Free Chasing Atlantis by Kelly Coughlin

hypnotic song. There were so many questions that itched to be asked but they would all have to wait until tomorrow, when I could talk to Ty alone.
    That is, if he survived the night.
    That thought sent me into a new frenzied wave of panic. I did not have any way of contacting him, or any chance of risking a drive down to the beach. I tried lying down, though at first that only intensified my feelings of anger at myself for being too weak to do anything helpful. I yanked my covers over my head in a futile attempt to feel more protected from the unknown. Ty included.
    Finally after the first rays of sun started to trickle through the grotesquely pink curtains I drifted into a fitful sleep. I dreamed endlessly, every time all I could see was water. At the bottom of the water was Ty, held fast by strong iron chains. He was trying desperately to tell me something, I could see the strain in his muscles as he tried to swim towards me, to rescue me.
    But I couldn’t move. Something had me locked into place, always moving away from him, never towards him. I was struggling against something infinitely more powerful, and the worst part was; I couldn’t even see it.

6.
    Swimming Lessons
    Slate. The dim light oozing into my room is slate. To my utter dismay, the weather was severely overcast with lots of clouds, including lots of scattered thunderstorms. Usually it wouldn’t have disturbed me too badly.
    Today it is absolutely earth shattering.
    I still planed on going to the beach, after all Ty did tell me he would be there at anytime. I didn’t have any other way to reach him. The anxiety clawed at my stomach while I tried not to think that this might be my only shot to see him again. Ever.
    Unfortunately Mom got a glimpse of what mother-daughter bonding should be, only this time she made sure that we were bonding with the Greys. I was almost happy about getting out of the house just so I could stop the worrying about the sea monster, to replace the terrifying picture with something more relaxing. The only picture I really wanted to see, however, was Ty’s handsome face. His dark brow smooth, his glorious eyes pulled tight with a smile on his face.
    Steve and Mathew made some excuse about playing golf together today. I think it was just some hoax so that Mom and Janice could try to work some matchmaking skills on us.
    Janice greeted me with a friendly kiss on the cheek. Where her lips grazed my skin it felt hotter than a stove. I recoiled from her warm embrace, my cheek felt scorched. My fingers rubbed the spot thoroughly. Adam looked stunning of course. He wore a designer T-shirt, across his broad chest, with khaki shorts, he pulled it off like a model; his blond hair perfectly jumbled enough to give it a subtle edge. I secretly wondered if he spent hours in the mirror trying to give it that look.
    To my mother’s horror I stuck with jean shorts and a tank top, the fashion staple of Vero Beach. Adam actually lifted me up off the ground in his huge embrace, my face was shoved into the deep contours of his chest. It was only after I patted his back several times did he release me, panting and unsteady, from minutes without air, back on the ground.
    A movie was on the agenda today. We went to the only mall that held one of the few decent movie theaters in this tiny city. I was hoping for a comedy of some kind, and instantly livid when I found out it was a gushy romance movie. At least they could have made it somewhat less obvious that they were trying to set us up. Instead they all but tied our hands together in the theater. Somehow between walking from the ticket booth to the seats our moms inconspicuously shoved us together. Adam didn’t seem to mind.
    “Amy Jane, are you alright today?” Adam asked as I shifted my position for the tenth time during the third preview. My face puckered in a grimace at hearing my full name mentioned. I knew Adam thought it must have been some affect he had on me, but I was just trying to figure