At the Brink of Death Part II

“What the hell are you doing? He was going to tear off your head!”

“You saw that he didn’t.”

“That doesn’t mean that it can’t!” Eric yelled. He yanked me to my feet. He did not care that the pressure of his hand was having an effect on my hand, which was bleeding. A moment ago, I had felt one or the other’s teeth grazing my hand after I had tried to dodge them when they had bumped into one another.

More blood oozed out. It was rather lucky that I had not lost my hand.

“What were you thinking of when jumping down there? You think you’re some kind of fearless hero?!?"

"Was I supposed to let someone die?"

"!!!"

"I own this place. I'm responsible for everyone’s lives. If you work for me, then I will take care of you with all my heart. I cannot be afraid of dying, but I need to be afraid of who will die here in this place I own," I snapped, and pushed his hand away while Nashley and Steve quickly wrapped a blanket around my body. "If I hadn’t helped, Bernard wouldn't have made it. You think Dy would have let him go?"

"And you think Dy would have let you go?"

"Well, he already let me go."

"..."

"You should also let me go, Mister Ex-boyfriend." Eric's mouth was set in a hard line at my words. He really shouldn't have started an argument with me after I was almost at death's door, but I knew I would get no sympathy from a man like him. He was probably speaking for other people as usual when he said he was worried about me yesterday.

Other members of the team seemed afraid that I would jump down into the sea again, so Nashley led me out of there.

"Sol, let's take care of the cut before more blood comes out. That’ll be bad."

"..."

"Steve, don't forget to take care of Bernard. He must be terrified," Nashley said. She wrapped her arms around me and escorted me into the center. I took my eyes off Eric. I thought I shouldn't be wasting my time fighting with him. I turned my gaze to Dy and Dylan who were swimming around separately, thinking how a moment ago, that was pretty fun.

I wouldn't do this so often, though. There was too much to lose.

"Hm. Still, it was pretty fun."

………………

Dr. Owen took care of the wound for me. He teased me about losing a leg or an arm. I chuckled because I had had the same thought. When Dylan's mouth came closer, I had imagined myself cut in half, turning into bits and slid down into the shark’s stomach.

Dylan could devour me in one bite. I was small, and it was bigger than other sharks.

"It would have turned out better if you had thought before you acted."

"It was too sudden. I didn't expect Bernard to fall." I smiled, looking at the bandaged wound that had needed a few stitches. Their sharp teeth had torn into a layer of skin. I licked my lips when the pain kicked in. Still, I was not someone who would throw a tantrum.

It was like when Bernard fell. Instead of screaming and calling someone for help, I had helped him myself.

"It is a relief Bernard is safe. Please go see him. There are beers in the fridge. Maybe he wants someone to listen to him."

"This is why everyone is so worried about you.

"..."

"You always care about others." I looked down and sighed as I listened to him. "I know you are the owner of this place. You must take care of us, but that doesn't mean you need to risk yourself every time something comes up."

"..."

"No one wants to see you injured. Everyone wants to see you happy, because we all know how exhausted you are," Owen said without looking at me. He put away the first aid kit after dressing my wound. The velvety voice of the man who was almost ten years older than me made me sense his concern.

It was better than a burst of anger, like Eric had done.

"Eric worried about you the most." I rolled my eyes, getting a smile from Owen. He ruffled my hair as a form of comfort. "I know he likes to raise his voice at you, but he isn't as bad as he appears to be, or else, he would have let you be eaten."

"I'd rather be eaten than argue with him."

"But for him, arguing with you every day is a precious thing."

"..."

"Don't be too hard on your ex. You worry about him, too." I made a surprised face in jest when he said that, gaining another laugh from Owen. He tousled my hair a little harder than before, before putting things back in the lockers. I stared blankly out the window, thinking about what Owen had just said. How could I not know how much Eric worried about me? But I chose not to acknowledge it, for fear that he might think that there was something between us still.

If I chose to cut ties, those ties would never be reconnected.

"I'm not going back," I mumbled and looked aimlessly out over the undersea creatures. The medical room was on the underground floor; that meant we could see the deep sea. I saw Dy swimming around. It was not lying in wait for a chance to eat the whales that I had been raising. Dylan was swimming nearby. These two were always together.

I found it surprising they did not eat one other. From what I had studied about the megalodon, they would bear only one offspring at a time. Most would not survive because they would be eaten first. The stronger one would become the leader, no different from a lion leading its pride. But with these two creatures, they helped each other.

I had not seen them fight. I wonder if they shared the same parents or not.

Father’s data files had nothing about their family. There were only data about their personalities, physical traits, and other important things, so I thought the secrets were in my father’s diary, which he carried on him.

But the diary disappeared after he died.

"You should rest. There is nothing to worry about at the moment."

"I don't want to go back. I can see what they are doing here."

"..."

"Have you ever missed your sister? Have you ever wanted to go back to see her?" I asked him, without looking at his face. My gaze lingered on Dy, who was coming closer. The sonar was not beckoning it, but the lights from the back attracted its attention. Owen was stunned. It had been a long time ago since I had mentioned his sister. Family was a delicate matter. They all missed home.

But as I said, working here meant you needed to leave everything else behind.

"Sometimes. It's only natural."

"That's nice. I wished I had someone to miss."

"Sol."

"It must be a nice feeling. Just a mere thought that you could go back and meet the person you love—your heart would pound, right? I can remember a little of that." I smiled. I thought of when my parents were alive. When my father was on a business trip far away, I always missed him and waited for him to come back. I remembered going to the movies together every weekend. Dad would smile happily. We would walk together hand in hand into the sea.

Unfortunately, I could no longer do that again. My parents had gone to work somewhere else far, far away.

I could not go after them, or I simply did not want to, yet.

"I don't know if they miss me or not. When I'm not here to tease them." I laughed, pointing to the brothers. They moved closer, their black eyes staring at us. "I missed them. It's like missing you guys when we are not together."

"It's the same feeling as when I miss my sister."

"Hmmm?"

"You're not alone, you know." He moved closer to me. I turned back to look at him. There wasn't much distance between us. He was only an inch away. My gaze dropped to his red lips, which were slightly parted. Owen was one of the types of sexual partners I preferred.

But he had never crossed the line with me since we had known each other.

"Don't do anything crazy, Sol. You'll drive them crazy.”