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“The Silent Current”
by Norah E.
Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
I groaned and slapped my alarm clock.
It stopped the horrendous noise.
My mom came into my room. “Wake up, Delta,” she said morbidly.
I groaned and stepped out of bed. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” my mom sighed. “The government gave me a ring this morning. I don’t know how they found my number, but that’s the government for you. You and two other girls have been chosen to sail through the sea and figure out something… something big.”
“Ugh, what now?” I asked.
“There’s some sort of black sludge slowly creeping through the ocean. It’s been killing everything in its path. It’s a disappointment the government chose you, because you may not be coming back hon,”
“When do I start?” I asked.
“About ten minutes.”
I sprinted to the marina, to find two other girls around my age just standing around, by MY boat.
“I’m Delta,” I said. “I sail.”
“Kendall,” said the darker skinned girl. “I love marine biology. I’ve been taking college classes in it lately.
“Beckett,” said the last girl. “I don’t know why I’m here. I’m just a girl who loves tech.”
“Awesome,” I said. “Anyway, let’s get on the boat.”
When we finally set sail, we found the sludge almost immediately.
It was slowly creeping further and further towards us.
“Do we go into it?” I asked.
“I want to get a read on the animals,” said Kendall.
She looked over the edge of the boat and found a little sea turtle.
“The sludge is creeping closer!” screamed Beckett.
Kendall was practically too absorbed in the little turtle to notice. When the sludge was merely inches away, the turtle went belly-up, and Kendall started screaming in pain. The sludge was creeping up her arm.
“It’s alive!” I screamed.
It clawed up Kendall’s arm further and further.
Kendall started screaming with agony. “It burns! It burns!”
I hooked my arms under Kendall’s shoulder and pulled her upwards.
Luckily, I didn’t touch the sludge.
When Kendall was completely on the boat, I grabbed my first aid kit and wrapped Kendall’s arm. It was covered in burns.
“Beckett!” I shouted. “Can you take a sample without touching the sludge?”
“I can try!” she said.
She took the sample and brought it to land.
“Time to head home?” she asked.
“I think so,” I breathed a long sigh.
I sailed back to the little California marina from which I was from.
I noticed a huge commotion, and finally noticed who was there. The President of the United States.
He took our sample and handed us The Guardian of the Seas Award, which I’d wanted my whole life.
Around a week later, we learned that it was a byproduct of experimental waste dumped by a corrupt company.
After we saved the world, Beckett, Kendall and I talked on the phone every single day. The experience may have been terrifying, but we were lucky enough to have it bring us together.
We were the Guardians of the Ocean.