The cold water swirled over her head forcing her down below the waves.
The saltiness filled her nostrils and burned her throat as she tried to cry out for help.
Lower and lower she sank as more and more water filled her mouth
"Taylor? " that voice! Just the sound of it made her lighter, made her float towards the surface "My baby girl.."
Taylor found herself rising, heading to the surface and the white heat of the sun
"Mommy..." she spoke it in her mind but the voice replied at once
"My sweet, sweet girl"
"Mommy where are you??" higher and higher she rose, closer and closer to the white light until her head broke the surface and her lungs greedily gasped for air "Mommy?!" Taylor's head snapped back and forth in the water searching for where the voice had originated "Mom?!" She cried, fighting to keep her head above water but then her eyes fell upon the soft white sand of a bay and a tiny figure was crouched down making the most perfect sandcastles.
Watching him, Taylor felt her heart splinter into a million pieces "Austin..." her voice was just a whisper but her brothers head rose and he looked to the sea as though he saw her
"Tay!" his tiny voice said and then louder "Tay! Mommy is ma Tay!!!" his eyes were bright with excitement his narrow chest moving up and down quickly as he waved his arms over his head to get his sister's attention "Tay Tay!!!"
Moving through the water as though she was gliding with no effort at all she found herself quickly approaching the shore but just as her feet felt the softness of the sand another voice ripped through her mind
"Taylor !"
Looking behind her, she searched for the source but all she saw was open water
"Taylor please! Im so sorry, I shouldn't have gone"
"Travis..." She heard her mothers voice whisper into her mind "We sent him to you my darling"
"Mommy? Where are you? I can't see you, I need to see you!" Taylor thrashed in the water searching for her mothers face, the warm, chocolate coloured eyes, that rich brown hair, the full pink lips that used to sing lullabies and kiss her off to sleep "Mommy! " Taylor cried, slapping down hard on the water and then regretting it the second Aystin began to cry "Aystin, I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry, don't cry"
"We can't stay with you Tay Tay"
"Why not? I need you!!! I need both of you!!!"
"Mommy says we have to go"
"No!!! I can't lose you again, Aystin listen to me, tell mom I'm coming with you, tell her it's okay, we can be together"
"Mommy says no Tay, mommy says you have to stay with Travis"
"I don't want to stay with Travis, I want to stay with you!"
"One of these days Taylor ..." it was her mother's voice and she just wanted to melt into it, to suffocate under the warmth of it
"Mommy please take me with you"
"You have to stay my darling, but one of these days you will walk down the aisle and we will be by your side and we will hand you over to the man we sent to save you"
Travis...
Suddenly he was all her brain could hear or see, his words burned hot in her ear 'I'm so sorry Taylor, I'm so fuckin sorry'
"Go to him darlin, we sent him to save you, let him do that at least"
"Mommy I don't want you to go, I don't want to be saved, I just want you and Austin, please mom, please don't leave me again"
"We aren't going anywhere Taylor, we will always be here"
"Taylor!" Travis' voice grew louder, the power of it pulling her back from the brink of wherever she was, away from the warmth and safety that she craved and into the dark loneliness of the world she dreaded
**************
"Taylor!"
Her eyes flew open and zoned in on the large emerald coloured eyes above her
"The doctor said I could come in but I can leave if you want"
"Travis" It was all her lungs would let her speak
"Are you okay? should I get help? "
She shook her head back and forth "My mom likes you" she smiled softly and Travis couldn't help the way his face mimicked hers
"How does she know?"
"She sent you, to save me"
"That's not going so well is it?" he forced a laugh but Taylors eyes continued to burn into his
"I'm sorry"
His eyebrow cocked at the apology
"I have been a brat when I shouldn't have been, I should have appreciated the effort you were going to, to keep me safe"
" It didn't do much good did it? "
" Travis..." she reached out and traced the tattoo on the back of his hand
"I thought you were gone"
"I was, my mom sent me back"
"Tell me what to do Taylor, tell me what you want. Do you want me to leave? Because I will, if this is what happens when I stay..."
"I don't want you to go"
"You don't?"
" I want you to stay, I want you to save me from myself, from the monsters in my mind and the monsters that send me human body parts" she smiled softly and Travis looked down at where her hand still lay on his
"No more primadonna? No more trying to get yourself killed?"
"I'm gonna be a good little girl for you, daddy" She winked and Travis shook his head.
"You know, some people would call that sexual harrasment in the work place"
"Yeah? And what would you call it?"
"I'm...still trying to work that out" he said thoughtfully as he removed his hand from under hers
"It's okay, you take your time, but not too much time I want to still be young and hot when we get married"
"Married?!" Travis' face blanched at the word
"Yeah, mom says that you're the guy I'll marry"
"That sounds like your wishful thinking if you ask me"
"Just wait and see, my mom always knows best" again she winked and then snuggled down under the covers, a peaceful smile on her lips and her eyelids dropped shut and she surrounded herself with thought and memories of her Mother and her
