❝ The trick is to keep moving. If I stop, my mind settles. We don't want to sink. Being higher is a hurdle we can leap over. ❞ — Raych Jackson, Even The Saints Audition

I thought I'd known fear before, but nothing I'd been through came close to this. As I fell faster and faster from a two-thousand-feet height with the air like loud ventilators in my ears pushing like shards of glass against my skin, and the turbulent seas below me, my entire life flashed before my eyes.

So I screamed. Further and further down I fell, but my scream was lost to the current of air. I'm going to die. I'm going to die and that's it. All that grand escape for nothing.

And even in the middle of all the panic, there was a thought at the back of my mind: Better than being killed at the hands of my father.

And then another thought, even stronger: I don't want to die.

The jagged rocks were coming into view. My body felt the pull of gravity like a force trying to suck my internal organs. We were so close, falling so fast . . . just another second now and our bodies would hit the ground and splinter like shattered glass. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I don't want to die.

"ARRESTO MOMENTUM!"

The world stopped. My body froze, as if I was in the backseat of a speeding car and the driver abruptly pulled on the brakes. We were suspended in the air, less than five feet from the ground and the pouring rain soaked our bodies. But my heart raced with a scary intensity that for a moment, I thought I'd die from a heart attack.

Stella flicked Maureen's wand. Slowly, our bodies soared to the ground. The descend gave me enough time to stabilize my breath and slow my heartbeat. Matt adjusted his posture so he could land upright on his feet and not stomach. Theo, now wide awake, was holding his stomach with both hands.

We landed on our feet. My pulse thudded my wrists and I felt so lightheaded, I could pass out right then. It's over. You're not dead. Stella's not dead. It's all over.

"We did it," Matt panted. His long hair stuck to his wet face and the lenses of his glasses were covered in raindrops, but he was grinning. "We fucking did it, guys. We broke out of Azkaban."

He broke into laughter, first in disbelief and then it shifted to pure bliss and relief. I looked at Stella. She was smiling—the smile of a warrior. As she stood there, rain-soaked, wand in hand—that wand that had saved all our lives—I knew now what she'd meant that day when she told me she was braver than I gave her credit for.

I broke into a half-grin, half-laugh then ran toward her. We embraced each-other tight and started crying under the blinding hail.

We made it. We were free. Free at last. Nobody could take this from us. No more shackles on our wrists, no more conversations in hushed whispers or telepathic messages, no more Aurors to guard us and yell at us if we attempted to as much as hold each other's hands in the cafeteria. We survived Azkaban, we broke out, and in the end, it wasn't me who saved Stella. It was her who saved me. Saved all of us.

"Not to be that guy and interrupt a sentimental moment," Matt spoke up. "But we need to go. Guards have seen us and they're gonna show up any minute now."

Stella and I pulled apart. She looked at me before handing me Maureen's wand.

"Thank you for trusting me," she said.

I took the wand and smiled. The hungry waves of the stark black ocean lapped at the sides of the rock and crashed into white foam. We approached the edge. The mere idea of diving in seemed like a death wish.

I recalled the moment Willard brought me and Stella in on a flying carriage led by Thestrals. I had looked down at this very sea, and just like today, it had been a stormy night. I remembered shivering at the sight, breaking my gaze. And here I was now.

"Well," Matt said, peering down at the ocean. "This isn't ideal, but we'll manage."

"We survived the worst," Stella said.

But did we? I decided to save my pessimism for later. The power of magic in the wand felt warm under my grip, like it was calling to me, begging to be used. I closed my eyes. It felt good to hold a wand again after so long.

"We've gotta think quick," I said. "What spells might we need?"

"A Waterproof one for sure," said Matt. "We wouldn't even make it five miles before freezing to death in this temperature."

"I don't know how to cast that. I haven't learned."

His face split in a smile. "I guess this is where I come in."

He gestured for me to hand him the wand. I did. Matt tossed it like a juggling ball in his hand, then pointed it at his glasses. The drops of rain vanished from his lenses, and no new ones appeared on them despite the hail. Then he pointed the wand at himself. A swirl of blue mist wrapped around his body, but his clothes remained wet. I thought the spell hadn't worked, until he met my gaze with another self-satisfied smile.

"I haven't rusted out, which is good news."

"I don't understand," I said. "Nothing happened."

"Well, I didn't dry myself off, you see. I just protected more water from getting in."

My mouth made an 'O' in understanding. Matt performed the spell on Theo, then me and finally, Stella.

"At the very least, we won't feel the cold," he continued. Then handed me the wand again. "Some form of raft would be great, if you know how to conjure that."

I shook my head. He pursed his lips.

"Neither do I. So I guess we're taking a midnight swim."

"Can't you just Apparate us?" Stella asked.

Matt laughed humorlessly. "I fucking wish. Apparition is one of those things you've gotta keep constantly practicing so you don't lose the skill. It's been five months I haven't used magic. Even if I tried now, it would be too dangerous. We're four people. It's hard enough for one alone."

"Makes sense," said Stella. She approached Theo, who was on his knees, still holding his stomach. "Are you okay?"

He grimaced but nodded nonetheless. She let him grab onto her arm and helped him up. In the illumination of the lightning-struck skies, I finally got a good look at him, and only then realized how truly sick he looked. Just like that girl puking on her cell, his skin held a green hue, and his eyes were glassy like frozen marbles. No blisters had started to grow on his face, but it was only a matter of time. We needed to reach the shore fast.

"Can you swim?" I asked him.

"Maybe with loads of help," he groaned out.

Matt let out an exasperated sigh. "I should rethink the Apparition thing."

A noise came from inside the fortress. I turned around. More windows on the first floor were lighting up, one by one. The hammering of feet against iron stairs was audible—even over the rumble of thunder, even from this distance.

"Okay, we've gotta hurry," Matt said in panic.

He rushed to Theo's side and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Think you can try and swim with whatever energy you've got left?"

Theo nodded, but Matt didn't seem convinced. He sighed again, and then without warning, they plunged into the sea. The splash was lost to the crashing of waves against the rocks. I looked at Stella. The footsteps grew louder behind us.

"We can do this," she said.

I smiled and reached for her hand. She held onto me and we broke off running to the edge of the not-so-steep cliff.

"Jump!" I said.

With our hands linked, we jumped. I braced myself for the biting cold of the water. The waves crashed against us and swallowed us before we could even hit the surface, but they were lukewarm. Matt's spell had worked. I came up for air, still holding Stella's hand. A moment later, she did too. Further away, Matt and Theo were floating in the water.

"Let's go!" Matt cried.

He started swimming. I gripped the wand on my right hand and started swimming in a free stroke. Stella was right behind me, gasping as she struggled to swim against the waves. The water lifted me up before trying to suck me back in, and I had to kick my legs to keep my head above the surface.

I learned how to swim at a young age. Five or six. I'd never feared water, whatever shape it came in—swimming pools, lakes, oceans. But as the waves crashed around me and I tried to swim as fast as we could, away from the hellish prison, this water didn't seem as harmless. I found myself struggling. Scared.

Stella's brunette head bobbed in and out of the water, like something was pulling her down by the leg. She panted with each breath.

"Grab my hand!" I yelled over the thunder.

She started to swim towards me as I stretched out my free hand for her to grab.

"I'm so tired already," she groaned. "I don't know what's happ—ahhh! " A wave lifted her body a foot higher before pulling her down again. She screamed.

I grabbed her hand before she could be swallowed underneath, then pulled her body towards me with all my might.

"I've got you," I said.

She squeezed my hand before another current of water broke our grip. The rain grew more vehement. I chanced a look at Matt and Theo. They didn't seem to be struggling any less. With his free arm, Matt thrashed at the water as if to push it away, and Theo, one arm still hooked around Matt's shoulders, seemed to be using all his strength and consciousness to maneuver through the waves.

The dense clouds overhead grew closer. Another flash of yellow light. Then my vision blurred.

Water pushed down on my shoulders and filled my ears, muddling my hearing. My body swayed this way and that. I kicked upwards and pushed forward. My nostrils filled with oxygen as I surfaced, gasping for air.

"Stella," I called.

My voice drowned as another wave enveloped me. The water pulled me under. I won't drown. I fastened my grip on the wand and opened my mouth. "Ascendio."

But my voice was lost in the saltwater that filled my mouth. I coughed it out, but only more of it rushed in. My chest was starting to hurt, my heart to race. I flailed my arms. I won't drown. I won't drown.

Another wave lifted me up. I swung my legs upward as fast as I could.

With a gasp, I surfaced. The rain hit my face, hard like pebbles. I breathed in as much air as I could and brought my hands to wipe my eyes.

"Polly . . ." Stella's voice. Muted, like she was struggling.

"Stella!" I looked around in panic. In the distance, I spotted Matt and Theo. The crashing of waves was loud, ferocious. I flapped my arms to stay afloat before another wave could wash over me. Still no sight of her. "Stella! Where are you?"

"Polly, help!" A gurgle. Another crashing of waves.

I kicked my legs harder. "STELLA!"

And then, there she was, a couple of feet away from Matt and Theo. Her head was above water but her arms thrashed more towards the sky than in an attempt to keep herself afloat.

"I'm coming!" I yelled. I pushed and kicked against the deadly pull of waves and swam toward her. "I'm coming, hold on!"

Another surge of water crashed against my ribs and swayed my body further to the left. I won't drown. I've survived so far, I'm surviving this. I held my breath and submerged my head underwater. The crashing of waves sounded distant like this, when the sounds traveled through water and not air.

I brought my hands and feet together in a frog style position, then kicked my legs back while pushing my body forward by drawing a half-circle with my arms. I resurfaced, filled my lungs with air, then repeated the stroke, this time with my head above the surface.

Matt had seen Stella and was swimming towards her, but with Theo's body clinging to him and the waves working against them, the chances of me getting to her first seemed higher. And she was afloat still, thrashing and writhing in the waves that were ten times bigger than her, but they hadn't beat her yet.

I flapped my legs faster to gain speed. Almost there. So close now . . . so close . . .

"I got you!" I stretched my wand hand towards Stella. "Hold on to the wand! Hold on!"

She reached out. The water crashed against my hand, but I willed my body to defy the current. Stella's fingers grappled for my hand. I gave my body a push forward. Her fist closed around the wand.

"I got it!" she yelled.

I swam towards her and reached for her forearm with my other hand.

"I've got you, Stella. I've go—"

A rush of water filled my mouth. I gargled. My body sank under. My hand let go, the wand slipping from my fingers. I won't drown.

I came up for air. More water splashed against my face. I shook my head to flick it off. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Stella. She's alive, I told myself, She's still there.

"Polly!" Matt's voice. "Polly, to the right."

I looked. My heart sank like Death itself was staring right back at me. A wave unlike any I'd seen, unlike any I would probably ever see. It was less of a wave and more of a water monster. Like a snowball, it built up more water, more ferocity, more height as it rolled closer and closer and—

I didn't waste another second. I turned around like there was a shark behind me and not a massive wave, kicking and swimming and pushing, flapping my arms and swinging my legs.

When I reached Stella, Matt and Theo, I wanted to cry out in joy but realized that would be a waste of breath. Stella reached for my arm. I grabbed her hand, squeezed as tight as I could, fighting against the pull of waves.

"Polly, I dropped the wand," Stella said. "I'm so sorry. I was trying to hold on, I—"

"It's okay," I said. "We need to reach the shore. Stay beside me."

She let go of my hand. Matt and Theo were right in front of us. Now I was regretting not casting that Bubble-Head Charm while I had the chance. The blood rushed to my head as I swam forward. My fingertips had pruned up. The water wasn't cold but the struggle to stay afloat and not get swept under was wearing me out. I didn't know how much longer I could last. How much longer it would take till we reached the shore.

We were in the middle of the ocean now, lost at sea. Literally. Azkaban was nowhere to be seen. I mustn't have noticed, what with all the efforts to stay alive and afloat. The lightning had stopped too, but the hail continued, crashing down like pouring glass as I swam and swam and swam.

"Keep straight ahead!" Matt called. "I think I can see something in the distance."

Please, let it be the shore.

With another kick, I pushed myself forward. Stella was inches behind me, gasping and moaning as she fought to keep her mouth above the surface. I risked a glance back. My stomach dropped for the second time that night. The tidal wave was so close now, tall as a three-story building. It would wash over us and there was no way we'd be able to fight back, we would just drown like—

"Polly, watch out!"

My body rose like I was on a platform, and I didn't have time to scream before the wave dropped me. Water filled my mouth, my lungs. Not the tidal wave. A smaller one.

A buildup. It's coming.

I kicked. The water kicked back, pressing me down as if wanting to keep me there. The force of it carried my body further and further sideways as I fought to come back up to the surface, but the raging ocean was working against me. It was impossible to see, impossible to breathe. I should've cast that Bubble-Head Charm.

My body sank downward, like an underwater vortex was trying to suck me in. I won't drown. I won't drown.

"Polly!"

Stella's voice, but this time, inside my head. She was far away.

I pushed and kicked. The water was everywhere: around me, below me, above me. There was no surface. I was too far under.

"Polly—"

The connection cut off. My lungs were bleeding. The water lifted my body again, then dropped it. It felt like being rolled in a carpet made of waves, then twisted, first one way then the other. I needed air. I was drowning. So was Stella. That's why the connection was cut off.

"Stella!"

I tried to scream nonverbally, if there was such a thing. Pain pounded my hand. My lungs bled. I was so exhausted already, the attempt at telepathy sucked whatever energy I had left. I stretched my arms above my head. Opened my eyes. Nothing. It was too dark, like swimming in tar.

I won't drown. I must not drown.

"Stella—"

I was drowning. My eyes burned. My lungs burned. The tidal wave was coming.

My legs gave another kick upwards, a futile attempt. I was too far under, too far gone. My lips parted. The saltwater slipped in my mouth, licked the back of my throat, filled up my lungs.

I won't drown.

Then a sound. Whistle-like, joyful. A voice. In a language I knew. It was trying to say something. But my brain had stopped working.

I won't drown. I won't

d r o w n . . .

Bubbles rose from my parted lips. The last thing I acknowledged, vaguely, was my limp body leaning against a firm, slippery surface. And then my consciousness parted with me.

For good.