Seven Swans | BTS |

~16~

Tae POV

    I groaned as I kicked the covers off me in frustration. I rubbed my face with both my hands, feeling how tired I was in the back of my eyes. It seemed like it was going to be another sleepless night, one out of many.

Tonight was different, as I felt the bruise on my cheek throb a bit as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. As my feet hit the cold floor of my room with a soft thud, I decided to go down to the kitchen and get some ice water. The more I thought about how my cheek was sore, the hotter I felt.

      I didn't know what time it was, but I knew it was early morning because it was still dark as I walked down the hallway. My mind wouldn't let me forget that Ava's room was right next to mine, and I sped up a little as I walked by. I assumed she would be asleep, especially after the day we've had after she almost...

      My lips started to tingle at the memory so I pressed them together in a tight line and shook my head, continuing down the hall. Namjoon's door was cracked open, so I knew he must have been in his office. It didn't surprise me. None of our sleep schedules are normal, but his is especially bad since he pulls all nighters constantly. I don't know how the man does it.

       As I trudged to the kitchen and pressed the glass against the ice dispenser, I found myself zoning out to the sound of the ice clinking against the glass. Hours ago replayed in my head, like a cinema strip on a wheel.

      I heard her take a breath before the water swallowed her whole. My grip tightened around her waist. The water made her practically weightless against me, but I still felt her skin against mine, and she felt really soft. It didn't match her hard exterior in the slightest.

    The water was finally rising past my own head, and I had to take a breath. I wasn't particularly worried about how long since I knew I could hold it for longer than average, but I wasn't sure about Ava. I mean, based on what she told me, she couldn't even swim.

      The light that was off before started flickering on and off, and I opened my eyes underneath the murky water. I stared at the sensor, waiting for a sign of any kind that this was going to work. This isn't how I wanted to go out. "I'm just glad I'm not alone in the end."

      Her words echoed in my head and I turned to look at her. I don't know why. Her eyes were closed and her face was scrunched up, like she just ate something sour. I felt a little tickle in my throat, almost like a laugh, but it went away as fast as it appeared. Her long hair was floating all over the place. She looked like some sort of mermaid, with a lemon face.

      I wasn't sure how much time had passed since we were under, but I could feel my chest starting to burn from the lack of air. I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to hold out, and when I glanced at Ava, her face wasn't scrunched up anymore. Her eyes were open, and they were frantically eying the sensor, which wasn't making the water move in the slightest. I looked up, hoping there was a small pocket of air that one of us could use.

      However, just as I thought, the water was right at the top of the ceiling, with no space in between. I thought about sloshing the water back and forth, to create some sort of brief moment to breathe, but I couldn't move far enough to the surface to do that, not while Ava was clinging onto me like this. I knew she was starting to panic, and I didn't know what to do to try and soothe her.

   
      Bubbles kept coming out of her mouth and she locked eyes with me, as if pleading with me to help her breathe. There was nothing I could do, I didn't even have a way to breathe myself. I felt her grasp on me start to weaken, and that's when I knew she wasn't going to make it.