Chapter Five

I was still shaken from the cave. All I wanted was to get to my room, shut the door, and breathe. But as I headed down the hallway, the muffled hum of voices from the lab stopped me cold. My fingers brushed the door to my room, but Jonathan’s voice rang out from inside the lab, pulling me in the other direction.

“It's happening tomorrow, before sunrise. We're getting the samples from the source.”

The mention of diving made my stomach twist. Tanya’s warnings and what Sebastian had shown me in the cave crashed through my thoughts. I took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped in.

The room went quiet. Everyone turned to look at me.

“A dive tomorrow?” I asked. My voice stayed calm even though my heart slammed in my chest. “That’s the plan?”

Jonathan leaned against the table, not bothering to look up from his notes. “It's our only choice,” he said, his voice calm but final. “The algae Tanya gave us is degrading. Already degraded! We need the real thing from the source to continue our research.”

I frowned, moving further into the room. “And you think risking your lives is the answer? The currents here are deadly, and the water temperature alone could, “

“We know the risks,” Jamie interrupted, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. His expression was serious, but there was a hint of confidence in his tone. “We've done this kind of thing before, Pearl. Worse than this, even.”

My frustration bubbled over. “It's not just about the physical conditions! There's something off about this place, something that Tanya clearly wanted to warn us about. How can you be so sure it's safe down there?”

Jonathan finally looked up, his expression unreadable. “You're letting the villagers' superstitions get to you.”

“It's not superstition!” I couldn't help raising my voice. “We don't know what's down there, Jonathan. How can you be so confident that it's safe to just dive in?”

He didn't flinch, his tone growing colder. “If you're too scared to join us, Pearl, that's your choice. But I'm not backing down from this.”

I didn't rise to the bait, instead sinking into a chair and rubbing my temples. Everything about this place - Sebastian's unsettling warnings, Amanda's desperate pleas, Tanya's eerie calm - it all gnawed at me. Nothing seemed to fit together, and yet it all screamed danger.

Kim's calm, curious voice broke the silence. “Even if we do dive, how are we supposed to find what we're looking for? The ocean is massive. What are we supposed to actually look for?”

Her question pulled me from my thoughts. My eyes drifted to the algae sample sitting on the counter, its faint glow barely visible but there. Suddenly, an idea started to form.

“We use the algae,” I said, sitting up straighter.

Jonathan turned to me, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

I leaned forward, trying to piece my thoughts together. “In nature, we often find that animals and other organisms have developed fascinating ways of responding to their environment - ways that we don't always fully understand.”

I paused, glancing around the room to make sure I had everyone's attention. “Take fireflies, for example. Their bioluminescence causes them to glow brighter when they're near others of their kind. Or sharks - they can sense electromagnetic fields from miles away, allowing them to detect prey and navigate the vast ocean.”

Kim tilted her head, her expression intrigued. “So you think the algae could do something similar?”

“Exactly,” I replied. “We've seen how the algae reacts and glows under certain conditions. What if it has some kind of innate ability to respond more strongly as it gets closer to its source - to where it originally came from?” I gestured to the glowing sample. “It's a bit of a stretch, I know, but it's better than just aimlessly diving and hoping for the best.”

Jonathan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “So we're pinning this whole plan on a 'maybe'?”

I held his gaze, trying to convey the importance of my idea. “The ocean is massive, Jonathan. Are you really planning to just swim around and hope you stumble across what we need? At least if we use the algae as a guide, it gives us a chance to narrow things down and not waste precious time or risk our lives unnecessarily.”

Kim nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the glowing sample. “She has a point. The algae does seem to respond to its environment in unique ways. And if it doesn't work, we're no worse off than we are now.” She turned to the others. “It's worth a try, don't you think?”

Jamie ran a hand over his jaw, his expression thoughtful. “It's risky, but I have to admit, it's not a bad idea. Beats just swimming around aimlessly.”

Jonathan's jaw tightened, but I could see him considering the proposal. After a moment, he let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine,” he said. “We'll take the sample and see if it reacts as we get closer to the source. But if it doesn't lead us anywhere, we keep diving until we find what we need.”

His tone left no room for argument, but I held his gaze, refusing to back down. “We stick to the plan, then. No unnecessary risks, no splitting up. If things start to go wrong, we come back immediately. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Jamie said with a nod.

Jonathan then grabbed the sample container, holding it up to the light as if examining a precious treasure. His eyes locked onto the faintly glowing algae, and for a moment, it was like the rest of us didn't even exist. The look on his face made my stomach churn - it was pure determination, yes, but also a raw, almost greedy hunger that I couldn't quite place.

Kim adjusted her jacket, shooting me a quick, encouraging smile, probably trying to keep the mood light. Jamie leaned against the wall, his expression unreadable as he tapped his foot.

But the whole cabin felt tense, like we were balancing on the edge of something we couldn't quite see.

“This'll guide us,” Jonathan said, setting the container down on the table with a little too much force. His tone didn't leave room for argument, not that anyone seemed inclined to push back at the moment.

Kim and Jamie gave half-hearted nods, but I just couldn't shake the heavy feeling in my chest. My eyes kept drifting back to the algae jars on the table. Their faint green glow pulsed almost rhythmically, as if they were alive and waiting for something.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my nerves because I knew it deep in my heart that the ocean held secrets we couldn’t imagine. And tomorrow, we were going to dive straight into its jaws.