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[center][color=BFEFFF]May 2nd, 2016 ♦ 3:00 AM ♦ Monterey, California[/color][/center]
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Lorena Marquez should've been sleeping. Instead she was riding down California 1 on a bike trying her best to get the hell out of Monterey. It was for the same reasons she had tried to run away the last ten times, her parents were fighting again. They were always fighting about something: money, the car that always had one tyre on the road and other one in the shop, and of recently just one another in general. She knew kids whose parents had gotten divorced before, they had normal lives and everything. But it just wasn’t something that happened to [b]you[/b], it wasn’t something that you had to deal with. It wasn’t something that you had to wake up to in the morning. So she chose to ignore it, drown it out in any way she could. Sometimes though when they thought she was sleeping, the arguments would get worse and worse until they just seemed to swallow up the whole damn house. Tonight was one of those nights.

So there she was riding down the highway at an hour considered obscene by most. White earphones tucked into her ears (bought a week ago at the 7-Eleven and already falling apart at the seams) as she peddled down slick asphalt. Music blasting as loud as her phone could go. It didn’t have any lyrics, just noise on top of noise getting steadily more complex, time signatures jumped all over the places while melody and countermelody were up against one another’s throats with razor blades. She didn’t want to pay attention to words or artist's intent, she just wanted to get lost in the sound of it all. She wanted to get her mind lost on anything else beside the argument that was without a doubt still raging at her house.

Sixteen, it was supposed to be something of a big deal but her sixteenth birthday had come and gone like all the others. She just continued to count down the days until she turned eighteen, until she was free of that house, free of her parents and could do whatever she really wanted. For now though she would stick to riding her bike down the side of the highway. It reminded her of when she was little and her father would take her out in his old red pickup truck out past Swanton where it just seemed to be the two of them and nobody else in the world. He would fish and she would just sit there and talk to him, maybe chase the seagulls around and play in the water. The fresh pacific breeze dancing playfully around them. The truck was gone of course, her father had to sell it awhile back to pay the mortgage besides, he never had time to go fishing anymore. The memories still comforted her though when she needed them.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed as two forms were jettisoned out of the water and into the air. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she slowed down and peered over the side at the bay. Moments later two large forms hit slapped against the sand like hunks of meat hitting the counter before the butcher chops them up. She peered into the darkness seeing what could only be described as two human like shapes.

And for a moment the girl stood motionless unsure what to do. One hand automatically began sneaking down to grasp at her phone, the response being drilled into her brain from a young age. Fingers froze as soon as they grasped at the hard plastic case. She could end it right there, call up the police and they could come and deal with whatever the ocean had just spat up. She could continue with her plan to run away from her parents, eventually grow tired and realize she had been stupid and have to peddle all the way back to her house.  Or she could go and investigate herself... She had to make sure it wasn’t just some driftwood before she went and bothered the police about it right?

Lorena parked her bike on the side of the road, flipping the kickstand up in a rush before it came tumbling down. Sneakers hit the sand sinking in part way, small granules getting inside and rubbing against her socks as she made her way down the beach.

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In his dreams he was always a child again. His mother was calling out to him to come in for dinner. Her hair fiery red hair skipping in the summer’s breeze. In his dreams she was always smiling, always kind, young, and full of life. She wasn’t like the tired old woman that he had met later on full of sorrow and sadness. And he ran after her on his tiny little toddler legs but the closer he got the further away she always she seemed. Until just like that she was gone and he was tumbling through darkness, tumbling, tumbling, and tumbling some more until he hit the ground a world away.

Eyes shot open as air filled his lungs, not water but [i]fresh[/i] air. Hands found shaky purchase on cool sand, without much effort Orin slowly pushed himself out of the sand and into a kneeling position. His eyes adjusted to the scene around him, he was on a beach somewhere. He tried to focus past the pain that was flaring up on the left side of his head. He turned to see the other form that had washed up on the shore next to him. Pale skin, sharp ears, jet black haired slicked backwards. Namor, the one that had up to recently been trying to kill him. 

Slowly Orin made his way over to the his fallen form and without much grace flipped the young man onto his back. Blood streamed from a deep gash on the upper left-hand corner of his face from when the seabed had collapsed around them. When the two of them had nearly died because of Orin’s half-brother Orm who had played them both like the fools that they were. He pressed two fingers against the man’s neck feeling and there it was.[sub]Badump[/sub][sup]badump[/sup][sub]badump[/sub]. The pulse was strong despite the trauma has body had been through. Orin could at least gave the young man that, he could sure as hell take a beating. 

His mind drifted back to the events the lead him there. Orm, he had once considered the man the closest thing he had to a brother. They had toppled kings together, they had saved the oceans time and time again. Was all of it a lie? He dared not to think about, lest his entire being became filled with frothing unadulterated rage. So he silenced that part of him the best that he could, the part of him that wanted to turn around and leap back into the ocean and rip Orm’s head from his body. Charging in now would only get him killed. He needed a plan before he started charging in. Problem was Orm was always the one with the plan, he just hit enough of the bad guys to make the plan a reality.

He heard it first, the sound of footsteps displacing sand. Orin’s head snapped in the direction of the sound where he saw a source of light coming straight towards him, the bright sphere bobbing up and down erratically. Reflexively he reached for his trident usually strapped to his back but he found nothing. Orm had has trident, he had given it to Orm and the bastard used it to nearly try and kill him.  That was okay though, he didn’t need the trident to defend himself. You didn’t become king of the oceans without learning a few tricks. 

The light then spoke out to him. “Yo! Are you guys alive down there?” the light asked as it closed the distance. English, the light spoke English. At least Orin remembered how to speak English.  Soon Orin could see the form of a teenage girl from behind the light holding up what seemed to be a small rectangular device that fit into the palm of her hand.

Orin pushed himself up and onto his feet brushing the sand off of him. The girl tilted her head following his head upward and he rose to his full height dwarfing her in the process. [color=BFEFFF]“We are fine. Thank you for your concern child.”[/color]

“Dude. I’m [b]sixteen[/b] not five, not a kid.” The girl responded with a sharpness to her tone that Orin was not used to. “You sure? Cause I saw you like get spit out of the ocean. I might of almost flunked out of health class, but I know that’s not good for you.” 

[color=BFEFFF]“I assure you, we are fine.”[/color] Orin insisted, but the girl was too busy looking at Namor and the gash in his head. Orin stepped between her and the boy’s body speaking again more sternly. [color=BFEFFF]“Where are we exactly child?”[/color]

“Monterey... California? You sure you didn’t hit your head or something, like your friend over there?” The girl asked eyebrow raised as she  pointed between Orin's legs at Namor. 

California... The last time he had been in California was when his father was still alive. His father was doing some work with the staff at Birch Aquarium in San Diego. He tried to rack his memory for the lessons his father had taught him about California. Though it was hard going that was some time ago and his memories on the surface world had become increasingly faded the more time he spent down in Atlantis. He could barely remember his father’s own face at this point. 

[color=BFEFFF]“Is Jerry Brown still your governor?” [/color]

“No? I mean not since like my parents were still in school... Just who are you exactly?” The girl explained starting to slowly regret not calling the police earlier. 

[color=BFEFFF]“I’m Orin, King of Atlantis.”[/color] Orin responded nonchalantly even as the girl took one large step backwards.

“Sureeeee. And I’m the Queen of England.” 

[color=BFEFFF]”Well that’s just ridiculous. Why would you be in California?” [/color]

“Oh yeah, [b]I’m[/b] the ridiculous one. Not the crazy man that washed up on the beach at three in the morning claiming that he came from Atlantis.” She fired back heatedly. “The Darling it's better. Down where it's wetter. That Atlantis.” 

[color=BFEFFF]“Yes. Atlantis like I told you.”[/color] Orin responded exasperated. 

“Well I'm sorryyy. But I can't just believe you are from fucking Atlantis.” She responded but much too her annoyance Orin was looking back at the sea, right hand against his temple with his eyes closed. “Wait... What the hell are you doing?”

[color=BFEFFF]“Showing you.”[/color] Orin explained as he closed his eyes and reached out into the surrounding area around him. He could feel them, all the creatures of the sea just waiting beyond the reaches of the shore. The sand crabs laying in their burrows, the small fish swimming just a few feet ahead of him in the water, he could feel all of them like he was at the center of a web stretching out infinitely into every direction. All he had to do was pluck the strings.

So he did.

The girl watched in silent awe as the very ocean around her which seemed calm and without life mere moments ago rustled as dozens of creatures began swimming towards the shore. Crabs, fish, and even sea gulls all coming to cluster around the man who stood there hand outreach as if he was summoning them all to him. She had never seen so many animals in one place before, let alone sea creatures and this close to the beach. They all seemed to be trying to get closer to the man, to be able to touch him. Then he dropped his hand and turned back to face her, and the fantasy vanished. All the creatures immediately began to scurry, swim, or fly away in a flurry of movement and soon it was just her and him once more.

“H...How?” She asked mouth slightly open in shock.

[color=BFEFFF]“I’m their king.”[/color] Orin explained with a small smile barely ghosting his face. [color=BFEFFF]”Now tell me is there someplace my friend and I can recuperate for the night?”[/color]

“I’m guessing that you don’t have any money do you?” 

[color=BFEFFF]“King’s don’t need money.”[/color]

“Yeah, kind of walked into that one didn’t I? So hotels and shit like that are out...” She explained scratching her head. An idea was already dawning upon her but she didn’t really like it. “I mean... we have a shed in our backyard that we really don’t use anymore. You guys could probably sleep there for a night.”

[color=BFEFFF]“That... could work.”[/color] A shed was no bedroom in the royal palace but he wasn’t about to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

“Alright, well my parents are probably still arguing, so I can sneak you in.” The girl explained playing with her hands. “I mean we should probably go now if you're ready.” 

[color=BFEFFF]“I agree.”[/color] Orin replied as he walked over to the unconscious Namor and easily lifted him up and onto his shoulder.   

“My name’s Lorena by the way. Lorena Marquez.” She explained as she began to walk back up the beach towards her bike, Orin following in step.

[color=BFEFFF]“Well then thank you Ms. Marquez. I will remember you when I return to Atlantis.”[/color]

“Hey. If you're the king down there or whatever. Why are you up here?” She asked flicking her head backwards at Orin. The man’s face looked decidedly tired as he turned away from her. 

[color=BFEFFF]”It’s a long story.”[/color] Orin replied bluntly.

“Well it’s a long way to my house.... And you know since I’m helping you, you could at least fill me in on this shit.”  

[color=BFEFFF]“No.”[/color]

“Please?”

[color=BFEFFF]“I said no child.”[/color]

“Come on. And I'm not a kid.”

Orin let out a defeated sigh as he looked down at the girl. [color=BFEFFF]“Well it all began some time ago.....”[/color]