Cyber Mortality

Chapter 21:

For a Wednesday morning, the beach is already packed. Children giggle while their mother's chase them with SPF 200 sunscreen and women lounge about trying to darken their skin.

"Flint, could you hold this towel up for me so I can change?" Jezebel shoots me a confident smirk before gazing back up at Flint.

"Whatever," Flint mutters and does as she requests. He holds the towel up between himself and Jezebel with his fingers just brushes the food shack wall.

"Don't peek," she winks and disappears into the towel fortress. After several seconds of the towel jostling, she emerges with the strings of her skimpy bikini pinched between her fingers. She turns to face away from Flint and holds out the strings for him to tie. I scoff and look away.

"What's wrong?" Nyle casts his blue eyes toward me.

"Nothing," I sigh. "The sun is just really bright." He pulls his sunglasses off his face and holds them out to me. "No thanks." I shake my head. His lips pout slightly as he puts them back on.

"Ready?" Nyle inquires before rushing down the beach toward the water. 

The hot sand burns the soles of my feet but it is worth it once my toes reach the wet sand. Water rushes over my feet and a squeal erupts from my lips.

"Cold!" I exclaim and hop from one foot to the other.

"It's actually rather warm due to the global warming of the ocean," Nyle snorts and holds out his tanned hand. "Coming in?"

I glance back toward Flint only to find he is putting sunscreen on Jezebel's back.

"Yeah," I smile and clasp Nyle's hand. We wade into the turquoise water and I cringe every time a wave sends water up the length my body.

"It'll feel really good once you get used to it," Nyle squeezes my hand reassuringly before letting go. He dives forward into a wave and emerges on the other side with a silly grin plastered on his face. He shakes his head and water sprays everywhere from his blonde mane. 

I hold up my arms to protect myself but a body suddenly slams into me. I topple backward as Nyle wraps his arms around me and scream at the top of my lungs. The cold water envelops us and I hold my breath so I do not breathe in the ocean. I sputter to the surface and scowl at Nyle who still has his arms around me.

"Feel more used to it now?" he grins down at me. Water drips off his face onto my head and my glare deepens.

"Let go," I command and his grin drops. He releases me and I take a few steps back. Before he can react my arm slices into the water and a barrage of water slams into his face. I grin until I see him lumbering toward me.

"No!" I hold up my finger to stop him but he keeps coming.

"You splashed me," he smirks.

"You tackled me into the water!" I shout and keep backing away.

"You fired back! This means war!" he shouts and dives at me. I narrowly escape and sprint as best as I can through the water.

"Wait!" I exclaim and turn to face him again. "I have a confession!" This stops him in his tracks and his eyes light up with interest.

"What?" he raises an eyebrow but still takes a few more steps toward me.

"I can't swim," I mutter and glance down toward the steadily deepening water.

"What???" his eyes widen in surprise. "Why were you so eager to get into the ocean then?"

"Well I wanted to go into the ocean, but if you keep throwing me under the water like this at some point I won't be able to touch the bottom," I shrug.

"You will have to learn then!" Nyle replies. "Or keep very close to me." He wiggles his eyebrows. "I won't let you drown."

"Uh-huh," I snort. "You're the one trying to drown me."

"Follow me, M'lady! I shall teach you to swim. I'm sure you could do just fine on your own if you had to," Nyle grins. "How have you never learned to swim?"

"I've always lived in the city," I reply. "The only place people would go swimming was the pond behind Mr. Miller's place, but I would not be caught dead in that gross water."

"Sounds like fun to me," Nyle grins and takes my hand. "Swimming is easy. You just don't have the muscles for doing it yet." 

I follow his instructions and after five minutes I manage to paddle into a wave without it going over my head.

"My legs are burning," I complain and Nyle shakes his head in dismay before scooping me up in his arms. He carries me toward shore and deposits me on my towel.

"Take a break, water princess," he grins. "I'm sure you could use some water and sunscreen too."

"Have fun splashing around?" Jezebel shoots me a condescending look through her sunglasses.

"Yeah," I reply cooly. "Nyle was showing me how to swim."

"You don't know how to swim?" Flint questions from his perch under the umbrella.

"Well, I sorta do now," I shrug and starting applying sunscreen. I lather it on every exposed surface of skin. 

"But what about in the cave with the freezing pool? Didn't you swim then?" he questions.

"I made it to the surface, but if I had taken a moment longer I would have drowned. I might be able to doggie paddle, but I do not know how to truly swim." I shrug and wrap my towel around my shoulders. In the corner of my eye, I can see Jezebel scowling and applying more golden tanning oil.

"Oh," he blinks for a second and rocks back on his heels. "Well, I am glad you didn't." Then he turns and rejoins Jez on their towels.

"May, come swim with me!" Nyle pouts. 

I take one last glance back at Flint before splashing into the turquoise water with Nyle.