Beyond the Deep Water

Home

A familiar scent of rusty wood tickles her nose, awakening her sense of the softness of her blanket. A gentle throb of recognition takes over her exhaustion as she hears her name from a distance. She squirms around in the comfort of her old bed.

"Camille..." the sound becomes clear between her sleep and reality, making her heart react almost immediately. "Camille." The overly excited tone echoes in the back of her mind. A tone that overwhelms her nostalgia and fear. But why fear?

"Camille!" This time it comes with more desperation, "Come on! Wake up already!" Camille can hear the thrilling sound, but her body is too worn out to help itself to consciousness. All she wants is to keep her eyes closed and sleep until her soul can be satisfied. Deep down, Camille knows that the moment her eyes open, she won't recognize what she's holding on to. But it's already too late. Little by little, that part is fading.

"J. J. Stop..." Camille drags her voice out but stops as the sudden realization makes her eyes snap open. Her heart flinches to life. "J. J.?" She repeats dumbfoundedly, trying to convince herself.

"Finally!" Jordan's brown eyes beam with excitement and a hint of relief.

"Woah!" Camille pulls back to sit up. Something feels strangely new but familiar.

"Yes! You're awake! Mom, she's awake!" Jordan shouts over his shoulder. Camille's head pounds sharply, with the idea of her mother being so close by. "Finally," he grins with pride and a touch of sadness; Camille reaches her hand out to his cheek.

Looking at her brother, letting her heart react to the soft touch of his skin. Jordan looks pale with dark circles under his eyes. He has lost weight; he seems fragile. "Are you okay?" Camille hates that Jordan cares so much about her. He has enough to deal with his weak immune system. Deep down, she feels responsible for it.

"I'm fine," he answers with a wide grin. Camille can't help herself but smiles back at her sweet little brother as she glances behind him. Her heart squeezes painfully as she connects with her mother's hazel eyes, tears ball in her eyes, and sudden desperation takes over her soul.

"Mom?" The word sounds unbelievable to her ears as a feeling of longing and relief takes over her soul. A lump gathers in her throat. Camille is back in her tiny room, a place of many unpleasant memories, where the familiar scent stirs unpredictable emotions.

"Camille, honey." Camelia wraps her in her fragile arms. The distinct scent of her mother brings immediate tranquility to her soul. Camille breathes in as she buries her face in Camelia's chest. "It's okay, baby." Camelia soothes her desperation.

"Mom," Camille struggles to hold in her tears, but Camelia understands. She doesn't need to say much to see her confusion but smiles gently.

"Where were you?" Jordan interrupts the tender moment. His big brown eyes fail to contain his excitement, questions, and curiosity that Camille doesn't know how to answer. "We were looking for you for days. Mom went to the police; everyone was so worried." Jordan spills out everything in a few minutes, which Camille can hardly understand. "Adam's going to die!" He grins, and his name opens a desperate and emotional squeeze in her chest. Camille turns to her brother with pleading eyes.

"Jordan, you're the one that needs to calm down." Camelia scolds him with worried eyes, which freezes him for a moment, but his attention turns back to his sister. Camille can't find anything in her memories. There's no answer to Jordan's questions. There's no explanation to ease her mother's worries, but there's a block. There's definitely a wall blocking the information.

"I don't know..." she whispers cautiously. Although she can't understand it, Camille knows someone is watching her. Someone or something is waiting patiently for her to make a move, but what kind of move. "Was I really gone?" The confusion in her wary expression hurts Camelia, but she can't do anything for her, only hug her tightly.

"I had a strange dream the night you came back... It was bizarre," Jordan murmurs mostly to himself. Although his big brown eyes can't hide his excitement for seeing his sister back home. Jordan is still confused by the extraordinary curse of events right before Camille returns. "A man was carrying you. A tall man with black hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. He looked more like an angel. An angel glowing with the moonlight." Jordan recalls the vivid image and how real it felt. "I saw him carry you with care like you were broken, and he was afraid you would be hurt; he looked sad. Extremely sad and maybe confused." Jordan explains with skepticism. "He laid you down and said to come to see you at the break of dawn." Jordan tries to convince himself that it was only a dream, but maybe it wasn't. After all, he did what he was told, and Camille is now in front of him.

"An angel?" Camille repeats with a disconnected tone. She searches in her memory. Has she ever met anyone that would look like an angel to Jordan? But there's nothing, only an empty space that overwrites everything between the night she ran away from home and now.

"Steve..." her voice trembles at the realization that she's back in her painful reality. Camelia smiles with a hint of guilt. She wants to give Camille the comfort of knowing that he won't hurt her anymore, but she can see how much it hurts Jordan to find out the monster his father has become.

"I'm sorry..." he whispers with shame, but his love for Camille and Camelia is stronger.

"Okay, that's enough. How about you take a shower and come down to eat? You need to recover." Camelia suggests with a trembling voice.

"That's a good idea! Adam should be here in a couple of hours." Jordan urges with anticipation. Camille's heart flinches but not in an exciting way. "Adam had the worst time when you were gone," Jordan says, which only makes her guilty for not feeling anything but fear of facing him.

"Jordan, Camille needs time," Camelia interrupts as she realizes that Camille is not ready to meet anyone, not someone as important as Adam.

"Why? I'm sure Camille wants to see him, too, don't you?" He takes a quick glance at his sister, but her eyes widen with wariness. Why doesn't she feel as excited as she should be about seeing her boyfriend?

"How long was I gone?" A change in her voice makes her mother hesitate for a moment. Jordan smiles sadly again.

"You really don't remember anything?" Jordan asks with curiosity. Camille shakes her head with a hint of guilt.

"You were gone for two months ago," Jordan informs carefully as he watches her face turn pale. Camille turns to her mother for confirmation. But the information does nothing but create a storm of questions in her mind.

"How can that be?" Deep down, Camille knows she's forgetting something important, something that is fighting to stay hidden. She can feel it burning up her soul.

"It's okay, honey. You don't have to force yourself to remember. Just know that you're here." Camelia comforts her with a sweet smile.

"I'm sorry, I just want Adam to smile again," Jordan notices the exhaustion in his sister's eyes. Still, he has witnessed Adam's desperation for months. "He's been worried sick," he confesses with a sad smile. "But you're more important than anyone," Jordan gives her the sweetest and so-needed hug. Camille can see that her disappearance has made Jordan mature in a short time, which also makes her guilty.

"I'm so sorry for worrying you. I never meant for this to happen," She tries to keep the tears inside. Wrapping her arms around Jordan, she squeezes him tight. Strangely, she's back, but she doesn't feel at home at all, and that scares her.