More sun. What a joy. Why can't there be any clouds? Even one would do, just to block the rays long enough for me to wipe my brow and it stay dry for a few seconds.
There's something on the horizon, but I have a feeling it's nothing more than a mirage. A figment of my harried mind. It's silver, and seems to float like a boat, only it doesn't look like it's on the water. It seems to hover over it. Hovercraft don't actually float above the surface, do they? Not that I know of, anyway. Must be seeing things. My blood sugar is low and I bet it's the culprit. That, or I've gotten too much sun. Or both of those things.
I don't like being delirious.
The object is getting closer. It is about the size of a raft, and floats a few feet above the water. Ripples spread out from it into the otherwise calm ocean. There's someone in it, though it's just a silhouette, as the sun makes it hard to see the details. I really am gone nuts. I bury my head behind my knees and try not to think about anything. My mind is all I have left. I lose that, and what happens to me? Nothing good, that's for sure. I need food and shelter, before I'm incapable of acquiring those.
Something crunches in the sand, and I swallow. What if it wasn't a hallucination? What if I really am being rescued? I raise my head, but the sight does nothing to reassure me of my sanity.
A young man with dark purple hair, his eyes the color of palm tree leaves, towers over me, his head tilted. He is so pale, and I wonder how. Out here in this sun, anyone would be tanned, or at least burnt-I don't care how much sunscreen you lather on.
The hovercraft levitates behind him, and I try not to look at it. The way it seems to float on thin air gives me headache.
He extends a hand to me, but I don't take it. I mean, why bother? He's not real.
"Hello," he says while retracting his gesture. His voice is thick with an accent, but I can't tell what kind. It kind of sounds Middle Eastern, but not quite. "Are you all right?"
I raise a brow. Is he really asking me that? Man, I have a dumb imagination.
"I can take you off of this island." He smiles a little, and I can't help but notice he's not half bad to look at-beyond that weird hair dye. "But you have to get up, first."
Should I? But what do I have to lose? I stand and we face each other, eye to eye. He has to support me upright, as my legs are like Jell-O. The more I look at him, the more I think he's real. He doesn't look real with those deep, green eyes, but there's a certain presence with him. You know, the kind when you're in the same room as another person, and you can feel them breathing.
"Who're you?" I fold my arms.
"Luric." He shoves a hand in his short's pocket. "Your name?"
"Penelope." I pause and question if I want him to know my nickname, but then decide to continue: "But everyone calls me Pen."
He nods to his craft. "Would you like to get out of here, Pen? I, personally, want out of this sun."
You're never supposed to get in a stranger's car, but I feel like this is an exception. I follow Luric to it. There are two chairs in it, flat on the floor, and a clear ball, mounted to a post, sits in front of one of the seats.
He clamors into the craft and holds his hands out to me.
Everything about this feels off, but I am too tired and hungry to care. I grasp his wrists and manage to fall into the craft and get seated. I see no seat belt, but it feels like there's one across my lap, like an invisible band is holding me in. He waves his hand over the orb, and we start to move. The salty air rushes past my face, my hair whipping around my shoulders. It's almost fun. It would be a lot more enjoyable, though, if I had even an inkling as to what's going on.
Luric. I roll the name around my head. I've never heard it, before. And then there are his looks. No one has eyes like those, or hair that color. Now, sure, there's hair dye and color contacts. But . . . I don't know, they don't seem fake, for some reason. They do not look natural, but they also don't look artificial. I can't put my finger on it.
We're quiet, but he keeps glancing at me. Not in a creepy way, more in a curious way. His eyes fixate on my shoulders, maybe my hair that cascades there. Guy acts like he's never seen a mixed girl in his life. How could that be? This is the islands.
I lose track of time, the horizon the only thing I can see now. There's nothing out here, and I wonder where he's taking me. Where did he come from? Is this even real?
He lifts his hand from the controls, and we stop. We're hovering over empty water, nothing as far as the eye can see.
"Why're we stopped here?"
"This is home."
Home? I stick my head over the side to see if there's something under us, but there's nothing but water.
Sat upright, I look back at him and gag. There's a hologram in front him made up of strange symbols, and he taps them in succession. Okay, this is getting too weird. I should've stayed on that stupid island.
There's a rushing sound from below, and I hang over the side again. The water parts like a sliding panel, revealing an entryway. I can't tell what's beyond, though; it's a black pit. The ocean stops parting, and we start to descend.
No way. Absolutely not. I'll take my chances with the sea. I try to jump out, but that invisible seat belt holds me taut. I fight to break free, but it's no use. "Let me go!"
Luric gives me an apologetic look, but he doesn't do anything to release me.
I rub my arms. What's going on? Who is this guy? We pass into the hole in the water and I can't see anything, there's no light. What's going to happen to me?740Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4VVRkaKXy
