I looked around but didn't find any solutions. There were only the birds from
earlier, soaring high above in the sky, and a deep blue void below me, which I
guessed was water. An idea came to mind, and I focused on not stopping the fall,
but rather embracing it. If it was water below me, I was going to land in it, and I
might as well try to do it without hurting myself.
I remembered Gramp's stories about how his older brothers would dare him
to jump out of trees into the lake. He ended up wowing them with the amazing
tricks he could do. Of course, Gramp was quick to warn me that jumping into the
water was exciting but could be perilous if not taken seriously. With his advice
on my mind, I held my body straight with my hands to the side, and my toes pointed downward. Now, all I could do was take a deep breath and brace myself
for the plunge.
I landed hard with a big splash and bulleted through the clear liquid. As my
descent slowed, I was surrounded by hundreds of small bubbles. I felt my panic
return. I wasn’t sure what direction was up. I swam towards the surface, but soon, realized I was only going deeper.
Straining to hold my breath, the tightness in my chest became unbearable.
My lungs burned, and I was sure, at any moment, they were going to explode.
Waves of black washed over me, and I felt myself slipping into the darkness.
Unable to fight anymore, I let the void consume me.
Suddenly, I was ripped from the serene peace the abyss offered me. Arms
wrapped around my body and swam us towards a light. As we broke the surface,
I gasped for air and sucked in every ounce of oxygen I could.
Kai wiped my hair out of his face. “I would give your dive only an eight for
form, but definitely a ten for style.”
"You save my life." I threw my arms around his neck tightly. I held on to him as if he was a life vest. I trembled as he held me close.
“You are safe, Mara. You will always be safe with me.”
Once again, tears flowed down my face. I was safe in Kai's arms, and I didn't
want him to let go of me. An image of my fiancé flashed in my mind. I should
have let go of Kai and simply thanked him. Instead, I clung onto him tighter as I
pushed away thoughts of Cole.
After I reluctantly let go of Kai, and we left the water, I realized we were on the
shores of Spartan Lake. It was very close to the area where I had learned to swim. Hand-in-hand, we walked through the forest and thought I should have
felt awkward, being with Kai was comfortable.
When we reached the tree line, Kai bowed to me. "After you."
He won't kiss you unless you ask, I reminded myself and stepped closer towards him. "Kai, I changed my mind. I —"
Bay burst out of the woods and spun me around. Releasing me, she jumped
up and down. “You returned!” she squealed. “I'm so glad you are back. Thank you, Kai, for convincing her not to go, yet.”
Kai leaned in towards Bay and whispered something into her ear. Her eyes
grew large, and she blushed.
Guessing Kai was being his usual flirty self, I sighed as I found myself
