Hush

> Chapter Twenty Eight <

Paige

A refreshing swim is just what I need right now.
          When I reach the pool, I use the key card to open the door, rushing in afterwards. I stop dead in my tracks when one of my bare feet slides forward a few inches on the wet tile, my heart beating hard for a moment. I decide to take it slow until I reach the diving board, shuffling over and pulling my goggles down over my head. I step up onto the white diving board, pacing to the edge.
          The blue water below me glimmers in the sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I stand over the deep end of the pool, and you could hardly tell; the bottom of the pool is magnified by the water, so it looks much shallower.
          Taking a deep breath, I jump from the edge of the board, bracing for the impact.
          There's a quick rush of air before I'm enveloped in the water's cold embrace. Remaining straight as a board, I shoot through the liquid around me all the way to the tiles at the bottom of the pool. I open my eyes, looking around at the sky blue atmosphere. It is truly serene down here.
          I blow bubbles through my nose in an attempt to release some of the air I gathered; it was building pressure in my lungs. I do flips underwater, too distracted to realize that I was out of air.
          The sudden burning in my chest gave that away.
          After the realization, I quickly flap my arms, propelling myself through the water. The surface is much farther up than I thought it was, and my entire body is beginning to ache from the exertion, not to mention the lack of oxygen. Slowly, my motions lessen, until I can barely move at all. I start to sink back to the floor—not that I got very far from it—my eyelids feeling heavy.
          Then, there's a voice.
          "Do you want me to help you?" it asks, echoing through the suddenly heavy water.
          Yes, please, I think to it, hoping my plea will reach whoever is with me.
          Suddenly, my body feels as light as air, and the burning stops. I am able to breathe, but the thing is...
          I'm still at the bottom of the pool.
          "How am I breathing?" I question the water around me, my voice coming out as clearly as if I wasn't even in a pool.
          "You owe me now, dear Paige." the person says. The way they speak, I know it's the ghost lady again.
          "I owe you nothing."
          "You wish to see your friend Raine again, don't you?"
          "As long as she's herself."
          "I have her here with me, in Fellhollow Forest. If only you would come and visit us?"
          "Don't you hurt her!"
          "Well, why would I do that? We're friends now."
          "Friends...?"
          "You don't want to worry your parents, head up to the surface now."
          "But-"
          "Now."
          And with that, I'm sent through the water like a bullet, popping out at the surface in less than a minute. My parents are completely distracted by their cell phones, too much so to bother with their daughter that almost drowned. I haul myself out of the pool to sit on the edge. Am I just insane? Is that what this whole thing is? I ask myself, unsure of how to answer. No, that can't be it. I know I didn't imagine the voice, the water-breathing. That stuff just doesn't happen.
          Raine's weird black eyes weren't a figment of my imagination either, I'm sure of it.
          Deciding I'd had enough of the pool—although I've only been there for ten minutes—I tell my mother that I'm too tired to swim today. She nods without a word and leads Dad and I back to the hotel room.
          I dry off in front of the bathroom mirror, watching the pale girl in the reflection. Her hair, turned dark by water, hangs limply over her shoulders. She does everything with unsure movements, as if she's nervous something will happen should she make one wrong move. Her blue-gray eyes flit around, surveying the room, anxiously awaiting something.
          I pull on a pair of black shorts and a pink tank top. Nothing fancy, just some sleepwear I won't sweat to death in; it's pretty hot here in Fellhollow.
          Say, how did it become night so fast? I swear it was only around 3:00 p.m when I came back from the pool.
          Suddenly, a lady in my mind answers my silent question.
          I simply couldn't wait any longer.