257 Going to Bimini
“Well, how did you find him?”
“So I said that he was at a beach right? Well, based on his folders, he went on a mission near Florida that scarred him for life.”
“Dang,” I muttered.
“He lost a lot of friends, especially his best one, which I’m informed from this folder that he still has a picture of him in his house. Probably by the counter or something, I’m not sure.”
“So how does this–”
“But, one way he copes with things is to continuously attend places where he was traumatized. It’s a painful but very effective way to actually cope with certain memories.”
“And if it’s somewhere in Florida–”
“That means he’s in–”
“Bimini,” Malachi called out as if he just won Bingo. Mr. Drails pointed at him, nodding his head. “That’s right,” he said. “Bimini. And we’re going to go there now.”
.....
“Alright, then send us.”
“Well, since he is a man with a lot of free time, I want you guys to also enjoy yourselves. I’ll transport you guys to a dock nearby Bimini. You guys will take a boat or a jet ski, or whichever you want to do, and arrive at that exact location.”
“Exact location? Is he at a certain block or…”
“No, just at Bimini,” he said, nodding and slowly making things more awkward. “Alright? Get ready, get your weapons ready, and you guys will be gone soon.”
We exited his room, and Malachi rejoiced with a whispered, “Yes.”
Not sure why that was such a big thing, but Malachi is competitive so—kind of expect that.
“Are you ready to go to Bimini?” I asked Nikki, and as if words weren’t good enough, she flailed her arms to show her excitement.
“Yes, I’m so excited. Like, I can’t wait to feel the warm sun, and the beaches, and those guys that are–”
“Ahem.”
“Oh…yeah. Just those two,” she said, flashing a wide smile at me, in which I chuckled. “Alright, I guess.”
We finished getting our weapons ready, and I was ready to start riding some boats. I’ve never, ever, been on a boat before, so the fact that we were literally being spawned to the docks was kind of fascinating.
We returned to his office, and he looked at us with a cocky smile. “Alright, you guys ready?” he asked, studying each of our faces.
“Yeah.”
“Alright, here goes nothing.”
He used his finger, and did it in a circular motion in front of us. This was probably the first time he was actually going to put it in an actual, sensible place.
But, no. I was wrong.
He opened a portal under us, making us land on the wooden ground of the docks. “Ow,” I muttered, feeling the pain shot through my neck. Hopefully that doesn’t last.
My eyes widened at a sight I had not seen in quite some time. The docks were full of people and motorboats. Well, motorbikes. There were tons of them. They ran past a jet ski, as I observed. I remembered from my past life that those were things that could go pretty fast.
I was actually right.
One guy by the jet ski was jumping off with a surfboard attached to it, and I watched him skim across the water like a dolphin. “Wow…” Nikki muttered, “Can’t wait to get to Bimini like that. Come on, let’s go.”
“No, wait, wait!” I shouted, as she dragged from where I was. She led me to one of the jet skis that was a very bright red. I turned back to Malachi, who rolled his eyes as if to say that they are all pretty much the same. However, this model also looked interesting. It was sleek and shiny, and it was also quite fast.
I took a deep breath and jumped on top. It was the exact same concept as a motorbike. But instead, there is an engine underneath you, and it was much larger than any bike or motorbike would be. My heart pounded and my adrenaline level skyrocketed, especially since this was my first time on a jet ski.
Nikki joined me. The jet ski was only a two-seat vehicle, meaning her life was now in my hands. If anything were to happen to her…it’d be my fault.
“Alright,” I muttered, feeling uneasy but knowing that I was about to make history with the fastest ride in the world. “Here we go. Fasten your seat belt.”
She buckled herself, and she was ready. I kicked down, pushing forward with my feet and pressing the accelerator. The jet ski zoomed from where it was before, gliding through the water, as the waves flared from the sides. “Ahhhh!!!” I screamed in fear, whereas she laughed as if this was some carnival ride. It was much worse than a carnival ride. But it was fun!
The ocean was so vast, and I didn’t know how far I should go. I wanted to hit the speed limit, which was 120 kmph (75 miles per hour). Yes, I’m very knowledgeable, thank you very much. I could see the outlines of the island, and the buildings that welcomed our presence.
We approached the dock, and people began to stare at us. This jet ski had its own special sound, unlike the other ones, and as we started to slowly go up the ramp, I noticed the guy from the jet ski was right there, looking surprised at us.
I let go of the acceleration, and coasted to a stop at the dock, as the motorboat appeared next to us. I hopped off the jet ski and handed it to Nikki, who was still laughing like an insane person. “Whoa, it was amazing!” she said, her eyes shining. She hopped off the jet ski, and now we had to wait for the others to come. I heard the others arrive, and one by one they began to come out of the boat.
“I can already tell this will be a great adventure,” Nikki replied.
Malachi and Tisiah rode together, whereas September took her own. Tisiah seemed horrified, whereas Malachi looked as if that was intentionally supposed to happen. “I’ll never get used to this, it’s just too weird,” he muttered.
“Yeah, well, don’t worry about it. It’ll feel normal once we’re done,” Malachi assured. “Come on, let’s find a car and find the beach. I want to sit on the warm sand and do nothing.”
Nikki sighed in amusement, and followed behind him, but she glanced back at me with a mischievous grin. “You coming?”
“Uh-huh,” I replied, still feeling that discomfort in my stomach. But that was probably because my head was spinning. I was so anxious that I could explode.
A jet ski zoomed past me, as I stared into the water. My mind told me to run. To run before I saw what was lurking beneath the deep blue sea. But something else within me wanted more. Something I’ve never felt before.
“How much money do you think I would have to spend to stay here for five days?” I whispered. The other side of my brain wanted to hear the reply.
It didn’t take long.
The man who was driving the jet ski stopped, and he looked at me with his pale skin and sharp blue eyes. They scanned from top to bottom, and I felt as though he knew me. I could feel my pulse racing. If not because of how calm he seemed, then maybe because of the sudden fear of what was going to happen next.
“Come on, let’s go Connor!” I heard Nikki say. Quickly, I followed her, as the fear rushed out of me. I felt calm now, as we began to approach a car that parked near the gate of the beach. “Well, well, well,” Malachi said, looking at the vehicle. It was a F-250, and I could tell Malachi was in love with it.
There were others parked around us, and the whole scene looked as if it was meant for television or movie. “We should take a walk along the beach,” I heard Nikki remark. Malachi smiled and nodded, and we all hopped into the truck. I sat next to Malachi, while Nikki sat to my right.
September jumped into the driver’s seat, as she usually does, as I felt the seats touch of leather and fabric. The windows turned down, and I could feel the wind gust.
“Alright,” Malachi said. “We’ll start this now. It’s time to head for the beach. Oh, and I wouldn’t mind swimming in some warm water. I’m so tired of this cold weather.”
“Yeah. I guess it’s better to be on vacation than in class, huh?” I said with a chuckle. “Let’s find Mark Gerard.”
I saw September open her map, and then she began to navigate towards a certain area of Bimini. I could barely see her face because she used her phone, but she kept typing on the screen. “We can return this to the owner in time, I hope,” September said.
“I made the car,” Nikki said. “With my wand obviously.”
September froze as if she just lagged, then nodded slowly. “That means this thing isn’t going to last very long, right?” September asked. Nikki nodded.
“But that is the beauty of it!” she replied. “You have to work fast before you break it. We are on a mission, and that means everything has to be flawless and fast! So you make what you can, in time. That is how the YMPA rolls. Everything is faster. More productive. And we don’t have to worry about having cars every single day like normal people do. They’re a luxury, really. But if you want to become the best there is at doing anything, then you have to get used to not having things. At least for a while. You need to take risks, take chances. Then when you succeed, you gain a greater amount of experience. This way, you can grow into an even better person than before.”
“Jeez, Nikki,” I muttered. The only reason I was so stunned was because I didn’t think she had these kinds of ideas.
The car moved forward, and I sat back on the leather seat, closing my eyes for a few minutes, and just enjoying the warm air. My thoughts weren’t peaceful and tranquil. They were scattered. It was as if my mind was filled with many different memories from my past life, and I couldn’t seem to focus on one particular memory at a time.
“Connor,” Malachi murmured, snapping me out of my daze. I opened my eyes slowly, as the ocean came into view. It was dark, and I could hear the waves crashing against the shore.
“Hmm?” I asked.
“Are you okay, kid? Your mind seems…distracted.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, looking out the window. “I know.”