The Bridge To Nihon (BOOK ONE)

Chapter 2 - The Girl from the Water

Below the surface of the water, the sky moved far away, and the river expanded in width and depth until it seemed as endless as an ocean. Sofia swam towards the body, trying to ignore the eerie feeling of having entered another world. She reached for one of the arms and grabbed its wrist.

All of a sudden, the girl came alive and struggled to get out of her grasp.

Sofia tore back in surprise and fright. The two girls shot towards the surface of the water at the same time. Sofia gasped, frantically filling her lungs with air, brushing her hair out of her face, as her eyes became used to the outside world again.

She stared at the girl who was staring back at her, although she was not gasping for air, and didn't seem dishevelled or ruffled in any way.

"Who are you?" Sofia said with the first breath she managed to draw.

The girl moved backwards, not taking her eyes off Sofia. With every inch she put between them, her gaze became calmer and somewhat superior. She reached for a rock in the water and pulled herself upon it in one fluent motion.

Sofia could have sworn that there had not been a rock in that place before, and she realized that she was standing comfortably on the ground, the water only reaching up to her stomach, even though it had been deep and endless a mere few seconds ago.

The girl brushed her long silver hair from her face. It seemed neither wet nor dry, but smooth like a velveteen sheet.

"Since you disturbed me," she said in a haughty voice, "you should answer that question before I do."

"Disturbed you?" Sofia blurted out. "I saved you."

The girl gave a little laughter that rang as clear as a bell. "Why should I need saving?"

"You - you were drowning."

The girl pulled her legs up on the rock and looked around with a slightly bored expression. Her arms and legs were light-blue as if colored from inside. She was wearing a white and silver suit that was constantly changing form, wrapping itself differently around her body every time she moved.

"What is drowning?" she asked, as if she knew exactly what it was, but enjoyed putting Sofia on the spot.

"It's -," Sofia started. How could she possibly explain drowning? "It's when you are underwater for too long, and you - you stop breathing."

"But I never stopped breathing."

"You can -?"

"Of course!" The girl laughed again. "Of course, I can breathe underwater."

She elongated her neck like a cat, exposing green and yellow gills that flapped open and closed again before Sofia could get a good look. She giggled at Sofia's confusion.

"Can you not breathe underwater?" she asked with an air of mock-innocence.

"No. I -." Sofia stopped herself. She looked at the girl angrily. "You shouldn't make fun of me. I saved you. And even if I didn't, that's what I set out to do, and you should thank me for it."

"If you only saved me to receive gratitude..."

Sofia felt her face turn hot. "That's not what I meant!".

The girl smiled sweetly then as if she had established her position and could now allow herself to be graceful.

"My name is Orì," she said, like a peace offering. Pronouncing her name, she sat upright as if expecting reverence.