Left Behind •Kenji Kon• Camp Cretaceous

▫️Shipwrecked▫️

💞Trinity💞

The boat stops dead and once again we almost fall to the floor. "What is it now?" Kenji rushes over and looks down at the sonar. "Shoot. Shoot, no! I don't think it's a mechanical failure. We might be stuck in a kelp bed or something."

I look and see a large shape underneath our boat, nodding in agreement. "Dang it! I must have missed that when I was turning the boat."

"Uh, guys, what's happening?" Dad calls to us and we rush out to tell them what's going on. Kenji wraps his hands around the railing and leans over it, looking down at our friends. "The propeller's jammed. Someone's gotta go under and check it out."

"Kenj thinks we're stuck in a kelp bed," I add and Brooklynn looks up at me. "And where there's a kelp forest there are usually sharks."

"Sharks? Great," I murmur and Yaz makes a hand gesture. "I'll pass. Saw this movie as a kid that really messed me up for life." Darius turns to look into the water before turning back to us. "I'll do it."

"Darius-" He cuts my dad off. "It's fine. I can do this."

"Darius, if you do see a shark remain calm," I call down to him and he looks back to me. "They're attracted to panicked movement, okay. So if there's one near you move slowly and calmly back to the boat, no vibrations. Understand?"

"Got it." Kenji heads back into the control room. I watch the gang tie two ropes together and then tie the end around Darius' waist. "You sure you're okay to go alone?" Yasmina asks him and he nods. "I'll be fine. Just be ready to pull me up."

He starts walking down the steps toward the water. "Remember Darius, no panicked movements. See something remain totally calm. We've been attacked by dinosaurs so many times that a shark should be pretty tame."

"Yeah. Sure." Dad and Ben grab ahold of the ropes. Darius looks back at them then up at me before dropping down into the water. I lean against the rail, watching the water anxiously, hoping that sharks are no where near us. After a few minutes I hear Kenji call to me, "no word?"

"Not yet." A few moments later and Darius is breaking the surface of the water. I let out a sigh of relief as Brooklynn cheers. "He's up!" Yaz calls to Kenji and I. Darius turns to look at us as he takes deep breaths.

"The propeller was stuck in kelp. Tell Kenji to try it now. I'll stay in the water just in case."

"On it," I call down to him before racing into the control room. "Darius got it. Try moving forward." He smiles and pushes forward on the lever causing the boat to start moving. I rush back out and stop at the railing, looking down at Darius still in the water.

"We're all clear!" Kenji calls out a moment later. "Whoo!" Darius cheers and throws his fist into the air. "Yeah, alright!" The boat stops and they start preparing to pull Darius back in.

I freeze when beeping from the sonar fills my ears, warning that something is approaching us. I race back to Kenji's side and look down at the sonar with him. "What is that?" I ask anxiously as it starts getting closer to us. "Must be a school of fish?"

"Pretty big for a school of fish. Besides with our luck what are the odds of you being right?"

"Tell them to hurry!" I nod and race back out, stopping at the railing. "Start pulling him in! There's something in the water! It's headed this way!"

They all look at me and then Dad and Ben start pulling him in while everyone else scans the water for whatever it is. "Back up the boat!" I call to Kenji as this is taking too long to pull Darius in. "It's not working!"

"What? Seriously?! Come on!" I turn back around and watch as Darius starts swimming towards the boat. "Darius, stay calm!" Kenji stops beside me with his telescope and starts searching the water.