Book One In The Ahh-Ness Of Things Series: April & Donnie were once inseparable, but now almost six years have passed since she left NYC. What if April O'Neil could set the record straight, once & for all! The only girl down enough to chill with the...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The tide was rising. We could begin to see the water of the canal splay up over the side of the retention wall, making little road maps of the dirt floor, as we sat there in the darkness. It was beginning to get really cold & the air smelled of the brine of sea water, from the lower bay.
"We need to leave soon, April." His chin rested on my shoulder; we both looked past his bent knees, watching a pool of water beginning to creep closer to his feet. "As much as I like just sitting here with you; it will be impossible to take you back through the tunnel safely, in a few minutes."
I raised myself up to look out over the wall to the tunnel, we had lost track of how long we had been gone. I turned back to see him watching the quickly rising trench of sea water. "D, should we go back out through the Undercity?"
"Uh uh, theres's a storm coming. By the time we make it there; rain will be pouring in from above ground."
I peered at him teasingly; "How do you know that?"
He put his hand on top of mine & leaned me forward, with his plastron shell against my back, as if pressing my palm into the space in front of us; "I can feel it in the water."
I watched him jump off the wall into the canal, feet first & waited for him on the ledge, to come back up. He disappeared under the surface towards the tunnel & I could see it was gulping water almost violently; in & out of it's entrance as the tide was coming in. A moment later he materialized in the darkness, against the side of the wall, just beneath where I stood.
"Do me a favor, dear; put your flannel on & button it up, just below the nape of your neck, but not to your throat."
It was an odd favor, but I knew if he was being so specific; he had a good reason.
"Sleeve cuffs, too."
"This is getting serious, huh?" I was beginning to get a little nervous as I buttoned my shirt over my tank top & put my hair up.
"Yep, we gotta go."
I sat on the wall & let my legs dangle down to him, dreading the sensation of my boots filling with the cold water. "Let me hold you; it's getting choppy." he called up to me as he lifted me down into the water, against him. It was ice cold & I gasped, which made him smile a little at my sudden surprise. He looked back at the enhance to the tunnel & casually exclaimed; "This is going to be slightly dangerous."
I put my arms around his neck & peered past him towards the ominous black hole, barely above the surface now. I could only barely see, down behind the wall now, where the lights of the Undercity no longer reached.
