Beneath the Ice
Heaven
The surface fades away above me as I slip deeper into the abyss of ice-cold water that steals the breath from my lungs before I’ve even had the chance to hold it. Ice shards scrape against me from all directions, floating in the water, clawing at me like a thousand knives. Every wave knocks them around, bringing some even closer as I do my best to remain still.
The cold is far too intense. It seeps into my bones, freezing my blood, squeezing my head with pain.
Breathe…
I will not give in.
I will not let the cold win.
Control.
Iamcontrol.
My lungs scream, desperate for air, but I refuse to letthose thoughts affect my heart rate.
I am calm.
I am stronger than the pain.
Even through the self-pep talk, I can feel the biting cold. I can feel my body beginning to shut down. How long have I been here?
My lungs need air.
Not yet. Not yet.
My mind tells me to swim up, knowing I’m not alone down here.
But I am the one in control of my mind.
I decide what my body will do, not the other way around.
Stillness is my armour. Self-control is my power, and I wrap it tight around myself like a second skin.
Breathe.
I sense them before I see them. Shadows flicker in the murky darkness around me. Piranhas. Their bodies move like flashes of steel beneath the water’s surface, quick and hungry as they circle me.
To them, the temperature matches the warmth of their tropical climate, a spell I put on them so the water felt warm – because I needed them at their deadliest for this.
One swims close, brushing against my arm with the lightest touch, a whisper of teeth almost taking a bite out of me. My skin prickles, but I don’t flinch. I don’t move.
Remaining as still as possible, I focus on staying calm without any air left.
Focus.
Minutes stretch like hours, but I do not falter. A piranha suddenly rushes toward my floating hair. It clamps down, but I refuse to close my eyes.
It turns, snapping at my arm, and though I remain still, my heartbeat betrays me the moment it clamps its teeth around me. Blood spills from my arm, making all the piranhas turn my way.
It’s over.
With a flick of my finger, I send them away before I begin swimming upward. I break the surface.
The cold slaps me anew, sharp as a blade, and I take a deep gulp of air as I pull myself from the water onto the tiled floor of the swimming hall.
