Freedive

Chapter 1

Conrad

I'd spent the day freediving from Cleveland's sailboat to his stuck anchor, troubleshooting how to untangle it from what I determined to be someone's lost anchor and attached rode a couple of feet down. Thankfully, we'd gone out a couple of hours before low tide, so my repeat trips to the bottom and back weren't too bad.

"Good work, skipper," Cleveland joked, handing me a water as I caught my breath topside.

I toasted my water bottle against his with a quick "cheers" and took a sip, watching as Cleveland pulled the rode into the anchor locker. I jumped up, ready to help, but he put a hand up as he closed the compartment.

"Take a break, Conrad. You look like maybe you got too much sun today."

I took a deep breath, or at least, I tried to, only I could feel a burning and resistance in my lungs that tugged at a deep childhood memory of getting pummeled by an intense set of waves, my arms reaching out as I tried to surface for air.

Shaking the memory away, I took another deep breath and succeeded. Mostly, anyway. The burning and resistance were still there, but the water seemed to be helping, so I chalked it up to holding my breath during my many freedives and dehydration.

Cleveland guided the sailboat back into the marina while I polished off my water and we parted ways once the lines were secure in the dock cleats. "Same time tomorrow?" he asked in the parking lot, and I nodded, having promised him that we'd work on unfurling and furling the sails once we got some decent wind in the forecast.

The heat in the Jeep hit me the second I closed the door, causing muffled coughs that brought back the burning sensation and causing it to grow from a small pinprick to the size of my hand.

What the hell?

The resistance turned to tightness on the drive home, and by the time I pulled into the driveway, I was pretty sure I was wheezing slightly on every exhale like Jere used to do when he was sick as a kid. I turned off the ignition and pushed a fist into the center of my chest, attempting to knead the feeling away, my face twisting in pain as it grew worse.

I left my backpack in the car and trudged up the walkway, my right arm around my middle like if it was the only thing keeping me together. I could hear my mom and Laurel laughing in the kitchen, and when I dropped my keys in the bowl in the foyer, the vice around my chest tightened, forcing me to stumble into the doorway.

"Con?" she called out. "Laurel and I were thinking we could order some of those lobster-–"

"M-mom?" I interrupted, tears streaming down my cheeks as I took a step forward. "I...I can't breathe," I managed before the wheeze returned, deeper this time, filling the room. My legs shook beneath me, my hands gripping the marble countertop of the island to keep myself upright.

What the fuck was this?

Mom's hands grabbed my waist, and even though she was smaller than me, I found myself giving in. "I've got you, hun. It's okay, let's sit you down." The tile was cool beneath my legs and although my first instinct was to curl up because of the pain in my chest, I let Laurel guide my shoulders and head back so that they were square against the side of the cabinets.

"I think I have one of Jere's old inhalers in the linen closet upstairs. It's probably expired, but it's better than nothing," my mom said, brushing my hair off my forehead. I took a shuddering breath and exploded into a series of deep, chesty coughs, my head pounding from the force.

I didn't notice Laurel had left until she returned, a small red inhaler in her hands.

"We're gonna try a few puffs and see how it goes, okay?" my mom asked me, as if I had any choice in the matter, and before I could stop her, the plastic was at my lips as Laurel held me up again. I heard the canister hiss and took a breath, the bitter particles getting caught on my tongue. After a second and third hiss, I felt my lungs loosen slightly, but not enough for the burning to dissipate. My hands and lips went tingly, my head swimming as my heart throttled in my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut in pain.

The back door slammed, Jere asking, "Ma, did you order the lobster rolls yet? We're starv–," before cutting off mid-sentence. I assumed he was taking in the scene of me propped against the kitchen island, my lungs only able to take in tiny, rapid sips of air as mom held an inhaler to my lips.

My mom sighed and I felt the inhaler pull away. "I think we need an ambulance, Con. You're wheezing so badly."

I shook my head no, opening my eyes to plead my case, and that's when I realized Belly was there, standing just behind Jere, biting her nails as worry creased her face. I didn't want this to be happening, but I couldn't stop it.

"I don't like his color," Laurel stated, motioning toward my lips. I'd been wrong about the inhaler helping; my lungs clenched tightly, making me wheeze on my inhales and exhales. I was breathing, but nothing was coming in or out.

"No," I mouthed, shaking my head. I closed my eyes, willing the whole thing to be a dream. My hearing went fuzzy, and when I tried to open my eyes, all I could see was static.

I felt myself falling quickly into darkness, down a deep and cold ocean ravine. It was like I was freediving again, only this time, I couldn't hold my breath any longer, was taking in water with every inhale until finally, my feet felt the bottom and I blacked out.