Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Legends Academy ❯ Sunset, Sunrise ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

I nodded, curling up in his embrace. For a while I just stayed still, eyes closed, listening to his heartbeat. Then, suddenly, it sped up. He gasped.

"Mark? What's wrong?" I asked, opening my eyes and looking up.

There was something large and white on the shore. I gasped too.

A tiger.

Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.29.2007 | Updated On: 04.30.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 264 | Status: Completed

We continued our swim for a while, until about mid-afternoon. Finally deciding to take a break, we climbed onto one of the deserted pool toy things floating around. This one was a water mattress. Awkward, but comfortable nonetheless.

Once the both of us climbed on, we started enjoying the sun. I noticed how close we were, which was shoulder to shoulder. After a few minutes I got kind of tired and resolved to get out of the heat. But even as I tried to sit up and tell Mark, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I opened my eyes. The sky above me was a dark red, streaked with orange, yellow and pink. I tried to sit up, but there was already a weight in my chest that prevented me from doing so. (Not a hand or anything else like that, for any of you perverts!)

"How long have I been out?" I mumbled, squirming an arm out from under the weight that was on me. I checked my watch. About seven-thirty. 'Hours...' I thought. With my free arm I pushed myself into a sitting position.

With the weight now on my legs, I could use my hands to get all my hair out of my face.

Once I was finally finished, I looked down at the weight that was now causing my legs to fall asleep.

Markarov!

"Mark! Markarov, can you hear me?!" I cried, shaking his shoulder. The moment my hand touched his shoulder, he cried out in pain.

"Argh! Yes, I can hear you!" He said through gritted teeth. "Now please let go, that hurts!"

I immediately let go of his shoulder, instead opting to help him sit up.

"What happened?" I asked when I had got him into a sitting position. Believe me, it was harder than it seemed when on a giant floating mattress.

"You fell asleep."

"Well I kind of figured that out!" I murmured, blushing.

"Don't feel bad, I did too. It was probably because we were out in the sun too long. You know, too much heat." He said, rubbing his shoulder.

"So why does your shoulder hurt?" I asked. I couldn't connect hurt shoulder with sleeping.

"Remember that night a few days ago? You know that weird cloaked guy?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Thank him. Angel too." Said Mark curtly.

"Ah." I said.

"Honestly, what did my shoulder ever do to them?" He asked, reaching a hand over the edge to feel the water. "Great. Ice cold. If we go in there, we'll probably get hypothermia."

I shivered.

"Now that you mention it, it's getting kind of cold." I said, hugging my chest for some extra warmth.

"Here," He started, pulling me to him. "Wearing something like that, you'd probably be better off going through the water than staying out here all night."

I nodded, curling up in his embrace. For a while I just stayed still, eyes closed, listening to his heartbeat. Then, suddenly, it sped up. He gasped.

"Mark? What's wrong?" I asked, opening my eyes and looking up.

There was something large and white on the shore. I gasped too.

A tiger.

It was prowling just along the water, but not letting a drop touch its gleaming white fur.

"Markarov...why is there a tiger over there?" I asked slowly, moving closer to him and shivering harder. It wasn't because I was cold.

"I don't know. But I think it doesn't like water, so we should be safe." He said, getting nearer to me also.

"Don't worry though. It's getting late. Get some sleep and if it comes near I'll wake you up, okay?" He said.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I could keep watch, really."

He shook his head. "No, but I'll be fine. Really." He said, pulling me as close to him as was comfortable. "Now get some sleep."

I smiled a little, despite the cold. "Thanks."

He nodded, wrapping his arms around me. "Let me know if you get too cold."

Even as he said that I closed my eyes, quickly falling asleep.

Markarov's voice sounded in my ear, saying something about waking up, but I paid it no mind. It was finally getting warmer and I was perfectly comfortable in his kind embrace.

Then I heard something about me being thrown in the water and I opened my eyes.

At first all I saw was my own hair, but someone was already moving it out of my face.

Finally able to see, I looked up and saw the kind, though tired, face of Markarov. I smiled, sitting up and stretching.

"Well, now that you're finally awake," Started Mark from next to me, "Look at the shore."

I looked up curiously, only to see that same tiger as last night. But it was laying down and shaking.

Suddenly, with a flash of light, the tiger gracefully transformed into a very familiar person.

"Angel!" I cried, trying to jump off the raft. But there was something holding my back. I looked down to see an arm around my waist.

"Mark, let me go!" I shouted, pulling at his arm.

"Are you kidding? The water's way too cold!" He said.

Despite Markarov holding me on the raft, I reached over the edge and felt the water. It felt like a pool in the middle of spring. Cold, but not intolerable.

I looked at him, determination etched on my face.

"I can make it!" I said.

"I'm not saying you can't!" Said Mark, tightening his grip, "I'm saying that you can wait five minutes for me to get us over there! Believe me, Angel isn't going anywhere on her own!"

Grudgingly, I gave up. "Fine! Just hurry." I mumbled. I crossed my arms over my chest and stuck my nose in the air, looking like a certain Japanese character I knew of.

He reached over the edge with his legs, kicking us through the water like a slow motor boat.

"It'll go faster if you help." He said, grabbing my arm and pulling me nearer to the edge.

I helped, completely ignoring the fast that the water was really cold.

After a few minutes the raft finally hit the sand. I climbed over the raft to avoid the water and jumped onto the land.

Quickly, I ran over to where Angel lay prone on the ground.

"Angel! Wake up!" I said, pushing her into an upright position.

She groaned softly, opening her eyes.

"Ugh. Artemis? Where am I?" Asked Angel.

"By the lake. What happened?" I asked her.

"Well," She started, "Let's just say I had a run-in with a pretty bad character."

I sighed. Knowing Angel, I wouldn't get anything else out of her.

"Artemis!" I heard Mark call, "Here."

He walked over to me and handed me his shirt.

"You'll want this." Said Mark. "People should be going to breakfast right around now, and I'd rather have people see you wearing something other than a bikini."

"Thanks." I said, blushing. I realized that he would be walking all the way back to our rooms with me bare-chested.

"Need a hand?" I asked, helping Angel up.

"No, I can make it." She said.

And the three of us walked back to the school, not knowing that if we had stayed there just a few minutes later that more than one of us would have had a bloody end...

On our way to breakfast we didn't talk much, each concentrating on our own thoughts...