Free Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) by Melanie Atkinson Page A

calves and thighs, foamy white and warm. My legs seemed to
inhale with my lungs.
    “Aylen, stop! I want to
talk!”
    I didn’t turn to him. How
could I when the ocean’s language was so much more enticing? Instead, I closed
my eyes, smiled to myself, and dove into the sea.

 
    Chapter 6
     
    There is rhythm in all things
when you listen closely. The rustle of trees, the whoosh of wind, even the
unexpected squawk of a bird all move to their own beat. I could always find it
if I paid attention. The only rhythm I struggled to find was my own. While the
island seemed to shift and breathe to a steady pulse, I always felt as though I
was one measure off. No matter how hard I tried, the beat of my own heart
seemed to drown in the music of everything surrounding me.
    That night, I found myself in
the rhythm of the sea.
    It filled my ears and
encompassed my body, a steady, measured cadence. I breathed with it, felt it
pounding, thrumming behind my chest, and I closed my eyes, absorbing the
water’s movement as it embraced me.
    I inhaled the air which
tasted sweet like a summer morning. It curled under my new skin and caressed my
old with gentle familiarity. You belong here , it told me. I was home.
    I surged deeper into the
ocean, not knowing where I was going. Was it only yesterday I had been
uncomfortable in the water? No! I’d always been a part of it. The water
had beckoned and offered refuge before but I’d been deaf to its calls.
     I scanned the ocean floor and
was surprised to discover my sight was far better than I’d expected. Moonlight
danced above me, showering beams of silver under the surface and I swam into
them, marveling at the light they cast onto my skin. I was mystical. I was
beautiful.
    For a while, I simply swam. I
drifted after strange fish and examined coral on the reefs. As I began to feel
more comfortable with my surroundings, I wondered if the stone affected my
strength. In the distance, a dolphin cruised through the water and with a
ripple of muscle, leaped out of the ocean and sliced back in, almost without a
splash. Could I maneuver myself with as much grace?
    Pushing my body to the bottom
of the ocean floor, I breathed in deeply. With arms raised above my head, I
kicked with all of my strength, cut through the water, and glided swiftly
toward the surface.
    Instantly I was out of the
water, soaring through the air, higher and higher. When I felt myself begin to
fall again, I twisted my body into an arc and cut into the surface like a
falling blade.
     I came to a stop somewhere
underwater and nearly squealed with delight. I had never felt so free in my
life. I had to try it again. Once more, I jumped and surged out of the water.
But still, it wasn’t enough. I needed to try a third time.
    I spent the night like that,
jumping again and again, never tiring. Hours later, I finally remembered I had
a curfew.
    Frantic I had missed it, I
shot to the surface to check the moon’s position.  I had about an hour before
my parents would begin worrying.
    Scanning the shore to make
sure the beach was abandoned, my eyes fell on a lone figure watching the ocean
intently. It could only be Sai. And he was waiting for me.
    Cursing, I dove back under
the surface and went through my options. I considered swimming down the coast a
ways and getting out of the water where he couldn’t see me. However, this would
put me further from my parent’s home. Besides, he would never believe I had
swum that far. I was already going to have to come up with some hefty lies if I
faced him tonight. Sighing and surprised that I could do that underwater, I
broke the surface again and scanned a place about fifty yards from where Sai
waited. Hurriedly, I dove under and began to make my way toward it. I would
surface there and hopefully, if the stone worked the way I thought it did, when
I mentally broke my connection with the sea, my body would return to normal.
    When I realized the water was
nearly chest deep, I settled myself on