Two weeks later, Mike rented a boat again and headed out through the water alone. He didn't tell the others where he was going, because he knew they would want to come along.
He headed for the lagoon, on the premise that he'd spend some time fishing, but he didn't plan on catching any fish. Instead, he brought the binoculars and gazed over the water, searching for her.
At first there was no sign of her. But he knew her well enough by now to know that she didn't like crowds, and waited patiently, thinking that it was only a matter of time.
After being in the water for a total of a half-hour, he spotted her. She was near some cliffs, poking around the rocks in the water near the edge of the island.
Mike's first instinct was to grab the boat and head out, but something stopped him, and he decided to sneak up on her. Tossing the binoculars on to the boat, he swam toward her, careful not to make too much noise.
After a half-hour of swimming and relaxing in the waves, Mike turned to head back to his boat, giving up on the girl. But he didn't see it.
At first he panicked, but then looked around. He'd most likely drifted away from it. And then he saw it. It was nearly a half-mile away from him.
Mike began to swim back toward the boat, but he was tired, and had only gone a few feet when he got a cramp in his leg.
'Shoot,' he muttered to himself, holding back a few obscenities. He tried to swim some more, but found he was making slow progress. The boat didn't seem to be getting nearer. And this time, Micky, Peter, and Davy weren't on the boat to rescue him.
He had no choice but to keep swimming. If he stayed in the water where he was, he would certainly worsen his pain, and if he didn't keep swimming, he would never get home. But it hurt to swim, and he was tired.
Suddenly, someone grabbed his waist, and he was lifted up, into someone's arms before he could say a word.
"Easy," a soothing voice whispered in his ear, and he relaxed slightly. "You'll be okay."
Mike turned to see who was carrying him, and was met with the lovely auburn hair and dark blue eyes of the girl who had rescued him before. "Y-you again!" he stammered. "I knew you were real."
The girl didn't respond, she just looked away, appearing shy. But she didn't release him.
"Come with me, please," he pleaded. "On to the boat." He looked around, but saw no other boats but his. "Where are you from...is your boat near here?" he asked.
"I-I haven't got a boat," she mumbled quietly.
"Y-you don't?" he asked. "Well, come with me, please?" he asked again. She couldn't stay in the ocean all day.
The girl didn't answer. They were at the boat by now, and she released him, leaving him to clear the last few feet of water before his boat.
"I'm sorry, I can't," she whispered, and turned to swim away. Mike reached out and caught her arm.
"Why not?" he asked. "Please. Just for a minute."
"I'm sorry. I can't," she repeated.
Mike's spirits sank. "Please," he begged, just above a whisper. He didn't want her to leave. "At least tell me your name," he added.
She looked down for a moment.
"Please," he added. "What harm could a name be?"
She was silent for a moment, but agreed. "If I tell you, will you let me go?" she asked. Mike sighed and nodded.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Okay. I'm Layla," she said.
"And I'm Mike," he replied before he knew what he was saying. She just nodded.
"I know," she replied. Before he could do or say anything, she dived into the water, and had disappeared.
Mike climbed back into the boat, still mystified, and headed home.
