Mystic Waters: Out of the blue

Chapter 2

"Meranda breathe! Breathe! Come on--you can do it. Breathe–harder. There's condensed levels of oxygen available in the water. Meranda-- you have to try harder! Meranda--I know you can hear me. Breathe--open your eyes and breathe." Pete tried desperately to bring Meranda back to consciousness. He was sure he had gotten to her in time. He just had to get her brain to wake up and fight.

"Meranda, please...breathe." Pete squared his shoulders, he was not going to give up on her. Meranda, on the other hand, was ready to see her mother and father, and Mitch. She felt numb and peaceful ...now if Pete would only be quiet and quit yelling at her. Pete feared Meranda was gone when her eyes popped open, wild with fear.  She immediately tried to claw her way to the surface.

"Meranda, stay calm,  it's hard, but you must stop fighting. You're using up precious oxygen."

Meranda stopped fighting and went still. She wondered if she was dead, because she could no longer feel her body.  For some reason Pete's voice was calming... and in her head. She locked onto Pete's eyes.

"I've put a film over your face that'll allow you to breathe in air, but not the water. There you go. It will get easier to breathe, and then I'll get you out of here."

Pete's non-voice was soothing, but she wondered how he could be talking to her without moving his mouth. She struggled to clear her head and sucked like a fish out of water. It did get easier to breathe as her lungs filled up with air, the unbearable pain began to subside. She didn't know how, but the water was not coming back into her opened mouth.

Clarity returned to her brain as it received the oxygen. She started questioning whether Pete's voice had been in her head or not. He hadn't moved his mouth and they were under the water. She searched for answers until she felt like she was going to lose control again, this was all so surreal.

Pete knew nothing would make sense to her so he asked her to trust him. He had no clue that asking her to trust him was a tall order, but she didn't have a choice. Her limbs wouldn't move anymore, and she couldn't feel anything. She felt like a pair of eyeballs willing her lungs to move in and out. 

Meranda shook her head yes, but her eyes looked like a trapped animal. With her injured arm tucked tightly between her body and his, she let him wrap his muscular arms around her and she gave in to him. 

Meranda buried her face into his chest, and in the next moment they were moving fast. She bravely peeked over his shoulder at the water that was streaming past them; it looked like a water tunnel. She relaxed. He was getting her out of here like he promised.

At that moment, she did trust him, and she hadn't trusted anyone since her high school sweetheart, Mitch. Meranda closed her eyes, she felt so tired and broken.

When she woke up she remembered being in the water and now she wasn't. She sat up and a fur blanket fell from her pooling in her lap. She winced from the pain that shot through her shoulder letting her know she was still alive. Her eyes darted around assessing her surroundings, she was in a cave.

The dim light reflected off the water making it dance off the smooth contoured walls. The beauty around her was mesmerizing and the sparkling lights were breathtaking.

Meranda eyed the layers of the cream colored walls, and it made her think of the orange and cream ice cream bar. The carved walls had captured the motion of the wind and forever freezing it in time.

Meranda being wrapped up in her stunning surroundings hadn't realized she was alone, until she heard voices off in the distant. Her head felt foggy and her thoughts confused, but she was sure she was hearing voices somewhere in the distances.  When Pete had first talked to her and it was in her head, his voice was clear, but these voices were muted.