Atlantis Tide Breaker

Atlantis Tide Breaker Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Pacific Plunge

After Pearl breathed into me, I followed everyone into the ocean. Nerves skittered up my spine as I splashed into the waves. I’d swam in the ocean plenty of times, but never with the expectation that I’d stay under the surface for hours.

Maris, Cuda, Pearl, and Chase dove into the waves. They didn’t fear the water.

Gill squeezed my hand. “Ready?”

The sound of the waves crashing against me echoed the crashing of my heart. “What if Pearl’s magical breath doesn’t work on me?”

“It will.”

“But what if it doesn’t?” Panic made my voice higher. The shrillness of my tone scraped against my skin.

“You’ll go under the water. Try it out. If her breath didn’t work, you can come to the surface.” His gaze pinned mine down. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”

I looked across the horizon. Maris’s and Cuda’s heads bobbed on the surface. They were waiting for me.

Blowing out a large breath, I nodded, until I realized I should’ve been sucking down all the oxygen while I could.

I took a deep breath and lowered my body. Gill followed me under, holding my hand the entire time. The connection was a lifeline.

He opened his mouth and pointed to my tightly sealed lips.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I opened my mouth. Water rushed into my mouth and down my throat. My lungs filled with water.

I didn’t choke. I didn’t drown.

My thoughts scattered pinging off one new sensation to the other. My heart swished, echoing in my ears as it floated in my chest.

I was breathing underwater!

Or was I watering underwater?

Gill tugged my hand and we swam toward the rest of the group. We traveled at incredible speeds through the ocean. All of them were wary about the danger, but I was like a kid in the candy store enjoying every second of this new experience.

Schools of silver Jacksmelt fish swam past. Rockfishes and California halibut cruised by. Even a shovelnose guitar fish skimmed the sandy bottom. I’d never dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, but if I had this would be amazing. Who am I kidding? This was amazing.

Purple and orange star fish clung to rocks. Mussels and limpets clustered together. They’d open their shells to feed before snapping them shut again.

Every second I saw something new, something unusual, something humans would never experience. The excitement bounced in my bloodstream, carrying the thrill throughout.

The deeper we got the darker the ocean became, but my eyes adjusted to the darkness. My skin adapted to the temperature, too. And I managed to keep up with the Atlanteans’ fast pace.

Hyped up adrenaline spiked. All of their abilities had transferred to me.

Too bad I couldn’t swim against Ashtyn like this. I’d blow her out of the water.

We swam through underwater forests of kelp and seaweed. A giant kelp frond floated toward the surface because of the air bladders lifting it. Oar weeds’ finger-like blades protruded. A fuzzy-appearing sea urchin attached itself to a kelp holdfast.

Tendrils of seaweed curled around, closing us in, hiding us from predators—fish and Atlantean foe.

My mind processed and catalogued, but my body relished the feeling of the water rushing past my skin, of the fish tickling my toes, of Gill’s hand holding mine.