Page 26 of Sink With Me

I’m drowning beneath the salted tears that streak my cheeks, yet large hands grab at me, trying to pull me from my inevitable fate and drag me to the surface. My body is wracking with chills. I feel weighted with the invisible water that fills my lungs. Feeling how my parents must’ve been as they fought to break the surface, that’s if the explosion didn’t take them out at once.

“You’re lying!” I scream, but I know it’s the truth. Rage and sorrow mix into a dangerous cocktail. It’s all Depth’s fault. He doesn’t have to spell it out when I know it. They were in their waters. It only makes sense.

“I want him dead. I want his blood to paint the sand like my parents float the sea.”

There’s a throbbing in my temple and a hollow hole forming in my chest.

“Just fucking breathe.” Dutton mumbles as I drop to the floor in front of him.

Everything hurts.

I’m getting sick of waking up with a headache. Over the last two days, I’ve been in and out of consciousness. But it brings me to the reality that I’m here, I’m in the place I’m supposed to be and somehow, soon enough, this will all be over and I’ll accomplish everything I’ve set out to do. I push my palms into my eyes, trying to force the headache out. Straightening my body, I look down at my hands, which are now free to move. My motives subside as I think about how I am likely free to take a shower. A shudder runs down my spine, only able to imagine how greasy my hair is by now.

The door swinging open has me pushing back against the medical bed. A pretty girl with blonde hair tied up in a neat bun steps in with a look of disgust.

“Get up, let’s go.” Her accent is clearly American, a lot more of a twang from northern states than mine, but it’s prominent. It makes me wonder why she’s looking at me like I’m the traitor here.

“You can ask nicely. I highly doubt she’s going to bite you,” a voice behind her purrs. The man steps into view. His dirty blonde hair unruly, his jaw chiseled but round at his chin, giving him a softer look. But his eyes are haunted, so brown they’re almost black. “You aren’t going to bite, are you?”

I shake my head. I don’t know if I’m saying ‘no, I’m not gonna bite’, or if I’m refusing to go with them. I’m reluctant to leave this spot until I have a plan. I pull the cool thin blanket higher over my body. If I feel filthy. I feel… vulnerable.

“I might.” I tilt my chin up, despite my hoarse voice and flash my teeth in a sarcastic smile at the two of them, with a particularly long lingering stare at the woman.

She lets out a very over dramatic sigh. Although she is dressed in fatigues, her shirt isn’t quite right and her boots aren’t laced properly. She’s no soldier, they’re just passing her as one.

“My colleagues—” I look at the man.

“None.” He states in a tone that I don’t care for. My heart clenches in my chest. I wish I’d never have been pulled from that water, but I was. Others would never see the light of day again, like the news I once received, their families would get the same. I couldn't care less about the lives I take, but the lives I lose are a different story. An unwelcome feeling claws at my throat up to my tear ducts. I was so close to Daymen, my fingertips were right there. Tide will pay.

I wrap the blanket around my body, swallowing my emotions down, and stand, because even if I’m a prisoner, no one is going to see me as a fucking mess. My legs wobble, causing the man’s hand to curl around my arm, stabilizing my stance.

“Thank you.” My voice comes out barely a whisper. He looks at me confused. I may have manners now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kill him later.

“Jasmine, hold the door.” He barks as she scoffs at my hunched stance. I wonder if there is a sharp object anywhere in here.

“If you’re going to disobey orders, you can dismiss yourself. Tide sent you with me because he thought a female would ease her into cooperating. I’ll be sure to tell him later how wrong he was.”

My head lifts to look at Jasmine. I guess that hit a rough spot. The pure look of defeat on her face has my lip twitching to a smile that I refuse to hide. She slams the door open and storms off, leaving me to wonder why the hell Tide cared if I cooperated or not. Maybe the doctor complained enough about having to sedate me, so he needed to change tactics. The hall is so narrow it's suffocating.

“Where are we going?” I brace my hand against the wall to keep most of the pressure off of him. I don’t want his help, he’s not threatening, obviously, but I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.

“Your room.” he pauses and glances at me when he feels my body shifting out of his grasp. The amusement rolls off him and onto me, his lips folding between his teeth like he was trying not to laugh. He continues helping me up a few steps before I have to pause and catch my breath. “There’s a space for a shower, toilet, and fresh clothes. Oh, and there will be food. You need to eat something. After you bathe, of course.”

My chin tilts up. I don’t care how nice this place is, I’m still a prisoner here. My stomach growls, but instead of acknowledging it this time, I ignore it. If Tide can’t even face me, then I’ll force him too. After all, I’m alive for a reason. It would test how valuable I am if I’m slowly starving to death.

The concrete walls turn whiter, and light filters through the windows along the marble floors, making it seem brighter than it is. The sun is so warm I have to pause, basking in the glow for a moment. They say the sun can heal many things but the few times I’ve been in this country, I’ve hardly ever seen it, so I’m going to take it in while I still can.

He nudges my shoulder, causing me to stumble forward. Regaining my balance, I go to kick his shin in retaliation. Then I stop myself, aggravating the enemy isn’t the best idea. But surely one little kick wouldn’t hurt?

I purse my lips through my thoughts—now I see why Karma frequently makes comments about my brain being twisted. We turn into a separate corridor, bringing a large metal door into view at the end. I have to steady my breathing. I know what a cell looks like when I see one. Even though we never held any Depth members in ours, Dutton ensured I was well acquainted with small spaces and almost anything that could happen behind closed doors.

There are two guards stationed on either end of the hall with flashing red dots peeking out of the corners of the ceiling. One of them nods.

“Sam.”

The man holding me replies. “Morning, boys. Shall we get on with it?”

One of the guards slides a card over a small black box and Sam uses the tip of his boot to nudge it open. The push of his palm between my shoulder blades has me stumbling as he lets the door slam shut. So much for being on good terms, huh?

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