A Song of Sea and Myth

Chapter 1

Mira stared out upon the horizon as the roaring sea crashed into nearby rocks with a force that couldtopple armies. The clouds were perpetually gray, and the sea never lost its chill. She loved the feelingof the foamy waves beneath her feet and the taste of the cold, salty spray. There was a time whenthe waves were calm, but Mira had never known it. Her father didn't seem to mind. He loved thestormy, cold water. He was a fearless man. He would cast his nets in the midst of a hurricane if hefelt like it. She thought of her friend Cass, who would have a heart attack if she met her father. She,like many people since the great calamity, was afraid of the ocean.

 Cass' fear ran deeper, though; it wasn't like the superstitious caution in her coastal hometown. She wouldn't even wade in ankle-deepwaves. This was a fear only the raging waters of their small island could incite. Mira wasn't naiveenough to deny the existence of the beasts in the sea; one had taken her father. She wasn't, however,afraid of the shallow waters near the beach. Despite the fact that the sea had taken her father fromher, Mira never stopped loving it. It didn't, however, stop a pang of sorrow from sinking in whenevershe was near it. Grief for a life long left behind. Mira didn't like dwelling on the past when she couldhelp it. She wanted to think of her new life. The one she would have after graduating from finishingschool. Cass would find a wealthy suitor who adored her, and she would become her lady in waiting.Living a life of comfort and privacy. Not the isolating privacy of their school on a lone island, but thekind where she would finally wake up and know that she was home. Together, they would start thegarden they'd always talked about, and Cass would adorn herself with lavish silks and jewels forwhatever party she was hosting that night.

 A rogue wave soaked Mira's dress and brought her backto the present. The wind began to mimic the all too familiar howl of a terrible storm. It was time forher to go back inside. As she went to turn, another wave crashed over her, pulling her waist deep intothe sea's violent embrace and causing her to inhale a lung full of water. The weather was progressingtoo fast. Mira struggled to find air again. She forced her legs through the water but couldn't find herfooting. Another wave pulled her deeper until she could no longer feel the sand beneath her feet. Shefought the waves until she could feel the sand beneath her feet again. There was a momentary breakin the wave's rhythm, and Mira used it to her advantage, pushing towards the shore quickly. Just asshe reached ankle-deep water, she was ripped away from the land. The water burned her nose and eyes. 

Theweight of the water pushed her down. She tried to pull her head back up, but the surface was so farfrom her now. She felt as though cold hands were pulling her down, down, down, until the light of thesurface was gone. As her air ran out, her lungs disobeyed her, and they began to fill with water. Shewondered if this was what her father had felt like. Darkness closed around her and the pain dulled. Itwas nice to know that her father had died in peace, and now she would share his fate. She heard hermother's lullaby. A distant melody she could feel in every slow beat of her heart. Her mother wascalling to her. 

"Mira!" 

"Mirabel!" 

"Mira, wake up. We're already late for breakfast."She sucked in a gasp of air. Cassandra was shaking her wildly.

 "I woke you up ten minutes ago. How did you fall back asleep?"

 It took a moment for Mira to process what Cass was saying. She groggily stretched her arm andrubbed the sleep out of her eyes, which she could swear were still burning from saltwater. It dawnedon her she was absolutely drenched in sweat. Unfortunately, this wasn't an unusual occurrence.Mira's brain finally seemed to catch up to what Cass had said, and she was filled with urgency.

 "Oh goddess, I'm late? What time is it, Cass." 

"We're both late, so you'd better move it before we miss breakfast altogether."