The Awakening

Chapter Twenty Two

Her body hit the water like a rock.

She sank into the waters depths at an unnatural speed, causing instant panic to flood her thoughts. The relentless onslaught of cold, piercing water surrounded her completely, knocking the air she had right from her lungs.

With how abrupt the shove into the lake was, Avelon had no time to consider gulping down air. Water enveloped her body, its icy grip squeezing her lungs until they burned with the desperate need for air. The feeling was akin to someone wrapping their hands around her neck and squeezing.

The temperature of the water seemed to plummet even further as she sank.

Despite her frantic attempts to scream and swim, the raging current seemed to thwart every effort. The water resisted her attempts and pushed her further into its suffocating embrace with each thrash. She fought hard against the pull of the current, her mouth opening involuntarily as she moved, allowing more water to invade her throat. She was choking slowly.

The sensation of drowning was not just physical. She realized that feeling altogether, was a deeper more primal terror. It was a realization that her body was failing and betraying her despite her will to survive. Her mouth opened in another terrified scream as she shot her arms upward in an attempt to try and swim. Her body was immobile.

The stream, as named Liquid Death by Brianne, lived up to its menacing name with cruel accuracy. Avelon could almost feel the dark irony of the name as her body convulsed in agony, every muscle screaming with exhaustion and pain from her struggle against the current. Fleeting glimpses of the orange sky shimmered through the turbulent water, a tantalizing reminder of life just out of reach. Her body convulsed again, her chest igniting with the desperate need to take a breath. Her face twisted in despair mixed with agonizing anger as she reached once more for the surface, silently pleading for someone, anyone, to save her.

Breathe.

The faint whisper grabbed Avelon's attention, momentarily stalling her internal panic. Her body froze. The voice was familiar and yet, not. Glancing around frantically she realized that her mind must have been playing tricks on her. She shook her head hastily as her lungs ached. Death had to be calling her, who else would tell her to breathe underwater? Her chest tightened once more as she hesitated, the urge to inhale and take a breath was becoming almost unbearable.

Breathe!

The whisper escalated to a panicked shout just as another bout of water surged into Avelon's mouth. She choked, her hands wrapping around her neck involuntarily as she felt her body almost completely succumbing to the dark embrace that death promised.

Oxygen- she needed air. And fast.

Her body grew limp as the oxygen deprivation began to take hold. Her arms were weighed down by the crushing pressure of the water. The effort it took to swim and try to save herself became unbearable. Her eyes fluttered, and a sense of resignation washed over her as she felt herself sinking further into the enveloping darkness of the stream. Her body trashed against the raging water, but she remained unable to move. Within the murky depths, she could almost make out a pair of glowing golden eyes watching her with an unsettling calm.

Golden eyes. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Lugh?" She tried to mumble, forcing another mouthful of water into her airpipe. She could not take it any longer.

BREATHE!

Suddenly, the water that barrelled into her mouth became tangible- as though the voice carried a power toward her so that she could mould it to her will. As she gasped in finality, the water poured into her mouth, but this time, it brought no suffocation but a strange form of reprieve. The sensation was baffling yet relieving. She was breathing water. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the liquid deeply. No burning, no suffocation and no choking. This time the water offered the release her aching lungs sought.