The Sea of Change

She never understood why someone that was probably about 10 years older than her was raising her she never knew her parents. She never even knew if she was adopted. After all she snuck away from Brooke a couple years back to see what happened to her parents. She checked both the internet and the only Adoption agency on the small little island they have lived on since she can remember. But alas there was not only no records of her parents but there wasn't even a record of her. She eventually built up the courage to ask Brooke about the truth. Brooke just laughed and said in time she would not only know who she was but what the future had in store for her. River thought to herself great another cryptic message that would only leave her with more Questions than answers. So she didn't ask her again until her sixteenth birthday. She was so excited it's not like she was going to learn to drive. After all the Backwards island they've been living on doesn't have neither gas stations nor cars. Why she was excited was because Brooke told her she had a surprise for her. She was so sure she was going to find out about her parents. So she arrived home to find a cake on the table this can't be the surprise she told herself the only surprise about this cake is if it didn't have some sort of ocean life in it. She loved Brooke but This woman couldn't cook or bake for the life of her but after years of eating the food she got used to it. But why couldn't she get a birthday cake like a normal person minus the mackerel, sea urchins and pan seared squid. She never understood why her birthday every year was the one day the moon was at its biggest not to mention the tides crashed two and a half feet further into the inland. Some of the people on the island thought it was a bad omen but Brooke like she knew something no one else did. If she did she hadn't told me she just told me that the people were to superstitious and were to close-minded to know the real truth. Every time she said this I told myself just great another cryptic message. But this was my 16th birthday there had to be an explanation for my parents or the weird tide change or maybe the surprise was both. Brooke comes out of her room surprised to see me. What are you doing here she asks me and I replied sarcastically "it's my birthday and this is our house" I didn't know what I said that had seemed to make her mad. Because the Whole time I've known her she has never looked this mad. But as I got closer there was a glint in her eye of fear and trepidation. I know you ask how you can see trepidation in some one that already shows fear. But the flush in her face and the pure dread in her eyes made me think I should rethink my actions. But like a wave of change she smiles and asks me if I want my surprise. I was beaming sure I told her ecstatically not sure what it would be she sticks her hand in her pocket. Wait a second I thought don't tell me she has a letter from my parents in her pocket. Nope not even close she pulls out a ring the likes I have never seen. She hands it to me and tells me to put it on and I look at her then look at the ring. Its old and I mean really old the kind of thing your surprised it's in one piece. No matter how hard I try to look away my eyes wonder to it. I then notice that it's not just old its special. A solid silver band with the most unique Aquamarine I have ever seen. My goodness I told myself at first I thought Brooke was being cheap but I was Born in March and I had never quite seen a stone let alone a ring like this. I look up for a second to notice her beaming you like it she asked me and I seriously couldn't say anything. She then asks me to sit down so I do. This ring she tells me was passed down my family and it would help me and protect me. I was thinking she had sniffed to many fermented fish heads to think this ring would help me let alone protect me. But my biggest problem wasn't that oh no it was the fact if this ring has passed on though my family why was the stone my birth stone I mean there was and old picture Brooke had of my Mother she had a ring Very similar in the picture. But the stone in it looked like a Sapphire which made sense after all my Mother was born in September or that was what I was told. I was so confused I didn't even notice her cutting the cake. Brooke never believed in candles she never understood the concept of people blowing them out as a sign of age. She puts a piece on a plate with a seashell motif. Not until I take a bite do I realize the cake that looked chocolate was in fact not just chocolate. I spit it out faster then I put it in my mouth what is this I asked her she just laughed. You Don't like my salted chocolate with seaweed ganache. There seriously was nothing right with the sound of that what I thought was a chocolate cake with mint frosting was not mint frosting. It wasn't even plain old chocolate I mean seriously how hard was it to just buy a cake if you can't make one. I couldn't believe it well actually I could after all these years why would I assume it changed. She looked at me like she was boring her eyes through me. She then said the one thing I never expected "I'm going to the bakery to get you a cake it's your 16th birthday it needs to be special". I just stared at her did she just read my mind that was what I was just thinking about. She smiled and as she was walking out the door she turned around and said don't forget to wear that ring and told me not to leave the house she was going to get a cake and come right back. She winked and turned around and left. I thought about it I had no problem putting on the ring after all it really was beautiful it almost seemed like the stone changed shades of blue. My biggest concern was staying put I have always had ADHD I knew it and Brooke knew it trying to keep me in one place was trying to stop the tide from coming in. I put on the ring and had a weird urge to go swimming so I left the one place Brooke told me never to leave without her permission. But I was 16 now what could one day change so drastically to make her so worried. I was so with in my thoughts that I didn't notice the streets were completely abandoned. I mean there aren't a whole lot of people that live here but it was 7 at night and no sign of anyone. I was really worried I almost ran back in the opposite direction back towards the house and the bakery where Brooke was certainly still at. Then I saw them slowly slithering towards me at first I thought they were snakes but as they got closer I recognized them from the books Brooke made me read. At first I thought I was hallucinating these couldn't be Dracones they only existed in books and Mythology. But none the less they were real and coming towards me. I ran away from these freakish serpents I couldn't make it back to Brooke without running into them so I ran to the water that was calling to me. I was about to the edge of the water when bubble lifted out of the water followed by the Cetea a giant Mythological sea Monster. After the Dracones the Sea Monster didn't surprise me. A giant Sea Creature being in an inland body of water though did. Next thing I know I zigged when I think I should have zagged running away from what should not have existed. My luck maybe running out what are the chances that just after leaving Brookes care I'd get attacked not by one creature of myth but two. It couldn't be a normal coincidence between the tides, the ocean life based food, and two Mythical based Sea Creatures. If I survived this Brooke would have some explaining to do. Still running I ran into an inland cove that I had never seen before. Trying to escape this bizarre situation I moved closer to the body of water within the cove hoping if they don't see me I could get away. I tried to escape the terrible creatures by diving through the water. But then noticed that not only could I see and breath underwater I seemingly was faster than the schools of fish around me. I noticed while I was swimming among the coral the ring looked different. The stone in the ring was as Blue as the water surrounding me. But it wasn't just that the stone was glowing and the stone wasn't completely Aquamarine. On a closer look it was Aquamarine and Cascade Sapphire. Looking up from the ring a reflection caught my eye. Looking closer it seemed like a shiny mirror but when I looked at the reflection in the mirror it wasn't me but my mother staring back at me smiling. It was weird enough that there were creatures after me, weird enough that I was breathing and seeing underneath a body of water that before today that did not exist. But now the woman that was supposedly my mother the same woman that didn't exist by any record was now staring and smiling back at me under the water.