PULCHRITUDINOUS CALAMITY
Vidia's eyes snapped open.
The only thing she could see was blue. Beautiful and daunting dark blue. Then her body registered that she wasn't just seeing shit. There was blue surrounding her. Better yet, she was submerged deeply in the blue.
The blue water was holding her captive.
Vidia was floating, then she was sinking in an endless abyss of water. The oxygen stored in her lungs was running out very quickly.
Vidia's body went into autopilot. Clawing her way up, she pushed herself towards what she hoped was a surface.
She moved as fast as she could, her oxygen dwindling quickly. She began to panic, her chest burning and screaming out for air.
Vidia released part of the air in her cheeks, rushing to get to the surface. The only sign of potential success was the water growing brighter and brighter. The higher she went the more she could see, the clearer and less dark the water became.
Vidia could feel the sun and that's what motivated her to keep going. The breath she was desperately trying to hold on to, only lasted for what felt like a second. Vidia's body continued to protest and scream out for her to inhale, to open her mouth and allow in some air but if she did that, air was not what she would be gulping down.
Heart beating quickly, ears popping, and eyes straining, Vidia pushed herself. Black and white spots began to take over her vision yet there was no way she'd allow herself to die like this.
Just when she thought she'd made it, more water drifted past her fingers and she had to force her eyes closed. The burning sensation and blurring dots weren't helping her situation at all.
Now blind, she haphazardly paddled until her hands finally met the air. Forcefully shoving her face up, she inhaled heavily, swallowing as much air as she could. Gasping, she sucked in as much air as she could, water also splashing into her mouth.
Vidia spit it out, inhaling again before opening her eyes. They still stung a little but the dots had cleared up and she had never been more grateful for air. She would never take it for granted again.
Now that she wasn't on the verge of drowning, Vidia looked around for some form of land, a landmark, an island, anything. She came up empty-handed, sending a chill down her body.
There was nothing around but a rock. One large rock floating a few feet ahead of her. It was just big enough to hold her and stay afloat.
That's where she needed to be, out of the dangerous water and on something solid. Vidia's sole focus was surviving then she would figure out what the fuck was going on. The questions in her mind were shoved away for the time being, her eyes glue on the rock.
She knew she needed to move before something knocked her back down and she really did drown. Or worse, something came up and decided to make her it's next meal.
Before she could do any of that, she needed to gather up the courage and stabilize herself. She did almost drown, after all. Her muscles were weak and she really wanted to take a nap but she couldn't, and just when Vidia thought she could catch a break and take a second to gather her bearing, Mother Earth seemed to get impatient.
Something dragged along Vidia's bare legs. She jumped, screaming out and searching the water for a sign of the invisible culprit. She didn't find anything and perhaps it was just her imagination. Or maybe they really was some flesh eating, human devouring creature.
Either way, Vidia wasn't going to be a dumb ass and wait to find out. Still not entire ready, she forced her achy body to move. Chaotically swimming towards the rock, her fear of being eaten is what gave her the adrenaline and speed to get to her destination.
Gripping the rock in her fist, Vidia used her feet to pushed herself up. Her soft, smooth skin snagged on the sharp edges, slicing open. It was nothing too severe that it would halt her actions but they did hurt like hell. One in particular was the worst, it was a semi-deep cut on her side. Every time she moved, she could feel stinging pain.
However, the pain was dulled by adrenaline.
Pulling herself up completely, she fell onto the smooth part of the rock, breathing hard. That was one hell of a workout, she thought to herself.
Vidia laughed at her own joke, clenching her stomach. She laughed and laughed, unable to stop herself. The joke wasn't even funny, if she were being honest yet she continued to laugh.
Then the stomach-clenching laughter turned into body-shaking sobs. Vidia had absolutely no idea what was going on. The last thing she remembered was the being on the beach, getting stuck, and then the sinkhole-like thing.
Did she pass out from being too stimulated by the anxiety and fear of being consumed by the hole? And how did she get here? Did her body just float all the way out here?
Vidia still couldn't see any signs of land, even with the new viewpoint, which meant she had to have been floating for a long time. A very long time.
She didn't know how no one had seen her and tried to help. She didn't understand how she could be passed out for so long. Some many question. Vidia had so many questions and no answers.
That wasn't her only problem though. She had a much bigger, more serious problem. She was cold and getting colder by the second.
The cool winds would've felt nice on any other day but now, not so much. Her thin slip dress clung to her, doing little to combat the air. Being soaking wet only added insult to injury. She felt she was being punished for some crime she unknowingly committed.
Vidia shook and shivered, a telltale sign from her body. Her thick, wet curls stuck to her face and down her back. Her hands and feet were pruny and white. With her tattered dress and various scratches, Vidia mimicked the exact definition of a pulchritudinous calamity. A stunningly beautiful disaster.
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For an indiscernible amount of time, Vidia remained on that rock, in the middle of a large body of water with no other forms of human life. Her shivering body had grown accustomed to being cold, therefore ceasing the shivers. Yet her skin remained cold to the touch.
She was exhausted but couldn't go to sleep. She feared she would roll off of the rock and be back at square one. Though from time to time, her eyelids would blink and attempt to stay closed. Vidia had to snap herself out of it.
Lightly slapping her cheeks, she tried to think of something that would keep her mind awake. Her lack of knowledge was that something. It kept her mind twisting and turning, trying to figure out her situation and how she ended up in it.
When that began to bore her, she reminded herself of the thing that touched her leg. That sealed the deal, giving her the energy she wanted. Vidia's time was spent watching everything.
Any ripple in the water had her jumping, stilling in hopes that nothing caused the ripple aside from the wind. The questions she had were still pounding in her head, giving her a headache and she knew that once she was even the slightest bit safe, she'd pass out. This has all been too much for her to handle, deal with, and process.
First she ended her year and a half long relationship, which honestly she should've done months ago. Vidia didn't know why she kept herself in such a relationship when she stopped really liking Henry a long time ago. Maybe she thought the feelings would come back. They didn't.
Then she somehow ended up here and nearly drowned. Definitely not something she's very happy about nor did she want to experience it again. She just wanted to sleep the day away and forget about everything that's happened.
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Being on the rock has given Vidia ample time to sit and think about her life. Self-reflection if you will. When she got the chance she'd definitely do better with her life. She'd love for herself and not anyone else. She'd live. Genuinely live and she just realized that she hadn't really been. She'd spent too much time trying to fix her relationship and being let down. Her happiness was always bonded with Henry and whether or not he would keep his promises.
She wanted real, deep rooted happiness. She wanted someone who would always be there and keep their promises. Vidia wanted to know that she meant just as much to that person as they would mean to her. She didn't want to have to compete with a job or anything else.
When she got help, she would take time to recuperate and get reacquainted with herself, and when she met that person, she would cherish them. Her near death experience had her feeling and thinking about everything.
Sighing in boredom, Vidia laid on her side, her cheek rested onto of her folded arms. After the initial internal crisis, all she was left with was boredom, realizations, and questions. For two of those, she felt she'd already spent too long dwelling on them. Now she just laid in pure lethargy.
Swishing her hand in the water, she watched the blue liquid react to her. Somehow, that amused her for a very long time. Different actions created different waves and swirls in the water. Her hand never went too deep in, so the after effects were small, only lasting for a few seconds before disappearing.
Then something created a very huge wave. It was big enough to rock the rock she laid on. Looking up, Vidia gasped in relief seeing the large ship sailing in her general direction.
"Hey! Over here! Help!" Vidia waved her arms around wildly. Her legs were numb and any attempt to stand was met with the opposite result. She clapped her hands together, making as much noise as she could.
"Help!" Vidia continued to scream while alternating between waving and clapping her hands. She didn't think they would see her but a man peered in her direction. He looked for a few seconds before disappearing. Moments later he and a group of others returned.
Unintelligible yells were heard before the ship began turning towards Vidia. She smiled in relief, happy tears working their way into her eyes.
She didn't know what would happen once she boarded the ship but honestly, her only focus was getting off this damned rock. She was sore and hungry. The rock was obviously not the ideal place for her to be.
The side of the wooden ship stopped just in front of Vidia. People peered down at her, whispering with wide eyes. They looked both terrified and amazed. Vidia furrowed her eyebrows, reaching up.
"Please help me."
A rope was thrown down. Vidia grabbed at it, tying it around her waist and allowing herself to be pulled up until she fell on the deck.
Her curls created a curtain around her face, blocking her sight. Pushing them away, she looked up at the forming crowd, ready to express her gratitude.
"Siren," one man gasped with wide eyes. Murmurs passed around them, the group of men gazing at her in awe and slight fear. Their murmurs confused her. She had no idea what they were talking about. Some of them stepped further back while others moved closer. A man then pushed his way through the crowd, his own eyes widening at the sight of what was brought onto their deck.
"Siren," he whispered. He cautiously approached, hands up to show he meant no harm. Vidia didn't know what exactly it was. Maybe the effects of the day, maybe the excessive attention, maybe both but she did as promised. She passed out, sending the group of men into a panic.
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Omg, hello. How is everyone doing? I'm sorry for updating once then just leaving lol. I'm still so very excited for this book and I haven't been giving it the attention it deserves.
I have a whole rant about one of my professors but it's late for me and I am exhausted. I'm going to sleep so I'll save it for later.
I hope everyone is ready for this amazing journey. Keep in mind that this is fiction so I may add some unrealistic characteristics but who knows? I have no idea what I'm doing lmao. I'm just coming up with shit as I go so we'll see.
Anyways, I hope you all are well and dandy. Please stay safe and excuse any mistakes❤️