True Love Waits

Chapter 433 Thank You For Being Alive

Carlos only gave her a long look. When the killer whale swam towards them, Debbie was so frightened she clutched Carlos tightly. "Run! Run!" she screamed, scrunching her eyes closed, too spooked to open them.

She heard water thrashing behind her, but soon it was quiet.

"Open your eyes," Carlos coaxed her.

When everything was quiet, Debbie's fear fled. She opened her eyes slowly. Her jaw dropped when she caught sight of what was right in front of her.

Carlos was stroking the killer whale's head!

"Are... are you crazy? I-l-it's going to eat you!" Fear filled her. She clung to his arm even tighter.

Since they boarded the boat, they'd been through a lot. Her day was filled with moments of terror and danger. She wondered if she would die from a heart attack soon.

For example, right now, her heart was pounding like it would burst through her chest, and she couldn't feel her legs.

Carlos, however, didn't seem scared at all.

Noticing the incredulity on her face, he explained, "About the only people these guys attack are their keepers. They like people."

As if to prove what he had said, the killer whale moved its huge body towards Debbie and butted its head against her playfully.

"Ugh! Help!" she cried. Suddenly, she wanted to be home. She really missed a bunch of people: Piggy, Curtis, Colleen, Kasie, Decker, even her mom. "Boo...hoo..."

Carlos smiled. He gave her a pat on the back and said, "It likes you."

'What?' Debbie stared at Carlos in shock. Cautiously, she looked back. The killer whale seemed to be smiling at her.

of the water and slapping its tail against the surface. Just when Debbie thought it was leaving, it leaped out of the water and dived

"The dolphins

to it,"

gone. Even though she couldn't see the whale anymore, Debbie waved her right arm excitedly and called out, "Hey

it understood her, the killer whale came swimming back. It finally surfaced only a couple feet in front of Debbie and

feeling embarrassed that she was scared again. She wondered if she

pressed his cheek against the killer whale's. Then he

slowly, and held the whale's big head. She

she gave the big guy

go in a

glared at the killer whale, which had closed

jumpy.

snorted in denial. And that was when the killer

it doing?"

Carlos shook his head.

it came back, the killer whale rubbed its head against Carlos' shin, and circled around him. Only then did Debbie notice that his leg was bleeding. He had been injured in the water somehow. The shark must

"I'm sorry I forgot you were hurt. We were in the water a long time. Why didn't you say something? The sea is salty. That must hurt like

looked at the deserted

"How did it happen?"

happened so fast I didn't have any warning.

bandages. I

"That's okay," Carlos said.

said. She had stayed in the water longer than she ever had. In fact, she wondered if she'd spent more time in the water than her entire life

depth of emotion in Debbie's soul.

Thank you for not

tinder,