{SHORTLIST OpenNovellaContest 2021}
{ONC 2021 Round One Ambassador Picks}
Aithne Pan, a Chinese-Irish girl living in the futuristic city of Venice has to decide between what her heart tells her is correct, and what she has always been taught is righ...
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Shit, shit, shit!
I am falling too fast for me to grab water from around me to stop myself, too quick for me to think up a new plan.
We had been fighting off a group of women trying to steal from a jewellery shop up on level ten, near my apartment block, when one of the Petram Lorem had struck me, throwing me over the rail of the bridge.
"Eagle!" I scream, pushing myself out of the way of the nearby buildings using the small amount of water I can find, my thin ropes breaking almost instantly, "Eagle!".
The flying member of Lilac Royalty was supposed to catch us if any of us fell overboard, but she is nowhere to be seen as the ground - pushing off the building on my right, I adjust my trajectory towards a patch of water - continues approaching me at a very rapid pace.
I am running on adrenaline, my mind closed as fear clouds my vision.
Focus.
I need to focus.
With water now close beneath me, I do what I can to pull it apart, the water swirling into a circle and creating a whirlpool for me to fall into. I recognise the building next to the river - Chiesa di San Giacomo di Rialto - and the half-submerged bridge - Rialto Bridge - and so I know that the nearing whirlpool is part of the Grand Canal, meaning it's the deepest patch of water in all of Venice.
Seconds before impact, I pull the whirlpool up, sucking my body into the water so that any damage I might have is minimal. And then I am in, my toes and heels stinging from the impact, my legs now like jelly from straining so much during the fall.
Everything seems to stop underwater, my heartbeat slowing as I take a deep breath, the gills that appeared behind my ears allowing me to gasp in oxygen. It has been a long time since I have used my powers to open them up, but it feels refreshing, despite the dirty water around me.
I stay there for a few seconds, my relief at surviving the fall turning into anger towards Eagle, who had specifically promised she would be flying overhead, making sure we were all safe. She had promised, and despite Vulcan double-checking, asking her to pick them up only if we fell over the rail, she hadn't.
I don't know what hurts more, my body from the fall, or my feelings.
Nobody has ever really had my back - not when it comes to risking my life for a mission - so when I finally do depend on someone, for them to then disappear and not fulfil their promise, it hurts.
The water moves around me, returning to its usual state. It slides around me, caressing my skin as I stay sitting on the floor, my eyes stinging as I look up towards the blurry light. I should get out of here, let Lilac Royalty know I am alright, but the calm here is so peaceful, so relaxing I could stay here forever.
Slowly standing up, I test my legs knowing it is easier to stand on them underwater than on land. I am going to have to swim until Lilac Royalty's hideout and propel myself over the cement wall because otherwise I am definitely going to attract a lot of attention.
