Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
The dolphins are absolutely gorgeous, gracefully twisting and turning, as if beckoning me to come with them. Their silvery-gray skin glints in the sunshine and before I realize what’s happening, I’m in the open ocean. It’s okay though because I can still see the cove with my fellow classmates splashing about. I wave at them and then follow the dolphins some more, entranced by their beauty.
Eventually however, I get tired and the dolphins turn their heads once and bob, as if to say goodbye to me. Then they dive deep into the waves, and I’m all alone. Popping my head out of the water, I look around for a minute while treading water. Weird. There’s nothing in sight for miles. I don’t see the boat, nor do I see other people, or even any land. I pop my head back into the water, and the reef is long gone. I’m in the open ocean now.
Oh shit. Panic begins to claw at me. I must have followed the dolphins straight into a current that took me far out into the ocean. Looking around in all directions, I desperately try to see something, anything that can help me find my way back to the cove. But I’m all alone, and have no idea which way to swim. I take huge gulping breaths, attempting to calm myself down.
“Alright Brynn,” I say out loud, the sound of my voice grounding my panic-stricken brain. “Think through this. You’re wearing a life vest, good. You’re a strong swimmer, good. You have no idea where you are, bad. You’re going to die without water in three days, very bad.”
I kick myself because that kind of thinking is not going to help me in the slightest.
“Alright think, think, think. What should I do?”
Suddenly, I hear a cawing sound from the sky. Looking up, I spot a sea gull soaring lazily on the breeze. My heart leaps because a sea gull means there’s a shore somewhere, right? Even if it’s not the right one, at least it’s land.
I begin to swim, following the bird towards the afternoon sun, obviously heading west. Keeping up with the seagull is difficult because of the waves, and soon, I feel like I’ve been swimming for hours. My arms and legs are shaking and I’m extremely thirsty, but I keep going, knowing that it’s life or death if I don’t.
After a while, the sun begins to disappear, and panic rises once more. I don’t want to be out in the ocean alone while it’s dark. But at least I start seeing more sea gulls, which means that they likely nest somewhere nearby. Seagulls live on land, right? God, I hope I haven’t been wrong about this all along.
Then, a thin strip of beach appears in the distance, and I feel tears come to my eyes. I’m saved! Swimming faster than I thought possible, I make my way towards it, desperately trying to reach shore before nightfall. The current is making it extremely difficult and I can feel a stitch forming in my side as I splash my way through the waves. It’s sheer determination keeping me going at this point because my arms and legs feel like dead weights.
Finally, my feet touch sand and I manage to crawl out onto the beach. The waves grab at my hands and feet, as if trying to pull me back into the ocean, but using my last ounce of strength, I clamber onto the safety of the sandbar. Then, I collapse on the soft sand, crying with mixed exhaustion and adrenaline. God, did that just happen? Did I almost just lose my life? Where am I, anyways? But I’m too tired to care, and pass out, everything going dark at once.
2
Tom
“I’m not telling you when I’ll be back because I don’t know when I’ll be back,” I growl into the phone.
My manager Randy sighs heavily into my ear.
“Tom, this is really bad for publicity. You realize that, right? You have a new movie coming out, and the trailer’s already been released. You have to make appearances, but where are you now? On some godforsaken island in the middle of the Caribbean. Fuck me.”
“You didn’t seem to feel that way about my island when you were here two weeks ago. Especially since you brought those two girls with you.”
Randy falls silent because Minnie and Winnie were his excuse to get away from life in LA. He had an amazing time here, and I hear him sigh through the phone.
“Alright,” he says, finally. “You got me. But let’s walk through this, shall we? Remember, you’re the movie star, and I’m just a humble agent. It’s my job to get you out there in front of the crowds.”
I pull the phone away from my ear and put it on speaker. I know that when Randy builds up steam like this, he can go for hours. I place the handheld down on my marble counter top and walk to the fridge, pulling out a beer and popping the top noisily. I hope he can hear.