no!"
He still wouldn't let go of her. Helena stood and
gave him a roundhouse kick to the midsection that sent him tumbling
backward into the sand. She advanced on him, fists raised and her
teeth bared. Howard got up and ran without looking back.
I can't
breathe.
His form had changed. For the first time since
joining Helena, his body was without pain. He moved muscles suited
to lower gravity and less resistance, but he couldn't push himself
far enough into the water.
Her impossibly beautiful face loomed over him. Her
hair hung in wet strings down around them both. He wanted very
badly to kiss her.
"Johnny?" She voiced the name she had given him.
He used his arms to push against the sand, but it
slipped away beneath his fingers and made a deep furrow quickly
smoothed by the ocean. He wanted to speak to her, to tell her how
he felt. That it had been worth everything, worth even becoming
foam on the waves, to have had her in his arms for even so short a
time.
She was not looking at him. She looked past him, at
the man running across the sand. She got up. She left Jeenai there,
and he fell back in the splashing water and waited to die.
"Howard!
Wait!" She hated to run after him, but Johnny was too heavy for her
to move. "Help!"
He heard her. She knew he did. The bastard just
ignored her and kept running. Helena stopped after a few feet and
looked back at Johnny. The water pushed and pulled at him. One wave
came up high enough to cover his face briefly, and she could see
him gulping like a human man would gulp a breath of air.
She had to move him alone. She could not, would not,
leave him there to die. Without another glance at Howard, who was a
bastard and always would be, Helena ran to Johnny and lifted him
under the arms.
"You have to help me, Johnny. Push as hard as you
can!"
He moved his tail and pulled with his arms. They
moved a few inches deeper into the water. The waves picked him up
and lifted him, making it easier for them both to move. Then
another, bigger wave pushed her to her knees and rolled him back up
above the water line.
He arched his body, but she could see his struggles
were getting weaker. How long had he been unable to breathe? She
could breathe. She could move. She bent and hooked her arms beneath
his and pulled as hard as she could. This time, she made it all the
way down to where the incoming waves met the outgoing ones.
Johnny was face down in the water. She could see his
shoulders heaving. She let him go just as a gigantic wave took her
feet from under her. Water went up her nose and down her throat,
burning. She choked and flailed, but could not longer tell which
way was up or down. She could feel nothing beneath her feet, or
above her head, or to her side. Her hands reached but found nothing
but water.
She was drowning again.
Jeenai gulped the water past his gill slits and instant energy
flooded him. He could breathe. He could move. He lived.
He opened his eyes and saw a glitter of golden hair
as Helena sank past him. Small bubbles of air leaked from her
mouth. Her eyes were closed.
He caught her in his arms. She hung there limply. He
was too late.
"I warned you." It was the sea hag. She rose from
the depths, her white-and-black hair trailing behind her. She
hovered in the water in front of him. She looked up. "There's quite
a storm above. She'll never be able to swim back to shore. She's
dead, or soon will be, mal."
"I don't want her to die." He shifted Helena in his
arms to speak to the hag. "I love her."
"Does she love you?"
"She hasn't said so."
"She must say so, else you know what will happen. Of
course, if she dies, then you will go on as you have always done.
You're in your true form now. Let her fall to the ocean floor to
feed the crabs and sharks. Join the rest of your people."
"I can't do that. I have to save her, if I can."
She gave him a fierce look. "You'd risk your life
He still wouldn't let go of her. Helena stood and
gave him a roundhouse kick to the midsection that sent him tumbling
backward into the sand. She advanced on him, fists raised and her
teeth bared. Howard got up and ran without looking back.
I can't
breathe.
His form had changed. For the first time since
joining Helena, his body was without pain. He moved muscles suited
to lower gravity and less resistance, but he couldn't push himself
far enough into the water.
Her impossibly beautiful face loomed over him. Her
hair hung in wet strings down around them both. He wanted very
badly to kiss her.
"Johnny?" She voiced the name she had given him.
He used his arms to push against the sand, but it
slipped away beneath his fingers and made a deep furrow quickly
smoothed by the ocean. He wanted to speak to her, to tell her how
he felt. That it had been worth everything, worth even becoming
foam on the waves, to have had her in his arms for even so short a
time.
She was not looking at him. She looked past him, at
the man running across the sand. She got up. She left Jeenai there,
and he fell back in the splashing water and waited to die.
"Howard!
Wait!" She hated to run after him, but Johnny was too heavy for her
to move. "Help!"
He heard her. She knew he did. The bastard just
ignored her and kept running. Helena stopped after a few feet and
looked back at Johnny. The water pushed and pulled at him. One wave
came up high enough to cover his face briefly, and she could see
him gulping like a human man would gulp a breath of air.
She had to move him alone. She could not, would not,
leave him there to die. Without another glance at Howard, who was a
bastard and always would be, Helena ran to Johnny and lifted him
under the arms.
"You have to help me, Johnny. Push as hard as you
can!"
He moved his tail and pulled with his arms. They
moved a few inches deeper into the water. The waves picked him up
and lifted him, making it easier for them both to move. Then
another, bigger wave pushed her to her knees and rolled him back up
above the water line.
He arched his body, but she could see his struggles
were getting weaker. How long had he been unable to breathe? She
could breathe. She could move. She bent and hooked her arms beneath
his and pulled as hard as she could. This time, she made it all the
way down to where the incoming waves met the outgoing ones.
Johnny was face down in the water. She could see his
shoulders heaving. She let him go just as a gigantic wave took her
feet from under her. Water went up her nose and down her throat,
burning. She choked and flailed, but could not longer tell which
way was up or down. She could feel nothing beneath her feet, or
above her head, or to her side. Her hands reached but found nothing
but water.
She was drowning again.
Jeenai gulped the water past his gill slits and instant energy
flooded him. He could breathe. He could move. He lived.
He opened his eyes and saw a glitter of golden hair
as Helena sank past him. Small bubbles of air leaked from her
mouth. Her eyes were closed.
He caught her in his arms. She hung there limply. He
was too late.
"I warned you." It was the sea hag. She rose from
the depths, her white-and-black hair trailing behind her. She
hovered in the water in front of him. She looked up. "There's quite
a storm above. She'll never be able to swim back to shore. She's
dead, or soon will be, mal."
"I don't want her to die." He shifted Helena in his
arms to speak to the hag. "I love her."
"Does she love you?"
"She hasn't said so."
"She must say so, else you know what will happen. Of
course, if she dies, then you will go on as you have always done.
You're in your true form now. Let her fall to the ocean floor to
feed the crabs and sharks. Join the rest of your people."
"I can't do that. I have to save her, if I can."
She gave him a fierce look. "You'd risk your life
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