Don’t let him goad you. He’s just trying to mess with your head.
Sure enough, he plunges my head into the water before I can react. I didn’t even have time to take a breath.
And as much as I want to remain calm, I can’t because my lungs are burning, already begging for oxygen. I grab the edge of the trough as my body starts flailing, trying to get out of the water—but maybe I need to react? I need Enzo to stop this game. And he only will if he sees me in pain.
So I let the pain swoop over me. I let myself feel. And for once, I don’t hate it. Because it sparks my rage, and I know that feeling this way is what it’s going to take to find a way out of this mess.
My mouth opens, and I inhale some of the water in a search for air. All of the work Enzo did to help me get over the fear of the water is going to co
me raging back after this.
My lungs begin to fill with water instead of oxygen, and I’m afraid whatever ridiculous amount of time my father set for this task is going to be too much. I’m going to drown.
But just as I don’t think I can take it anymore, my head is released, and I’m out of the confines of the water.
I cough violently, water expelling from my lungs. I can feel Enzo’s eyes on me, and then he races over to comfort me.
I put up a hand, stopping Enzo. I don’t want his comfort right now.
Enzo stops in his tracks. “Are you okay, Kai?”
I don’t answer. I am anything but okay. But it’s not enough for me to surrender and lose the game.
I feel Milo’s hands on my neck, and this time, I’m more prepared for it. I take a deep breath just before my head plunges under. The first few seconds are easier this time as I have a reserve of oxygen to keep me calm.
But then the familiar panic of my lungs washes over me again. And again, I let it. Enzo was already beginning to crack. And although the panic sucks, I know this time I’m going to live. I’m not going to stay under so long that I’m going to drown. I’m going to survive this. So even though my lungs panic, my mind doesn’t.
My head feels the air again, and I cough up the water that snuck in. But before I can register anything, my head plunges under again.
More pain.
More panic.
More anxiety.
Longer and longer my head is under the water. But I feel like I could do this all day. And this is the last time.
The last time seems like the shortest, even though I was told it was the longest.
And when I break for the surface again, I suck in a deep breath of oxygen without having to cough this time. As if each time I was under my body adjusted more and more to the water.
I stare down at the water in front of me. You are not my enemy. The man gripping my hair is.
I stand up, and Liesel tosses me a towel that I begin to dry off with.
I look at Enzo who is panicked, but not for his turn, for me.
I wink at him. “I hope you have a good pair of lungs on you.”
Enzo’s face softens a little, and I don’t know why I made this easier on him.
Langston and Enzo take Milo and my’s place as I stand next to Liesel trying to dry off and remove the memories of being underwater from my brain.
But when Langston pushes Enzo’s head under, I freak out as I watch his calm turn to panic.
“It wasn’t that bad when you were in the water. Remember how it felt. Enzo has this,” comes Liesel’s calm voice.
I clinch the towel to my face, not sure if he’s going to survive the dunking in the water.