The boat carrying several people began to move away from the coastline, gliding back and forth with agility. Some of the people on board used their eyes to look beneath the water, searching for something. A man with brown hair and yellow eyes looked around anxiously and worriedly, until something caught his attention. He saw someone with a quarter of their body above the water, someone with blonde hair and sea-blue eyes that he recognized very well. "Sir! Sir!" the man called out, causing a SAR team officer to turn to him.
"What is it, young man?" asked the officer.
The man pointed in the direction he had been looking. "It's Marella! We have to go there, it's definitely Marella. I remember her features very well," said the man, staring intently at the figure in the distance.
The officer looked in the direction the man was pointing, then widened his eyes when he saw a figure that looked like a human. He patted his partner on the shoulder. "That's her! Let's go there immediately," ordered the officer, prompting his partner to immediately move the boat in the intended direction.
However, just as they were about to reach their destination, the figure the man had seen suddenly dove into the water, disappearing into the darkness of the sea. The SAR officer looked confused. "Was she pulled in by the sea spirit?" he asked his friend, unable to find the figure they had seen earlier.
His friend shook his head, equally confused. "But as far as I remember, the Noun Islands are full of mysterious, supernatural things," said his friend.
The brown-haired man stared intently at the sea, his hands clenched into fists. "Marella," he whispered.
The SAR officer approached the man and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Please be strong, Mr. Indiwiyata. We will do our best to find your fiancée," said the SAR officer, reassuring the man with the surname Indiwiyata, then he got up and went to his friend who was steering the boat.
"We have to go back to shore. Young Master Indiwiyata is not allowed to return to the hotel late," said the SAR officer.
His friend nodded and turned the boat back towards the shore. The man with the surname Indiwiyata got off the boat with a worried look on his face. He got into a car and headed for a hotel near the beach. In front of the hotel, he passed a red-haired girl who looked at him with hatred and a smirk, as if mocking him. "How was it? Nice? When you had it, you wasted it, and now that it's gone, you're looking for it like a crazy person. Hey, Noel," the red-haired girl said mockingly.
Yes, the man with light brown hair was Noel. After Marella drowned in the sea yesterday..."MARELLA!!" Noel's eyes widened as he saw Marella's body fall freely from the ship into the sea. Noel pushed Araya down to the floor in a panic.
"Noel!" Araya called out loudly, but Noel ignored her and continued running towards the edge of the ship where Marella had fallen.
Noel, his face covered in cold sweat, approached the edge of the ship where Marella had been standing. He looked down, searching for Marella among the fierce waves, the darkness of the night, and the violent storm. Noel was about to jump down, but his friends held him back. "El, you could die!" warned Aven, one of Noel's friends who was holding him back.
"Marella can't swim, Aven!" snapped Noel, trying to break free from his friends' grip.
Atlas, one of his friends, pulled Noel's body back forcefully. " Aren't you uncaring about Marella? Now why are you so afraid of losing her?" he asked, looking seriously into Noel's eyes.
Noel fell silent. That's right, why was he so afraid of losing Marella? Didn't he never like the girl he had labeled crazy all this time? Noel immediately got up from the floor and quickly stepped into the ship to avoid the rain, followed by Atlas and Aven. He entered his room feeling uneasy. Why did he have a bad feeling in his chest right now? Noel opened his wardrobe to change out of his wet clothes.
After finishing, he went back outside to attend a dinner that was probably intended to discuss the search for Marella at sea. Noel sat next to Araya, who looked sulky and reluctant to look at him. Araya crossed her arms and turned her face away. Realizing this, Noel grabbed Araya's arm and said, "What's wrong? Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" he asked in a persuasive tone. Noel held Araya's shoulders and added, "If I did something wrong, I'm sorry," making Araya finally turn to face him.
"Why do you care about Marella?" Araya asked in a demanding tone, glaring at Noel.
Noel sighed heavily and replied, "I'm just panicking. Aunt Luna left Marella with me, honey," explained Noel.
Araya clicked her tongue in disapproval and said, "That's none of your business. Come on, don't worry about Marella. There will be teachers and the SAR team later. You better take care of me," Araya said firmly as she grabbed one of Noel's arms and hugged him affectionately.
A guidance counselor who led the prayer then said, "Everyone, please pray for the safety of our friend, Marella Oceane Aquitaine, so that she will be safe. Pray according to your own beliefs, begin," said the guidance counselor, raising his hands, followed by the others praying in their own ways.
After arriving at the beach, the Traiton High School students stayed at the Praja Hotel, a hotel that had been specially reserved for them. Noel glanced out the window several times, staring blankly at the ocean. His friends were surely playing or having fun in the water. Noel wanted to do the same, but he felt like something was missing. His life was quiet again, without anyone's attention and the voices that always made him feel like he wasn't alone. Araya was definitely not by his side now. Earlier that morning, Araya had asked for Noel's ATM card to buy some things at Noun, she said. But until now, the girl had not returned. Maybe she was enjoying the atmosphere with her friends too much.
Noel opened the window of his room. He breathed in the fresh air, uncontaminated by vehicle and industrial smoke. The sound of the waves crashing was soothing to his ears. "Why do I feel like something is missing?" he muttered to himself. He bowed his head, then looked up again when he heard his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He grabbed his phone and pressed the green button on the screen.
He lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello," he said.
"El, today we're going to look for Marella with the SAR team. Do you want to come?" asked Aven from the other side.
"I'm going there now, Sherlock," said Noel as he turned off his cell phone. He strode out of his room. When he opened the door, he saw Araya staring at him, seemingly unaware of his presence. In fact, Araya wanted to return Noel's ATM card, which he had used up. Noel ran to the beach, where several rescue boats and other boats were parked. On one of the boats, Aven waved at him. Noel approached and arrived beside Aven. "We're leaving now," said Aven as he helped Noel onto the boat.
While on the boat, Noel kept looking around for Marella, but his efforts were fruitless. By late afternoon, the sun was beginning to set, a sign that it was about to go down. Noel did not give up. One last time, he looked around for Marella. In the distance, his eyes caught sight of a small uninhabited island. He saw two creatures he had never seen before. Noel froze as he watched the two creatures enter the water and disappear from view. Noel was stunned by this miracle, until he was brought back to reality when Aven patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? Did you find Marella?" asked Aven.
With a sigh, Noel shook his head and walked to the end of the boat to sit down. He was lost in his own thoughts.
Aven looked at his friend with concern. "It's already gone, yet it's still being wasted," Aven whispered. Fortunately, Noel didn't seem to hear him. Noel looked back at the island, now with a crooked smile on his lips.
...Eyes Of The Sea...
...Happy Reading...