Underwater by Maayan Nahmani Page A

the room. “Awake?” A second later, a splash of cold water spilled all over my skin.
    I shot up and pulled myself into a sitting position. There were five people in the room. The guy who spoke earlier, who I assumed was the leader, stood in front of me. His body was huge, broad shoulders and all muscle. His demeanor screamed power, dressed in all black. He played with a knife, throwing it up, and then catching it in his hand, viciously smiling, his black eyes vacant, no emotion behind them. This wasn’t the guy who had sliced my face though. I would remember him.
    “Who the fuck are you?” My voice sounded like I had swallowed glass.
    The leader in black looked me up and down and then laughed, as if what I had said was a fucking joke. “You have some balls, boy, I’ll give you that.”
    He approached slowly and when he was inches away from me, his phone rang. He stopped in his tracks, looked at the screen, and then muttered a curse, walking out the door, looking pissed.
    I breathed a sigh of relief, but the storm was far from over. When the door slammed shut, one of the other men moved towards me. I sat still, my back pressed against the wall and I looked in his eyes, refusing to look away.
    With a voice quiet enough for my ears only, he said, “Let me finish what he started. You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
     

     
    I awoke screaming, and for a moment, I had no idea where I was. I sat up and swung my feet around so I could sit on the edge of the bed. With my head in my hands, I breathed in and out, trying to calm my racing heart.
    I was safe . I was motherfucking alive .
    I needed to remember that. I rested my gaze on the clock that sat on my nightstand.
    Four a.m.
    I picked up my cell phone, took a deep breath, and pressed the home key. The screen lit up, alerting me I had a message. My heart beat harder and faster when I saw it was from Tiny.
     
    Tiny: I’m impressed. If there was a way to reach out to me… you just found it.
    Underwater - Nikki Flores. I’ll see you tonight.
     
    She answered me.
    She fucking answered me.
    With a song.
    I grinned like a loon from ear to ear and couldn’t contain my euphoria. I made a quick search on iTunes, downloaded the song she had sent, and hit play. The song expressed how much she wanted to do everything on her own. How much she didn’t want to rely on anyone, but no matter how hard she fought - she couldn’t reach the surface on her own.
    I no longer cared about the nightmare that woke me up. Tiny was the only thing my heart beat for now.
    You don’t have to do this on your own, sweetheart. I’ll help you.
    I got out of bed and started to get ready for my day. I had stuff to do before I went to visit my mom and Lizzie.
    And then… I was going to see her again.
    I couldn’t fucking wait.
     

     
    “It’s boring,” Lizzie pouted.
    I sat on the couch in my old house, flipping through channels for what felt like the millionth time. Nothing was holding Lizzie’s interest for more than five minutes.She stretched out on the couch, her small head resting on my lap with her face turned toward the TV screen.My other hand stroked her sunny blonde hair carefully, getting used to touch again.
    When I’d gotten to my mother’s house, my mom and Lizzie had been huddled on the couch, watching the Disney channel. I’d sat down next to them and the three of us watched TV until my mother retired to her room for her afternoon nap.
    “What do you wanna watch now?” I had no idea what a nine-year-old girl liked to watch. (Apparently, she wasn’t fond of car racing movies.)   She let out a sigh and then moved into a sitting position. Turning her body towards mine, she put her legs on my lap. I sucked in a silent breath. I still struggled with the effects of her touch.
    Although it was getting better, I would never forget the first few months after I returned home and the way I had responded. Lizzie was still very young. At first, she’d kept her