Oceanna World

By Deb Lamb

Mykee Dylan finds herself far away from her life in competitive cheer. At nearly fourteen years old, she meets a family she never knew existed and finds herself in a realm of kingdoms, chaos, adventure, and romance. Mykee struggles to balance the tides of the world she has grown to know and love as a cheerleader with the discovery of a hidden realm, revealing family secrets of royal aquatic lineage. Join Mykee as she navigates through every flip, twist, and turn this book series has to offer and explore Oceanna World Emerald Tides.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665752916

Deb Lamb

Deb Lamb was born in Winfield, Kansas. She has made a home for herself in the Branson, Missouri area for the majority of her adult life. Tucked into the Ozark Mountains, she has enjoyed keeping imagination and magic alive for her grandchildren. Writing a teen fantasy series, with the help of her teen grandchildren, has been fun. She loves the Ozarks, but her favorite place in the world is near the ocean. She believes in the importance of keeping the oceans and land clean. She hopes some of this is revealed in her writing.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Deb Lamb.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5290-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5291-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023921518

Archway Publishing rev. date:  12/14/2023

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Epilogue

Afterword

I dedicate this book to my children, and grandchildren, who have kept the magic alive for me far in to my adult years.

With their permission, The

names of the characters reflect my family and friends.

However, the characters themselves are totally fictitious.

There’s a reason we don’t believe in mermaids or fairies – They don’t exist, right?

Mykee Dylan

PREFACE

One day I bought a new I Pad. My 8 year old granddaughter, Micah saw it and said excitedly, Lets write a story Grandma! We began writing a story together about a girl named Mykee and mermaids. Whenever she came to visit, we added to our story. One day, the I Pad disappeared. Years went by and the story was forgotten. One day, I went to open a drawer and felt something jammed in between the two drawers. There was my I Pad. Micah was now 12. I asked her if she wanted to continue writing the story. Sadly, she wasn’t in to it. I decided to go ahead and write it. She started giving her opinions on the story and thought we should change it into a teen fantasy. Micah got excited about writing it again. My other grand daughters, Abby and Lily, also got into it. They each were excited to give me ideas and story lines. This book, has reconnected me with my grandchildren. It has awakened in us something we shared when they were very young. The excitement of magic, imagination and fantasy.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thank You to my beautiful talented niece, Sarah Rozell, for taking the time to read this book before it’s publication, for her suggestions and for her illustration skills. She gave valuable time to me, in spite of having a brand new baby, a preschooler, and a husband to care for. She did this during her maternity leave before returning to her full time teaching job.

Thanks to my niece, Kelly Hanes, for being the first to read the completed book.

I would love to thank my granddaughter, Micah Haag, for helping me with ideas for the direction of this book and actually writing parts of it.

I would also like to thank my oldest granddaughter Abby Hamilton for her suggestions, encouragement, and input in the making of this story.

I want to thank my youngest granddaughter, Lily Poteet for her ideas and interest during the writing of this book.

I must also thank my grandson, Asher Haag who has added his suggestions to this book.

My Adult Children have backed me and supported me and believed in me.

Thank you Jeremy Price, Becky Hamilton, and Kelli Haag. I love you all!

1

66902.png

M om! - Mom! What are you doing? Mykee yelled from the deck of the boat that she and her mother had boarded together just minutes before. It was just beginning to pick up speed when Mykee saw her mother standing back on the shore waving at her!

Mom was right behind me! We boarded the boat together. But, now she’s standing on the shore. Mykee said to herself, This isn’t happening! It can’t be happening! She quickly peered around the boat to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. She kept yelling at her mom as she moved further and further from the shore.

Mom!! HELP! Mykee saw her mother cupping her hands together in the shape of a heart and then waving goodbye! As Mykee’s cries for her mom grew louder and louder, her mother’s silhouette grew smaller and smaller until she was just another pebble on the beach.

Mykee realized her cries to her mom were worthless. The waves of the ocean seemed to swallow her words up long before they could reach the shore. To Mykee, the ocean had always seemed alive, as though it had a mind of its own. Defeated, she hung her head and cried softly.

Mykee said to herself, This is not real- this can’t be real! How did Mom get off the boat? Did she never get on? Yes, she did! I saw her! SHE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME! I have to find the captain to stop this boat!!

Mykee looked around and did not see one other person! She said,I know there were other people here and mom was with me! What is going on?

Panicked, Mykee ran around to the cabin of the boat. There was a tall man there. Relieved, she ran up to tell him he needed to turn the boat around. But he just glared at her with a coldness she had only seen in movies. He didn’t speak a word! Mykee told him again several times and still, he acted like he couldn’t understand her! He gave her a hateful look, then stepped toward her and stared hatefully into her eyes and motioned for her to leave the cabin. Frustrated and scared, Mykee ran back out and onto the deck. She could no longer see the shore.

The waves were starting to get rough, and the boat was rocking violently! She looked around again and suddenly she saw a girl sitting on the far side of the boat. The girl had long beautiful pink hair. Her hair was wet, but it looked freshly combed and didn’t seem to be affected by the wind. Mykee, hanging on to the railing with all her might, struggled to make her way over to the girl.

Mykee yelled, Hey! Looks like we’re in trouble here! The captain apparently doesn’t speak English and we have to get back to shore right away! My mom is still on the shore! The tears, along with the fierce wind were stinging Mykee’s face.

With her back still to Mykee, the girl calmly said, Don’t worry. It will be Okay, Mykee. Relieved to have anyone to tell, Mykee started explaining as fast as she could.

I don’t know what’s going on! My mom and I were going over to Shell Island and suddenly she was not on the boat, but she was, and it has taken off without her, and now this storm! - Wait! Did you say Mykee? How do you know my name?

The girl turned around and looked at her. Mykee was stunned. She looked at her with the same Emerald eyes that Mykee had! The girl very sweetly said, Hi, I’m your cousin Lily. And with that, she grabbed hold of Mykee and pushed her off the boat into the raging sea.

63342.png

EIGHT HOURS EARLIER:

"Mykee! Get down here! We’re going to be late!

Okay Mom. Mykee said as she sat down at her bedroom mirror. She put a little blush on her already tanned cheeks and added some gloss to her lips.

She didn’t actually need eye makeup as she had remarkable emerald eyes, a feature she had never noticed in anyone else.

Mykee was nearly fourteen years old, with long sun-kissed brown hair. Her intense Emerald eyes have been a conversation topic for as long as she could remember. She often asked her parents questions about her eyes like, Did any of our ancestors have Emerald eyes? Why are your eyes hazel and Dad and Asher’s eyes are blue? Wouldn’t you think mine should be hazel too? Am I adopted? Maybe an alien? She would ask teasingly. Still, she never really got an answer that satisfied her.

You are simply you Mykee. God obviously blessed you with gorgeous eyes! Stop obsessing about it and enjoy being unique. This was always her mom’s response.

Total strangers would stop her and say things like Excuse me, I just have to say I have never seen such eyes! They are gorgeous! This happened often and made her feel quite embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Strange thing though, the intensity of the Emerald color in her eyes never showed up in pictures - not ever. Mykee looked at the photo she had wedged into the side of her mirror. She remembered when they had that photo taken. The photographer was so frustrated that he could not capture the rich color of her eyes in the photo. He offered to redo the photo shoot free of charge. However, Mom refused.

Coming, Mom! Mykee yelled. We are going to be gone so long and all I can take is this small bag? It’s crazy Mom, just crazy!

Mykee was being forced to go to a family reunion on an island somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Her mom had said, You need this, Mykee, It will be good for you to take a break. I am surprised you aren’t more excited about this. Kelli, Mykee’s mom said in disbelief.

Cheer season was over, and Kelli decided they were taking the summer off. Mykee had been in competitive cheer for seven years. They usually traveled for summer vacation; but, this year, her parents said they were doing a stay-cation. Mykee was happy, she wanted some home time.

A few weeks earlier, her mom left suddenly on a business trip. She brought home a small overnight bag, gave it to Mykee, and told her she had a surprise. They were going on a vacation/family reunion - AND they were leaving in two weeks! She also told Mykee it was the only bag she could bring.

Mykee said, Mom, really? This is ridiculous! We take more bags to a weekend competition!

It seemed to Mykee that traveling all over to cheer competitions had certainly taken its toll on Kelli. She had not been herself in the last month or so. Kelli was normally happy and upbeat. She was all about her cheer and actually kept Mykee on track - even on those rare occasions when Mykee found herself getting a bit lazy.

Lately, however, her mom was moody and short-tempered. She seemed preoccupied and her mind appeared to always be somewhere else. So, for this reason, Mykee finally decided not to throw too big of a fit over this trip.

Her mother had assured her that they could do plenty of shopping while gone and not to worry about the small bag.

Mykee knew it upset her mom when she told her she didn’t want to go.

Mykee and her best friend, Abby Rain, were excited to hear they would finally have a summer together. They made plans for the whole summer; so, the girls were not happy to hear about the surprise for Mykee - a trip that was going to last most of the summer!

School had only been out a few days. Mykee liked school, but so many weekends and evenings of going to cheer had put limits on her school friendships. They lived in a small town in the Florida panhandle. They had to travel an hour to her cheer gym at least three times a week. So, basically, Cheer was Mykee’s life. Competitive Cheer was very demanding and time-consuming.

Mykee missed out on a lot of the school recreational and sport activities. She knew this was the trade-off in order to do competitive cheer. She had been doing it since age four. It had become a part of her and for the most part, she did not regret it. But getting to spend the summer with her closest friend, Abby was something she really looked forward to. There was no chance of that happening now! Abby was sitting on Mykee’s bed and Mykee could see her in the mirror. She could see how sad Abby was.

She was going to miss Abby. Mykee met Abby while walking her collie, Princess, a few years ago. They became best friends fast. Abby also cheered, but at a different gym. She only lived a block away and was home schooled.

Abby’s mom was a traveling nurse and was gone a lot. A nanny stayed with Abby. She never talked about her dad. Mykee asked her once about him, but she could tell it made Abby uncomfortable, so she never asked again.

On several occasions, Abby would go with them on short vacations. This one was too long and too far away. Kelli had said no concerning Abby coming this time.

As Mykee zipped up her small bag, Abby told Mykee she should be excited to go to an island in the middle of the ocean.

I mean seriously Mykee! Who gets to do that? Where is this island anyway?

Mykee sighed, I don’t know. Who cares? It’s not here and I really didn’t want to leave at all. We had plans Abby! We were going to go swimming; we were going to work on some new skills for cheer. We were going to get our summer tans and flirt with your new neighbor Danny! Mykee really liked Danny and he seemed to like her too.

Mykee thought back to the day they were introduced. Mykee, meet my new neighbor, Danny Neelam. Danny, Meet my best friend, Mykee Dylan. He sweetly took her hand and held it as he said, It’s so nice to meet you, Mykee. It was the first time a boy ever held her hand. She felt almost light headed at his touch.

Abby laughed and said, Well, I’m sure Danny will still be here when you get back with your Island Tan! Mykee laughed with Abby and hugged her tight before saying goodbye.

Thanks for being so cool about this. Abby Rain, you’re the best friend anyone could have.

Tell me something I don’t know, Mykee Dylan! she teased as she made her way to the door. Abby opened the door, smiled, and winked at Mykee with her dazzling blue eyes, Love ya, girl! then left.

Mykee took one last look at her room. She and her mom had just finished redecorating her room and now she wouldn’t be in it for almost the whole summer! It was finally just the way she wanted it. She looked at her cheer medals hanging across one wall. Just above the metals was her name, Mykee Dylan in gold letters. Mykee smiled and thought to herself, I hope this trip gives mom the rest she needs because I will never be tired of cheer. NEVER. Something’s up with her.

She tried to shake off the uneasy feeling she had since her mom came and told her about this summer vacation.

Mykee! Now! Kelli yelled. She grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs.

Goodbye Dad! I am going to miss you! Mykee said as she walked into her father’s warm embrace, Tanner hugged her. Mykee didn’t like the thought of being away from her dad and Asher so long. See you soon Asher. I wish we were all going together. she said as she hugged them both. She stepped back and looked at the guys in her family. Her dad and Asher both had dark blond hair and very blue eyes. They looked a lot alike, she noticed.

Honey, we’ll be there in just a few weeks, Dad said. This will be a good time for the two of you. Asher has baseball camp and I still have to wrap up a few loose ends at my job. But I will see you soon. You and your mom will have a good time, sweetie.

Mykee’s dad owned Dylan’s Accounting. Kelli helped him sometimes but was a part time real estate agent also.

Asher, be good for your dad. Kelli said as they were rushing out the door. Tanner, don’t let our son stay up all night playing games. Love you both.

With that, they got into the taxi and headed to the airport.

* * *

In the taxi, Mykee asked her mom Where exactly are we going? This was a question she should have asked days ago, she thought. She was so unhappy about going and couldn’t believe she was actually about to get on a plane and didn’t even know where they were headed.

Mykee felt ashamed of herself for acting so ungrateful toward her mom about this trip. She had been rude and refused to even listen to her, making it clear she did not want to go. Mykee thought about how amazing her mom was and how close they were. Still, she did everything she could to get her to change her mind. She knew she hurt her feelings and she hated that. I’m going to do better on this trip, Mykee thought. I’m going to try hard to be nice to her, and we are going to have a good time!

Mom answered, Well honey, Like I said before, it’s kind of a family reunion. They’re relatives that you’ve never met before. They live off the coast of Florida on a small island.

Mykee thought back on the many conversations they had over the years about her mom’s family. Mykee said quietly, Mom, you said you lost your family in the ocean. I never asked you how because you were so sad every time we talked about your family. What did happen to…

The taxi driver interrupted and said hurriedly, Excuse me, Mrs. Dylan, we are here.

Mom handed the taxi driver some money and jumped out of the car. Mykee followed. They grabbed the small bags and hurried to the terminal on a flight to Miami, Florida. Suddenly, she felt homesick for her Dad and Asher. She always felt safe and secure when her dad was around. Something about this didn’t feel safe or secure at all. Asher could get on her last nerve, but they were close. Why wouldn’t he be with me too, to meet these new relatives? Mykee thought, I know he had baseball, but why didn’t we just wait till that was over? That way we could all go together.

The two boarded the plane and Mykee’s Mom took the window seat. Kelli said, Honey I am sorry, but I’m beat! I’m going to sleep for an hour or two, OK? Mykee looked at her and could see that she was very exhausted.

Kelli had her hand wrapped around the necklace that she never took off for as long as Mykee could remember. It was a habit of hers to hold that necklace when she was tired or stressed. It was a strange pendant. It was silver with a glass front. Etched on the glass was a sand dollar. It had a unique color of sand in it that you could see at different times. In fact, the sand actually appeared to change color on occasion.

Sure Mom, get some rest. I’ll let you know when we’re getting ready to land. Mykee lay back in her seat as her thoughts tried to make sense of all this. Why have I never met these people before if they are our relatives? Mom lost her family in some kind of accident before I was born. All she ever said was that she lost them in the ocean and had no family left. Her eyes would fill with tears, she would grab her necklace and change the subject. As close as we are, that was one thing I could never get her to talk about. Mom never let me look too closely at the necklace either.

Once, Mykee insisted she had seen the sand change color. Kelli took the necklace, quickly put it under her blouse, and said, Don’t be silly! Mykee and Kelli were close and she could tell when something wasn’t right! Kelli never kept anything from her. Yet, she felt a barrier of some kind between them.

They landed in Miami and her mom took them right away to another terminal where they boarded a small plane with an engine that was too noisy and too loud to allow any conversation. In a short time, they landed at St Thomas Island. The plane freaked Mykee out, and she was so glad to be on solid ground!

It was breathtakingly beautiful there! Mykee was in awe! The ocean was as Emerald as her eyes.

Mykee thought, I hope we get to clean up a little and grab a bite to eat before I meet my mysterious relatives, I am starving!

Her mom took her hand, and they headed immediately to the beach at the boat docks.

Running to keep up, Mykee said Mom why are we going this way? We haven’t eaten since this morning, and I was hoping we could rest. We’re already here on the island. Can’t we just come back and look at things tomorrow?

Mykee saw that the boat she was getting ready to board said;

To Shell Island. Excursions Every Four Hours.

Mykee said, Mom we don’t want to get on this…this is just an excursion boat to Shell Island. No one lives there.

This is the way we have to go Mykee; you’ll enjoy it. And we’re almost there. She hugged Mykee tight, then directed her towards the boat, and said, Come on let’s go.

Mykee boarded the boat and looked off towards the sea. She gasped at its beauty. It literally takes her breath away. It’s almost magical! She couldn’t remember when looking at something made her feel this overwhelmed and happy. She looked at it for a few moments taking it in as the boat moved out into the sea.

Mom isn’t this beautiful? When her mom didn’t answer, she turned around to see her mom wasn’t there! "Mom! MOM!"

2

66902.png

H itting the water shocked Mykee! It actually hurt. She never knew water could feel so hard! She was tossing and turning. Panicked, she struggled to get her head above the water.

She came to the surface long enough to see her cousin’s piercing, Emerald eyes looking down at her just before the waves pulled her under. Did my cousin Lily just shove me off the boat?

Mykee’s mind was swimming, but she was not! She was sinking fast! Mykee tried to kick her feet to get back to the surface to breathe! It seemed to no avail.

By now she was terrified! Which way was up? She couldn’t tell because she had been tossed in every direction by the waves. Mykee struggled to find her way to the surface until she had no strength left to fight. She was out of air.

Suddenly, something grabbed her hand. A person, or… was it a fish? Whatever it was, the thing was pulling her so fast! Mykee felt exhausted…So tired! More tired than hours of tumbling at the gym. Am I breathing underwater? Not possible… Mykee thought as she sank into nothingness.

Coughing and spitting water, Mykee tried to open her eyes. The saltwater had stung her eyes as she tried to get them to open. She remembered being pulled through the water so fast that, at times the speed rolled her eyelids back. What