Ice Cold Love

Part 10

Shoutout to @Rupe01 for being so kind <3 Give her book a read, it's called The Tourist Trap and it can be found on her profile.

Warning: mention of substance

Amelia's POV

It's interesting, really, that people talk so much about how our bodies go into fight or flight mode when things go wrong. No one, however, has ever mentioned those few moments before you do anything, where you're so surprised and panicked that you seize up and your body refuses to move or to think.

So, for a few moments, I watched helplessly as the little girl fell into the pool, her body so small there was barely a splash. The person that pushed her began to slowly walk away, unaware that someone had witnessed what they'd done.

It was anger at the injustice of the situation that snapped me out of my trance and kicked my brain into action. One second I was standing on the deck, the next I was sprinting towards the pool in my heels, my beverage and belongings discarded without a second thought.

The person in the black and red hoodie was a man. He looked back at the sound of my heels clicking against the cemented ground and took off when he realised he'd been caught. I saw him run to the side of the house from the corner of my eye, and as much as I wanted to chase him down and throttle him, the task at hand was more important.

I didn't bother worrying about my shoes or my clothes as I dove into the pool, an action I'd practiced countless times. I realised that we were in the deep end and the intensity of my worry sent a stab of pain through my chest.

I was thankful that the pool water was neutral and didn't sting my eyes when I opened them underwater. Even with my blurred vision I could see that the little girl was struggling under the surface not too far from me. I put my arms around her when I got close enough, but she didn't stop her thrashing. It was a struggle getting us both out.

I hauled the little girl onto the side of the pool and she gasped and coughed up the chlorinated water she'd in took as I pulled myself out. I was at her side in an instance, immediately rubbing and lightly hitting her back to help her get all the water out of her lungs.

"It's alright. You're alright, sweetie," I repeated the words to her over and over again, hoping they sounded soothing. My concern intensified at the amount of water that she choked up.

She eventually settled down, her lungs free of unwanted water, and she looked up at me, her skin pale and her eyes wide. "Th-thank y-you," she whimpered through her chattering teeth. Her quiet voice and shivering body only made my heart ache for her. No child deserved to be treated the way she just was.

Before I could respond, she threw her arms around me and burrowed her face into my shoulder. She was trembling, from the cold and from her now running tears. I rubbed her back, hoping the friction would warm her up a little bit. "It wasn't a problem, my teacher told me I need to work on my swimming. You helped my practice," I tried to joke, hoping it would make the girl feel better.

"Really?" she asked me, not moving her head, "but you're so good!" she exclaimed with a giggle. I couldn't help but smile. "You think so?"

"Totally! You were so fast," she moved back to show me a diving gesture with her hand, "like this, it was so cool." When she grinned at me, my smile dropped instantly. Her front tooth had fallen out and blood was pooling in her mouth and dripping down her chin.

She noticed my body tense up. "What happened? Did I do it wrong?" she asked innocently as she shook her hand in front of me, referring to the diving motion she was making. I felt my chest swell; children are nothing less than angels.

"No, not at all. You did it perfectly," I assured her as I put her down. "My name's Amelia. Do you have a name sweetie?" I asked her while crouching down to look at her. She nodded her head vigorously "Isabelle. I like you, so you can call me Izzy," she told me.