Two weeks later

Astrid's P.O.V.

"...And in blue, Florida's very own Astrid Hofferson, Queen of the Waves," the announcer says and I sit on my board when I reach the wave zone. I haven't had any illusions for a while now, so I have melted back to being one with the sea.

"Astrid, you haven't been yourself lately," Snotlout says as I reach him and Heather, "Are you sure you should be doing this?"

"I've skipped the last one, I can't miss another," I tell him as the starting horn blows. 

Right away I see a wave building on the horizon and start paddling out to meet it. I reach the base and turn before getting swept up the wall. I stand before dragging my fingers through the water, tuning out everything around me; the announcer, the cheers, the crashing of the water, etc. Suddenly, something in the water hits my hand and I look to see a...a fish-like outline. Well...more like half fish, half human. I steered my board over the wave and glided down the back of it before sliding back to the place the thing was, looking into the water.

"Uh-oh. Is that a signal?" The announcer asks someone that was in his booth. The beach was silent as I studied the ocean, looking for any sign that could suggest danger. "Hey, Astrid, if it's something serious, wave. If it's not, jump off your board," the announcer says and I stay still. I couldn't see anything. "Oh, my Thor! Astrid, look out!" 

I looked up to see a giant wall of water rising over my head, leaning over me like a scientist leaning over an experimentation table, about to dissect a living human. It crashed down on me and drove the breath from my lungs as the rope slips from my ankle. The current tossed me to and fro, as if I was nothing more than a rag doll. I resurfaced and gasped for breath only to be trampled by another wave. It pushed me back down until I collided with the reef. Air escapes my lungs once again as wave after wave pushes me against the coral and rock. I feel something sting my foot but don't have time to look down to see what it was before a force greater than gravity rips me from the reef and back into the current. Water filled my nose and mouth, eventually leaking into my lungs. I tried to swim back to the surface but my limbs were tiring and every time I got close to oxygen, the current took me back down. Finally, the water calms down and I'm able to resurface with a fit of coughing.

"Oh, my gosh! There she is guys, right there to your left!" I looked around to see a few lifeguards on jet skis, tubes tied to the back. The nearest person rides over and I climb onto the floatie before they take me to shore as I cough up half the ocean. When we're waist deep, I slide off and walk onto the sand as the announcer apologetically declares me disqualified. Suddenly, I'm swarmed by reporters.

"Astrid! What happened out there?"

"What did you feel when you were beneath the waves?!"

"Are you mad at the judges for disqualifying you?"

"What have I said about one at a time?!" I shout.

"Me first," a woman says, "What did you feel when you were beneath the waves?"

"Trapped. And stung in the foot by something," I answer.

"What happened that made you loose focus?" a man asks.

"None of your business," I retort.

"Are you mad at the judges for disqualifying you?" a woman asks.

"It's called life, honey. The sooner you accept that, the better," I tell her before freezing as someone else says a new question. I was no longer focusing on them. I pushed through the crowd and walked a few paces down the beach. After about ten paces, I paused and looked at my board at my feet. It was snapped in half. I fought against tears as I picked up the pieces and walked to my grandparents. I sat in an empty chair, they brought in case I ever got out, and wiped water from my face.

"Are you alright, honey?" Nana asks, grabbing my hand as Papa lifts the foot that got stung.

"I'll be a lot better once Heather wins this thing," I say, my voice tight as tears slipped from my eyes and mixed with the salt water that lingered on my cheeks.

That evening

I sat on a boulder in the middle of a small bay and stared at the sunset as my arms rested on my knees. My broken board lay at my side and I was clutching my necklace in a white knuckled fist. After a few minutes, I grabbed my board and threw it into the water, as far as I could. When I hear the splash, I rip my necklace off and chuck it about a mile into the ocean. I'm blinded for a split second, by the sun shining off the water; just enough time for something to come flying at me. It hits my face before falling into my lap. I look down to see that it was my necklace. Confusion clouds my mind as I chuck it again, only to have it come flying back like a boomerang.

"What the-?" I mutter as I chuck it once more. It hits me again before I start chucking it in spite. I finally was able to dodge it and hear it plop into the water behind me. Suddenly, it hit the back of my head and I spun around to see no one there.

"You know, it'd be a shame to loose such a necklace that can only work on a neck like yours," a voice says and I look to my right to see a young man, around my age, with auburn hair and forest green eyes. His lower body was in the water and his arms were crossed over each other as they rested on the rock. I let out a scream and start to fall backwards but his hand shoots forward and grabs my arm, stopping me. He pulls me upright before releasing me, allowing me to shoot to my feet and back up.

"Who the heck are you?!" I shouted.

"A friend," he says with a smirk.

"I have few," I counter.

"Well, looks like we already have something in common," he laughs before extending his hand, "Names Hiccup." I stare at him for a moment before inching forward and keeping as much distance as I could when I shook his hand.

"A-Astrid," I tell him and he smiles.

"Queen of the sea. Nice to finally meet you face-to-face," he says. He then saw my necklace on the rock and grabbed it before looking at me. "Come 'ere, real quick," he says, beckoning me toward him.

"Why?" I ask skeptically.

"Just come here, five seconds," he says. 

I pause before gripping the edge of the rock in white knuckles and leaning forward. He then slowly, as if trying not to make sudden movements, reached his hands around my neck, making me want to pull away. I felt like I didn't have to though. He took one of his hands back and used the other to hold something, below my neck, with his fingers. I looked down to see he had fastened my necklace back around my neck, and he was examining the dragon scale charm.

"Where'd you get this?" he asks.

"Um...I-I don't know. My parents gave it to me when I was born," I tell him.

"What happened to them?"

"How'd you know something happened to them?" I counter.

"If they were still around, you would've known where it came from," he says, "So? What happened to them?"

"T-They, uh...my mom drowned and my dad was attacked by a shark while trying to save her," I tell him hesitantly, the story a family friend had told me.

"I thought the necklace told you when a tube was on it's way. Why would you get rid of it?" he asks.

"How do you know that?" I ask.

"It's just the rumor going around Florida. And I happen to think it's true."

"Well, the rumor can stop. I'm giving up surfing," I tell him, backing up and pulling my knees to my chest to rest my chin on them.

"Why?" he asks, his voice full of shock.

"My board broke," I say, "I never surf without it."

"Why don't you get a new one?"

"Because it belonged to my father. When I rode on it, I never wiped out unless it was part of my ride," I explain.

"What about earlier?" he asks.

"You were at the competition weren't you. I wasn't riding when the wave came. I was standing still, which was the first mistake I've made on the water," I muttered the last part under my breath.

"Huh...can you meet me back here tomorrow? Same time?" he asks.

"Sure, why not? I have a feeling I'm going to be coming here a lot from now on," I say before standing up to leave.

"And don't try to get rid of your necklace. You don't want to loose the last connection to your parents do you?" he asks and I freeze before he dives into the water and swims away.