CHAPTER 21
Astrid
Her shoulders rise as she takes a breath.
Thank god. I’ve never seen someone faint like that.
I press my hand to my own mouth now, trying to muffle my sobs.
She was screaming so loud. She wouldn’t stop.
I heard the men calling out, they heard her.
Branches snapped, they were close. We had to hide, she just kept screaming. She wouldn’t stop.
I’ve never used my powers like this before.
I didn’t know I could trap air underwater like this, and I don’t know how long it will last. The river roars above us.
Hopefully, the rapids will obscure us from view.
Please, please, please. Underneath me, Anise shifts, slowly awakening. I quickly cover her eyes.
“Please be quiet, baby.” My voice cracks as I whisper in her ear. “Shh, please, you’re okay.”
“Astrid, what’s going on?” She goes to sit up, but I hold her down with my arm. She tilts her head, trying to see past my hand. She sounds so scared.
“Please Anise, please,” I shush. She flinches at the name. “I really need you to be quiet right now.”
“Why won’t you let me see?” She whispers. Her frightened body trembles. “Why can’t I move?”
“I know you’re scared,” I murmur, petting her hair with my injured hand. “But I need you to trust me, okay? Please?”
“I found their tracks.” A deep voice. I can only hear it faintly, as the water distorts the sound.
I hold my breath, clinging to Sparks. “No, I don’t see them.
I think one of them fell in. There’s no way anyone could swim through this.
Too fast, too rocky… Maybe the river was too strong for her powers?
I don’t know what to tell you. They’re not here.
I’ll follow the river and see if I can find their bodies. ”
I lay atop of Sparks for a few more minutes, until my quickened breathing calms. She’s been quaking this whole time. I don’t think she’s figured out where we are, but she is aware enough to understand the danger. Her eyes are scrunched tightly shut, but I don’t dare remove my hand.
“Sparks, I need to check whether it’s safe to leave,” I say softly, brushing her hair. “To do that, I need to step away from you for a brief moment. Can you stay right here with your eyes closed?” She nods. “Promise me you won’t open your eyes.”
“I promise,” she says meekly.
“Okay, I’ll be right back. Stay put.”
I focus on maintaining the air bubble as I swim to the surface.
Glancing across the shorelines, we are alone.
Thank god. Back down to the air bubble. As promised, Sparks is laying still with her eyes closed.
I straddle her again, thinking about how I plan on calmly getting her out of here.
Unfortunately, my thinking time is cut short.
A fish jumps out of the water, smacking Sparks.
Startled, she opens her eyes. I clamp my hand over her mouth as her eyes dart around wildly.
“Shh, shh, shh, you’re okay,” I reassure. “I’m right here, you’re safe.”
She squirms underneath me. I lean over her, my stringy hair dripping water.
“Look at me, hey!” I whisper harshly. “Look. At. Me.” Her teary eyes meet mine, full of grit. “You cannot freak out right now. I got you, you are safe. Just look at me, not the water.”
Her struggles cease, trusting me despite her panic.
“Here’s what is going to happen,” I continue. “You are going to close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then, you are going to feel some water. It will be cold, keep holding your breath. If you get scared, cling to me, okay?”
Sparks nods, and I slowly remove my hand. She whimpers, but she doesn’t scream. Big improvement. I very slowly slide off of her. As soon as her hands are free, she clutches me close to her.
“Big breath.” I breathe in with her and push off from the ground.
My powers propel us up toward the shore.
I drag us onto the rocks, and Sparks is instantly scrambling for the grass.
She fumbles onto her back and scoots away.
Her clothes are drenched and clinging to her limbs.
I dive back into the water to retrieve our bags from the other side.
As I drag myself out of the water for the final time, I feel shaking hands pull me further from the river.
“I take it you’re afraid of drowning?” I groan, sitting up. Sparks doesn’t answer, hugging her arms to her chest. “That would have been helpful to know earlier.”
“I don’t know how to swim,” she mutters. “And in case you’ve forgotten, I have drowned before.”
Well now I feel like a dick. I dry the both of us with my powers. Sparks just grabs the backpack and walks away, still pale and trembling.
“Wait for me.” I jog to catch up to her. She’s sniffling quietly, holding back tears. “Sparks, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” she says briskly. “I’m the one that caused the problem.”
“I did kind of push you under.” I cringe inwardly. “That wasn’t my finest moment.”
“Ah,” she exhales. “I was hoping I imagined that. Still, my fault.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I grab her shoulder, forcing her to stop her sullen march.
“There’s nothing to say.” Sparks hangs her head. “I wasn’t strong enough. I almost got us killed. I need to be better.”
“That is a completely one-sided take,” I defend. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
“Is it?” She looks up at me. “I don’t think so.”
With that, she turns away, trudging up the hill. I sigh, but don’t push the issue further. I hate when she beats herself up like this. I can’t wait until we can leave this stupid forest and put all of this behind us. After what feels like forever of uncomfortable silence, I speak up.
“I want to get to know you better.”
“What do you mean?” Sparks raises an eyebrow. “You know me better than anyone, except maybe Derek. You might actually know me more. You two can fight over it.”
“I know Anise really well,” I ramble. “Derek knows Sparks, but neither of us know Charlotte.” She stumbles, caught off guard by the name drop.
“They’re really all the same person.” She clears her throat. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You matter to me,” I encourage. “I mean, isn’t it exhausting to always be wearing a mask? To always have this wall up, keeping yourself closed off?”
“Yes.” A twig snaps underneath her feet.
“Let me in,” I plead. “Introduce me to Charlotte.”
“What do you want to know?” She asks quietly. Shucks, I didn’t think I would get this far.
“When we get out of here, what is the first thing you are going to eat?” Not my best question, but it’s what I got.
“Are you an option?” She winks. Oh god, I want that to be an option.
“All love and respect, I don’t think I could keep up with you until I get an actual meal,” I joke. “I’m thinking… chicken and waffles.”
“Good pick.” She licks her lips. “I think I want a really greasy cheeseburger and tater tots.”
“Tater tots?” That’s interesting.
“I would literally kill someone for some tots right now.” Her stomach growls. I pity the fool that stands between her and food.
“What makes you happy?” We walk several feet as she mulls it over.
“Not much recently,” she confesses. “I used to love playing the viola, but I haven’t touched one since… well, you know when. Nowadays, I just work, have sex, and sleep. Simple life, except it’s not simple at all.”
“I still have your viola.” I look down at the ground. “It’s in the closet with the rest of your things.”
“I figured you would have thrown all of that out months ago.” A sad laugh. “It doesn’t matter though. I don’t have anything to play for.”
“Sparks,” I pause, trying to stay composed. “Why didn’t you come back for me?” She looks up, staring into my eyes.
“I didn’t have the strength to lose you twice.” Her walls are down. I’m looking straight into her center, her most honest version of herself.
“I’m sorry.” A lone tear falls free. “I fucked us up. I had everything I ever wanted and then―” Sparks cups my head in her hands, gently leaning in until our lips meet.
“Just promise you’ll stay with me,” she whispers, tucking my hair behind my ear. “From now until forever.”
“I promise,” I say breathlessly. “From now until forever.”
She kisses me again, the kind where neither one of you is in a hurry, where your lips meet and the world stops, and you find yourself leaning forward as they pull away, trying to extend the kiss even a second more.
Sparks laces her fingers in mine, and we continue walking southeast. The birds sing, the breeze tousles her hair, and perhaps, for a moment, everything is right in the world.
But then again, that’s when things do typically go to shit.
There’s a crack in the distance, and we freeze when we see a man cut across the clearing ahead – one of the kidnappers. Somehow, he doesn’t know we’re here. Sparks and I slowly creep behind some shrubs for more cover.
“Sparks, throw your knife at him,” I whisper.
“Why would you think I know how to throw knives?” She looks at me like I’ve grown a second head.
“You threw a knife the night of the gala,” I remind her. “You know, when that one guy grabbed me? You hit him square in the back.”
“Ah, yes, well, about that,” she stammers. “That was actually a lucky shot.”
I slowly turn to face her, glaring at her through my eyelashes.
“You mean to tell me, you threw a knife at me and just hoped you didn’t kill me?”
“To be fair, there was an entire person between me and you,” she hisses. “And I might have acted a bit impulsively.”
“Later, I’m going to kill you.”
“Later.” She nods.
“New plan,” I suggest. “I’ll sneak around to the left, you sneak to the right. I draw his attention and you stab him.”
“That’s a shit plan.”
“I’d love to hear a better one.”
“I have one,” a third voice whispers. “Raise your hands behind your head.”