"Aurora, hold on."
Roseanne gunned the engine. The car sailed off the cliff toward the water. Aurora screamed again in the backseat, and for one terrifying moment, it was as if they were flying.
The car hit the water; the airbag deployed. Roseanne's head smashed forward and back, hit something hard. The car bobbed for a few minutes before it took on water and the weight of the engine started to pull them down.
Cold water seeping in at her feet brought Roseanne around. Her head pounded. Every muscle in her body ached. With frantic fingers she unbuckled her seatbelt, swore frantically when she couldn't get out of it.
They weren't dead. They weren't dead, yet.
"Aurora!" Roseanne tried to shake the fuzziness from her mind. She climbed into the backseat where Aurora's head lay against the window, her eyes closed. "No, no, no."
Aurora's head moved to the side, and she slowly opened her eyes. "What...what happened?"
"Oh, thank God," Roseanne exclaimed. "Come on, sweetheart, we need to get out of here"
Roseanne pushed against the back door, tried the windows. They wouldn't budge. Shifting back to the front seat as water continued to spill into the vehicle, she found the windows there were stuck as well.
"They won't open. They won't open!" Aurora shrieked.
Using her foot, Roseanne tried to bust the front windshield at the corner, but it wouldn't move.
Darkness tried to draw her down. Roseanne shook her head, blinked and forced herself to stay awake. She was having trouble thinking and seeing clearly. Everything in front of her was blurry. "Okay, just relax, Aurora. Listen to me." She grasped Aurora's shoulders as the ice-cold water reached their bellies. "Listen. We have to wait for the water to fill the car. Once it does, it'll equal out the pressure. We can't open the doors right now because there's too much pressure pushing on them. Once the car fills, the doors will open."
"No, they won't!" Aurora hollered, cradling her arm against her stomach. "We're going to drown!"
"Listen to me. They will. Trust me. Don't panic, baby."
"I'm scared," Aurora whispered, grasping Roseanne's hand.
"I know. It's okay. We're not going to die in here, you hear me?" She cradled her daughter's face. Aurora nodded as the car continued to fill. "We're going to make it. Just look at my eyes and think good thoughts, okay? Think about Mama and Miles and what you want to do tomorrow."
"Okay"
When the water level reached their necks, Aurora's fingers tightened around her hand. Then something shifted in her eyes, in the way she was looking at her.
"Mommy!" Aurora whimpered and embraced her, clinging to her with all her might.
"I know, my love... just a little more" Roseanne murmured and lifted her chin. She took one last deep breath, gestured for Aurora to do the same, then tried the door again. When it didn't budge, her heart dropped.
Icy tentacles of fear wrapped around Roseanne's throat.
Don't panic. Try again.
This time Roseanne put her back into it. With one good thrust of her body, the driver-side door opened. She grasped Aurora's hand and pulled her out of the sinking vehicle. Light flickered at the surface above. Roseanne kicked as hard as she could.
They broke the surface together, gasped for air. Roseanne treaded water, gripped Aurora's shoulders, and checked her face for signs of shock. "You're okay," she told her. "We're okay. Kick your legs, Aurora."
