Otodus

Chapter One.

Burning hot. She was absolutely burning hot in the warm summer sun. All her friends were at the point in which they’d consumed so much alcohol they were now lazing across the sand and each other. Their bodies glistened like little diamonds covered in sweat and sand. A few of the crazier people in the crowd like Ellis and Connor were still throwing shapes, very poorly, at Jessica and a disinterested Whitney. They’d travelled in the summer holidays to Sandwood Bay in Scotland. Ellis was a local cousin of Whit’s from a neighbouring village. It had been quite some drive down with a lot of hiking in the blistering heat because the roads ended at a certain point. She looked down at the glass in her hand. “Great.” She thought, swigging the last mouthful back. There was no way she was walking back to socialise, just to get another drink in the heat. She grabbed her tiny brown backpack up and felt inside to make sure she had the bottle of water she had rushed to pack in the morning. “Chessie, where are you going?” Yelled Whitney. Her superpower was being glued to social media on her phone but having the ability to know when Francesca or as friends called her Chessie, was making a swift exit. “I’m just going for a dip Whit, I won’t be too long I’m just really hot and need to cool off.” Before Whit could offer to join or say anything else. Chessie broke off into a quick jog and headed for a few of the rocks that were partially submerged by the calm tide. She stepped her bare, sandy foot up onto one of the rocks that merged in to form one big rock. The perfect spot to sunbathe and drape her feet over into the cool ocean. She lay down, rummaged in her bag for her water took a drink which dribbled down her chin, down to her bikini and breast. She didn’t even bother to wipe it away she just lay back and drifted into a peaceful state. She wondered about her mother and her younger sister Lex. Their blonde hair blowing in a wind probably walking the family dog Jack on one of the English beaches in South Shields. She wondered if her Dad was with them skimming stones in competition with Lex, it always made them feel like they were 11 years old. He had the best laugh in the world. She wondered if the weather was as hot as Scotland or if they had cooler weather. The waves crashed gently against the rocks up her leg slightly. A few moments passed. “Well aren’t you beautiful laying there without a care in the world?” A husky voice startled her. She immediately sat up and drew her legs in from the water, scuttling backwards. Her nerves weren’t something that she had quite managed to control. Although Chessie was somewhat of a control freak in every aspect of her life. Down to her choice of friends and the choice of having a non existent boyfriend, as well as her career and food she ate. “Oh I’m sorry beautiful I didn’t mean to startle you at all.” He beamed. He ran his huge hands through his hair. She blushed as she realised her mouth had been slightly gaping at the size of his hands. He lent onto the rock. She noted his huge shoulders and drew her legs up to her chest crossed armed, in an almost child-like protective stance. “Who are you?” She quizzed. “Ah I thought for a moment there we weren’t going to exchange names.” Be beamed playfully. He was very cool. He looked to the side squinting with one eye. “Otodus. Otto for short.” He waited patiently for her to glance back in his direction. “Francesca. Chessie. As those idiots call me.” She nodded back towards the beach. “Oh, s**t!” She cried. How long had she been daydreaming? The tide had came in so far and she hadn’t even realised. He had completely taken her attention away from even glancing back. “Yeah you seem to be a little far out. I thought for a second you were a figment of my imagination, being so beautiful. Maybe a mermaid.” He grinned. “Want me to swim back with you?” He asked. He fiddled with his necklace it had the most beautiful gem on it. She wondered what kind of stone it might be. “I should be okay. It’s not too deep here, is it?” She chuckled nervously obviously having no idea as it was her first time ever coming with Whit on the trip she made every summer. “Come on Chessie.” He kicked back from the rock and held out his arms gesturing her to jump in, as a toddler might with her parents. She chose to refuse the invitation silently and sat down on the edge of the rocks to push herself down. The water was still rather calm, although the temperature had seemed to have dropped slightly. Not that she had noticed when her legs were in the water. She thought her body probably will have acclimatised slowly. They breast stroked together for a few minutes. Till he decided to dive down under the water playfully and gripped her waist. “Oi don’t do that!” She giggled playfully. He went under again. She continued breaststroking across the water waiting for him to reappear again behind her. But he didn’t resurface. It must have been over a minute. Then two. “Otto?!” She bellowed. Spinning in circles in the water. “Yes princess?” He spoke softly in her ear from behind. “Seriously don’t do that I thought something bad had happened to you!” She splashed him with a palm full off water. “Chessie!” Whit cried frantically from the shore. “Seriously what the f**k were you thinking we called the coast guard and everything. We are going to look like f*****g idiots now aren’t we?” She called out visibly upset. “Okay. Jeez. Sorry! I have to go thanks for swimming back with me Otto.” She smiled as she rose up from the shallows and turned to walk towards her friends on the beach. “See you tomorrow, yeah?” Otto called after her. She just smiled back at him. Commitment was not her strong point. It actually was one of the reasons she didn’t date. She usually got way into her own head about social interactions and ended up drinking too much to even turn up to the date. He had captured her attention though that was for sure. She turned Whit’s nagging into white noise all the way back to the car, replacing it with the flashing image of Otto brushing his ash brown hair back. His eyes were a blue green. Sea green would probably be the best colour to describe them. When the sun shone onto his face they would turn a brighter shade of blue. They were inevitably going to be returning to the beach the next day it’s all they really did. Drink, tan, eat and sleep. She got back to the lodge which Ellis’ family owned. The hot sun had made her too exhausted to eat as well as the swimming and the walk back to the car. She went straight into the bath and dove into bed. Maybe seeing Otto would be cool. She wondered where he lived, who he was with and why was he all the way out where she was. She closed her eyes and dreamt of her family again, and finally back to dreaming about the mysterious stranger she had met on the rocks.