What if something from a past life doomed the next?
I wasn't sure what I would tumble into when my dad sent me to live in Camden, Maine, but I quickly discovered these things: First, I've lived many past lives - all of which tragically end before a...
The group the girls she left the house with began to approach; calling for them more insistently. The blonde's voice was now more urgent and hostile. "Where is Elizabeth?" She yelled. "Where is she?"
Fury flooded the silent night. The girl in the hat shook her head and once more begged for help.
Something was wrong. Why wasn't I helping her? Panic welled in my chest, filling me with a sense of some impending tragedy that couldn't be stopped. The blonde was no friend to this girl. Her voice venomous; filled with threat and void of humanity. It's only meaning enemy.
The ground was too slick for the girl to gain any footing, and I realized that I was all that stood between her and an icy grave.
"Please, Anne," she cried. Tears flooded her eyes before spilling down her red cheeks. "Please help me."
We held each other's glance, absorbing each other's fear. I wanted to pull her up. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry. I wanted to understand why this was happening. But none of those things happened. And then, I opened my hand and let her fall.
Sharp pain flooded my chest and my eyes flashed open. I frantically wanted to gasp for air, nearly forgetting that I was submerged below the Atlantics surface. While I was blacked out, I managed to tangle my foot in fishing line which now imprisoned me. I clawed and tugged at it, but every effort only made me more desperate for air. I kicked and thrashed with every impulse to live, and for a split second, I convinced myself that this too was part of my hallucination. The depth's pressure was taking its toll; painfully squeezing my head. It simply hurt too badly to just be in my mind. The emptiness of my lungs burned against the cold water as I struggled to free myself. Deep crimson seeped lazily from my right ankle where the fishing line and my fingernails cut through the skin.
Dread washed over me. Where was everyone? No one had come for me. They had to notice I was gone. Right? I can't die like this. It's not fair. I want my dad. He could fix this.
But as I continued to sink further still, I surmised that this was how I was going to die; painfully and alone, vanishing into the deepest shadows of the ocean.
My life didn't flash before my eyes and I didn't move towards any light, but I was certain death had come for me. When I finally closed my eyes and surrendered the last of my breath, I tried to make peace with my fate. Here, in the frigid darkness, I would meet the bringer of death.
Before the last air bubble crossed my lips, movement in the water around me, indicated I was no longer alone. I forced my eyes open.
In his firm grasp, Alex pulled me tightly to his body, one arm wrapped securely around my lower back and the other cradling my head, pulling me closer to him. I didn't resist. I had nothing left to resist with. And the instant he put his mouth to mine, my entire body wilted in his arms. He impossibly breathed a full breath of cool air that eased the fire in my lungs. It felt as pure as if it had come from an oxygen tank.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
