Page 127 of Amnesia

Clawing at her hands, I tried to buck her off. The boat rocked madly, and Eddie called my name. There was a splash off to the side, and I knew he abandoned his boat and leapt in to come to my aid.

Fear she would hurt him again provided me a surge of adrenaline, and I rolled, knocking her sideways, sliding out from beneath her. I jumped up, ran to the end of the boat, and searched for Eddie in the dark.

“Here!” he said. “C’mon!”

He was only a few feet from where I stood, motioning for me to jump. I did, but an arm snaked around my waist and yanked me back.

Frustrated, I yelled, swung around, and grabbed handfuls of the widow’s hair, shaking her violently. Our struggles were no match for the unsteady boat, and the entire vessel flipped over, plunging us both into the murky waves.

Water tugged at my clothes and hair, wrapping around my limbs in a caress, as if it were trying to convince me to stay.

Maybe once upon a time… back when I was a different girl. Back when I had nothing to live for.

That was then. An entire lifetime ago.

I had so much to live for now.

Kicking my feet, I surged upward, feeling a little out of sorts as I searched for the surface. Everything looked the same down here; the surface was just as dark as the depths.

Panic assailed me. I was lost, unable to find my way to the top.

Just as I realized how badly I wanted to live, death was reaching out its greedy fingers as if it decided it was finally my time to die.

It was eleven years ago all over again.

I watched the boat pitch and rock until she was flung backward into the deep. I screamed her name, watched the surface frantically…

But she never appeared.

Not again. Not fucking again.

Wild, I dove into the water, slicing my arms through the current, searching for a sign of her. In the back of my mind, a clock was ticking. It was the loudest sound I ever heard. It was counting down the seconds I had to find her until I lost her a second time.

My lungs were stinging, begging for air. Angry, I started to kick for the surface, when a flash of color in the dirty depths caught the corner of my eye. Pushing back the urge to breathe, I changed direction and shouted into the water when I saw her struggling not too far away.

I could see the weariness in her body, the way her limbs were trying to give out.

Hang on, baby,I urged silently and gave a great kick to propel myself forward.

My arm wrapped around her waist, and I towed her up toward the surface as black spots began to swim before my eyes. The second air touched my lips, I breathed greedily, hefting her body against my chest.

“It’s okay, Am. I got you now,” I told her between great gulps.

She didn’t reply, and I realized her body was limp against mine.

Adrenaline surged in me again. I snatched her chin and peered down at her face. Her eyes were closed, her skin pale. I swam like a madman toward the boat, begging her to hold on just a little bit longer.

It felt like forever swimming to the boat, but I got there and hoisted her torso over the side, allowing her legs to dangle into the water. Careful not to knock her off, I pulled myself into the boat, instantly towing her the rest of the way in and laying her flat.

“C’mon, baby,” I murmured, tilting her chin up and checking for air. My heart stopped when I realized she wasn’t breathing, and just like the night I first found her, I began CPR.

It was endless minutes of breathing and pumping. The entire time, I begged her to open her eyes.

Finally, there was a gurgle in the back of her throat. I pushed her onto her side as water emptied out onto the boat floor. When she was done, I sat down, pulled her partially into my lap, and rocked her back and forth.

“Eddie,” she whispered, reaching for my hand. I gave it readily, my heart damn near collapsing in my chest.

“It’s okay now,” I told her, kissing the back of her hand.

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