The Elementals of Edgewood

Chapter Twelve

The car ride home was more painful than his concussion.

George could tell that his mother was furious from how tightly she was gripping the steering wheel, but the dead silence they sat in felt almost worse than her yelling at him. It allowed the pit of guilt in his stomach to expand with every uncomfortable second.

He only lasted five minutes before he opened his mouth.

"Mum-"

"What the hell were you thinking, George?"

And the lecture was activated.

"Leaving Nate's house to hang out with some girl you barley know? She could've been dangerous!" George couldn't help but wince at her accuracy. Sadie was definitely dangerous.

 "And you didn't even think to text or call me? You know how I feel about knowing where you are! I mean I try not to restrict you and let your make your own decisions because you're a young adult but..."

She inhaled deeply, letting it out in a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, mum," he mumbled. Her gaze turned on him.

"I just... don't want you to go through what your brother went through. I can't do it again, George," she sighed. Her green eyes glistened dangerously in the street light.

The familiar rush of anger at his brother burned though George. "Mum I'm fine, really," he shifted restlessly, "just slightly hurt that you think I'm stupid enough to do anything Theo did." He smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood.

She breathed out a small laugh and looked over at him. "He is a bit of a special one isn't he?"

George chuckled, relieved that she had brightened up, but when he looked back over her expression was grim.

"Are you okay?" He almost whispered.

She adjusted her grip on the wheel, breathing out shakily. "I miss him, George. Both of them."

A lump formed in his throat. "Me too, Mum. Me too."

--

The water was waist deep.

He gazed out at the harbour in front of him. The dusty stars felt like they were pressing down on him, the dark shadows of the hills tracing the coastline.

Waves fell gently onto the shore behind him, the sandy floor rearranging itself under his feet with every sweep of the tide.

He didn't know why he was there, or how he got there.

But he was, and that was okay.

An anticipation intermingled with his contentment as the night air iced the inside of his lungs.

Something was going to happen. It tickled the hairs on his arms.

The water felt almost lukewarm as it seeped into his t-shirt. He walked out into the harbour until he was neck deep, toes just scraping the sea floor. He lay backwards and let the surface support his light limbs.

All he could see was the stars- tiny tears of light in the black blanket of sky.

Time blurred for a moment.

In his state of thick calmness, George missed the dark shadow shuddering towards him under the surface.

He was wrenched from his peace when it grabbed his leg and dragged him under the surface.

He was blind in the pitch blackness of the underwater, but he could feel himself being pulled down by the shadow. Fear rattled his bones as he thrashed and wrestled against the being's painful grip on his left leg.