Desolation

Chapter Twenty Two

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My heart stops.

"Ian?" I whisper, my eyes widening.

He still looks rigid and lifeless.

Did I just imagine him breathe?

I rest my head back down on his chest, waiting. Waiting for any sign of life.

Then, I feel it.

Ian's chest slowly but surely rises up and down again.

Tears of joy begin to cascade down my face as I am flooded with relief.

"He's alive!" I scream ecstatically.

Tristan, Dylan, and Nikki all turn around, looking at me with their eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What?" Tristan says.

"He's breathing! He's alive!" I shout.

They all run over, gathering around Ian. His eyes are still shut and he is motionless except for the rising and falling of his chest. I lean over Ian, and softly whisper,

"Ian?"

At first, he doesn't respond. But then, I hear a low moan from the back of his throat.

"Ian, it's me," I say, trying to stop my voice from trembling.

I place my hand into his, squeezing it gently. Slowly, I feel his fingers intertwine with mine. He groans again, stirring slightly, his eyes still shut. I wait, my heart pounding in my chest, still filled with the relief that he is alive.

Then suddenly, his eyes flutter open. I lean over him, my eyes wide. At first, he looks disorientated, but then his eyes focus on me. He stares at me for a few moments, his dark eyes penetrating into mine.

"Tessa, I..." he murmurs, his voice weak.

Before he can continue, I lean down and cut him off by pressing my lips to his.

I kiss him softly, releasing all of the emotions that I have been keeping in. When I pull away, tears of relief well up in my eyes. He looks up at me.

"Ian, you...you were dead. You stopped breathing," I whisper, a tear rolling down my cheek.

He stares back at me, confusion in his eyes.

"What happened?" he murmurs.

I don't want to recite what happened.

He looks at me, waiting for an answer. My throat tightens and another tear rolls down my cheek.

"You hit your head on a rock at the bottom of the lake when you jumped in with Tessa," Tristan says suddenly.

I turn around, looking at Tristan.

"You sank down to the bottom of the lake and I brought you back up," he continues.

Ian reaches his hand to the back of his head, putting it under the shirt that is tied around him.

"No don't touch it!" I exclaim.

When he pulls his hand back out, it is smeared with blood.

"I know this is probably a stupid question, but how do you feel?" Dylan asks.