Chapter 23 (Autumn)

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My lungs flood with water at the impact. It's disorienting, the feeling of being tossed around like a rag doll in a washing machine. I'm too afraid to open my eyes, but every once in a while I feel the solid wall of what's left of our ship slam into my sides.

The thing about powers are they're only useful when you're in your element. Adriana for example is probably doing just fine, but I can't exactly summon a tree branch in the middle of the ocean. I have to rely on my instincts alone, which kind of sucked seeing as my instinct was to not open my eyes an cower in fear.

I take a metaphorical breath and open my eyes to the chaos around me. Our plane is in too many pieces to count, large and small, and I see bits of electricity sparking around me. A piece of metal rests on what seems like the edge of a trench and I can't help but get a feeling that it's going to fall into it. I swim closer to it only to find a leg sticking out from underneath the scrap of metal. It twitches slightly, which is the only reason why I try to move the scrap.

Realizing it's too heavy, I swim farther down. By this point my lungs are burning, but part of me needed to know who was there. The eyes of our co-pilot meet mine and he shakes his head at me instantly. I know he's saying to forget about him, but I couldn't do that without trying. I looked around frantically at the ledge and saw a vine of some sort floating peacefully a few feet away. I have to at least try it.

Channeling what was left of my energy, I try to make it move, but it's no use. I was completely useless.

Dylan catches my attention once again and waves me away from him. I grab his hand frantically, my eyes starting to get spots in them, but he manages to push me away from him with what little energy he has left. Not being able to take it much longer and due to Dylan's insistence on not being saved, I swim to the surface. As soon as I break through and take in a deep breath, I hear the unmistakable sound of a plane flying above us. Looking to my right I see Adriana, Jesse, and Joshua swimming towards me frantically. Just as I prepare to tell them about Dylan, the bullets start raining from above.

"Get down!" Someone shouts and I submerge myself just as a line of bullets begin rapidly approaching. I watch as each shot breaks through the surface, merely inches from my head. Once the bullets stop, I break through the surface once again, only this time to hear a scream tear itself from Adriana's throat,

"Jesse!"

I swim over to them quickly, but slow my pace as I see the pool of red surrounding his chest. Joshua looks at me,

"Where are the others?"

"Dylan's trapped under a piece of metal and I need help lifting it. I don't know where everyone else is."

He nods and we both submerge once again and swim back to Dylan. By the time we get there, my hope is lost. Joshua points to one side of the metal and we both push on it. The scrap plunges down the trench, narrowly taking Dylan with it. I manage to grab his arm before he falls, but that's when I see his crushed figure no longer moving. His head slumps backward and eyes remain wide open.

We were too late.

I feel Joshua's hand gently pull mine from Dylan's and take me back to the surface, but the whole time I watch the body sink deeper into the trench and allow guilt to flood my lungs.

I catch my breath quickly, allowing the tears to come earlier than expected. "I'm sorry," is the first thing that comes from my lips as I face Joshua again, but he already has his arms around me, giving me a silent hug. "He wouldn't let me save him." I say as more tears fall, but the realization hits me harder, "I couldn't save him."

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