Drowning

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The funeral was long and tiring. Many people had come to pay their respects to their beloved friend and devoted soldier. Even with the large amount of people that had shown up, Emily had never felt more alone.

As her father’s casket was being lowered into the ground, she had no one to comfort her, that’s when she realised that she didn’t need to try anymore.

After the service, she had made her way to her favourite place; the beach. Her father used to take her here all the time before he left. They would play silly little games with each other, oblivious to the world around them.

She sat down on the soft sand, watching and listening to the waves as they crashed against each other. Slowly she stood up, taking in the now dark sky and the shining stars. This was her chance to end it all and to be free.

No one cared for her; she was and will always be alone

She repeated these thoughts as she swam deeper and deeper into the ocean, letting it engulf her as the small waves pushed her back towards the shore, but she had fought back to get deeper into the ocean to her desired location. That’s when she had finally given up, letting herself fall into the freezing water. She didn’t even bother to try to call for help, she wanted this. She wanted all of the loneliness and pain to finally end, like the way it had for her father. She wanted peace, and this was the only way she could succumb to it. Soon she was descending deep into the ocean; everything turning black as she finally closed her eyes and let her body fall, the ocean grabbing her and pulling her deeper and deeper.

Liam didn’t know what he was doing, he had acted on impulse, immediately removing his shirt and diving into the ocean. He had to help her; he couldn’t just let her drown. It took him ten minutes to find her motionless body; having to come up every couple of minutes for air. He quickly carried her towards the sand, checking her pulse like he once learned in school.

Relieved that she still had one, he quickly went through the CPR drill they had taught in health and in a matter of minutes, she was coughing up water.

She was confused to see the brown eyed kid kneeling before her. Maybe he was an angel; he sure did look like one with his angelic features. But did heaven look like the beach? She didn’t think so, but then again, how would she know?

“Are you ok?” he asked, his tone full of concern. She nodded her head, unable to speak.

“I saw you in the water, and you were, well drowning.” He explained and she waited for him to welcome her into heaven, but he didn’t.

“So I saved you.” At his words she froze, not wanting to comprehend that she was still alive.

I saved you

Did that mean she was alive? She pinched herself, hoping that it wouldn’t hurt to prove that she was in heaven but alas, it hurt. The boy looked at her weirdly, confused by her actions.

“You’re not dead,” he assured her, and at that she started crying, right there in front of him. She didn’t want to be saved, she wanted to be dead.

The boy just stared at her, confused by her sudden tears. Had he done something wrong? Liam didn’t know what to do beside try to stop her shivering by giving her his black jacket. After she had finally stopped crying, she looked at the boy, sniffing every couple seconds as he looked at her curiously but with a hint of concern.

“Did you want me to take you home?” he asked her softly, not wanting to make her cry again. She nods her head in answer, trying to stand up independently but her knees failed her as she fell straight back down. The boy grabbed her elbow, helping her up and walking her to his car.