the thirst trials..

chapter XII

The pressure is filling. Pressure is overwhelming. Pressure is everything. The water blocks out everything, but it doesn't block out the vision of their bodies washed up on the shore. My friends. My allies. My team. Cold rushes flow through me roughly, knocking me out of my sense. I like the deep, the isolation. I take a breath and dive, hesitant for the dark of the water and the warmth against my skin. I swim to get away from the reality of the Trials, the sad deserted Madison, the angered Skylar, the mess of it all, myself. The currents throw me around like a ragdoll bouncing off of the corners of rocky structures, stalling my diving. I close my eyes and pretend it's love surrounding me, and then I open my eyes and push myself down. I feel the strain of my lungs wanting air, but I keep going. I don't think I can stop. It feels a lot like the strain of staying alive when I fan feel the darkness sliding under my skin, trying to burrow my body without asking so that my hands become death's hands, my legs its' legs. I dive deeper, lungs tight and burning. I feel a distant twinge of panic, but I make my mind go silent before I send my body deeper. I want to see how deep I can go. A tingle brushes up against my leg and tangles. Kali. Her blonde hair fanning out like seaweed. With my free hand, I cradle and hold her still body. Together, we swim, linked, like a person with three arms. I want to go deeper than this, because the deeper the better. I want to keep going. But the thought of Kali stops me. We have to go. They're counting on me. The thought fills me, but I can still feel the darkness working its' way up, through my fingers, trying to grab hold. I could keep swimming. I could take all this grief and hurt away. I could disappear from the worries. I could blend into the darkness, the black hole. I glance down at Kali's resting, doll-like face. I can't do this to her. The burning sensation fills my lungs. I stare longingly where the black of the bottom should be, where I should be, and then I stare up again at the light, very faint but still there, waiting with life, over my head. It takes strength to push myself up because I need air by now, badly. The panic comes back, stronger this time, and then I aim myself for the surface. Come on, I think. Please come on. My body wants up, but it's tired. I'm sorry. I'm sorry Kali. I won't do this again. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm supposed to be your rock to bring up, not drag you down. I'm supposed to be your guardian. I'll get you back. I promise. I'm coming. I finally hit air. I prop Kali's fragile, limber body onto the fluffy sand. I take Kali's hand, feeling around for a pulse. "Come on, Kal," I mumble. "Don't give up. Always keep fighting." I scramble up, "Kali," I raise my voice, heartbeat thumping. "Maddie! Skylar!" I yell, furiously looking around, spinning around myself. I collapse in a messy heap next to Kali, sweet innocent Kali. My sobs dissolve into the gritty ground; my body vigorously shaking. My eyes, filled with tears, make the faces and bodies blurry in the distance. Sand kicks up as a boy skids over sand dunes. "Maggie," he exhales. "Maggie, Maggie, I'm here." Teardrops are shed, streaming down my face. My vision clears, reassuring myself it's Aidan. "Oh Aidan," I cry, digging my hands into his back. My head drops onto his shoulder; my tears staining his maroon hoodie. "Hey," he soothed, stroking my hair, pulling me off of him. "Hey, I'll get her back." I drop my hands and back away. "Don't you worry." He steps up, walking over to Kali, sitting in a silencing sleep. His face drops; his reassuring smile fades. "You can tell, ya know," a voice whispers; it's Aly. She kneels down beside me and sighs heavily. "He really likes her, cares for her." We watch him crouch down beside her, sweeping her delicate bangs off her delicate, pale face. He leans over her, crossing his left wrist over his right, pressing on her shallow chest. He repeats this over and over, searching for a sign of life on her smoldering face. He pauses and gently slides his hand down to her neck, directly under her jawline. Aidan glances back at Aly and me. His face speaks two words without a sound. Can I? I lock eyes with him and nod. His eyebrows raise as he inhales and turns back to Kali. With his free hand, Aidan's finger slowly opens Kali's pursed lips as he begins to lover his head towards hers. A loud, sharp inhale gasps. Kali's beautiful deep blue eyes flicker open., batting her long luscious lashes. "Dang dude," she breaths. "You saved me." Aidan holds out his hand, and she takes it, standing up, pulling him close into a hug. "Thank you," she whispers into his ear. "Seriously, thank you," she pushes away and looks him straight into his tarnished emerald eyes. "Kali!" I squeal, diving into a warm embrace. "I was so scared," I say into her tangly, merrigold hair. "Hey, I'm here now. Right?" She hugs me one more time and pulls away. She clutches her left arm and runs her thumb over the gash. "Maggie, you're bleeding again," I glance down at the stream of blood, coursing towards the sand. "Oh God, Maggie," Kali says as she pulls at the garnet-pigmented stain on her flint-gray tee. "Here," Aidan steps in. "Have my hoodie," he says as he peels off his maroon sweatshirt. Kali wraps it tight around my bicep. "That'll do for now," she says, letting my arm out of her grasp. "Let's go, slowpokes," she exclaims perkily. She struts off towards the wreckage, blonde locks swaying., hope in her eyes, and a pepin her step. Boulders from the cliffs strew from here to there, limp seaweed everywhere., trees misplaced. In the distance, Kali ducks behind a rocky structure, shaded with uprooted palm trees, balanced up against the rocks. "I guess she found camp," Aly mumbles. "I guess we'll be safe now," Aidan utters. "For now."