Page 3 of Drowning in Sins
Mother called my choice of career path stupid, but Grams always only gave me a knowing look. As if I couldn’t have possibly chosen anything other than the field of Maritime Archaeology. It may have been partially out of spite toward a mother who hated anything to do with the ocean.
Maybe it was because of Grams and the money she left me. It was more than enough to live a lifetime on, but I wanted to prove to her that I didn’t need it. Like her, I wanted to pave my own way and have something to show for it. However, it was also the safety net I needed to push myself to dream and follow whatever passions called to me.
Well, the sea called to me like it did Moana, but there was something hidden under the surface. In the dark of the deepest parts of the water held things that wanted to remain hidden. As a society, we’d barely touched the surface—no pun intended—on what could be explored and found in the water. I wanted to be part of it. Something so grand and mysterious would only serve to remind me that I was but a speck in the world. Tiny in comparison.
I’d given permission to my roommates to sublease my room while I was gone for the foreseeable future. Our lease would be up in six months anyway. They might as well have been able to make a little extra off my room, to give them a cushion, as they had job searches of their own.
The furniture in my room was solid and thrifted. Any personal belongings would go with me. My life could fit in two suitcases. I preferred to leave little trace behind—the fewer belongings, the better. There was enough clutter in the world without me adding to it.
Tomorrow, a new adventure would be waiting. A team of seven, half of us new to the field. I already heard through the network of connections that two of the others were from my class. We’d all been carefully selected. Fresh, young, and eager to prove ourselves, unafraid to put in tedious hours of repetitive work.
I imagined the smell of salty air as my head rolled over my pillow. The outside world on the other side of my window couldn’t wake me from the dreams that would come. Dreams mixed with memories of the time I was out in the field, putting in the hours for my degree. The oxygen mask that allowed me to practice on the fake shipwreck in the saltwater pool.
Chapter Three
ROSALYN
One wouldn’t know it from my paleness, but I love feeling the sun on my skin. The way the bright rays make my flesh tingle. It’s that tingling that comes right before I have to cover myself and seek shade.
My mother didn’t like when I spent time outside growing up. She preferred to remain indoors, in an air-conditioned building with little-to-no sun hitting us. I had a theory it was because Grams made her spend time outside when she was little, but that was just a theory.
It was Mother’s actions, keeping me inside my whole childhood, that caused me to be a little photosensitive. The doctor at the university my freshman year recommended a good sunscreen and a little sun every day to reverse the effects. I knew it helped, because I could successfully spend a couple of hours outside now, as long as I remembered sunscreen, to cover up, and to take breaks to allow my body to cool down.
One of the reasons I was excited about this trip was because of the location. They called Lovibond a little hidden paradise. Although it was sunny, it rained at least a little nearly everyday. With comfortable temperatures year-round, I could see the appeal. I’d be able to spend all day outside without overheating.
The sun should’ve greeted me. I was ready to welcome the humid air on my face. But fate had other plans. After two delayed flights and a mix-up at the car rental place, I grabbed a taxi to drive me the three hours to Lovibond. The cost was ridiculous because of the time and distance, but I was ready to be there already. It was why I chose to arrive two days early instead of just a day before like the others.
I thanked the driver as he passed me my bags, then made my way across the walkway to the steps. The hair at the back of my neck raised, along with goose bumps up and down both arms. I swallowed and took a glance around before looking up at the Lovibond Inn.
It was an eerie feeling of being watched as my eyes scanned the windows until landing on a curtain being closed. Realistically, I knew it didn’t mean anything. With my late arrival, I probably disturbed someone who went to bed early. It was nearly midnight.
I approached the check-in desk and hit the bell. Someone screamed in the next room over, and the door burst open.
“See! I told you someone was checking in. Now we’re going to have to start over,” the woman spoke grumpily before closing the door again.
“Sorry about that.” An older man walked up. “They’re doing a ghost show. Checking in?”
I nodded as I glanced back at the door, then to the man. “Yeah. A ghost show?” I held back my laugh. It sounded ridiculous. Although, part of me was intrigued about how they would make it seem the place was haunted. Anything for views, I supposed.
The man slid a flyer across the counter. “The Mysteries of Lovibond.” He chuckled. “Name?”
“Romanov.” I handed him my ID.
He eyed my driver’s license, then scanned the computer. “Ah, yes. An extended stay prepaid by that research team.” He grabbed a key from the drawer and scanned it. “Room 214. You can take the stairs to my right or the elevator to the left. Either way, take a right when you get to the top, and it’ll be near the end of the hall, across from the ice machine. The kitchen is open for another hour if you’re wanting room service.”
“Thanks.” I picked up the envelope, holding my room key as well as the flyer about the town, then made my way toward the stairs.
I hesitated before going up, listening to the beeping sound coming from the room nearby where that woman burst from earlier. Curiosity was something I didn’t have a shortage of, but my stomach growled after surviving off pretzels today.
Once I was in my room, I called room service, then took a quick shower to wash off the travel day. Shortly after feeling fresh-faced and comfortable, I turned on the TV for background noise and waited for my midnight order of pizza and breadsticks.
It didn’t take very long before my stomach was full, the leftovers were in the mini fridge, and I was dosing off in the comfortable bed with infomercials playing on the television turned down low.
The moon casta faint glow through the window, making the room not so dark. I didn’t remember turning off the television, but it may have been one of those set to turn off after so much time of inactivity. My eyes flickered to the side table, where I remembered setting the remote, and I went to turn but was stuck.
My heart sped up as I realized I couldn’t move. A heavy weight pressed down on me, and I feared turning my eyes from the table. There was a shadow out the corner of my eye that I couldn’t bring myself to face.
As if some instinct told me to ignore it. Pretend it wasn’t there and allow whatever it was to leave.
