Drowning In Shallow Water

Bonus Chapter 3 and Finale

2 months, 28 days and 14 hours.

That's how long it had been since I saw Edmund. I had gone through all five stages of grief, but not in their correct order. It didn't make any sense. Everything had been perfect. I kept falling deeper and deeper in love with him. I assumed he had to.

But after he introduced me to the Veld and held me in his arms as we slept, he disappeared from my life. I had gone through every moment to try and figure out what I had done wrong but couldn't conjure up a good enough reason for him to leave. I had spent days and nights crying out his name until I lost my voice. I even quit my job as I had lost the ability to normally function or process.

"Sweety, I know you're upset but everyone is here to support you," my mother said from beyond the locked door after knocking for the umpteenth time.

I scoffed at the supposed show of support. I knew I was in a rut but the last thing I needed was pity. There was no form of support that could help me with what I was going through. If only I could get that message through my mother's head. So what if I wasn't eating, breathing or functioning as normal people do?

As always, I ignored her. She was not getting any confirmation of life from me. She was only bothering the door. There were a few muffled voices after a while, followed by an obnoxiously loud knock.

"Cola, I learnt how to pick locks. Want to see?" Danny yelled out.

Old me would have either called out his bluff or threatened to kill him if he did it. Broken me just laid limply on the bed, staring out the window but not really seeing anything. After shuffling sounds and a successful click, the door swung open. I heard Danny sigh as he approached the bed.

I barely reacted when I became airborne, Danny moving me out of the room. His entire body was tense, probably because of how I had become a mere bag of bones. He looked a bit different. His face was set in a scowl, a nearly trimmed beard on his chin. He was growing out his hair too, a completely different look.

I blinked when we were out in the sunlight, leaving the house for the first time in ages. I squirmed at the heat, feeling like a vampire. I settled down after we were in the cool shade as Danny took a seat at the picnic table in the garden.

"Oh dear," came Brianna's voice from beside Danny.

I squinted against the bright light to get a closer look at everyone around me. Kaden and Maya sat across the table, their fingers intertwined. It came to me that they probably arranged to see me. I cringed.

"I'm fine," i grumbled, trying to squirm my way out of my brother's lap but failing miserably.

I slumped against his chest with a scowl on my face.

"You're halfway to the grave," Brianna complained, picking at my bony arm.

"We're worried about you," Maya expressed hesitantly.

I couldn't help but frown at her. "Don't be. I'm fine."

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away from the rest of them. I didn't even know why I was mad at them. Lying against Danny's chest was also bittersweet. It reminded me of when Edmund held me, like that time in the library. It made my eyes sting with tears.

"Let's have lunch and we'll leave," Danny implored.

I looked at the assortment of food laid out on the table. I felt hungry but my stomach churned just at the sight of food, forcing me to look away.

"I'm not hungry," I grumbled.

"Not while you're looking like that," Kaden stressed. "I'm worried the wind might blow you away."