Chapter Four

“Try

to

keep

your

breathing

even

and

just

flow

with

it,”

he

told

her

as

they

walked

toward

the

back

of

the

boat.

“We’ll

go

slow

and

stay

close

to

the

surface.

Once

you

get

your

bearings,

we’ll

go

a

little

deeper,

but

I’ll

let

you

set

the

pace. Alright?”

She

nodded,

feeling

a

strange

thumping

of

her

heart.

It

was

as

if

he

was

speaking

in

a

different

context

than

diving,

but

she

was

too

nervous

to

concentrate on the undertone of his words.

Sandra

sat

down

on

the

edge

of

the

platform

in

the

back

of

the

boat,

pulling

her

yellow

tee-shirt

and

blue

shorts

off

to

reveal

the

black

wet

suit

she

wore

underneath,

and

watched

while

Creighton

lifted

the

air

tank

to

her

back. It was heavy, and she gasped as he tightened

the

straps

across

her

chest, then

smiled

reassuringly, slipping

the

full-face mask

over

her

head.

His

eyes

were

dark

and

danced

with

an

emotion

she

couldn’t

name

as

he

adjusted

the

harness

and

valves

before

sitting

down

across

from

her,

slipping

into

his

rubber

suit

and

mask.

“This

is

a

communication

transmitter,”

he

told

her

pointing

at

the

small

box

next

to

her

ear as his voice filtered into her mask clearly.

“You

push

it

to turn it on and to talk

to

me.”

“Will

you

be

able

to

speak

with

me

as

well?”

she

asked

him,

suddenly

desperate

to

have

a

link

to

another

person,

causing

him

to

smile

as

he

offered

her

a

brief

wink

that

made

her

pulse

jump.

“I’ll

hear

everything

you

say

and

can

respond

the

same

as

you.

Now,

stay

close

and

don’t

forget

to

take

pictures.”

He

slipped

a

wet/dry digital camera Ruelle provided each student, on

her

wrist,

and

tightened

the

string

so

it

wouldn’t

fall

off.

“Ready?”

he

asked

through

the

speaker

near

her

ear,

filling

her

helmet

with

his

warm

voice.

She

nodded

against

the

hoses

and

weight

of

the

mask.

“Push

the

button

Sandra,”

he

said,

tapping

the

side

of

his

own

helmet.

Her

heart

skipped

a

beat

at

the

sound

of

his

voice when he

used

her

first

name.

It

sounded

like

he

was

caressing

every

syllable,

basking

it

in

warmth

equal

to

that

of

the

Mediterranean

sun.

She

nodded

again,

and

he

smiled.

“Trust

me

and

give

it

a

try,”

he

ordered

softly,

watching

her

through

the

shield

in

front

of

his

face.

“I’m

ready,”

she

said

pushing

the

button,

perhaps

not

as

confident

as

she

would

have

preferred.

His

smile

grew,

and

he

winked

again.

“Let’s

go.

Remember

to

take

a

deep

breath

and

fall

backward

so

the

tank

pulls

you

over.

You’re

going

to

roll

off

the

edge.

The

tank

is

heavier

than

you

think,

so

you’ll

have

to

remember

to

swim

to

keep

yourself

near

the

surface.

Once

you’re

in

the

water

just

breathe

normally. Alright?”

She

nodded

again.

“Okay,

I’m

right

behind

you.”

Sandra

drew

a

deep

breath

and

closed

her

eyes,

rolling

off

the

edge

of

the

platform

and

into

the

water.

It

took

all

of

ten

seconds

for

her

to

regain

her

composure

and

begin

moving

her

arms

and

legs. She found herself holding her breath subconsciously as she opened her eyes. It

was

such

an

unusual

sensation

as she sank

beneath

the

ocean’s

surface,

eyes

wide

open

and

breathing.

A

moment

later

and

a

hand

touched

her

shoulder, sending a warm tingle along her spine beneath the rubber suit.

She

looked

around

to

see

those

incredible

blue

eyes

and

inviting

smile.

She

didn’t

have

a

choice

but

to

smile

in

return.

“Are

you

alright?”

“It’s

incredible!”

she

said,

a

little

louder

than

she

had

intended,

causing

him

to

laugh.

“I

never

imagined

ever

doing

anything

like

this.”

Her excitement quickly burned out her fear, and she was able to enjoy what was happening around her.

“Wait

until

we

get

a

little

farther

down.

That’s

where

the

real fun

happens.”

“What

are

we

waiting

for? Let’s

go.”

A

warm

laugh

echoed

inside

her

helmet

as

his

large

hand

slid

around

hers.

“Don’t

forget

your

camera,”

he

reminded

her.

“And

turn

on

your

light. You’re

going

to

need

it.”

He

tapped

the

front

of

the

face

shield

and

switched

on

his

headlight,

watching

as

she

followed

suit,

illuminating

the

water

around

them

in

a

soft white glow.

With

his

hand

leading

her,

they

began

swimming

at

a

steady

pace,

the

weight

of

their

tanks

aiding

in

pulling

them

downward.

As

they

put

distance

between

the

surface

of

the

ocean

and

themselves,

the

water

became

darker,

but

the

light

shining

ahead

of

them

kept

them

alert

to

where

they

were

going.

Creighton

stopped

and

pointed

to

the

beautiful

blue

and

yellow

fish,

not

very

large,

only

about

two

or

three

inches

long,

swimming

along

the

edge

of

a

rock.

“It’s

a

flameback

angelfish,”

Creighton’s voice

filtered calmly through

her

helmet.

“And

over

there

in

the

sand,

see

it?

It’s

a

white

spotted

bamboo

shark.”

“A

shark?”

She

gulped

in

fear as a

warm

hand touched the

small

of

her

back, steadying her

from

swimming

backward.

“It

won’t

hurt

you. It’s

considered

a

carpet

shark and

harmless

to

humans.”

She

drew

a

deep

breath

and

relaxed, the warmth of his hand remained on her back.

“Take

a

picture,”

he

reminded

her,

and

she

pulled

the

arm

holding

the

camera

up

and

snapped

the

button.

“Look

up

there.”

He

pointed

above

them

as

a

pair

of

stingrays

swam

through

the

water

with

an

effortless

grace.

She

raised

her

camera again and

snapped

another

picture.

This

was

getting

fun

and

she

completely

forgot

about

her uneasiness as the thrill of what she was seeing embraced her.

Creighton

continued

to

point out

the

various

types

of

fish,

all

eager

to

have

their

pictures

taken

as

they

swam

around

them

like

puppies.

He

reached for

her

hand

and

pulled

her

toward

some

rocks. His touch sent waves of excitement traveling down the inside of her wet suit, and she found herself actually having to stifle the nervous giggle that threatened her composure. He showed

off

the

many

types

of

plant

life

and

coral, pointing

toward

some

strange-looking

fish

he

said

were

barracuda,

swimming

in

a

circular

motion

above

them.

In

the

near

distance

was

a

school

of

tuna,

and

swimming

toward

them

was

a

Galapagos

shark.

She

caught

her

breath

and

squeezed

his

hand unconsciously.