The 100 Oneshots: (including LGBTQ+)

Skyring

•HOPE•

Character- Leslie, Levitt's sister.

Background- Bardo citizen (criminal). You were sent to Skyring for three years to live with Hope and teach her. (Like Dev).

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I came up through the water sputtering for breath. Air was a luxury I hadn't had in a solid two minutes. With it back, I focused on restoring it to a normal level; that was accomplished by taking deep, uneven breaths and choking on the oxygen surrounding me.

I was a decent swimmer, and right now, that skill was proving to be very useful. The depths of the lake threatened to pull me down, to let me sink, let me be enveloped by the looming, dark blue lake that sat just below me.

I treaded water, keeping my eyes on the bank that rested just a little ways off from where I was swimming. I started paddling toward it, my arms making large arcs above my head as I brought the opposite one into the water.

I moved quickly through the mass of blue, clearing the space between me and the shore quickly. Once I reached the bank, I collapsed and choked for air. The effort of swimming here used up a lot of my quickly depleting energy.

I gasped, breaths wracking my body. My chest hitched up and down awkwardly as I struggled to right my heart rate. My clothes were soaking wet to the touch and immensely heavy.

I tried to stand, but the weight of my clothing dragged me down, so I fell to my hands and knees in the coarse sand. I heaved for a while, trying to fix my unsteady and irregular heart beat.

When I trusted myself to stand, I moved up to my full height and looked about. I was on a beach. Thick pine trees decorated the land to my left; the lake stood to my right. Mountains encompassed the area over the lake, and a bright yellow sun shone down on me as I figured out where I was.

I was about to move forward when something on my arm caught my eye. It was some kind of timer, and it was counting down from 3.182.5. Black ink riddled my arm in short, blocky letters as the timer continued counting down.

A rustling broke me from my thoughts. The trees came alive and the forest seemed to cave under whatever was coming towards me. What could possibly be here, on this island? I glanced around quickly, trying to find something, anything, to defend myself with.

I found nothing. No sticks or random debris littered the beach. There was absolutely nothing. My fists would have to do. With nowhere to run, I stood my ground, waiting for an attack.

There was a furious cracking of twigs and then, out of the brush, popped a woman from behind the branches. She was young, no more than twenty or so. She had short, bleach blonde, almost white hair, and had a hopeful gleam about her. Her previously present smile faded when she saw me.

"Oh," was all she said. Oh?

"Well who were you expecting? Jesus?" I demanded, already annoyed with her lack of respect.

The girl was clearly taken aback, for she stepped back and brought up a cautious tone. "N-no, I was just hoping to see someone else. Someone important to me..." she trailed off.

I rolled my eyes. If someone that important had left, they probably weren't as important as she said they were. I voiced my opinion.

"Look, girl. If they left in the first place they're probably not coming back. No one chooses to come here." I spat the words distastefully, but not so much at her, but at my senders.

The girl was curios, but wore a cautious expression on her face. "Did you come from Bardo?" She asked, hope returning to her voice.

I cast her a side eye and said mockingly, "what do you think?"