This Alien Soul

Chapter 10

Amber

"One..two...three....four..." The almost frantic counting matched up perfectly with the stabbing pressure pounding my chest. "Thirteen..fourteen... come on.. wake up."

I can't. I wanted to scream. Just leave me alone. But he didn't. He continued to pound my chest as I was trapped in a body that no longer wanted to function.

I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe.

"Damn it." The voice was now filled with defeat and the pounding finally stopped. My chest able to expand...then still...unable to function on its own.

I could feel myself drifting away. I wanted to fight, I really did. But at the same time, I was so tired. Tired of all the treatments, tired of always feeling bad, tired of always having to be perfect - always having to be the 'it' girl.

If he was giving up on me, maybe it would be easier just to let myself drift off.

"No...no..." His voice was back, pulling at me. "You don't get to die."

Distantly, I could feel my head being tipped back and a form moving over me. Then warm lips covered my own, forcing my lips to open. Warm air was forced down my throat, expanding my previously paralyzed lungs. Instantly, I could feel myself getting forcefully pulled back to the surface.

The first feeling to come back to me was the gentle hold of two large, rough hands cradling my face. The the soft lips pressed firmly to my own.

For a split second, those lips became less about providing life support and more about pleasure. As my own lips came back to life, sparks flew between us and almost involuntarily my lips started to move under his. Those gentle hands clutched me just a little tighter and the lips became more forceful on mine.

As fast as the CPR had turning into a kiss, it turned again. The lake water that had filled my body wanted out. I just had enough time to push him away and roll to my side before it started gushing from my mouth and nose in painful gags.

The guy, who somehow I knew was Alek without even looking at his face, moved behind me to support my back. Gently he pulled my knotted and wet hair out of my face to keep it out of the way.

"I know it hurts, but you've got to get it up." A warm hand rubbed into my back, warming skin that had turned ice cold.

"Why..why are you being so nice to me?" I managed to get out between heaves. "I was horrible to you guys today." If the situation had been reversed I can't guarantee I wouldn't have left me to drown.

"Seeing as you just attempted to swallow half the lake, I'm choosing to ignore my feelings about earlier today. But how about not testing me, huh?"

I turned to face my savior and was pierced once again with his green eyes. This time instead of hatred, they were filled with concern. "Okay." Was all I managed to get out.

For a couple minute he just sat there with me in the wet sand, allowing me to catch my breath. I was sure I looked like a drowned rat with my knotted hair, sand covered body and lips chapped from throwing up. I should have felt self-conscious about this, but I didn't. He never once looked at me with judgement in his eyes, like I had grown so used to from others. No, instead, all he did was sit there calming me with a hand running up and down my bare back.

Finally, my breaths evened out and the shivers that had wracked my body from my near death experience, dissipated. "I think I'm good now. Do you think you could help me stand?"

"You sure?" He didn't look as confident about my recovery as I was.

Truth was, even after almost drowning and having CPR performed on me, I was feeling better than I had before entering the water. There was pain in my chest where he had been pounding to keep my heart going, but the headache was gone. I felt lighter than I had in a while.