Page 101 of The Sea Witch's Son

Just waiting for someone to rescue me.

The thought is enough to drive me out of bed. Hitting the lights, I start scavenging my mother’s bedroom, searching for the solution to my problem.

I breeze past the ornaments on the dresser and start pulling the drawers open, searching for the one item I never thought to bring with me.

Luck strikes me in the third drawer.

The two bathing suits look comical next to each other. The purple string bikini boasts ruffles that look like seashells while a plain black one-piece sits quietly beside it.

One is completely and utterly my mother while the other one is me.

After a moment of hesitation, I reach for the bikini. It’s tight around my boobs and the bottoms sit a little too high on my waist, but when I look in the mirror, all I can see is my mother’s smile.

Pulling some clothes over the swimsuit, I quickly pack a bag and sneak out the front door. My hood stays up and my head stays down as I walk along the road, listening to the animals howling in the night and the whispers floating through the forest.

There’s no one around when I slip inside the college. My shoes slap the marble tiles as I walk past the moonlit stained glass, the shadows of an old fairytale glistening around me.

My stomach is in knots by the time the scent of chlorine hits me. Nausea threatens to emerge, but a few chunky swallows keeps everything down. I force myself to keep walking, past the rows of lockers and out onto the pool deck.

It’s just as creepy as I remember. The dark glow of the underwater pod lights do nothing to illuminate the slippery tiles and the shadows slinking around the arena.

I let my bag fall to the floor. Panic starts to sink in the closer I get to the edge, but I don’t stop. I don’t stop until I’m hissing out a breath from the freezing temperature of the water.

Lowering myself slowly, I sink into the pool one inch of skin at a time. My breath catches when the water splashes my stomach, causing goosebumps to break along every surface.

I blow out a breath and sink down to my shoulders. Water splashes across my lips and bone-gripping fear spears through me.

I can’t do this.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

My head snaps to the side. A shadow moves at the other end of the pool, causing the water to ripple around him.

“I always found it was the darkness. Pressing down until you couldn't help but gasp for air. Not knowing whether you were going to wake up or not.”

I don’t move, I don’t breathe as the figure glides through the water, his shadow making the pod lights flicker with every stroke.

“I used to sleep with the lights on just so I didn’t have to wake up in the dark.” He chuckles softly, “It’s always the body the doctors are worried about. The long-term damage left on the lungs. They never look at the mind.”

I swallow thickly, watching the shark draw closer.

“How do you know?”

Violet eyes peer at me through the darkness, the pale colour of his hair glowing against the shadows of his face.

“I know a lot of things, little saint.”

I stare at him, watching the droplets drip down his face.

“Why are you afraid of water, Marlin?”

“Why are you afraid to sing?”

Silence stretches between us.

“You see, little saint, the answers are not always as black and white as they seem.” His eyes flick down my face, “Sometimes you have to try a different colour to understand the other.”

“What colour are you?”

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