The Three

Chapter 4

Kym screamed as Betrayal and Death sauntered away. The rush of water was now louder than ever. Suddenly, with the sound of an iceberg crashing 1,000 feet into solid stone, the ceiling broke. 

Kym couldn't remember anything besides endless water, in her eyes, in her lungs, and in her stomach. She retched until she couldn't breath, and tried to wake up, but she could only feel blinding pain. suddenly, she felt a tremor through the water. She could sense that something was now above her. Desperate for air, she kicked upwards. Her head hit something. She looked up. There was a huge, yellow piece of metal above her. It was the bottom of a ship. 

Kym dove to the side. She reached the surface and paddled to the banks of the river, which were dry. She looked out at the pond. The water had turned brown, the color of caked dust. Kym realized that the entire bottom of the lake had crumbled and the water had receded, exposing the first third of the drain and making it sit about three feet above water level. Choking, Kym collapsed on the ground and began to sob. Her brother was gone forever. Drowned, then pushed to the bottom of a collapsing lake. Thinking about it, Kym suddenly realized something. If tons of water had crashed down upon her, she would be dead in any context. So what was going on?

Troubled, Kym gathered enough energy to stagger to her road. Her eyes flicked across the houses. They were new. Not in looks, though. The paint was still cracked and the shingles worn, but the houses themselves were different and looked like newer models. They weren't the same houses Kym knew. She bounded up the street, hearing blood in her ears. Finally, she reached the yard where her house had once stood. It was gone. 

Kym ran to the building, which was small, yellow, and pretty. Her house had been long, thin and white. She rang the bell. "Hello?" Came a voice from inside. Kym knocked on the door. A woman answered. "Hello, young lady." The woman grinned. "Where is my family?" Kym gasped. The woman cocked her head, confused. "Sorry, I- I don't know what you mean." Kym felt her eyes tear up. "Jane and Tim Dawford." She whispered. The woman frowned. "They- well, actually, I believe they used to own this property." Jane couldn't stop her tears now. "Used to?" She sobbed. The woman sighed. "Look, honey. I'm sorry. But please, I can't help you. But there are a few people who knew them. Up the street-" Kym shocked to alert. "Oh... thank you, thank you, thank you." She cried. She whirled and ran to the house furthest away: Ben's friend Nikkie's house. Kym rang the bell. In less than ten seconds, it was answered by a middle aged man. "Oh, hello, girl." He smiled. His voice was muffled by his bushy, brown beard. But still... "Is your name Nicholas?" She blurted. "Why, yes it is. I think I used to be friends with your mother." Kym gaped. This was Nikkie. So that meant... "It's not my mother you know, it's me." Kym whispered. Nikkie faltered. "What happened to my mother? Or, maybe as you would say... my grandmother?" The man scratched his beard. "She- she lived down there, I think, yeah. And she... I just went to her funeral a week ago. Husband died yesterday." Kym collapsed on his front steps. Her parents were dead, her brother was dead. She had no place to belong anymore.