Into the Sea, kap. 3
I alla fall, här är kapitel tre;
Chapter 3
Okay, I know that going swimming maybe wouldn’t seem like something you do instead of hanging out with your friends – but for me, it is. I’d give up many experiences so I could go swimming, unfortunately I can’t do that very much because of my parents. On Sundays I sometimes have to go to the church! I anyone got to know that, I’d die! I got to the parking lot by First Beach and stopped my skateboard. I took it under my arm and started walking down the path that led to the beach. My parents thought that I was at Nessie’s house, I knew they’d approve of her if they met her – she was pale and lived in Forks, the only thing I can think of that they wouldn’t like ‘bout her is that she’s dating a Quileute, but there was no need to tell them that.
I got down to the beach and took my jeans and tank top of so I only wore my blue, black and pink Warp bikini top and black bikini bottom. I took my black Nike training shorts out of my bag and put them on too, I always wore training shorts when I was swimming. I know, they’re not for swimming, but I like wearing them anyway so, live with it. I had gone straight home after school and packed my bag with the shorts, towel, underwear and bra, the bikini – minus shorts – I had put on under my clothes. I had said I was going over to Nessie and then I had gone to the beach instead. So now, here I was, in my bikini – I count the shorts as a part of the bikini – and ready to jump into the water. I looked around me and saw – to my right – a high cliff over the water. I smiled to myself and packed my clothes into my bag and hung it over my shoulder. I took my skate board under my arm again and started jogging towards the cliff. It would be perfect diving from and I didn’t want to leave my stuff on the beach where people could take it. I dumped my bag and board between a rock and a bush – I think the bag fell into the bush, good now it was hard to see it – up on the cliff and walked towards the edge. When I stood on the edge I looked down on the water below me.
“Wow!” I mumbled to myself. If was a long way down, but I wasn’t very afraid, I’d done thins before. Not from here, but other places. I took five long steps backwards and then stopped. I inhaled and exhaled heavily and then ran. I dove from the edge and felt the air around me as I flew. It took only a second but it felt like an hour until I hit the water. First my hands which I held straight out in front of me, then my arms, head, chest, stomach, legs and last my feet. It was wonderful being back in water again and when I got my head out of the water I took a deep breath for air and smiled – then my eyes got cold and I felt like a painful burn by my lower back and clenched my teeth together not to scream.
“Ow!” I said when it as suddenly as it started, stopped. “What was that?” I felt around my eyes with my fingers but didn’t feel anything weird; I swam back to land so I could take a look and my back and gasped. On my lower back – where it had felt like I burned – I now had something that looked like a tattoo! It was deep blue and looked like a tribal. It looked like it started in the middle of my lower back and went on both to the left and to the right. In the middle, under the tattoo – if it was a tattoo – there also was two lines of waves… I think. It looked kind of cool, but it was also creepy, how and why did I get it? I felt a strong need to get back to the water so I walked back into it and didn’t stop until I had water up to my stomach. Once again I turned my upped body so I could look at the tattoo. What was I supposed to do now? Go home and say ‘mom, dad, I got a tribal tattoo on my lower back, I hope that’s okay?’ not exactly. Then something hit me, my lower back – and the tattoo – was under the water, so the tattoo should look a little wavy and cloudy, but it didn’t. It looked just normal, as if there was no water there. Now when I thought ‘bout it, I saw everything under the water just as clear as I saw everything over the water. Okay, this was getting kinda’ weird. Then I heard footsteps coming this way on the path from the parking lot. I turned that way and heard Nessie and Clair laughing together with three other women I didn’t know, Embry, Quil and Jake were talking ‘bout cars, Seth, Collin and Brady ‘bout some videogame and I also heard three other men that I didn’t know talk ‘bout a bonfire that was coming up this weekend. That was 14 persons, but I also hear one more person walking with them, but he or she was quiet. I’m pretty sure it isn’t normal that I can hear all this and I didn’t wanted to see any of them – even if they’re my friends – until I’ve figured at least some of this out. Then I heard someone stop – and be’cause of that everyone stopped.
“What is that smell?” One of the unknown men asked.
They were almost out on the beach now, I couldn’t see the yet but I heard someone sniff the air and then Seth exclaimed “It’s Sam!”
“Sam is right there, you moron.” The 15th person who hadn’t talked before said, she was a woman.
“No, not that Sam…” Collin said.
“… Samantha, the new girl.” Brady continued.
“C’mon, Em!” Claire said happily.
“It looks like Sam’s here, we’ll introduce you.” Nessie said, and then she, Claire and a woman I’ve never seen before came out on the beach and looked around. Fast I took a deep breath and dove under the water and swam away from the beach – but I think Nessie saw me.
Even if I love swimming I’ve never been good at holding my breath and after 30 seconds I started getting dizzy and my head started to hurt, but I pushed myself and suddenly I couldn’t hold it any longer. I automatically took a deep breath – but nothing happened! I stopped and looked around confused just to check that I really was under water. Yes, seaweed, stones and fishes, defiantly under water. I tested and took a couple of small breaths, I felt the water coming into my mouth and nose, but in some magical way it didn’t get down to my lungs. I could breathe under water! Oh my god! And the fishes didn’t seem to be afraid of me; they swam around me just as if I was a fish too. I looked down at my body to make sure I hadn’t turned into a fish and sighed relieved when I looked just normal. I swam up to the water surface and looked around; I couldn’t see First Beach anywhere! How far had I gone? I’d only bean swimming in like, half a minute. Could that mean…? No, I hadn’t been swimming that fast, hadn’t I? Or maybe I had… I had been so focused on not being at First Beach that I hadn’t paid any attention to how fast I was. Just to test it I swam back again – under water –, not as fast as I could, but faster than normal. This time I was back in the water of First Beach within three minutes.
When I was about 1500 foot from the beach I could already see it and everything under the water clearly – when I was under the water. Right then someone splashed through water surface with his arms first, just like I had. I think he was one of the unknown men who I’d heard. I was too far away so he couldn’t see me, but I saw him clearly. He looked practically as all the other guys in their group, so there’s no need to describe him. When he had moved out of the way someone else came flying of off the edge of the cliff… on it was two persons. Quil and Claire. Quil had his arms around Claire and they jumped – not dove – with their feet first. It looked so cute. I smiled for myself. Then I remembered something, my clothes and board! I couldn’t go home in this, my dad would kill me! But my bag was up at the cliff and there was no way I could get up there without anyone noticing me, and I can’t wait until they’re done, ‘cause then I’m going to get home way too late. Okay, now I have a big problem. But, they haven’t been her for more than five minutes. I can come from the other end of the beach – in normal speed – and just tell them that I was over there – mostly under the water – and didn’t see them until then. Yes! That’s what I’m going to do.
I was at the other side of the beach in one second and then started swimming back again. I saw Jake and Nessie dive from the cliff and splash into the water together. Claire saw me first.
“Sam!” She shouted. “You’re here?”
“Yup, I was over there” I nodded behind me “and didn’t see you guys ‘till now.” I saw Nessie raise one eyebrow and give me a ‘you’re lying’-look. I tried to give her an innocent smile but I’m not sure if worked. “Anyway, I was just goin’ to get my stuff and go home.” I got out of the water and walked up the path that led up on the cliff trying as nonchalant as possible hide my back, but I don’t think it looked very nonchalant. I got up on the cliff which was now empty ‘cause everyone had jumped. I took my shorts of and dried myself with my towel. I put my jeans over the bikini and just as I put my tank top over my bikini top Nessie came up on the cliff again. I stood with my back to where you come up on the cliff without really thinking of it but now I felt Nessie’s gaze burn a hole in my lower back where the tattoo was.
“You got a-“ I quickly pulled my tank top over the tattoo and rushed to Nessie’s side, putting my hand over her mouth.
“Don’t say anything!” I whispered to her and looked down at the others; to my relief they didn’t seem to pay any attention to us.
“Look,” Nessie said and pushed my hand away “I saw you in the water, you were here all the time.”
I sighed heavily. “Do we have to talk ‘bout i?”
She shook her head. “Not if you don’t want to, but I’m a good listener and if you want me to I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Don’t tell anyone ‘bout the tattoo.” I pleased. “I’ll think ‘bout it, right now I just wanna go home, but if I want to talk I’ll tell ya.”
“Good,” Nessie nodded “and I won’t tell anyone ‘bout the tattoo.”
“Thanks.” I hugged her tight and followed her down to the beach.
When we got down Nessie stopped me and turned so we were facing everyone. “Hey, guys!” Everyone looked at her. “Guys, this is Sam, she’s going home now but I thought I’d’ introduce you first. Sam those you haven’t met before are Emily, Rachel and Kim, Leah, Jared, Paul and Sam.” Nessie pointed everyone out. Emily, Rachel and Kim sat in the sand with Claire talking, Leah laid tanning on a towel and Sam, Jared and Paul were in the water with the rest of the guys. Emily had a big scar across the right side of her face, but I tried not to look at it.
“So you’re the Sam Clair have been talkin’ so mush ‘bout? It’s nice meeting you.” Emily said and waved at me. All of them – apart from Leah who just ignored us – said one ‘hey’, ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ each and then I went home.
“Did you have a good time at your friend’s house?” Mom asked when I closed the door behind me.
“Yeah… it was great.” I said.
“What did you do?” Shit! At least I’m a pretty good liar. That didn’t sound good.
“Um… nothin’… we just… chilled in her garden…?” It sounded like a question, but mom didn’t seem to notice.
“That’s good.” She nodded and went back to her crossword or whatever it was.
20th September, 8.15 pm
Dear diary,
2day something really scary happened! I was @ First Beach in La Push 2 swim and when I got in the water it – for a second – started burning on my lower back and my eyes got cold. I got out of the water 2 check my lower back and I had a deep blue tribal tattoo there! My eyes felt OK, though. I then felt a strong need 2 get back in2 the water so I did, and I could see everything under water as clear as over the water! Then I heard some friends from school come walking towards the beach. I could hear who many they were and everything! A normal person wouldn’t have heard them. I didn’t wanted them 2 C the tattoo so I swan – under the water – as fast as I could and when I couldn’t hold my breath any longer I automatically took a deep breath, but nothing happened! I could breathe under the water. I swan up 2 C were I was and saw that I had ended up right out in the middle of the ocean! I had swum so fast I almost think I turned invisible!
So, as a conclusion; 1) I got a tribal tattoo, 2) I saw everything under water clearly, 3) I heard everything, 4) I could breathe under water, and 5) I swum extremely fast.
I also have this feeling that none of the guys plus Nessie and Leah in Seth’s group of friends are normal people, I get weir vibes from them.
Night…
That night I couldn’t sleep, I had to mush to think about. What was wrong with me? How did I got that tattoo? Was it because I jumped into the water? I’ve been swimming many times before, why now? Why could I see clearly under water? Why could I breathe under water? Why was I suddenly so fast? Why did I hear everything? What was happening to me? Eventually I fell asleep, and little did I know that I was going to be a part of something big and bad.
Komentera och berätta vad ni tycker <3
