Almond

Almond was a researcher at the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. Recently, she had been researching the ocean's creatures, the ones we have never seen. Two weeks before the submarine got lost, Almond was baking a perfect red velvet cupcake. She had been practicing for about a month now, and she was ready for the competition that would happen at her local bakery. She lived in Auckland, New Zealand. It was a cloudy summer morning, and as she enjoyed her cupcake, she thought about her grandmother. Almond had been named after her ship, Monday Al’, which had been passed down generation by generation until the day her grandmother drowned. Rail Whakaukia, Almond's grandmother, was a beautiful woman, as Almond knew because this house belonged to her. When Almond Was moving in, she found pictures of seashells, Monday Al', and her grandmother herself. But she also found a recipe for Rail's Red Velvet Cupcakes. She didn't know why, but ever since the day she tried Grandma's recipe, she felt an unknown urge towards the ocean.

"RING!" The telephone rang and messed up the neatly organized pile of thoughts. Almond stood up and dragged herself to the phone. She picked it up.

"Hello, Almond here; who is it? "

“Almond, I am so sorry and so happy for you at the same time.”

'What?"

"Mr. O just called us, and he wants you to go on the expedition!"

"What the heck?"

“I know! Isn’t it just THE dream?”

“No, it is NOT, and don’t you know I’ve got better, I mean, more important things to do?

“What do you MEAN? I'd rather go on an amazing once-in-a-lifetime submarine ride than just sit around all day in front of a computer!”

“Well, I would rather chase my dreams and try to figure out the mysteries of the sea than risk my life and hop into a random box sinking into the ocean. ”

“Just Coooommeeee!”

“FINE!”

She slammed the phone down.

She stared at the whiteness of the wall.

It had all happened in a flash. It was a blur. What had just happened? One minute she was thinking about her grandma's cupcake recipe, and the next she was on the phone screaming at her coworker, Jack. Almond got her suitcase out and packed all of her belongings. She didn't have much to pack since she didn't have a lot of stuff. She called a taxi and waited.

She waited, and waited, and waited, but still the taxi didn't come.

She then decided she'd wait just a few more minutes and went inside to bake. She had memorized the recipe by heart, and she could finish it in a flash.

10 minutes later, Almond had made three cupcakes, but the taxi still hadn't arrived. She called Jack, but he didn't answer. So she has just walked until she saw a takin She waved and shouted, “Hey! Over here!” As the man pulled over, he said, "Where'd you like to go? A lot of people head to the airport today.”

“Oh, really? I was actually going there too!"

"Alrighty, here we go!” 15 minutes later, they arrived at the airport.

“Thanks!” Almond said.

"Your welcome!"

Almond ran because she knew she was late for the flight. It was 9:50, but she knew the next flight would take off at 10 o'clock. “Fudge," she thought to herself, wishing she had just stayed at her house and baked more red velvet cupcakes. Almond ran. She ran and ran and ran. She bolted to a stop. She looked at her watch and sighed. She had 5 minutes left. She jogged to the man in a suit; he had a name tag that read Voldemort. ‘What a name,’ Almond thought.

"Hi.." The man, Voldemort, said glumly,

"Hi!" Almont greeted him.

“Whatta ya want?". He asked.

Oh, well, I'd like to find gate 3, if you don't mind!

'''Gate 3? "

'Yeah"

"I'm so, so sorry; but there's no gate 3 here."

"What do' you mean?"

'Well, gate 3 closed down 2 months ago, they

Say it's because the pillars there fell down.

“What IS my LUCK today?"

'I know. I understand "

'What?'

'”You know, I'm heading towards Maryland; today's my day for that and I'm sure there's a seat or two left if that's where you're heading," 

"Oh, really, you wouldn't mind?" 

“No! Of course not! You know, there are still a few nice people left in the world, and you should know that.”

"Wow, well? What are we waitin for? we’re gonna be late!"

'Thanks!".

Almonds. looked at her watch.It was 9:55. Three minutes left B She was sure she'd make it though.

Voldemort and abes:Almond headed for the gate. The sign said Maryland!

Band of beauty!?

“Where should I sit?” Almond said as she Boarded the plane.

“Hmm.. Ooh. I see.. the'res, a spott in the economy, if you don't mind.".

*Uhhh sure! It's my first fimeriding ir a blue economy! Wow!"

The two, didn't really talk to each other

after that, the ride was quick, eren though it was 14 hours long; the movies really helped of pass the time

"Hello, Hello? This is your captain. we're gonna arrive soon, so close your tables."

Almond sighed. Sherilosked at her watch, it a was 4 ad , , in the morning, ca the watch was set for New zedland time. "Arg'". she growned. She wiget off the plane, said her good -byes to vol de mort, and set off to find the head quarters for her company.. The taxi droveand drave for a loong time, untill she finally arrived, "Hey " hey hey!" She recognized. the voice right away.

“Jack" she sped uried after that was bit of a blurr. Mr. O was very nice to Almond but the other people were very rude, espeially because Almond didnt have an iphone, The next week was similar, but with less people involved, more talking and packing

Finally, It was the day of the expadition! Over the two weekes, Almond had made 12 red velvet cupcakes. She packed them neatly in a box to bring into the submarine incase she got hungry

“Almond Wha kan kid a please board the sub marine" Mr. O said at last.

Little did anyone know, however. that it would be the last time anyone would see the people on the ship, except, yes, except Almond. Herels how it . happened.

Almond, Jeremy, Gate; and striffler all, hoped onto the submarie

the by one. We inside, the saw,

chair with a low back. nothing. else was There, not much, anyway. They, could see The under water life through a very blurry window. as they waved good-bue to the world on and, the subnarine started to sink. They saw the view get darker and darker was then dove deeper into the ocean. "Mi haro! Almond

misorosaid, under her breath.

sHah? Sate said something’s not

right.

'WHAT? Jeremy asked.

"Something's- Something's brocken!

"Oh no …” Jeremy sighed.

“Welp, I guess that's the end of us!” Somebody cried

"'Hey, striftler?"

M-hm?

The sub marine's sinking!"

" M-hm?"

Oh, was Almond scared. It was cayos! the sub marine was sinking... But to the bottom of the bottomless seal

Almond bit her nails, and tapped her feet, and she reached for a cupcake

She gobbled it up. She thought of a commercial for a desserts store.

" ARE! YoU! sTressed?"-a lady in a pink apron shouts.

Well, try our snack's n' desserts ToDaY!

Why? Because STRESSED backwards is

DESSERTS!"

and boy, was Almond stressed.

Almond ate a dozen cupcakes before the submarine sank into the bottom of the ocean. It was pitch dark, and Almond was sure the others had passed out. Almond thought, ‘I guess I’ll follow the faith of my grandmother…’ She thought of the things she hadn’t done yet, what she wanted to do, what she had done, the people she had seen and would never be able to see again. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. She was sure she would die in a few minuets. It was quiet, very quiet. She opened her eyes and wondered why she was’t dead yet. she looked around and saw nothing. She waved her arm around to stretch. then she noticed she was in the water. How could she breathing? Then, a mystyriuos voice from nowhere said, “A…Aldmond?” 

“Who, who’s there?” 

 

 

-To be Continued