The Beauty and the Bastard

Accidents

(Hey look it's the nerdy prude)

Holly was sitting at the dinner table, looking at her parents. The two of them sat across from her, looking concerned. After a long and uncomfortable silence, her mother spoke.

"Are you alright, Holly?"

Holly gulped. She had known what the conversation was going to address anyway. She wasn't scared about telling her parents. She wouldn't even be adverse to telling them about her weird ability. She had no reason to be scared.

So why was she?

She looked at her mom and her dad. "I didn't feel sick before it happened. I didn't even do a bad dive, I was just swimming one second, and then I just couldn't reach the surface another."

Her dad looked at her mom, a little concerned. "Well, I'm not sure what it could be. I'm happy you're ok, at least." Holly nodded and looked down at her food, poking at it for a second before sighing.

"Im not hungry. I'll just- go to bed..." She declared, finally standing up.

Her parents exchanged a look, but they didn't say anything before she had already gotten to her room and shut the door behind her.

Holly fell down on her bed, smothering her face in her pillow. She rolled onto her back, looking at the ceiling. She was scared.

Scared to move.

Scared to blink.

Scared to breathe.

But most of all, she was scared to go to the abyss, because she knew that's where she was when she almost drowned.

She hadn't realized it through her panic, but reflected on the area, and it couldn't have not been in that place she knew so well.

She was horrified of the possibility that the water would still be there, and whatever was lurking in its depths would notice her again.

She sat up, shakily, thinking to herself about how long she'd be able to hold out without it.

"...no. Face your fears Holly, it's not bad! You'll be fine, it was just a hallucination."

She reiterated that final sentence to herself again, gripping her arms tightly. She inhaled. What's one more trip? It's not like that was real. She'd been there a million times before. She laid down, zoning out, closing her eyes, and sliding out of her own body into that place. Her mind floated out of her body, then down, sinking into the ground.

She descended, as the dirt around her slowly warped. She felt it vanished as air appeared around her. Then, she was back. There was no water. She sighed in relief. 'Thank goodness...' she thought to herself, sighing in relief. And then she looked up.

Suddenly that water didn't seem so bad.

(This chapter is a bit shorter but yaknow. I was gonna have more Pete but that can wait)