A tail slowed down, a back fin folding with nervous shivers.

“I don’t like this.”

Alon had to halt. He looked back, and indeed, Matthew had stopped swimming. To be honest, he could not blame him. His silver eyes narrowed with sorrow and doubt, seeing the dread in his hazel eyes. He was looking ahead with a deep frown.

For two days they had been swimming, deeper into the sea, getting far from the cay. Since the shark attacked, Matthew had only gotten more anxious. Sleep was something he had not gotten much of. It did not help that the waters were getting darker, and somehow, empty of life. They were finding little food on the way. All the fish seemed to have fled from their usual habitats.

Alon could only theorize before. But now, he could share Matthew’s worry. Something was wrong, too strange and unnatural. His silver eyes looked again at the surrounding reefs. They were full of colour before, full of life. Yet now, black seaweed tangled faintly on them. It was only getting denser and larger with each hour they went ahead. It was everywhere; perhaps still disperse, but its sight was troublesome. He had never seen this. And it was certainly not around when he swam towards the cay. It had grown, too much.

Matthew was swaying, his head moving to look all around him; his expression had lost some hope and determination a few minutes ago. He had tried to contain his anxiousness for a while, both wanting to find her, but he could not take it anymore.

“Alon, she wouldn’t be in a place like this. W-would she? I mean, who would want to be between shadows and seaweed that can hide-“

“A shark.”

Matthew let out a silent snarl, seeing pure determination in Alon’s eyes, even if there was still care for his fear. It was precisely the sight of a shark what was making him nervous. Not to mention that… sticky and disgusting seaweed. He had never seen any like it, not even when he devoured sea documentaries after meeting them. It looked sickly; it almost looked like flesh. There was no way he would let his tail or fins brush any.

Alon blinked, because a hand lowered shakily on his shoulder. Matthew’s voice trembled, his eyes still watching the shadows.

“Maybe we should go back? She could have gone anywhere. Why follow the direction that shark took? I mean, there’s no way she would lose against that bastard. She is clever. She could have gone north or-“

“Matthew.” His fins shook when Alon grasped his hand back, looking down at him firmly. “I have a feeling in my guts. This is… weird. There was a flower, which she got out of nowhere. She went away, without a reason given, something she would not do. Suddenly, fish begin to flee, to land. A shark tries to kill you, with more effort than… that night. And lastly…”

Alon snarled, his eyes sharpening as he glared at the seaweed tangling on the rocks and sand. He pointed his big fins a little, trying to make a point.

“This is something I have never seen.” Matthew had prayed he would not say that. “This seaweed is… It shouldn’t be here. It shouldn’t be like this. Because it looks nothing like how seaweed should look. It is not normal. Nothing has been normal since that damn eclipse happened. The more we advance in this direction, the more anomalies we find. Everything comes from the depths ahead. See those vines? They come from below.”

Matthew nodded, gulping.

“I see all too well…” Alon blinked, because Matthew freed his hand, moving away. His gaze fixed on the dark waters ahead. The sky was cloudy and troubled today, like if a storm were building up above. He had a feeling in his gut too, a bad one. “We should not go into-“

“Didn’t you want to find her?”

That prevented Matthew from going into a blind panicking ramble. He could only close his eyes and frown while Alon offered some truth, his tone kind but determined.

“If we don’t find her, we won’t get answers. You will stay like this, for god knows how long. I can’t turn you back, I don’t have her knowledge.” The next words were what made Matthew open his eyes and reconsider. “She could be in trouble for what she tried to do. I can swear she is. I feel it. That’s the only reason why she would have let you hurt alone…”

There was tension in the water. Both were reluctant to advance, both knowing something was truly wrong. Yet neither knew why.

“You-” Matthew let out a long trembling sigh, tone tangling with resignation. “It scares me how much you don’t know what’s going on. I’m supposed to be the fish out of water here.”

He knew as much as Matthew. And it made him angry.

“If I knew anything, I swear I would have told you by now, Matthew. I don’t have a clue what’s up with the sea, with her, or with your… change. Or why that disgusting shark came back. That’s why I must find answers, from anything, any clue. It can’t be an enigma, I need to solve this; for the three of us.”

Matthew looked again around him. The waters seemed to have a slight beat, a pulse. The seaweed parted ahead, below, like an opening, almost inviting. It haunted him. He could not bring himself to want to move towards it. Yet he felt trapped. He could not go away. He was stuck, because Alon wanted to enter the depths. And he would not leave ahead without him; he could not go away from him either. Not with a hungry murderous shark on the loose, who wanted his neck.

There was only one way to go. And he hated to admit, that part of him, deep inside, also wanted to dive into that rabbit hole to find her; even with all the warning signs in his mind.

“I wish I had known things would go this way before taking that flower from her.” Matthew’s hand clenched as he let out a silent snarl. “I just wanted to…”

A guilty look crossed Alon’s eyes for a second, looking away. He knew it could go wrong, and he still let it happen.

Alon did not say a word, too afraid to admit he spoke against his change, and so, them being together. His heart felt true shame when Matthew spoke again, still showing trust, in him, and even her.

“Let’s dive into this mess.” Matthew snorted nervously, and Alon tensed when he peeked over his shoulder, trusting him to shield him. “Killer whales first…”

“Sure.”

They both swam slowly, an angelfish always keeping an orca close. They eyed the distance and the shadows behind them, both having a feeling both directions were dangerous.

Neither liked that the clouds were hiding the sun above. There was only darkness.