Chapter 2: Caressa Drowning

Caressa’s POV

Once out of the open air and exposure of the dry sun, the damp air of the forest enveloped her and immediately set her at ease. She could hear the commotion of those that had witnessed her flight into the woods. Waylon’s shouts to the soldiers of the Universal, now under his control, propelled her slim legs forward. Ignoring the ache in her lungs, and the scrape of low branches over her arms and legs, she ran. Ignoring the sound of voices in her head that told her that no matter how far she ran, her father would never come back, and that she would always be alone.

Soon the pain in her body became a comfort, surpassing the emotional pain of her father’s death. She couldn’t hear anything other than the thunderous rhythm of her pulse inside her ears. She was uncertain of the length of time that had passed when she suddenly came to the opposite edge of the forest, and for the first time in her life heard the vastness of the lake that now lay before her. Its crashing waves were at once foreboding and enticing.

Unsure of what was before her, her lenses registered the pristine whiteness of the lake under the sun and the high yellow tide that crashed into orange waves hitting the bay. She hurried forward and stepped one foot into the water and then another. She wasn’t sure how far she wanted to go, but she could not stop. She had to go forward: away from the grave, away from the death, away from the pain, and away from the loneliness.

She forced her small legs to ignore the cold and pushed back the instincts signaling danger as she moved forward, further into the water, fighting against the current. Each step seemed more difficult and then became nearly impossible, until the current seemed to give way. Instead of fighting against her, it moved with her body. The water began to pull her in. When she was finally scared and ready to turn back, the strength of the lake’s current forced her into the cold and unwanted embrace of wave after wave.

The cold water quickly rose up over her legs and hips to her waist. She felt her feet slip and clearly registered the icy chill of the water rising up over her chest and shoulders. The water claimed her up to her chin, and then she was underneath, locked in its icy grip before she could think to scream or cry out for help. She held her breath as time seemed to slow down, and the treacherous coolness of the water transformed into a peaceful and comforting calm.

Closing her eyes, she felt her small body giving into it.

She wondered if this peace she felt were the peace of death that Waylon and Risa assured her that her parents now felt. For a few moments it was beyond beautiful, the numbness of becoming nothing. But her lungs began their protest for air and the beauty turned to horror. She moved her arms and legs to fight for the surface, to fight for that next breath, and to fight to live.

However, as she began her struggle for life with her eyes shut tight, she felt the tender brush of a hand against her cheek and heard a voice, a smooth crystal voice, in no more than a whisper. The voice was beautiful yet unintelligible. Caressa imagined it was the voice of an angel with a message from her father. She opened her eyes to see a face surrounded by light.

As she reached towards the face, however, it began to fade. As she tried to move towards it, a powerful arm encircled her waist, pulling her up and away. She was powerless to resist as the face and light disappeared. She was pulled to the surface and into Waylon’s powerful and protective arms.

She clung to him, coughing and gasping for air. She felt Waylon allow himself, for a moment, to cradle her as he would one of his own daughters. Before she passed out, she was sure she heard him whisper, “It’s not your time, little one.”

She woke up in her bed, back in the apartment of the village compound assigned to the Sovereign. Risa sat at her bedside. Caressa watched as the blue outline of her servant rose from her chair and came towards her.

“Risa.” Caressa’s voice was weaker than she’d expected.

“Stay calm,” Risa said. “You’ve had a fever for the past two days.”

“Father?” Caressa asked, wondering if his funeral and death had actually been real.

She watched the withering demeanor of her servant and knew at once that it had.

“What will happen to me?” Caressa asked.

“We do not know,” Risa said honestly. “Waylon has sent word to the Elders. But, it may take months before we hear what they decide to do with this colony.”

Caressa sighed. The continued uncertainty of what would ultimately happen to her was crushing.

“Until then, you are to act as Sovereign in your father’s place,” Risa continued.

“What?” Caressa thought of the silliness of the idea. “Risa, I’m still a child. And I’m blind.”

“Caressa, you are not blind,” Risa grunted. “A blind person could not outrun an entire squad of soldiers through the woods.”

That seemed to remind Risa that Caressa had broken a rule.

“By the way, young lady you will be confined to the interior of the village compound for at least a week after you recover from this fever.”

“But, I’m acting Sovereign,” Caressa said.

“I’m acting guardian of the acting Sovereign,” Risa countered.

Caressa smiled a little.

“I think I can handle one week,” she conceded. “Thank Waylon for saving my life.”