Lycan Pass

Lycan Pass - Chapter 14

      I plummeted downwards, the violent winds ripping past me. I choked on a scream as terror clogged my throat. The water was fast approaching, and I had no way to stop. The fall seemed to last a lifetime, and yet all too fast. I'm not sure if it was from instinct, or if it was just a gasp of fear, but I inhaled quickly before I hit the surface.
      
      The icy waters that had once felt thin now felt like thousands of burning needles stabbing at me from all angles. I wanted to scream, and I did; but once the first bubbles of precious air passed my parted lips, I sharply clamped my mouth closed. I'd seen far too many beginning swimmers make that mistake, all cases ending poorly.
      
      I was still rocketing down towards the bottom of the pool. My original goal laid just outside of my grasp. I kicked my way downwards. It was so close... so close! A small burning flame ignited in my lungs, my muscles began to ache. Somewhere in the back of my mind I acknowledged a loud splashing sound. My heart was pounding. So close. I have to grab it. I have to grab it!
      
      My hands plundered the slimy rocks, searching frantically. The burning in my lungs was now a choking, gagging feeling. Finally, I clasped onto something cold and metallic. It settled easily in my palm, and something that felt like a chain whispered across the back of my hand. I rejoiced, but not for long. A hot blackness was beginning to blot out my vision. I was going to drown here.
      
      I tried to kick off of the ground to shoot up towards the surface, but my arms and legs were moving sluggishly. I might have panicked if there hadn't been a certain numbness about me. The only thing left that I could feel was the slow beat of my heart. Should I give up? I mean, what else was there to do? I sure as heck couldn't move. Maybe my words were coming back to haunt me. Ha ha, cruel irony. Very funny.
      
      And so I decided to stay (or more likely, accepted the fact that there was no way I was getting out of this). My consciousness was beginning to slip through my fingers like hot liquid silk when I felt a tug on my arm. I began to glide through the water, guided by the pulling force.
      
      I felt the water fall past my face, my head in something that wasn't water. Wasn't water? What could it be? Air. What's air? A voice brushed past my groggy barrier.
      
      "Diane! Diane, wake up! Breathe! Please wake up!"
      
      Trevor? I had forgotten he was here. Was he the tug on my arm? Of course he was, who else could it be? I hadn't even noticed that air was pumping in and out of my lungs until there was a screaming pain in my muscles. I yelled, and would have slipped under the water had Trevor had not had his arms around me. I could feel his arms tremor as he slipped one under my legs and picked me up.
      
      He carried me out of the pond and laid me gently on the grass. I kept my eyes shut tight, not willing to face him quite yet. I felt a warm material being draped over me. It smelled familiar and clean, kind of like the aftershave my Papa always used. I snuggled deeper into it, content to linger in the illusion. A warm hand grabbed mine and squeezed. I might have stayed there like that for the longest time, had it not been for the cold droplets hitting my face with an irregular beat.
      
      I peeled my eyes open. Trevor's head hung over my mine, his hair dripping wet. His eyes were wide with settling panic. He sighed.
      
      "What were you doing?" he asked breathlessly. I stared up at him before I moved my hand across my chest. I dropped the metallic trinket on my heart. Trevor rocked back from his kneeling position and gently took the trinket in hand. I got a clear view of it for the first time. It was a silver locket, an uncaged bird decorating the front.
      
      "What is it?" he asked.
      "I don't know, I just saw it while I was swimming." His face contorted into some unknown expression.
      "So you decided to jump off of a cliff for it?" His eyes squinted in aggravation before he burst out in mirthless laughter. "You're going to be a lot harder to protect than I previously thought," he muttered to no one.
      "What was that?"
      "Nothing." He gave me a sidewards glance before he tossed me the locket and turned his back to me. "Go get some clothes on."
      
      I wrapped his jacket around me and inhaled deeply before I let it fall from my shoulders. The cool air snaked around my ankles before I yanked my underwear and pants on. Wet strands of hair tickled my back as I moved. As I clipped my bra on, I noticed something. Shouldn't I be embarrassed? And yet, I felt nothing. Nothing but a swirl of peace.
      
      I tugged my shirt down over my damp head, and it stuck to me uncomfortably. I pulled it away from my skin to relieve the clinging feeling, but to no avail. Sighing, I bent forward to retrieve the locket. The latch on the chain was a little sticky, but I eventually pried it open. I slipped the chain around my neck and tried to close the latch. It wouldn't close. Warm hands brushed against the back of my neck.
      
      "I'll fix it," Trevor muttered. I dropped my hands when I was pretty sure that he had a hold of the necklace. He fidgeted with it for a minute before I heard a 'click'. He released the chain and the locket settled heavily over my sternum.
      
      "Thanks." He grunted and sauntered away. He looked back at me.
      "Coming?" I shifted and trailed after him. Something heavy thumped on my chest. The locket was still there.
      "That's odd..." He turned to look at me.
      "What are you-?" His eyes locked onto the necklace. He made a quizzical face, but soon went back to looking forward. "Hmm."
      
      "What?" He never replied. I sighed, irritation rubbing away at my peacefulness. Trevor was obviously still mad at me. Couldn't say I blamed him, though. I was mad at myself for being so rude and taking life for granted. Besides, would being Trevor's partner really be so bad? The village was just beginning to become visible through the trees. I hurriedly turned human and ran up to Trevor. I grabbed his wrist and stopped where I stood. He stopped, but didn't turn to face me.
      
      "Trevor, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. There's no excuse for being ungrateful. I really do appreciate the kindness shown to me here, and you were right. I just wasn't willing to let go of the past. I'm sorry."
      
      He let the silence settle around us. We stood there, nothing but the wind and the birds stirring the air. Suddenly, as if giving into a force, he spun around and took me into his arms. I was alarmed at first, but then rested my head on his chest while he stroked my hair with a massive thumb.
      
      "Don't ever scare me like that again," he said. His voice quivered slightly.
      "I'm sorry," I murmured. I took in a shuttering breath and he hugged me tightly before turning his back to me, embarrassed by the display of emotion.
      "Come on," he growled. "John's waiting for you." He took off quickly, clearly not waiting for me to catch up. What a jerk.