Blinding Light (BLS Book 1)

Raven

A few minutes earlier…

Mila suddenly clutches a hand to her head. She stumbles as I catch her by the arm.

I joke, “That seasickness still got you?” She gives me a fake smile. I narrow my eyes.

“I’m fine,” she says.

I don’t believe her. I know deep down it’s true that she’s not fine. My gut feeling has always proven to be one-hundred percent correct. But I also wanted to be proven wrong. She doesn’t say anything but gives me a look that tells me that she’ll let me know later.

But she suddenly collapses to the ground. I yelp and scramble to her side.

What happened?!

Her eyes roll around her eyes, and she shakes uncontrollably. I hold her trembling body on my lap.

“Mila?! Mila!”

She doesn’t respond. My fear inclines, explodes on the top, as tears stream down my face. She’s been feeling sick the past few days, seemed out of it. I had this feeling…but I didn’t want to be correct; I didn’t want to be right.

What if she’s sick with a disease? What if I lose her? I just found her.

I clutch my hands to my head, furiously shaking the thought away.

No, you can’t lose hope.

I grab her shoulders and pull her towards me, she’s still shaking. I can feel her trembling beneath my fingers. Her finger finds itself in my hand and holds on tightly. So tightly that it’s painful.

I wince, but I don’t let go. I squeeze her hand back, holding on for her. Her whole body trembles as she let out a shaky breath, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Her hand goes slack and I panic. Real panic creeps up behind me.

I’ve just found her all these years later. I’m not about to lose her again. She lays in my lap. I scream as loud as my vocal cords will carry.

“Somebody help! Help me!” I yell desperately, as loud as my voice will. She’s not breathing and I can’t cease my tears.

“No…No!” I cradle her in my arms. I don’t know anything about doctors. Nolan rushes to my side; he places a hand on her forehead. He brings out a knife to hold at her nose. When no fog appears, my heart drops.

I grab Nolan helplessly, “Please, is there a doctor?”

He looks around frantically and runs off. We got at least three minutes before she dies, lacking oxygen. I don’t want to but I force myself to count.

One…

Two…

***

One-hundred and twenty…

I’m going to lose her today, aren’t I?

***

One-hundred and sixty…

Nolan returns empty-handed. I don’t need to ask to know there are no doctors around.

He couldn’t have tried harder?! There are no doctors around?! It’s like he almost doesn’t care at all.

His amber eyes are watching her with fascination instead of terror, lacking in fear.

I clutch her dress tightly in my fist until my knuckles turn white and shake her furiously.

One-hundred and seventy…

“Arrrggghhhhh!” I scream, shaking her lifeless body.

Why can’t I be just wrong? Just this once?

“No…No…NO!”

But she just doesn’t wake up as if she’s stuck in a haze. I slap her face, once…twice. But no reaction.

One-hundred and eighty…

I drop her; her limp body falls into my lap. My tears stream down my face uncontrollably.

She’s gone.

She’s gone. Even as my brain screams at me, I continue to defy it.

No. She’s not gone. The only time my gut feeling is wrong is going to be today. And she’ll live.

She’ll live.

…

I know she will.

…

…

Mila takes a sharp inhale of a breath and my heart restarts itself. I take her small body as I weep. Her head flops to the side when I let go.

“Ah—she’s alive…” I sigh and force myself to breathe. Her head rests on my lap until her eyes snap open, green, like mine. I frown in confusion. Before I could react, she sits up and scrambles away from me.

“Mila? Please tell me you’re there.”

I reach out but she flinches. She eyes my wrist, my hand. I look down and see nothing. It’s red from her grasp, but no other damage is done.

“Mila? I’m alright. It’s okay. Come to me.” I reach out a second time and she stands, cringes, and dashes off.

Why did she look at me like she’s seen a ghost? Or that hatred in her eyes reserved for no one else but herself.

I leap up from the ground and chase after her. My mind drifting as I run. She runs into the woods, and I try to follow but I trip over an overgrown root.

I grit my teeth and force myself to stand. It’s not too long before I reach a lake, barely keeping up with her fading silhouette. Out of breath, I put one hand on the tree, breathing hard. I look around frantically before I hear soft sloshing. I skim the area, but I see nothing.

Another splash sounds. I look up just in time to see something disappearing into the water. I’ve never been a good swimmer; I’ve always chosen to stay away from the waters ever since that whirlpool incident. I slide down to my knees; tears find their way into my eyes again.

She’ll die if you don’t conquer your fears. My mind whispers. And without evening considering, I knew it was true. I’m not going to lose her a second time today. I let out a shaky breath before I throw off my shoes.

Get yourself together, Raven. This is Mila we’re talking about.

I let my toes touch the freezing water. A shiver runs up and down my spine as I force myself to go deeper, keeping my eyes on the spot of the splash. My brain screams at me to get out, but I press on. I barely keep my fears at bay as I walk through the water ever so slowly.

“Mila!” I cry out. “Mila! I’m coming!”

I force myself to go deeper, keeping my gaze where the middle of the ripples are. The ripples soon die out, and I feel as if I’m still a million light-years away. I grit my teeth and dive under. A blur of a figure lingers in the middle of the murky water. My eyes burn at the contact and my senses fog up with the lack of oxygen and fear. I kick off the ground, swimming towards the shape. It’s not long before something white floats up to the surface before the shape. I scream and realize it was a mistake as water enters my lungs. I force the water down my throat, keeping the cough in so I could grab her lingering figure.

Mila! Hang in there. I’m almost there! I think desperately.

The sides of my vision darkening as I feel my fingers touch fabric. I feel her, my hands glistening in my blurred vision like bones.

I grab her body and kick as hard as I can to the bottom of the lake. We float up, ever so slowly. My head feels dizzy, and bubbles come out of my mouth. I snap my mouth shut, keeping as much air as I can in.

I reach towards the top.

Reach towards the light, my light.

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Thanks, with lots of smiles

☆•Yiona•☆