Chapter Text
Now in this island of Atlantis there existed a confederation of kings, of great and marvelous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands also and parts of the continent.
Plato
Summer 2034
Maui, Hawaii
Six months, it has been six months since my adventure in Iceland with the Neo-Nazis. Now I know why it was called 'Iceland'; because you could freeze your ass off. But that should’ve been obvious. But the people there were nice so maybe it should be called ‘Niceland’.
I just turned twenty about a week ago and since I considered twenty to be the true adult age instead of eighteen, it feels good as hell to be an adult. I spent nineteen years as a child and now that I am fully mature, I can live the rest of my life as an adult. I'm still a foot shorter than Derek and it was pissing me off but I had to admit that Derek was ripped. I remember when Derek and I were naked in Iceland (nothing sexual happening) and he was ripped with a six-pack. I was in shape, having a six-pack myself but he looked hot as hell with his shirt off. That hot-as-hell six-pack may have been the only thing keeping me from freezing to death in Iceland.
I lay down on the soft and warm sands of Maui while I was wearing a blue bikini. I just lie here, drifting off to sleep, not a worry in my head because there should be none. I have not gone on an adventure since December but I was already missing the thrill. The thrill of the adventure. The twists and turns, the risks, the whole nine yards.
When I felt my skin turning red, I quickly got up and looked at the sea. The waves crashed beautifully as I saw kids run into the waves, some diving, some turning and running back. Man how I wish to swim in the water, but I had just gotten my delicate blonde hair straightened, so not happening, but it could happen tomorrow though. I mean, I could go right now because I’ve already had my hair straigthened before so it’s not the worst thing in the world if my hair reutrned to its natural waves.
All of a sudden, I felt someone staring at me. I slowly turn around and see my best friend Derek Lowell in his wetsuit with his goggles and oxygen tank on.
"Hey there, Cassie," he waves. "As you can see, I am going scuba diving now."
Yeah, I can state the obvious. "Yeah, I can state the obvious." I always had a habit of saying whatever was on my mind. "Remember, if you hear the Jaws music, then swim for your life."
He chuckles at my joke, "Yeah, I'll remember that Cassie. Oh wise one." He begins running off into the ocean and dives in headfirst.
I smile as I watch him dive. From my distance, he looked like a dolphin and I saw a dolphin at Seaworld . Man, I wish I could join him. I so wished that I could see his six-pack again. Damn, curses those wetsuits for hiding one’s six-packs.
Then, in the corner of my eye, I spot someone. This particular person was tall, had long, thick black hair, and dark skin, and wore a suit. Who wears a suit on a beach? No one, that's who. And he wasn’t even smiling or sightseeing, just walking like a man on a mission.
The man appeared to be roundabout twenty-five years old and when I saw him smile at a girl, he had very clean teeth. In all my experiences, I can almost always tell when someone is bad or not. The psychopathic/sociopathic bully I confronted on Easter Island, Derek told me how he fought a Mongolian crime boss, and the Neo-Nazis we both fought six months ago.
I know nothing of this man, other than the fact that he was trouble. Out of all the people on the beach, I knew this man was trouble by instinct alone. Experience taught me to trust my instincts.
As he walks away from the shore, I decide to follow, leaving Derek behind. I put on my sneakers, some pants, and a shirt, and I follow him.
I follow him all over the beach to a crosswalk with all kinds of civilians. I push myself past them so I can catch up to Man in Suit.
While everyone was waiting for the light to turn green, Man in Suit pulled out a magazine and began to read it. Why would someone read when they are at a crosswalk; the light could turn green at any second?
I push myself a little closer to the man, but out of his sight to remain undetected. When the light turns green, I follow him, shadowing myself in the crowd.
I followed the man everywhere, eventually into a subway. Well, not a subway but a metro rail. Ever since the Skyline in Honolulu, there was another metro built on Maui called Inter-Continent. I stand near the door with some other guy behind my back. Now I had my eyes on the man behind me. Like Man in Suit, I was getting a feeling that the guy standing behind me was trouble. He wore a New York Giants hat over him, what appeared to be soft and brown hair and his skin looked pale, most likely due to anorexia. The only thing that distinguishes him from the Man in Suit is that he is not wearing a suit, but a leather green jacket and blue jeans. A noticeable trait was there was a long scar on his wrist, it looked as if at some point in his life, he tried to commit suicide but failed. I dubbed him Scar Man.
The metro ride was heading to the town square, but I had no intention of going there, all I was doing was following Man in Suit and if Scar Man was affiliated with him.
I swear, that I saw Man in Suit staring at me. He gives me a death glare before he goes back to reading his magazine.
Behind me, Scar Man was listening to music on his iPhone and quietly mouthing the lyrics to the song. I, being able to read lips, saw that he was mouthing the lyrics to the song, OMG by Usher. Or maybe he was muttering aloud; reading lips on people you know is so much easier than on strangers.
The lights flicker several times before the power finally goes off. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, it appears we are experiencing some technical errors all through the metro. Until we get some information on what is going on, everyone please remain seated and we will play some music for you." Then some emergency lights from below light up, giving off an orange environment.
I did not listen to the music the driver played on the loudspeaker, instead, I focused on Man in Suit and Scar Man.
Since he was presumably unable to read his magazine, Man in Suit rolls up his magazine and puts it away. I see Scar Man put away his headphones and walk towards Man in Suit.
The two walk forward and away from me. I chose not to follow, but instead read their lips, so I moved to the center of the aisle so I could read both of their lips and body language
I was barely able to keep up with them. I only picked up a few phrases.
Man in Suit: That woman is following us, do you think she knows of our plans?
Scar Man: Most likely, I saw her trailing you from the beach.
Man in Suit: What are we going to do?
Scar Man: Ditch her somehow.
I smile. If they thought they would get rid of me, they were way in over their heads. I continue to read them. They say nothing, they are probably aware that I am staring at them.
All of a sudden, the emergency lights go off and now we are left in pitch blackness. Well, except for the windows providing us with some lights but I take my eye off of them for one second and it took me another half second to realize that.