Taking Chances

    Her dress grew heavier and heavier as it soaked up water like a sponge. She kicked her feet, trying to stay afloat but to no avail. Her heavy dress was greatly affecting her buoyancy and she was sinking, fast. Her head bobbed up and down, under water, above it, under water, above it, under water... Her lungs worked overtime, trying to fill themselves up with air before being swept under again. She came up again, gasping and sputtering for breath. Tossing her soaking wet bangs out of her face, she searched for a ship, a person, anyone in this normally populated area. She turned her head and sucked in another breath. It was different from the rest of her deep breathes, though. She breathed so deep because of her fear. Fear of the wave of huge magnitude that was coming straight at her. It raced over her head and came crashing down, forcing her under water with its pressure. She went down again. She didn't come back up. Her legs were kicking, her hands scratching her throat. She resisted the impulse to release the tiny amount of air she still had and take a deep breath, to fill her lungs with fresh new air that she desperately needed. But there was no fresh air to fill her lungs with. There was only the blue water that surrounded her on all sides and kept getting darker and darker as she went deeper and deeper. Her thrashing limbs calmed, choosing instead to relinquish as her body begin to shut down from the lack of a very important thing; air. Her eyelids began to feel weighted and slowly started to slide shut. She struggled to stay awake; she tried to focus her blurry eyesight on the fading light. But she was unsuccessful. Her eyelids finally slid shut and darkness encircled her world. Her arms fell from her neck and her body took a huge shudder and let go of her one last bit of air. A small bubble took form and floated up to the surface. Slimy seawater slithered into her mouth and filled her lungs. Her small frame sank into the depths of the black ocean and she disappeared into the darkness. 

*** 

   She awoke to the smell of apple pancakes. She slowly opened her eyes than shut them again, her mind not used to the brightness of the sun yet. She opened her mouth and yawned, ignoring the tears that started in the corner of her eyes. She stretched her arms above her head and waited for the satisfying pop. She brought her arms down and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and into the soft rug that lay next to her bed. She blinked her eyes open, squinting a little, but eventually she just opened her eyes up all the way. She pushed herself off her bed and slowly padded to the door, but her navigational sense was a bit off. She cursed as she rammed into wall right next to the door. She shuffled a bit to the right and opened the door. She followed her nose down the white walled hallways and into the airy kitchen. The bright sunshine of the morning shined through the huge windows and into the sky blue walled room. A corkboard bulletin board was on the far end of the room, a calendar pined up on it. One date in particular was circled in bright red sharpie. Her eyes widened and she quickly moved to the calendar. Her finger traced the black x's that came before it, her finger landing on the circled date. 

   She heard a soft chuckle behind her. She turned suddenly and met the knowing eyes of her nurturer, her mother. "Feeling apprehensive, Mar?" 

   She blushed and turned away. "No- no of course not. I know I'll do fine." She replied, though it seemed like she was trying to reassure herself more than her mother. "This is what I've been trained my whole life to do. People depend on me. If I do anything less than perfect, then I won't be the only one getting chastised. I must do prefect!" 

   Her mother smiled, happy about her reaction. She turned her back and walked over to dish out the apple pancakes. Mar studied her for a second, she watched the braid of brown hair sway with the rest of her mother's body as she hummed a little tune and then she looked back at the calendar. Her hand unconsciously formed a fist. She couldn't fail! 

   "Mom," she said demanding her mother's attention. She got it. Her mother looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I need to get ready. Thanks for making the pancakes, but... I don't think I have the stomach for them." With that she ran back up the hallway and into her room.