Take My Breath Away

Kasie nervously tugged at Wesley's sleeve before he left for the rescue. "Colonel Li, please. Make sure they come back safe and sound. Please!" she begged, her voice shaking.

Wesley broke free from her grip and assured her, "Don't worry. I will." And that was when Kasie realized she was being a bit foolish. She withdrew her hands, and looked down.

After the search and rescue team left, Blair sat on a bench, chin propped up in her hands as she watched the ship sail away. She prayed in her mind, 'Dear God, please bring all of them home safe..."

Half an hour later, the rescue ship that Wesley was in began to slow a little when they were some miles from the coastline.

Wesley carefully observed the area through a set of binoculars, hoping to find an island or anything from Carlos and Debbie's yacht. He knew he could only see about 3 miles out due to the curvature of the earth, but the digital magnification and enhancement were what he was after. No sign of a yacht or his friends, but he did spot a killer whale leaping out and diving into the sea some distance away. It was common to see killer whales around here, so he paid it no mind. He continued to focus on searching for what he wanted.

Time passed quickly. Still, nothing—nothing but the endless sea that stretched to the horizon. Wesley listened to the reports from the rescue team in the helicopters. "One klick south by southeast, nothing. Over."

"Two klicks northeast, no sign. Over."

Still no good news. Wesley was beginning to think this might be a fool's errand.

Wesley continued to look into the distance through the binoculars. The killer whale came into view again, but this time, it was much closer to the boat. 'I hope that big guy's careful. He doesn't need to get caught by our propeller.'

When he was about to shift his gaze away from the whale, something on its mouth caught his eye. 'Is it hurt, or is that just some fish?' He zoomed in for a closer look, but it dove again before he could figure out what that was. When the thing surfaced again, he got another chance.

Wesley quickly directed the lens towards the killer whale again. It swam closer and closer to them. He got a better look. It was dark blue, and seemed as if it were a torn piece of cloth.

Wasting no time, he told the captain to bring the cutter alongside the killer whale.

When he was close enough to observe the orca without the help of the binoculars, he asked the captain to stop the ship. Magically, the killer whale instantly sprang up, breaking the surface of the water, and made sounds, like it was trying to communicate. It sounded like someone was letting air out of a balloon, deliberately making it squeak.

The whale leapt up, and Wesley was able to pull the piece of cloth from the whale's mouth. 'Did it eat someone? That doesn't sound right. They don't do that, usually, ' he thought. He examined the shred of clothing carefully. 'There! That tag! Mazu Resortwea

e for her, so it covered her from neck to knees.

Bare-chested, Niles wanted to protest, but Carlos shot him a sharp glance, silencing him.

On their way back, the killer whale followed them the whole way, keeping a safe distance from the ship, but close enough to be seen. Seeing its dorsal fin cutting through the surface of the sea, Debbie couldn't hold back her tears. "I'm gonna miss him. Think we'll ever see him again?"

Carlos touched her head and comforted her, "You can come whenever you want."

"But... I'm afraid..." she stammered. She would miss the killer whale, but she didn't want to be shipwrecked again. Understandable, since they had battled not only the natural elements, but supernatural ones as well.

Carlos smiled. Looking at the swimming killer whale, he said, "Tell it you'll come to visit around the bay surrounding the island."

"Why there? Are you afraid people might hurt it?"

He nodded, "Yeah, kind of. We need to protect it."

"Right."

While Debbie was watching the killer whale swimming happily, Carlos radioed land. They were still out of cell range, so it took a little doing to get his assistant Frankie on the line. "Yep, purchase the beach. Launch a public welfare program to protect the marine life around there. Prepare all the needed application forms, materials and submit them to the State Oceanic Administration. And attract some investment. ZL Group will fund 80% of the total investment..."

Finally, they reached the beach. Their other friends were there, waiting anxiously.

When Kasie spotted Debbie, she ran over to her and hugged her tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. "Deb, oh, thank God! You're back. I was so worried about you!"

Debbie hugged her back while comforting her, "Don't cry. I'm fine now."

After confirming Wesley was safe, Blair also ran up to Debbie. "So where did you guys end up?"

"On a desert island," Debbie said. "In some ways, it was bad. In other ways, paradise."