The Butterfly Girl: A Star is Born

Beneath the Surface

[Sophia]

We waited for Teri to come back. Every day we all met at the tree house with the twins and just... hung out until Teri decided to show up. It wasn't long until she did, sometime in the afternoon. She called us over to the pond and we all gathered. She explained her plan to all of us.

Tomorrow, we'd get up bright and early and meet her down by the lake. From there, we'll follow her underwater to her home, and from there, we'll start looking for clues. Teri hoped maybe we might be able to find something that she missed the first time.

We reminded Teri that none of us could breathe underwater. (We weren't even sure if the twins knew how to swim.) Apollo also pointed out that if we were going to go deep underwater, the increase in pressure would be even more dangerous for us. Teri assured us that she had all that worked out and it would all be explained tomorrow. For now, we could only trust her word. She told us that once we got to her home, she'd give more instructions there, but mentioned that she wanted to make sure we weren't seen by any of her people. If anyone knew she was bringing outsiders from a different world... well, we wouldn't be investigating anywhere outside the walls of her home.

Apollo and I both understood completely.

The twins needed a bit more context, but eventually came to understand.

Teri only stayed for a short time. She left to continue her preparations, as did we.

After confirming whether or not the twins knew how to swim, Apollo and I went back to the house, trying to figure out what we'd need for the underwater journey. It was a tough call. I'd have to leave my satchel behind as... well, it wasn't waterproof. But if all we'd be doing was swimming and looking around, we probably didn't need to bring anything with us. Apollo opted to bring our large beach bag full of towels to leave on the little beach so when we came out of the water, we could easily dry off, rest, and head back home.

The next day, Apollo came to wake me early and we got ready. Dressed in only our swimsuits, jackets and sandals. After eating a quick breakfast, Apollo packed the large beach bag full of towels and we headed out. I was surprised to see the twins already awake, waiting for us at the tree house so we could all walk together to the lake. The twins had never seen the lake in full view before, and while they still winced at the brightness of the rising sun, they admitted that they had never seen anything so pretty before. They had plenty of time to admire the scenery as Teri appeared not long after and climbed onto the shore with us. Her long fish tail quickly transforming into a long skirt and a pair of legs. She stumbled onto the sand, but eventually found her footing. She questioned why Apollo and I were wearing different clothes. We told her that they're made to help us swim easier.

"Okay, so are you all ready to go then?" Teri asked us.

"Yeah, but Teri... please tell me you figured out how to keep us alive underwater. We still don't know what your plan is." Apollo replied.

"It's okay, I got it all worked out. Took me a few days to make, but I think they're ready to go."

Teri held out a clenched fist, and when she opened it in front of us, she revealed to be holding... a couple of... bubbles? For a moment, I thought they were like, transparent marbles or something. But looking closer... they were indeed similar to bubbles. But they didn't float up in the air at all.

"Teri, what are these?" the twins asked.

"These are a special charm I made. It'll give you the ability to breathe underwater for a long time. Not only that, but they'll also improve your vision so you can see better in dark places and your bodies won't be affected by the pressure, so you won't feel like your being squished. Take one each." Teri explained.

We each took one and stared at them. I rolled mine around in my palm. It was cool to the touch, but so light. It was smaller than a grape, but it really was like holding an actual bubble in my hand. I was kinda mesmerized by it.

"This thing... can do all that?" Apollo questioned.

"Yep! My mother used to make a lot of these, and she showed me how to make them. It... took me a while to make them correctly, but I can assure you, these ones are perfect."

"And... you're sure they work?" the twins asked.

"Yes. I mean, I've never given them to anyone before... but I know they work. You can trust me on that."

Teri started slowly stepping back into the water.

"What I want you to do is get in the water, and before you get all the way in, you're gonna swallow the charm. Then duck under quickly and wait for the effects to take hold. Once you get comfortable with it, then we'll get going."

We all stared at the charm in our hands before looking at Teri nervously.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" I asked.

"Well... that's what the instructions said. Look, I promise you that they'll work and everything will be fine. Just... get in whenever your ready."

The twins glanced at each other nervously before taking a deep breath and slowly stepping into the water. Apollo and I quickly set our stuff down, threw off our jackets and kicked off our sandals. We put the bubble charm in our mouths and held them on our tongues as we followed the twins. Apollo had no problem getting into the water, but I was jumping in and out from how cold it was. It took me a lot longer to get used to. When the water was up to our waists, the twins also put the charm in their mouths and slowly inched forward. By the time the water was up to our shoulders, we stopped.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" I asked again, my entire body shivering.

"Yes, Sophie. I promise they'll work. I know it might... feel weird, but I know you can do this. The second you swallow it, you all need to get underwater immediately. Take all the time you need to get comfortable. I'll wait for you all to adjust. It'll be okay." Teri assured with a smile on her face.

"Okay... we're trusting you with this." said the twins as they took another step and sank under the surface, an action that surprised both me and Apollo. Teri dived under with them. Apollo closed his eyes and took a couple quick breaths before also ducking under. I could see everyone slowly sink into the dark blue-green water. I looked up and shut my eyes tightly, the bubble charm sitting inside my cheek as I took deep breaths, trying not to think about it. Until the sand beneath my feet suddenly fell and I slipped under the surface. I swallowed the charm forcefully and clenched my eyes shut as I felt nothing but cold.

My body twitched and shivered. I couldn't tell if I was still sinking or not. I couldn't hear anything, nor could I see anything. I held my breath and just... waited. It wasn't long before I felt something tapping my shoulder.

"Sophie, you can open your eyes. It's okay." said Teri. Her voice sounded different down here.

I opened one eye slowly. I felt no discomfort. I blinked rapidly and opened both eyes. Teri was staring at me.

"There you go. See, it's not so bad, right?"

I said nothing and continued to look around. I've never opened my eyes in the lake before, but now... not only could I see Teri in clear detail, but almost the entire lake was visible. Well... it was more murky and cloudy than I expected, as well as this strange shade of green layered over everything, but it was still really cool to see. Teri looked away to see how everyone else was adjusting. That's when I realized..... I... I didn't feel the need to go up for air. My cheeks were puffed, and when I let them go... everything felt normal. I didn't feel like I needed to take a breath or keep my mouth open. I started moving around a bit, the temperature of the water not as bothersome anymore. I looked at everyone else. They were noticing the same things and looking at each other, just as amazed.

Teri was right, the pressure around my ears, chest and stomach were just... gone. As if there was no change in pressure at all. Her charm actually worked.

After another moment or two, we all confirmed that we felt all right. Teri eagerly swam in front of us and began to show the way towards her home. Because our visibility was so low in the lake, she went slowly so we could all keep up with her. She directed us towards the bottom of the lake. Apollo and I avoided touching all the algae and sea grass. Eventually, Teri led us to a deep, dark hole in the ground and we all stopped around it.

"Is this it?" I asked, my own voice sounding slightly muffled.

"Yes, this is it. I know it looks... kinda scary, but this is the way I came. Just stick close to me and we'll get through it quickly, I promise." Teri replied.

Apollo and the Twins gave me nervous glances. The hole was large enough for all of us to swim through comfortably, but it was still rather unnerving to look at. Teri went through first, and with all the courage I could gather, I followed her. Apollo and the Twins soon came after us, but they swam together quite closely. The sunlight filtering from the surface of the lake was beginning to dim, and the further we went into the tunnel, the darker it became.