But The World Keeps Turning

Chapter 3: The State We're In

For Beca, this was the second time it started with sand. The cold, wet, bloody, goddamn sand was everywhere. With her eyes still closed, she remembered collapsing in Stacie's arms, when she stood up too quickly. After she... What happened before? There had been this plane crash, right? But what had happened exactly? There had been screams, water and bodies. The thought of the dead people, hanging in their chairs, only being held there by their fastened seatbelts, made her shiver. But what had happened to her? Who had sat next to her? She had run with someone, that's what happened. That person... Strands of red hair...

Chloe! Beca's eyes shot open. Where is she? Where is Chloe? Is she alright? She sat up slowly, still feeling slightly dizzy. She looked around but neither saw Stacie nor Chloe. She was sitting on a beach, the waves straddling her feet. Behind her, was a forest, but it was too dark and too overgrown to see what was laying beyond that. It was completely dark. The light of the moon was blocked by a dark cloud. The only light that reached the beach was the light of the hundreds, no, thousand stars above her that were shining like there hadn't been a storm just a couple moments ago.

In the distance, she saw a faint figure, kneeling on the sand. It was so dark, she could barely see the figure. Slowly, Beca stood up, still shaky and she slowly walked towards the black shadow. Blood was still streaming out of the wound on her forehead, but it was less severe than before. The sand was cold and made it hard for her to walk in a straight line. The figure appeared to be a female and it seemed there was another girl lying on her back on the sand in front of her. When she just was a couple feet removed from the girls, Beca lost her balance and fell on her side, but not losing consciousness this time. The sitting figure quickly turned around and approached Beca. It was Stacie.

"Beca! Are you ok? I just saw someone washed ashore, so I went to check on her."

The taller one hugged Beca tightly and helped her up. Beca noticed the tears streaming down Stacie's face.

"Who is that?"

Stacie bit her lower lip, before pulling Beca towards the girl.

"I don't know what to do! She's not breathing!" she sobbed.

Beca quickly knelt down next to the girl. Even when the light of the stars only showed black and grey colors, she could easily recognize Aubrey. Her lips had a darker shade than they should be and her eyes were closed. Beca laid her index and middle finger against the pulse point in her neck, but she didn't feel anything. She cursed heartedly. She laid the blonde steadily on the sand before leaning back the head of Aubrey and holding her nose. You owe me big time. After taking a breath, she pressed her lips on hers and exhaled. The chest of the captain rose. Beca folded her hands and laid them on Aubrey's chest, just above the end of her sternum. She stretched her arms and pressed down firmly. One.. Two... Tree... She counted slowly. Again, she hold her nose and pressed her lips on the captain's. She put her hands back in place.

Stacie was too terrified to look, but she did. She looked how Beca tried to reanimate the captain, while she sat on the other side of her, a couple feet removed from the two girls. She was lost. Her eyes shifted from Aubrey's face to Beca's hands and back again, while she fought back the tears. She had to be strong in a situation like this. Aubrey still gave no response to the oxygen she got from the brunette. But Beca didn't seem to lose faith. More than five minutes had passed and still she was still pressing Aubrey's chest down, before filling her lungs with oxygen again. Seconds passed like they were weeks, before finally...

Aubrey's eyes shot open as she coughed up and vomited the seawater that was inside of her. Quickly Beca rolled her on her side, so she could spit out the water, before she would choke on it again. Aubrey turned herself towards Beca, who still sat next to her. Her breathing was quick and hoarse, her eyes showed panic. Still coughing, she gasped for air like a fish on the shore, squirming like she was caught in an invisible fishing net.