Terror
twisted her stomach into a massive knot.
I knew I never should’ve gotten
on that plane.
Garren squeezed her even tighter
as they jostled on the wind towards the
cold ocean below. The two pieces of the
plane landed in the ocean with a loud
splash, one after the other.
“Brace
yourself,”
he
said,
seconds before they plunged into the
water.
As soon as her head went under,
she panicked. She was a decent
swimmer, in tepid swimming pools with
lifeguards nearby, but the Pacific Ocean
was a whole other monster. Would her
heavy boots pull her to the bottom?
Would she freeze to death before
swimming to shore?
Garren broke away from her. She
flailed her arms, desperate to reach the
surface.
Time
slowed
down,
emphasizing every second she held her
breath. Her lungs burned. When she
broke though the surface and gulped in
air, a wave pounded her in the face.
Amazingly, she didn't have to
struggle to stay afloat. Other than her
head, she wasn't wet or cold. The suit
was once again doing its job.
If I make it to shore alive, I'll
never say another bad word about
magic, again.
She whipped her head around,
searching for Garren. He was swimming
as best he could over the waves a few
yards to her left. His mouth was moving
as if talking to her, but she couldn't
understand what he said. Her ears were
clogged, muting all sounds. She tried to
yawn to relive the pressure in her ear
canal, but every time she opened her
mouth, ocean water spilled in. So, she
kept her mouth shut and followed
Garren. He seemed to know what to do.
One of their packs bobbed on the
waves about ten feet away. Beyond that,
Thane swam toward land. Making a
detour, she grabbed the bag and used it
as a floatie to kick to shore.
She glanced over her shoulder to
see if any dragons were still around. A
green mass bobbed on the water about
fifty feet behind. Her heart skipped a
beat. Was it the Momma dragon coming
back for revenge like at the end of a
low-budget horror flick?
Jason? She kicked faster.
They reached the beach about an
hour later. She staggered out of the water
and collapsed. Wet, sticky sand on her
face never felt so good.
I'm never going swimming
again in my life. Her nose stung from
inhaling sea water and her legs felt as if
her bones were replaced with pudding.
Garren sat next to her, leaning
back on his hands as he looked out
where their plane went down. “I wonder
where we are,” he panted.
Thane plopped down on her
other side and helped remove the
remains of her parachute still strapped to
her back. “I think we're in Washington.
Almost positive. Yeah, definitely in
Washington.” Thane surveyed the forest
behind them and the rocky coastline they
sat on. “Or Canada.”
She groaned as she rolled over.
The sun was already half-way down the
sky, shining brightly in her eyes. For at
least ten minutes, nobody moved from
their spot. Not that she could if she
wanted to. Every cell in her body felt
twenty pounds heavier. The weight of
what they had narrowly escaped sank
into her heart. Someone was looking out
for them, because by all rights, they
should be dead right now. Never in her
life had she been so scared, not that
she’d ever let the guys know.
“I am a total badass . Did you see
how I took out that giant dragon?” she
tried to flex her arm but it still ached
from holding the slingshot steady for so
long.
“Yeah, and then you broke the
plane,” Garren said. He fell back and
stretched his body out like he was going
to make sand angels. “Good going.”
She grabbed a handful of wet
sand and tossed it at him. “Not my fault.”
“Hey.” Garren sat up and wiped
off his pants. “ So your fault.”
“I can’t believe we defeated a
pack of dragons on our own,” Thane
said, as if trying to convince himself the
whole thing wasn’t a bad dream.
She was tempted to mention that
Thane hadn’t actually taken out any
dragons, but
twisted her stomach into a massive knot.
I knew I never should’ve gotten
on that plane.
Garren squeezed her even tighter
as they jostled on the wind towards the
cold ocean below. The two pieces of the
plane landed in the ocean with a loud
splash, one after the other.
“Brace
yourself,”
he
said,
seconds before they plunged into the
water.
As soon as her head went under,
she panicked. She was a decent
swimmer, in tepid swimming pools with
lifeguards nearby, but the Pacific Ocean
was a whole other monster. Would her
heavy boots pull her to the bottom?
Would she freeze to death before
swimming to shore?
Garren broke away from her. She
flailed her arms, desperate to reach the
surface.
Time
slowed
down,
emphasizing every second she held her
breath. Her lungs burned. When she
broke though the surface and gulped in
air, a wave pounded her in the face.
Amazingly, she didn't have to
struggle to stay afloat. Other than her
head, she wasn't wet or cold. The suit
was once again doing its job.
If I make it to shore alive, I'll
never say another bad word about
magic, again.
She whipped her head around,
searching for Garren. He was swimming
as best he could over the waves a few
yards to her left. His mouth was moving
as if talking to her, but she couldn't
understand what he said. Her ears were
clogged, muting all sounds. She tried to
yawn to relive the pressure in her ear
canal, but every time she opened her
mouth, ocean water spilled in. So, she
kept her mouth shut and followed
Garren. He seemed to know what to do.
One of their packs bobbed on the
waves about ten feet away. Beyond that,
Thane swam toward land. Making a
detour, she grabbed the bag and used it
as a floatie to kick to shore.
She glanced over her shoulder to
see if any dragons were still around. A
green mass bobbed on the water about
fifty feet behind. Her heart skipped a
beat. Was it the Momma dragon coming
back for revenge like at the end of a
low-budget horror flick?
Jason? She kicked faster.
They reached the beach about an
hour later. She staggered out of the water
and collapsed. Wet, sticky sand on her
face never felt so good.
I'm never going swimming
again in my life. Her nose stung from
inhaling sea water and her legs felt as if
her bones were replaced with pudding.
Garren sat next to her, leaning
back on his hands as he looked out
where their plane went down. “I wonder
where we are,” he panted.
Thane plopped down on her
other side and helped remove the
remains of her parachute still strapped to
her back. “I think we're in Washington.
Almost positive. Yeah, definitely in
Washington.” Thane surveyed the forest
behind them and the rocky coastline they
sat on. “Or Canada.”
She groaned as she rolled over.
The sun was already half-way down the
sky, shining brightly in her eyes. For at
least ten minutes, nobody moved from
their spot. Not that she could if she
wanted to. Every cell in her body felt
twenty pounds heavier. The weight of
what they had narrowly escaped sank
into her heart. Someone was looking out
for them, because by all rights, they
should be dead right now. Never in her
life had she been so scared, not that
she’d ever let the guys know.
“I am a total badass . Did you see
how I took out that giant dragon?” she
tried to flex her arm but it still ached
from holding the slingshot steady for so
long.
“Yeah, and then you broke the
plane,” Garren said. He fell back and
stretched his body out like he was going
to make sand angels. “Good going.”
She grabbed a handful of wet
sand and tossed it at him. “Not my fault.”
“Hey.” Garren sat up and wiped
off his pants. “ So your fault.”
“I can’t believe we defeated a
pack of dragons on our own,” Thane
said, as if trying to convince himself the
whole thing wasn’t a bad dream.
She was tempted to mention that
Thane hadn’t actually taken out any
dragons, but
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