Beneath the Surface - Chapter 1

The first chapter of my Gold Award book for Girl Scouts!

When I was three, and no one was watching, I fell into my grandparents’ pool. I couldn’t swim, and so I fell deeper and deeper. I was surrounded by blue. I closed my eyes and let myself feel everything, the quiet and the cool. I felt calm.
I laid at the bottom, about to fall asleep, when my mom grabbed me and took me back to the surface. She hugged me and cried, “My baby! You’re okay!” But I didn’t understand the problem. I started bawling, wanting to go back.
That was my first memory, when I found out I could breathe underwater. No wonder I had webbed fingers and feet. But having unique abilities wasn’t unusual.
20% of humans were born with special abilities. Some could run fast. Some were clairvoyant, which was rare. Some even had telepathy. These abilities were caused by recessive genes found in 1924. It was now 2054.
Thirteen years later, I was in high school, and other than seeing my friends, everyday felt the same; Wake up groggy, get ready, leave for school, show up and just try to get through classes. The best part was getting home and then going to the beach.
One beautiful day in September, I was hanging out with my friends Maribelle and Robin at the beach. Even though she liked swimming in pools, Mari was afraid of the ocean. But she decided that day that she was going to face her fears.
I was standing where the water was just about an inch high, while Mari was a couple of feet behind me, where the sand was a little wet. Robin was right behind her.
“It’s okay, Mari. I’ll be there if anything happens,” I tried to console her.
Her voice shook as she asked, “But what if I step on a living thing? I-I don’t want to hurt them or get bitten.”
“How about this? You can walk right behind me, so you’ll know that there won’t be anything to step on in our trail. Even if I step on something, it won’t be you.”
Mari took a deep breath, calming herself. “Ok.”
“Here,” Robin said, reaching out their hand.
Mari accepted it, and we started walking.
“Besides,” I looked back at Mari. “Maybe you can keep an eye out with your ability. Does it work underwater?”
“Yes, but it would be very hard for me to communicate since the creatures would be under the water. I’d have to put my head under.”
“Right, I forgot. Sorry.” I rubbed the back of my head.
We went deeper into the cold water. Once it was up to our knees, Mari paused and stared at the red seaweed that surrounded us in every direction.
Robin gazed at the seaweed as well. “That’s strange.”
“It’s ok, it won’t harm us,” I reassured them both.
We kept walking, and every now and then I would duck my head into the water to make sure the way was clear, but it was much harder with so much seaweed blocking my vision. I had to brush it out of my way. I also saw tiny fish, but they scattered like birds if we came near.
Eventually, we got to the point where our feet didn’t touch the ground anymore. I popped my head out of the water to check in on Mari.
“You know,” Mari smiled. “This isn’t so bad. Besides the seaweed, it’s actually nice.”
“I told you! Well, seaweed isn’t fun. But I’m glad you like the ocean!”
Mari and I swam further, and we heard Robin call out, “Wait for me!”
“Hehe, Sorry Robin.” Mari stopped and rubbed her head.
While Robin was catching up, I went underwater, pushed the seaweed out of the way, and lay down on the sandy bottom. There, I watched the fish speed away from me. I felt bad for them. Then, I floated back up towards the surface to find Robin and Mari laughing.
“Hey, what’s up?” I felt a weight on my head.
“Oh, you silly sea turtle, what do you want?” Mari looked up at the green creature.
The turtle lifted one of her legs, pointing back to the shore.
“I can’t carry you there! Try swimming over there in the early morning, at dawn. I’m sure there will be fewer people around.” Mari picked up the turtle gently off my head.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. My friend over here taught me to face my fears.” She gestured her other hand over to me. “I was scared to swim in the ocean, thinking something would sting or bite me. But look at me now! I’m fine.”
Mari let it back into the water.
“What was it?” Robin asked.
“The turtle wanted to go outside the water, but she was afraid that people would take her or step on her. Her best friend was taken away, and the turtle hasn’t seen her since.”
“Poor turtle…” I couldn’t imagine that happening to me.
“I wish her good luck.” Robin nodded.
Mari seemed more confident than before. “Yeah.”
After swimming a little bit, we went back home due to homework needing to be done. Homework was frustrating and stressful. I’ve never been good at focusing, so I often had to get help from my parents. That night, it took me about an hour to get history and math done. The events to remember and all the numbers made my head feel like it was going to burst. But at least I got it done.
When I finally went to bed, my head was still buzzing with all the homework, but I couldn’t help thinking about earlier when I helped Mari face her fears. Way to go, me! With that, I was able to sleep peacefully.
Now it was time to repeat the same old routine: wake up, go to classes, and, well, now it was lunch.
I was waiting for my friends when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I shrieked a little.
“Oh, come on, relax! It’s just us,” spoke a familiar voice.
It was Mari, with Robin next to her, smiling.
“How dare you,” I laughed.
“Oh, Cass,” Mari laughed at well. “Let’s sit down.”
The three of us sat down and began to eat.
“So, I saw the turtle again earlier this morning. It made it out of the ocean! I made sure to tell it to stay safe.” Mari seemed livelier today.
Robin clapped their hands in excitement. “That’s wonderful.”
I smiled. “You seem to really be coming out of your shell. Maybe you should come with me more often to the beach. You can come too, Robin.”
“You know, you’re right! In fact, let’s go today!” Mari exclaimed.
“Yes! Well, I go every day after school. School really stresses me out.” It makes me feel self-conscious as so many people want different things from me. I am what is called an “extroverted introvert.” The water is very comforting after school.
“Yeah, I understand,” Robin replied.
“I can’t wait!” Mari danced a little.
We started to move on to another topic, but Mari seemed as if she couldn’t stop thinking about the beach.
Later, we went to the beach again. Just at the edge at the water, the turtle was back. I recognized it by the dark green pattern on her shell. But what made it so recognizable is that one of the spots was shaped like a heart.
Mari continued, “…and that’s how Cass taught me to face my fears! With the help of Robin, of course. Like how I taught you to face your fears!”
The turtle cocked her head and widened her eyes.
“Yeah, I’m being careful. Don’t worry! Risks are worth it if you’re having fun, and when no one gets hurt.”
I felt relieved when Mari said that. I wasn’t one for taking risks, so I was proud, yet a little bit surprised that I was the one that taught her that.
Mari had suddenly swam further into the ocean with the turtle on her head.
“Wait for us!” Robin and I followed her, but then something seemed to tug on her leg.
“Help!” She shouted and tried to swim away.
It may have been seaweed or coral. “Coming!” I dove under the water to take a look.
Instead, it was the tentacle of a squid! In shock, I froze for a moment. Mari was in trouble, and I needed to help. However, it might be dangerous, and I could be tugged down with her.
Right when I decided to help her, the squid dragged her down into the depths of the ocean. I followed the squid. I could’ve been more discreet, but I was too freaked out. Then it put Mari in some sort of bubble, then I saw… another human?
The other person had an air bubble surrounding their head. I heard their eerie voice through the water, “A new servant! Perfect.”
“No!” I tried to get Mari back, then black ink covered my eyes. I was still conscious, but I couldn’t see a thing. I tried to push the ink out of my way, but by the time I could see again, they were already gone. Mari… I don’t know where she is… I can’t follow her…
I felt a wave of fear come over me, and there was a knot in my stomach. I gasped and floated to the top. It felt like I was dying, but I couldn’t stop - or the squid would get me. Robin was waiting for me, and I needed to get back. Luckily, the turtle was still free, so I made sure to rescue her, and let her go to a safe place in the ocean.
Once I touched the surface, I swam back as fast as I could, and I signaled Robin to follow me. When I reached the sand, I fell to my knees in front of everybody on the beach, hyperventilating, and my eyes filled with tears. The ocean wasn’t safe after all…

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