Fort Callibus (IN HEAVY REPAIR)

Chapter 3

The clear water reflected the color of the trees, making it seem a light green shade. The sun still hung proudly in the sky, beating down on my skin, making it burn a light red. I saw my reflection in the spring. My sensitive skin looked pale against all the vibrant shades around me. The creamy white bikini only pronounced it more. Although, in the back of my mind, I did like the way it looked showing off my curves and hips. Yuki came up beside me, smiling off into the distance.

“Do you like it, Princess?”

I looked around once more, really appreciating the beauty of the forest. “Yeah. I do.”

“Let’s get in the water, it’s a freaking’ desert out here.”

“N-no,” I stuttered, feeling a dagger of fear pierce me. “I’ll just get in later, I don’t feel up to it right now. Um, you could go b-but I’m just going to wait.”

He smiled at me and started walking somewhere behind me. My eyes didn’t bother to follow him. What if he finds out? The cool breeze pushed back my blond hair and whistled lightly through the trees. I’d have some explaining to do. There was distinct sound in the faint back round. It didn’t sound like any other animal I’ve heard…it sounded like…padding. I frowned to myself.

Suddenly, I was propelled forward and into the water. It was freezing.Cold as a glacier. But that’s not what scared me the most. What did was that I couldn’t swim. And the spring was deep;

Really deep.

I jerked my body around propelling my arms up, trying to reach for hands that weren’t there. Hands that wouldn’t save me. My efforts only seemed to make me fall faster, my leg scraping a sharp rock. I screamed, letting out all of the air that I had left and choking on water. The blue around me soon became red. I tried jerking my body up again, flailing my arms out as if it would stop me from going any further down. I closed my eyes and pushed with my legs.

I rose slightly.

Feeling a little less hopeless, I did it again. It still worked. With more confidence I pushed again, and again, and again, and-

Pain erupted through me, starting from the top of my head. It only took me a moment to realize it was the same rock that had scraped my leg that had just punctured the top of my head. The blackness behind my eyelids swirled. So, I opened them.

The fish around me seemed to stop and stare at my sinking body. They watched me like I was a piece of bait. Forgetting my circumstances for a fleeting moment, I smiled faintly at their big curious eyes. Most of them were the radiant shades of the rainbow, shimmering every time the light crossed their backs; others were camouflaged with the brown colors of dirt and tan colors of sand. I just barely saw their tiny gills moving, sucking in the air that I couldn’t have. It should have been taunting me but it didn’t. It was more like a sign to me. A sign that it’s all right. If I was going to die then I wouldn’t mind it happening like this. Surprisingly, my lungs didn’t hurt nor did they beg for air.

But what about Yuki?

...I guess he was the same as Daniel. At that moment, I finally understood why my Father had always wanted me to be kept safe. So this wouldn’t happen. So I wouldn’t have to die. I softly hit the bottom of the spring. Grass cushioned my landing. Grass underwater. How odd. Every creature in the pond was still. They were all staring at me. What a funny thing. I closed my eyes and slowly let my mind go blank.

Peaceful.

That’s what death felt like. It was peaceful and calm.

I embraced the feeling with open arms.

Yuki’s POV:

I pushed her in the water, laughing loudly. I was determined to spend as much time with Nami as possible. She’s been trapped in that castle all of her life, she deserves a friend and some serious fun. The water cackled and jumped as the aftermath of the sudden disturbance. I grinned wide and waited for her to come up and scream at me. Her title didn’t faze me. Well, at first it did because I had expected her to kill me. So I tried to be as polite and indifferent as possible so when she turned away, I could quietly slip back into the forest I claimed as home. But when she showed the smallest sign of concern for my position, I knew she wouldn’t.