Looking at him, his stomach facing me and only wearing his underwear, I suddenly notice how muscular he is underneath all his baggy clothes. I haven’t thought about it until now and it’s hard not to stare at him when a ray from the golden sun is hitting his stomach and large muscular arms.
Right at that moment, it's impossible to stop my mind from thinking all of the inappropriate thoughts.
As I come back to reality, Ector’s body goes straight through the water surface. Panic grabs my body like a strike of lightning, my legs sprinting forward to the end of the cliff I was just sitting on. But no matter how hard I try, my eyes can’t spot him.
“Ector!” The scream leaves my lungs.
My mind doesn’t have time to think of any consequences before I jump off the cliff and my body dive into the cold water after him.
He can’t die.
As the water surrounds my body, I immediately feel how my wings get dragged down and how my body starts to sink to the bottom instead of going up towards the surface.
Trying my hardest to swim, I realize that... I can’t swim. I’m not supposed to be in the water at all,I can’t swim. I’m going to drown. We’re both going to die, drowning together.
Feeling the air slowly leaving my lungs for every second that passes by, more panic and fear creeps into me as my body begins to shake and cramp.
I close my eyes out of fear, in hope that all of this will only be a nightmare, that I will soon wake to Esme’s sweet voice calling my name.
This is how I die. Ending up just like my sister.
This is it.
Chapter 18
Ector
As the water envelops my body, I feel like a floating star in the middle of night. The perfect temperature cooling me down.
Throughout the years, I have learned how to hold my breath underwater for as long as possible, just to stay under the surface to explore.
This is one of the best things I’ve done since I lost my wings, something that fills my life with just a pinch of happiness. There’s nothing else I’d rather do when my body is too hot to handle and the sweat is almost pouring down.
And this time, I truly see the opportunity as a blessing. I might never be able to do this again, feel the water passing through my fingers and every single strand of hair.
The water is almost neon blue but I manage to see just enough to be able to explore. The lake grass is in so many different shades of blue, filling the bottom and stretching through the lake but doesn’t reach the surface. There are small jewel-colored luminescent fishes, I’ve only seen them once before. They are almost like fireflies but instead, they live in our water.
I reach forward, not being able to stop myself from playing with them. My vision is blurry, sometimes I wish I could see all this just like the mermaids do, with perfectly clear vision.
The desperate need to fill my lungs with new air grows, my arms pushing my body towards the surface. Lifting myself out of the magical water and taking a deep breath, I quickly realize that Genevieve is nowhere to be seen. My head spins around, my hand placed over my mouth as panic grabs me.
She was sitting by the tree on the middle cliff just a few seconds ago. My eyes keep searching until they abruptly stop, focused on one specific spot. Her wings glowing in the deep water with the fishes surrounding her body.
Without thinking, I gather all the air that I possibly can deep into my lungs and dive down once again. As my body gets closer to hers, the only thought consuming my head iswhy. Why would she jump into the water, knowing that her wings would weigh her down until she lay on the bottom of the lake?
She wanted to protect you, just as you want to protect her.The thought screams at me in the back of my mind.
Getting even closer, it’s impossible to ignore the way her body is shaking and cramping, desperate for air.
“You must hurry, or else she will die.”I could hear the voice of my mother.
With adrenaline pumping out, filling every single cell in my body, I reach forward and get a tight grip around her waist, and within seconds, our bodies are moving towards the surface.
With air bubbles coming out my nose with every swim stroke, my lungs begin to tighten as the panic grows stronger. Every second matters.
Feeling my head coming out of the water, I act fast. Dragging Genevieve’s lifeless body up from the lake and placing her in the bright blue grass.
Lying on her back, not a single breath enters nor leaves her mouth. Falling to my knees for the same girl once again, my eyes tearing up and my head falling to my hands, all I can do isbeg, beg to every single angel that might be surrounding me, my mother, my ancestors.
