say about that, Luke?”

  Seven: Anya

  I WOKE WITH a start hours later. The sky had grown dark, but it was not yet night. Gray clouds moved quickly above my cottage and the wind picked up with low bellows.

  I noticed the time and checked the mirror quickly. I looked the same on land as I did in the sea. My hair shown with the same shades of sun and sand even though it was dry. My eyes glowed a bright aquamarine that normally matched my fins. My skin remained pale, a pearly contrast to the rich blue shade I wore.

  Running, something I hadn’t done recently, out of the cottage, the ambrosia my flowers released at my door embraced me. I stopped long enough to pluck a jasmine bud and tuck into my hair. I liked the idea of Gregorio seeing it in the same spot where he put the hibiscus earlier, which felt odd. I hadn’t planned to enjoy his company in that way, and I truly didn’t have time or energy to spare right now. Yet, I was tucking flowers with the hope that he would notice.

  I had spent far too much daydreaming of Luke. He wasn’t an option, and I knew my father, the tribe actually, had plenty to say of humans. Why waste time dreaming when a perfectly gorgeous mer was waiting for me?

  Nearing the Sword and Dagger Tavern, having abandoned the idea of spending time in the lab, I heard music, singing, and laughing. Feeling excited and bold, I pranced into the party, into the group of friends and relatives. I spotted Uncle Jinsen. Thrilled to see him, I ran to him, my arms out for a hug. My mother’s brother, Uncle Jinsen was a favored friend from my childhood. He had played with me and entertained my childish antics. Having no children, he and my aunt held had me always treated me as their own.

  “Anya, my dear niece, hug me again,” he clamored. I wrapped my arms around him yet again. “That’s what was missing, everyone. Anya. Anya was missing. But, she’s here now. And a good time we will have.”

  He handed me a glass of sweet juices mixed with a strong coconut flavor. Rum punch. It smelled heavenly and cut through the taste of salt in the humid air. I finished the drink only to have Gregorio there and handing me another.

  “I’m happy you made it, Anya,
” he confided.

  “Well, I’m happy to find you,” I admitted, realizing it was true. I was happy that Gregorio wanted me at the party.

  We sat together, his long legs reaching out in front of him while I curled mine up under me. We chatted about the day and he apprised me of his latest travels. He had been circling the seas as assistant to the ambassador, my uncle. They’d been gone for months, sharing news and research with other tribes, helping the host tribe prepare for the festival, and participating in goodwill endeavors.

  “Anya, you would love traveling. I know you’ve done some with your father, but traveling as an ambassador’s assistant brings you to such amazing places. I’ve seen the dirty rivers of New York and the blue waters of Fiji. You can’t begin to believe the places I’ve been,” he continued.

  Excited to hear about his adventures at first, his continued droning on and on coupled with the alcohol left me sleepy. The music pounded, but my eyes drooped a bit more with every glass Gregorio had ready for me.

  He introduced me to a few more glasses of rum punch before the evening wound down. My head swam with warmth and the perfume of the island and the look in his eyes. His face softened when he looked at me.

  But it was the stars that amazed me. Mer often went to the surface while in the sea, seeing both the moon and sun. We drifted and played in the waves with the seals, whales, and gulls. But the sky while on land was distinct. Maybe it was due to the sounds of the land mixing with the sea. Or perhaps the feel of air and legs and sand changed my view of the world.

  The evening and the party wound down and I found myself disappointed. As I said my goodbyes, hugging Uncle Jinsen, Gregorio came up behind me.

  “I’d like to walk you home,” he started. “There are some things we need to discuss”

  He politely pointed me in the direction of my home when my first instinct was to turn the wrong way exiting the party.

  Laughing, he smirked, “An example of those legendary research skills?”

  “Uh, well, I’ve never researched after rum punch,” I reasoned, laughing a bit myself.

  We walked, chatting carelessly, until we were far enough from the party that the only sound was the sea crashing against the beach. At that point, Gregorio stopped walking.

  He sat me down on a bench and asked me to explain my research.

  “I need to know what you know, Anya,” he said.

  “My research is important. The trench, the sudden and deep break in the ocean’s floor holds keys to our future as mer and as Obthalusians.

  “If the trench continues to broaden, the ground around Orotava could become unstable. The tides and currents could become stronger, ultimately pulling our lovely island apart.”

  He didn’t appear impressed with my work. Instead, he sat back, fiddling with the stem of a flower he’d picked as we walked.

  He stifled a yawn and asked, “And how likely is all of that?”

  “I’m not sure yet. But I won’t be sure unless I continue my research,” I tried to explain. “If I just stop now and the trench continues, we could easily lose everything.”

  “That won’t be the case,” he said. “I’m sure you’re making far too much of it all.”

  The discussion tore me from the quiet excitement I felt throughout the day. It left even more questions unanswered. Why would he ask me about my research if he planned to discount it so quickly? What was he trying to do, keep me from the lab? Did Luke fit into this? Did any of this put him in danger? But I didn’t ask any of those questions.

  Instead, I leaned forward, my head light from the rum, and looked into Gregorio’s eyes. I figured now was the time to take a risk. If nothing in my life was going to make sense, my love life might as well be confusing too.

  With that in mind, I tilted my head a bit, leaned in, and kissed him.

  Eight: Luke

  AS SUDDENLY AS the balls of energy appeared, they disappeared. In their wake came a storm. It came upon the Sea Star quickly and without sympathy. We pulled in all of our equipment, locked down what we could, and hunkered down in the cabin. The computers showed a haze of green on the radars. The rain planned to continue its relentless bombarding of the ship.

  “Another round?” I asked unconvincingly, lifting the cards. However, restless after the earlier light show and full of questions, Texas Hold ’Em held little draw at this point.

  “Luke, you can’t be serious.” Brandon retorted with a chuckle.

  I flipped the deck at him mid-shuffle, hitting Lucy’s arm with more than half of the cards. We turned from the cards to coffee, trying to laugh and chat easily without much to say. No one wanted to talk about the light, so we all processed the incident internally.

  Kate, knowing we needed some kind of distraction, turned a bag of cereal into decadent marshmallow treats, and Amir and Brandon had no trouble eating most of them as the rain continued.

  The ship lurched and leaned as the waves rose and weather surged. Eventually we turned to bed and I took my shift at the wheel.

  “Hey, Norton,” I called.

  Norton turned to acknowledge me. “Your turn already, big man?” he asked.

  “Yes, siree, Cap’n. Time for you to get some shut eye. But grab whatever is left in the galley. Kate made your favorites, and Amir may have left one.”

  “Well then, what a fine night. Leaving the bridge after a good song is good luck, ya know,” Norton joked. Full of seaworthy wisdom, he had a superstitious rule for everything. I was just happy to see he had recovered a bit from our earlier adventure. If anything, he was faking it well.

  He handed me the log book after signing himself out. Together we reviewed the course and the weather scan again together.

  “Looks like you’re in for a long night, Lucas.” Norton was the only one other than my grandmother that got away with calling me by my full name. “Thanks for taking over. A man facing this much Mother Nature needs to be wide awake, and that is something I am not.”

  “I drew the short straw, man. Can’t say this is my favorite weather to deal with. I’d rather have an expert at the wheel, but as you’re entitled to a break,” I said punching at the man’s arm, “I’ll have to do.”

  Smiling his sideways smile, Norton punched my arm in return, tapped the Sea Star insignia over the door, and almost skipped off the bridge.

  I turned to the task at hand, steering the Sea Star and keeping course in the midst of a storm. The sky and sea reached into each other, one stretching its fingers down, the other lurching upward, and the rain bridging the two. The vessel and all she contained rocked with the rhythm of the sea, and I held steady. It grew darker as the sun finally fell below the horizon and the clouds covered the stars and moon.

  “Thank God for GPS.” Sailors once navigated by astrological charts. Celestial bodies were a great back up, but only when you could see them.

  Making sure to double check the radar, I contemplated how to avoid the storm. However, the green ribbons on the radar offered no choice other than to stay on course and hope that the surges remained small and clustered.

  My good fortune quickly changed.

  The boat’s antenna shone brightly with a blue flame. St. Elmo’s fire. I’d seen it plenty, the plasma lighting the heavens. But what followed was new.

  “Holy crap,” I yelled. A blue glow lit the sky as it floated about. It seemed to come from the sea, not the sky above, not the antenna. It grew from the size of a golf ball to that of a basketball, buoying through the air and suddenly splitting into half a dozen glowing orbs. They spread out across the blue-black blanket blinding me as they moved.

  “Luke, you okay?” Norton echoed over the intercom after hearing my surprise.

  “I’m fi-” I began, but all the captain heard was the loud thud as I dropped to the floor.

  Norton grabbed Brandon and rushed to the bridge. Throwing open the door, Brandon stepped over my unconscious body and bent to check my pulse. Norton, mesmerized by the drifting lights, even bigger than those we saw
earlier, leaned on the intercom and called the rest of the crew to the bridge without changing his gaze.

  Kate reached the bridge and gasped. “What the hell is that? What is it?” she pleaded, the timbre of her voice as haunting as the orbs.

  “I’ve no damn idea,” was all Norton could spit out before the orbs collided and the entire crew crashed to the boat’s deck.

  *****

  The light cut through the haze in my head as I opened my eyes. Pain. The throbbing in my head took over every thought. I tried to remember why I was face down on the floor of the bridge, but nothing came to me. Sitting up, I noticed Brandon. Kate and Norton were on the other side of the bridge.

  “What the hell happened?” I asked aloud.

  “I’m not sure, but jeez, my head.” I heard Lucy’s voice, faint, but close.

  “Luce, where are you?” I called out, my own voice echoing in my ears loudly.

  “I’m by the door. I think I’m alright. But my head,” she winced. “Jeez, it hurts.”

  “Hold on. I’m trying to get up.”

  “Trying?” she questioned. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, I don’t think so. My head is swimming. Is your head doing that? God, I’m gonna hurl. Man, what happened?”

  “Luke?” Kate’s murmur was low and trembling.

  “Kate, don’t move. I’m coming.”

  I shakily got my feet beneath me and stood up. Patting myself down, I didn’t notice any obvious injuries other than the headache.

  As I stepped across the bridge, over Norton’s prostrated but breathing body, I saw Lucy and Kate moving slowly. Each appeared unharmed as I looked them over. At that point, Amir, Brandon, and Norton began stirring.