was still prohibited and even more dangerous during a storm.
The waves were big, at least two feet, and choppy. As I searched for a lifeguard on duty, I knew of course, there wasn’t one. This was
my
test. Someone shouted “help” and the cry sounded achingly familiar. I didn’t have time to think as I slipped off my shoes and dived into the water. At least the water wasn’t as cold as the last time I attempted to rescue someone in Lake Michigan. The water temperatures were in the sixties during summertime. No hypothermia to worry about, I kept reminding myself.
I was still numb inside, but outside I was a force to be reckoned with. I couldn’t let another person die while I tried to save them. As I got closer, I realized the guy could pass for Conner’s twin if he’d had one. He tried to push toward the shore and tired himself out, then went under, but I couldn’t get to him yet. I was an experienced swimmer—maybe too experienced, given my history, and I’d been caught in the undertow numerous times, so I knew the best thing to do was swim parallel to the shore, then test for a weak part in the current. Still, panic wasn’t hard to come by when waves pounded against me like we were in a fist fight.
“Hang on,” I shouted. A rush of lake water filled my mouth, and I coughed the fluid up, then clamped my lips shut so I wouldn’t choke before I saved him.
Finally, I had my chance when the undertow let up. My numb hands cut through the water, legs kicking frantically. This wasn’t real like when I tried to save Conner, but the whole simulation felt real to me. I shuddered. What was the worst that could happen if I didn’t fake save him?
Oh, I’d probably be damned for all eternity.
I could not panic. The stakes were higher than ever. I needed this. The overwhelming desire was strange, the need to save this person. All the while, I knew I was really trying to save myself, so one day I’d have the chance to be able to save Conner again.
I couldn’t give up, even though my limbs begged me to. I kept pushing as I saw the boy slipping underwater. When I finally reached the spot where he was a moment ago, I sucked in a deep breath and kept my eyes wide-open as I sank below the surface. Luckily, the bright pier lights shone down on the water, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to see a thing. Riel had changed the simulation from sunlight to almost total darkness in a matter of seconds.
Luckily, the guy hadn’t sunk deeper than about eight feet. I swam with long, powerful kicks and grabbed him by the shoulders.
My eyes bugged as I got a close-up of his face and realized they’d used
my
Conner in my test, not just some lookalike. A wave of shock and fear paralyzed me. Hysteria revved up inside me like a flywheel, and I let Conner go. Watching him float to the top, I fought nausea. Could I puke under water? Hyperventilate in a panic attack and drown? Conner’s face stared down at me, shimmering through the water, an ethereal light surrounding him. Getting farther away, his body receded until becoming a point of light, like a fading bright dot at the center of a turned-off television, and it was not until I touched the bottom that I noticed I’d let myself sink. The depth must’ve been thirteen or fourteen feet here, and this realization scared me into action.
Launching like a torpedo, I slammed my arms and legs against the water full-force until I reached him. I held him up underneath his arms, my hands claws on his shoulders, and lunged toward shore, throwing my whole body into a swim I was certain could win an Olympic medal. Quivering now, my teeth locked in a titanic rigor, but not from the cold. I chanted in my head,
I am weightless. My arms are fast, my legs are strong. I can do this all day long.
I knew the power of believing was the key to this test. I heaved forward with adrenalized strength. The drizzle increased to a steady rain, water spraying down on me like a shower. I turned around,
The waves were big, at least two feet, and choppy. As I searched for a lifeguard on duty, I knew of course, there wasn’t one. This was
my
test. Someone shouted “help” and the cry sounded achingly familiar. I didn’t have time to think as I slipped off my shoes and dived into the water. At least the water wasn’t as cold as the last time I attempted to rescue someone in Lake Michigan. The water temperatures were in the sixties during summertime. No hypothermia to worry about, I kept reminding myself.
I was still numb inside, but outside I was a force to be reckoned with. I couldn’t let another person die while I tried to save them. As I got closer, I realized the guy could pass for Conner’s twin if he’d had one. He tried to push toward the shore and tired himself out, then went under, but I couldn’t get to him yet. I was an experienced swimmer—maybe too experienced, given my history, and I’d been caught in the undertow numerous times, so I knew the best thing to do was swim parallel to the shore, then test for a weak part in the current. Still, panic wasn’t hard to come by when waves pounded against me like we were in a fist fight.
“Hang on,” I shouted. A rush of lake water filled my mouth, and I coughed the fluid up, then clamped my lips shut so I wouldn’t choke before I saved him.
Finally, I had my chance when the undertow let up. My numb hands cut through the water, legs kicking frantically. This wasn’t real like when I tried to save Conner, but the whole simulation felt real to me. I shuddered. What was the worst that could happen if I didn’t fake save him?
Oh, I’d probably be damned for all eternity.
I could not panic. The stakes were higher than ever. I needed this. The overwhelming desire was strange, the need to save this person. All the while, I knew I was really trying to save myself, so one day I’d have the chance to be able to save Conner again.
I couldn’t give up, even though my limbs begged me to. I kept pushing as I saw the boy slipping underwater. When I finally reached the spot where he was a moment ago, I sucked in a deep breath and kept my eyes wide-open as I sank below the surface. Luckily, the bright pier lights shone down on the water, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to see a thing. Riel had changed the simulation from sunlight to almost total darkness in a matter of seconds.
Luckily, the guy hadn’t sunk deeper than about eight feet. I swam with long, powerful kicks and grabbed him by the shoulders.
My eyes bugged as I got a close-up of his face and realized they’d used
my
Conner in my test, not just some lookalike. A wave of shock and fear paralyzed me. Hysteria revved up inside me like a flywheel, and I let Conner go. Watching him float to the top, I fought nausea. Could I puke under water? Hyperventilate in a panic attack and drown? Conner’s face stared down at me, shimmering through the water, an ethereal light surrounding him. Getting farther away, his body receded until becoming a point of light, like a fading bright dot at the center of a turned-off television, and it was not until I touched the bottom that I noticed I’d let myself sink. The depth must’ve been thirteen or fourteen feet here, and this realization scared me into action.
Launching like a torpedo, I slammed my arms and legs against the water full-force until I reached him. I held him up underneath his arms, my hands claws on his shoulders, and lunged toward shore, throwing my whole body into a swim I was certain could win an Olympic medal. Quivering now, my teeth locked in a titanic rigor, but not from the cold. I chanted in my head,
I am weightless. My arms are fast, my legs are strong. I can do this all day long.
I knew the power of believing was the key to this test. I heaved forward with adrenalized strength. The drizzle increased to a steady rain, water spraying down on me like a shower. I turned around,
Similar Books
