Her tail pushes against the water more ferociously than it ever has before, her hand locked around her daughter's wrist, pulling her along with her.
She doesn't dare turn her head around to see if the humans' boat is gaining on them. She's following his directions. Heading toward the land dwelling he showed her with his mind. They'll hide there and be safe. They have to be.
Her head pops above the water. They're close to the shore. She can see the homes line the beaches. She moves in closer, comparing them with the image in her head.
Her daughter clutches her arm, her fear and exhaustion seeping into the one she holds for comfort. She's already been captured by them once. The lady near the pool was nice but, the other ones... the other ones had bad intentions.
There. She spots the house. They duck back underwater, swimming until the water barely covers their heads.
She sends reassuring thoughts to her young, but she's just as afraid. She's never been on land before. At least, not land that's above water. As she digs her hands into the sand, pulling herself forward, she gradually feels more and more helpless. Vulnerable. If the threat, if the land people find them, they can't escape. They can't do more than thrash and gnash their teeth. She will not be separated from her family again.
He said they weren't safe in the water. He said that if she went home, they could follow her back and put the whole coven in danger. They won't expect her to flee to land.
And that's what she clings to as the pair drag themselves free of their haven and into the gritty sand.
YOU ARE READING
Beached
FantasyWhen a girl swims out to sea to rescue a figure in distress, she quickly realizes that the reason as to why he was in distress was quite different from the reason she had in mind. He wasn't drowning. Julia finds herself tethered to the mysterious st...
