Atlantis Riptide: Lost Daughters of Atlantis Book 1 Read online

  Opening the clam, I heard the music of the sea and relaxed.

  A palm-sized pearl sat in the cushion of the shell. I’d never seen a pearl this big. I picked up the pearl and held it to the light.

  A line, almost like a crack, ruined the luminescent beauty of the pearl. My gaze followed the crack until it reached a corner. The crack made a right turn.

  A perfect, ninety-degree right turn.

  My breath caught.

  The crack turned downward and then left. A rectangle. Not made by nature, but by man.

  I pressed against the rectangle with my finger. The panel popped open like a jack-in-the-box door.

  My lungs wheezed. My pulse tapped. My heart stuttered.

  I thought my imagination had boosted my memory. I was wrong.

  The dazzling lights of blue and gold danced around the tent, brightening the interior. The lights were vibrant like I remembered. They were the same lights that came from the shell Bill and Carlita once owned.

  The small nautilus inside the pearl called to me as theirs did. I found it just as familiar, just as intriguing, just as mysterious.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Coy Clam

  With shaking fingers, I reached inside the pearl and took out the small nautilus tucked inside. The shell was a miniature version of the one Bill and Carlita had placed on the mantel. The same shape, the same twirling lights, the same magnetic force.

  My chest squeezed tight with the memories. Mostly bad memories. As a kid, the large nautilus had always called to me like a magnetic force. I’d been fascinated by the shell’s shape and color and essence.

  I brought the new nautilus closer to my face and examined its beauty. The rough outside appeared like a normal shell. Ridges highlighted the various chambers. Lines swirled in varying directions.

  The inside fascinated. Swirling colors formed and reformed shapes. Sparkles of light shot through the center. I swear I saw images of oceans and beaches, of coral castles and exotic fish.

  The sound of the ocean poured through the shell. I put it to my ear and listened.

  “Millennia ago as Atlantis sank,” a voice boomed from inside the shell.

  I dropped the nautilus. The shell bounced along the canvas tent bottom and rested against my backpack. Staring at it, I tried to catch my breath.

  Had I really heard a voice?

  I pinched the shell between my two fingers. The lights sparkled again, the ocean sounded. I scrunched up my face and leaned back. I brought the nautilus closer, even though I was fearful of what might happen.

  “Millennia ago as Atlantis sank into the depths of the sea, King Atlas cocooned his three infant daughters in special pods and sent them across the globe to carry on his legendary line. When the time is right, the girls will be born into the human world for their safety. Reunited as children, they will be raised to understand their duties and combine their powers to prevent a similar disaster from befalling future Atlanteans, and all mankind.”

  My hand fell to my lap while keeping hold of the shell. I sat still, afraid to move. Afraid to breathe too hard. My mind digested the legend I’d just heard, a legend I’d heard before from Finn. Only his version wasn’t positive.

  Finn said it was a myth. That Princess Cordelia’s followers had been fooled into believing a fairytale.

  Lying down on my sleeping bag, I clutched the nautilus in my hand. My eyelids dipped closed. My body gave in to exhaustion. My mind pictured an underwater world saved by three lost princesses.

  Dreams took over from my imagination. I saw a massive earthquake and people scurrying to protect themselves and their families. A man with a crown carried a baby and placed her in a shell pod.

  The baby was me.

  * * *

  I awoke the next morning with an ache in my heart. My eyes felt dry, my throat scratchy. My head hurt from a restless sleep.

  The dreams had seemed real. As if I’d really lived them.

  Which I found hard to believe. The myth Finn and the shell told me must’ve implanted in my brain creating my princess fantasy.

  The nautilus lay beside me. I picked the shell up and searched for the pearl to hide for safekeeping. Odd that the woman who gave it to me had chosen a pearl—my birthstone and the very thing I was named after.

  I popped open the panel in the pearl, slipped the small nautilus inside, and tucked both away in my bag. Then, I picked up the clam. That’s when I saw the additional strange lines inside the bottom of the shell.

  They weren’t straight lines and right angles like on the pearl. The etched lines were crooked and wavy. Like a rough sketch.

  A few of the lines looked like waves. One appeared to be a mountain range. I turned the clam upside down. The outer edge of the drawing appeared to be the southern California coast.

  I sucked down a ragged breath.

  The drawing was a map.

  “Knock, knock.” The sides of my canvas tent shook and so did my body.

  I tucked the clam behind my back. “Yes?”

  “It’s Chase.”

  I bit my lip not knowing how to respond after the way we’d left things last night. Was he angry or was I?

  “Will you come out and talk to me?” His voice sounded unsure.

  I picked up the clam and shoved it in my pocket. Then, I unzipped the front flap of the tent and crawled outside. I didn’t know what to expect or what I’d tell him.

  Chase wore board shorts and a swim shirt. His brown hair was tussled and I wanted to run my fingers through it.

  “So, um, how’d you sleep?” The casual question seemed to cover nervousness.

  “Okay, I guess.” I ran a shaky hand through my own hair, unsure what to do or say.

  “I’m sorry I got angry yesterday, but I worry about you.” He raised his arms up about to put them around me, then dropped them. “All alone. Sleeping in a tent. Going with strange guys to strange underwater places.”

  “You believe me now?”

  “I always did. I mean,” he scuffed his foot in the dirt, “the tale was incredible, but I know with you things will always be unusual.” He jerked his head up. “In a good way.”

  “If you believed me, why the sarcasm?”

  “It was more anger than sarcasm.” He grabbed hold of one of my hands and squeezed. “That fact that you went away, blindfolded, with some strange guy.”

  “I was safe with Finn.”

  “Hindsight.”

  “You have to understand why I needed to go. I want to find my real parents, find out where I came from.” My stomach tightened thinking about my goal. “And I didn’t make-up with you yesterday to sway you about writing the article. I don’t want you to write the story, but more importantly, I don’t want to fight with you.”

  “I don’t want to fight with you either.” His eyes warmed. “Will you forgive me?”

  I took a tentative step forward wanting to see every tiny movement on his face, needing to read what he felt. “Do you understand why I need to keep things quiet? Everything.”

  “Yes.” His rough hand took hold of both of mine. I liked how they looked intertwined. “I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

  “It’s okay.” I didn’t want the I’m-sorry-session to go on and on. It’s over. We’re okay. That’s all that mattered.

  “Kind of completely off the subject, I did a little research last night.” A self-satisfied smile slipped onto his face. “Based on your descriptions you might’ve traveled to the East Pacific Rise. Although how you got there and back in one night by swimming, I don’t understand.”

  “What’s the East Pacific Rise?”

  “It’s an undersea mountainous area west of Mexico where thermal vents have formed.” He crossed his arms. “But it would be impossible to withstand the heat.”

  I stepped closer to him, close enough to feel the warmth from his body, close enough to smell his fresh scent, close enough so no one else could hear. “After I breathed into you, were you cold underwater?”

  He s
tood silent for a second. “No.”

  “My body adjusts to water temperature. So did yours.”

  “To temperatures as high as 400 Celsius?”

  I bumped my shoulder against his. The weight of pressure, confusion and excitement lifted with the slight contact. “I didn’t burst into flames. If you even could burst into flames underwater.”

  Silence stood between us. His gaze was unfocused as if in deep thought. “I guess I’ll buy that. It’s not the strangest thing you’ve told me.”

  Maybe now he’d start accepting things without doubt.

  “What do you have planned for today?” he asked.

  My earlier excitement resurfaced. “An adventure.”

  “What kind of adventure?” His lips quirked in a cute-guy smile.

  “Are you working today?”

  “Nope. Got the entire day off.”

  “So do I.” I opened my hand to display the clam laying in my palm. “Since you’ve possibly found where I went the other night, I’ve got another place to find.”

  “You can find those shells all over the place. Although that’s a big one and in excellent condition.” He kissed the top of my head. “You want to go shell hunting?”

  My head tingled. A simple touch and sparks sprinkled through my entire body. Our camaraderie and connection had returned. Things could get back to normal. Or whatever was normal for us.

  “No.” I placed my other hand over the clam and using my fingers, I opened the shell with care. “I want to find this.”

  Chase bent over my opened hand and examined the inside of the shell. “It’s a map.”

  I pointed to one of the lines. “That looks like the coastline. And this appears to be an island.”

  “Atlas Island.” He ran his long finger over the grooved surface. “Where’d you get this?”

  “A woman, at the underwater base, gave it to me.” I scrunched up my face waiting for his reaction.

  “She just handed you a shell? Did she know it had a map inside?”

  “Maybe she didn’t know.” I didn’t mention the pearl with the hidden compartment or the wondrous nautilus inside. For some reason, those items felt more personal to me. Like by sharing them with Chase I’d betray another Atlantean secret.

  He ran his fingers over the one spot. “This appears to be Atlas Island. You can feel how the island surface is dug out. It’s the only place like that on the map.”

  “So, we should go there?” Energy skyrocketed. To be so close to this mythical place, my mythical place, and possibly my future home. “Atlas Island isn’t that far away.”

  “There’s no ‘X’ that marks the spot.”

  I slapped him on the arm, feeling the lightness of his mood. “We’re not searching for treasure.”

  He angled his head and his brows rose in that familiar way. “What are we looking for?”

  “The possible underwater location of the Royal Atlanteans.”

  * * *

  Water sprayed my face as Chase and I stood by the railing of the ferry from Long Beach to Atlas Island. Our drive from Mermaid Beach had been filled with logistical talk and excited theories. He didn’t quite believe everything, but he didn’t not believe either.

  I squeezed Chase’s hand. “Nice of Cuda to let you borrow his truck so we could get to Long Beach.”

  “He asked a lot of questions about why we both had the sudden urge to see Atlas.”

  “What did you tell him?” I held my breath praying he didn’t tell Cuda my secret.

  “That you were new to the area and wanted to explore.”

  I nodded glad Chase hadn’t spilled. “Sounds reasonable.”

  “And partially true.” Chase laughed. “Could you imagine if I’d told him the truth? He’d think we were crazy.”

  Laughter bubbled up and lightened my soul. I couldn’t imagine doing this alone. Sharing this adventure with Chase meant more to me than all the tuna in the sea. “I think sometimes we are crazy.”

  I needed to show how grateful I was. For supporting me, for believing me, for keeping my secret.

  I stood on tiptoes. His masculine lips were directly across from mine. I leaned forward. Nothing separated our mouths but a sliver of air. I touched my lips to his.

  Felt the sizzle.

  Tasted the sweetness.

  Sensed our connection.

  This was the first time I’d initiated a kiss. The first time I’d reached out. The first time I’d displayed my feelings directly. I kind of liked it. A lot.

  Chase responded. Holding me tighter, the pressure of our mouths increased and so did the intensity of my feelings. I wanted to stay like this forever.

  When we separated, Chase squinted. “A sea otter.”

  The little creature swam in circles on the left side of the ferry.

  My stomach twisted. Whenever an otter appeared, water emergencies happened. Before the whirlpool and when the jellyfish attacked.

  “Cute.” There was no enthusiasm in my voice.

  “There’s another.” He pointed.

  Double trouble.

  “Two more.”

  The otters swam around and around. They chattered and moved their paws in an agitated fashion.

  I checked the sky and then stared deep into the ocean water. Nothing unusual.

  Tingles spread down my back. I couldn’t shake the doomed feeling that had darkened all the light inside me. “Something’s wrong.” The otters were a sign.

  “What’re you talking about?” Chase spared me a you-really-are-crazy look.

  “The otters. I can’t talk to them while I’m out of water, but they’re trying to warn us.”

  “Excuse me? Did you say talk to them?” His earlier you-really-are-crazy look multiplied. “Like talk to the animals Dr. Doolittle style?” He leaned away from me.

  Huffing out a breath, I wanted to scream with his predictability. He didn’t believe me again, but I didn’t have time to get angry or explain.

  I scanned the surface of the ocean scanning for trouble. “They understand me and can answer yes or no.”

  Chase laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, I’m not.” I kept my tone flat and serious.

  The laughter wiped off his face. “The otters are playing. It’s what otters do.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” an announcer came over the loudspeaker. “We’re experiencing mechanical difficulties on the ferry.”

  I shot Chase an arched-brow in a know-it-all style.

  “Okay, I believe you can talk to the otters.” He held up both hands in an understanding gesture. “But how could otters know about mechanical difficulties? They know nothing about the workings of a boat.”

  The announcer continued, “Please do not panic, but proceed to the emergency stations near the exits of the boat. Crew members will be handing out lifejackets for every passenger to wear.”

  “Do you think we’re sinking?” I gripped Chase’s hand glad to have him to hold on to.

  We followed the other passengers to get our lifejackets. “The ferry is still moving at a fast clip.”

  “You’d think they’d slow down for an emergency.” My tummy tumbled, feeling a little seasick.

  The group in front of us rushed to get their jackets. An elderly man carrying a cane struggled to get his vest on. A couple of teens joked around about death.

  A man kissed a woman on the lips. “This is not a good sign to begin our honeymoon.”

  “I don’t know how to swim,” a pale woman confided to her friends.

  A mom helped two young kids snap on life vests with shaking hands.

  A tear ran down the little girl’s cheeks. “Mommy, are we going to die?”

  “Of course not.” The mom’s voice sounded tremulous. “Stay close.”

  “We’re going to crash and end up in the ocean and be eaten by sharks.” The other child shouted.

  “Be quiet.” The mom took both their hands.

  My stomach revolted. I stared at the little girl a
nd boy. If we sunk I’d be okay, and I could save Chase. But there were possibly a hundred passengers on board. I couldn’t save everyone.

  How could I possibly choose?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ferry Folly

  Like playing God, I’d decide who to breathe into first.

  I’d decide who to save.

  I’d decide who would live and who would die.

  My head swirled. With white knuckles, I gripped the brass rail. My stomach heaved. I couldn’t let all these people die.

  Chase grabbed one of the crew by the arm. “What’s happening?”

  “Engine malfunction. We can’t slow down and we’ve almost reached Atlas Island.”

  “Are we going to crash?” Chase’s voice rose. The tension between the two men, between everyone, encrusted the air.

  The man jerked away and hurried on.

  “Not if I can help it.” There had to be a way to stop the ferry. I unsnapped my life vest. Purpose filled my every move.

  “What’re you doing?” His face paled.

  I slapped the life vest into his arms. “I’m going to stop this freaking ferry.”

  “How?”

  Pulling back my shoulders, I fisted both hands. I couldn’t let this water disaster hurt hundreds of people. Especially, since this accident could be my fault. Chase was right. Water disasters did happen around me. “I’ll figure something out.”

  “You’re crazy. One person can’t stop a huge ferry.” He gripped my arm, stopping me. His chin jutted with determination.

  “I forgot to tell you,” I jerked my arm out of his grip, climbed onto the rail and swung my leg over. “I have super-strength too.”

  His Adam’s apple moved up and down. His gaze glazed and then cleared. “Take me with you.” He unsnapped his life vest and took it off.

  Decisive. No questioning if what I said was true. But I didn’t have time to rejoice in his reaction.

  “No way. The dive from here is way too steep.” I didn’t want to be responsible for his possible death or injury. And I couldn’t delay any longer.

  “I’ve dived off the cliffs near Mermaid Beach before and survived. I can do this.” His hard tone told me he wouldn’t give in.