Shhh, darling don't breathe. It's peaceful down here, just let the ocean wrap you in it's arms while you sink further and further down. Shhh, darling don't scream, that only makes your throat burn more. It's almost magical down here. No one and nothing can reach you. You're alone, you're safe. Shhh, darling don't struggle, just let the darkness carry you home...

Paradox opened her eyes only to have them filled with seawater. Her throat felt like it was on fire, but her body was cold, so cold. When she started to scream again, bubbles of whatever air was left in her lungs rapidly floated to the surface. She tried to follow them, but she was stuck. Something was pulling her farther, and farther, and farther down. She clawed at her left wrist with her other hand. She knew her nails would leave marks, but that was a small price to pay for her life. Her head was spinning, everything was slowing down. Finally Paradox got a finger under the rope and pulled. It hurt, but it was working. She loosened the knot just enough to slip her arm out.

Paradox was sure that her left arm and wrist were bleeding by then, but all that mattered was swimming until she could see the sky again. Up she went, her legs kicking as fast as they could, which really was just a series of slow, feeble movements. She felt like her body was shutting down. She needed air. Finally she burst through to the surface. The air filled her lungs instantly, making her even dizzier. Then she was pushed under the waves again, but only for a moment. When she came back for air the second time, she screamed in terror; silent terror, silent scream. While she waited for her heart to stop thudding in her ears, she layed on her back and floated until she could think straight.

How did she get into the water? She was supposed to be on a lifeboat. The boats! She turned her shaking body into an almost upright position and swarm in a circle, scanning the horizon. The waves made it hard to see much of anything, but eventually she did. Or at least she thought she did.

"Come back!" She screeched, her voice small and scratchy. "Please don't leave me here!" Another wave crashed over her head, making her swallow a stomach full of salt water. She came back up coughing and sputtering, the boats completely out of sight. Taking the risk of never finding land, she left the side of the ship and swam in the direction she thought she saw them go.

"Paradox!" Aurora screamed as her best friend, the only person she loved, fell beneath the waves.

Jake, knowing what she might do, jumped into their boat. "Aurora..."

"I have to go after her." A wild look flashed in the girl's eyes. Her wet, turquoise and black hair stuck to her face and neck.

"You can't, it's dangerous." Jake held tightly onto her wrist.

"She would do it for me!" Aurora screamed.

"Just wait! She'll swim to the surface." Jake promised.

Aurora watched the waves intensely, not noticing that they were drifting away until it was too late.

"No, no, no, no!" She screeched, thrashing around to try to get Jake to let her go. "She's not surfacing! I have to go get her!"

"Aurora!"

"No! She needs me! What if she's stuck on something?" Aurora was letting herself cry in front of a stranger. She never cried, much less in front of someone who she needed to fear her.

"Then it's too late. You can't dive far enough to reach her now..."

"Please!" Aurora sobbed. "I can do i-i-it..."

"Let her go."

Suddenly Aurora was filled with rage. If he had let her go get Paradox in the first place, she would be fine. The second he loosened his grap on her wrists, she ripped her arms out of his grasp and wrapped her hands around his neck. "Don't ever tell me what to do."

Jake tried to breathe, but it came out in gasps and convulsions.

"Aurora!" Oliver pushed her over, making her fall into Paradox's trunk, hitting her head on the way down and knocking her out. The two boys shared a look and then stared back at the waves.

Jake felt a twinge of guilt as he thought about Paradox, the girl he had only known a week but sacrificed her life to help him and everyone else escape.

Further down the line of boats, the news of what had just happened was being spread. Because of the darkness and the storm, the end boats couldn't hear or see what had gone on.

Warren stared at Logan. "No she's not."

"They just told me, Warren. Paradox is dead." Logan shook his head.

"No, nuh uh. That's not how it works."

"She drowned, Warren! Just because we're too far to have seen it doesn't make it untrue."

"No body, no death." Warren said. "They said she never came back? She's not dead."

"What else could it mean? She swam to Atlantis? If someone never surfaces, they drowned." Logan started to look annoyed.

"Yes I know that, dipstick." Warren glared. "But we've already drifted crazy far away. Maybe the current just took her somewhere we can't see."

Logan sighed. "Maybe. But do you really think she's going to make it without a boat in the middle of the ocean when the occasional ten foot wave comes by?"

Warren's eyes widened. "Land."

"It's highly unlikely she'll find land before we—"

"No, look!" Warren pointed past Logan's head. "It's a freaking island. Solid ground at long last!"

"Oh my god."

Paradox felt sand under her feet. At first she thought it was an illusion and she was going crazy; but her wobbly legs could finally hold herself up and then she knew it was real. She staggered towards shore, collapsing in a heap once she could no longer see the ocean underneath of her. She still felt it though. Her body still felt like it was rocking back and forth in the waves. When she closed her eyes, she was drowning again. This time she let herself sink.

Oliver and Warren pushed the boat with Aurora laying in it ashore.

"I just looked over and she was literally strangling him. I didn't mean to knock her out, I swear. She's going to murder me when she wakes up..." Oliver gulped.

"Not if we find Paradox." Warren reached in and picked up the unconscious girl.

"Warren... Paradox is—"

"Dead. So I've heard. What if she isn't though." He carried Aurora further up the pitch black beach and laid her down on the sand.

Oliver thought for a moment. "Say she is alive, and somehow made it here. How are we supposed to find her in the dark? I can barely see your face, let alone someone washed up on the beach a few miles away."

"Thank god I have a little penlight in my pocket then, huh?"

Oliver shook his head in astoundment. "Alright, let's go on your wild goose chase. As long as there's a chance at saving my life from her..."

"Or maybe I'm taking you on your very last adventure before you're slaughtered." Warren smiled cynically. "Let's go find a dead girl."

"What if we really do find a dead girl..." Oliver stopped walking.

"What?"

"Like, what if we find her body." Oliver said slowly.

"No, I don't think we would." Warren turned and looked back at him, shining the little light across his face. "She'd be somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. No way her body would be washed ashore this fast."

"Are you sure? I don't want to see her dead."

"Yes I'm sure, you big baby." Warren rolled his eyes. "Now come on, before Audrey tells anyone else where we're going and they try to stop us."

"Alright." Oliver started walking again. The sand sunk ever so slightly underneath their feet. It would have felt nice if they weren't wearing black, combat style boots with wet socks inside. "You better not get us lost. Jake said he's going to try getting a fire started, and I am freezing."

"If soldier does get a fire going, we'll be able to see it no matter where on the beach we are, so no, we won't get lost." Warren laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Oliver yawned. "I'm just tired."

"Or dumb." Warren shrugged.

"Oh, just shut up." Oliver narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, but that sounds boring." Warren smirked. "Don't you think so?"

"Aurora should try to kill you instead of me."

"It will eventually happen." Warren shrugged. "Just not today."

Oliver didn't respond, and instead looked up at the sky. The moon seemed closer than usual, and the stars seemed brighter than usual. The storm was there, in the background of everything, but Oliver focused on the stars.

Paradox was freezing. She felt like every cell in her body had turned to ice. Her eyes were still closed, but she knew it was dark. As she turned over to lie on her side, curled up to save any heat that might possibly still be within her body, she felt the wet sand clinging to her skin and orange jumpsuit. It was disgusting, but she was too exhausted to move. What good would it do her anyways? She would either freeze to death, or she wouldn't. Laying in the sand or not. She listened to her own shallow breathing and the crashing waves until another joined the peaceful sounds. Paradox thought she was crazy, dying, or both when she heard the faint sound of two male voices coming from somewhere down the beach. This is it, this is how I'm going to go. Laying here in the sand, the voices of phantoms in my head, until the blood in my veins stops pumping.

The voices only got closer though, making her rethink the possibility that they were in her head. She tried to move, to let them know she was there, and that she was alive, but all she could do was stretch her arm out —the arm that wasn't stinging from salt water filling it wounds— and grab a fist full of sand. She tried to push herself up, but nothing happened.

"Warren, Warren shine your light back that way!" A familiar male voice said.

Even through her closed eyelids she could see the flashlight shine over her. She tried to make a noise, but the side of her face was pressed against the sand, and opening her mouth only let that in, rather than letting sound out.

"Oh my... is she alive?"

Warren...

"I don't know, you check! Give me the light." The other voice was Oliver.

Paradox felt a hand on her side. A warm hand.  "Long swim, green eyes?" Warren said softly.

She moved her fingers again and nodded her head.

"God, you're stubborn." She could hear the smile in his voice. "You just wouldn't die, huh?"

"Shut up..." Paradox whispered, making a face when sand stuck to her lips.

Warren wrapped his arms around Paradox and picked her up. "Let's go play ghost story with everyone who thinks you're dead."

"Mmm." Paradox pushed her face against his chest. His jumpsuit was still cold, but it was dry.

"Thank god..." Oliver mumbled.

This is by far my favourite chapter so far. It was so much fun to write, so I hope you love it as much as I do! Please leave me a comment to give me your honest thoughts.

Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting ❤️