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Jake knew the worst of what could lurk in the ocean. As such, he had no idea how he let himself be convinced by his grandmother/daughter to choose one as the location for their next "adventure." Maybe because she started referring to Earth C as "Earth Sea" in text messages. Man he was a sucker for word play.
He had been fine on the beach, then on the pier. He was okay on the boat near the shore. Now there was nothing but water. Jake was not okay.
He kept a brave face and waved off Jade's concern, but every splash in the water was some new, giant creature ready to destroy their fragile boat. What would happen to them in the middle of the ocean? Would they just drown and starve over and over again for eternity? He shuddered.
Then there was a commotion as a group of carpacians gathered on the other side of the boat. Jake couldn't help but look and see what the deal was. It was a shark. A shark had breached and everyone else on board was in awe. Jake couldn't help himself. He stumbled back and fell. Jade was immediately at his side, glancing between him and the crowd in understanding. "They won't hurt you, they're not all bad," she said. "Let me show you."
She grabbed his hand and suddenly the world shifted. And suddenly it was dark and... heavy? Kind of blurry, too, and suffocating. And then Jake realized where he was.
Jade had transported them, and a large bubble of air, into the middle of the ocean. Or, he corrected as he looked around, the bottom.
"It's not as deep as it seems," Jade said. She pointed up, and Jake could see light filtering through. "I come here to think sometimes."
"Why?"
"Just wait."
And so he did.
It didn't take long for something to show up. It looked like a large fish then Jake realized it was a small school of fish then he realized it was a small school of SHARKS! Small sharks, but sharks nonetheless.
"Ahah, yes, I do believe it's time to leave," he said, trying to seem upbeat about the whole thing and failing.
Jade put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gestured for him to keep watching the sharks.
And then Jake realized they were glowing. Softly, beautifully, their patchwork coloration just barely lighting up the surroundings.
"They're called chain dogfish," Jade explained, as the school began circling their bubble.
They seemed far more interested in Jake than Jade, who was probably old hat to them by now.
And as he watched them bounce off against the bubble and swim in curious patterns, trying to get a good sense of him, his fear lessened and he smiled, moving closer to get a better look.
They didn't spend a long time with the sharks. There was a limited supply of oxygen in the bubble.
But as Jake watched the sharks poke at the bubble near Jade in what seemed like a familiar, friendly manner, her face lit with their fluorescence, something dawned on him.
Yes, Jake knew the worst of what could lurk in the ocean. But Jade showed him the best.