I claw at the hand, but I can’t focus. My entire body is freaking the fuck out.
I never thought to worry this morning about drowning in my own pool.
I never considered how deep it is.
As I try to push up for air, I see a flash of my dad’s face and a dark thought hits me.
Would it be so bad if I didn’t fight?
But then I see a flash of my Smithy’s face, and I think of Indi. I see all the people who would be disappointed in me if I just gave up, and I start fighting again.
My lungs burn as I struggle not to draw in a breath.
My limbs start to feel heavy as I continue to fight, but the lack of oxygen slows me down.
The thought of that girl being lost at sea hits me; and I vow that if I survive this, I’m never getting in the water ever a-fucking-gain.
As quickly as it appeared, the hand leaves my hair. I sink a little before pushing up from the bottom, gasping as I clutch the side of the pool. I wipe the water from my eyes, but I don’t see anyone around.
How is that even possible?
I stay where I am until my eyes focus again and my hands stop shaking before pulling myself from the pool.
I look around the lawn, but there aren’t even footprints in the dirt thanks to the dry summer.
I grab my towel and wrap it around me, trying to get a hold of myself before I go inside. My entire body starts to shake as the adrenaline quickly wears off, and I sink to the ground as my knees give out. I suck in a breath as my emotions get the better of me and hold it, trying to stop the noise in my head. I cling to the towel, hoping the pressure helps stave off the panic, as I curl up as small as I can.
Hot tears slip down my face, and I don't bother trying to wipe them away. Why does this shit keep happening to me?
I let myself break, before trying to piece myself back together. Once I can breathe normally again, and my heartbeat doesn’t sound like thunder, I splash myself with cold water to try and hide my red, puffy cheeks. It takes a minute before I’m sure my legs will hold me, but I climb to my feet before hurrying into the house. My only thought is finding out who did this. I don’t think we have security cameras out back, but I’m sure as hell going to check them if we do.
Whoever it was obviously wanted to scare me—I just wish I knew why.
That’s when I see the note taped to my back door. It says‘Leave. It will only get worse from here.’
I leave the note exactly where it is and head off to find Smithy. I don’t know who the fuck did this, but I'm done.
I find Smithy and tell him what happened. He has his phone in his hand, dialing the police in less than five seconds. “No, I don’t want the police involved. We both know they’re just as corrupt as the rest of this town.”
He knows as well as I do that this town is run by those who have money… Except my dad left and pissed off a ton of people before he did, so I don’t get the same privileges that others do. I’ve only heard whispers of the shit storm my dad left behind, but I’ve heard enough to know that in this situation, the police won’t be of use to me. He hangs up and drops his phone on the counter. I shake where I stand, wrapped in a towel, in the middle of the kitchen. “We can’t just let this go, Miss Octavia.”
“And we won’t. I still have to get ready for school, but can you check the security feed? And if we don’t have footage, we need to increase the security on the property.” He nods at my words, and I can see his guilt, clear as day in the set of his jaw. “This is not your fault.”
“I’m supposed to be looking after you.” He frowns. “I’m letting you down. I’m letting your father down.”
My heart sinks at his words. “You’re not letting anyone down. None of this is your fault, and I won’t hear another word about it. Can we increase the security some more?”
He nods, looking a little less defeated than he did a minute ago. “Yes, I’ll get it sorted as fast as we can.”
I feel a little better, taking care of the situation, or at least preventing the chances of it happening again. It could have been anyone. It doesn’t seem like a Lincoln move, but I wouldn’t put it past Blair or one of her little cronies. “Perfect, thank you. I’m going to go and wash up, get ready for school, and try to forget this morning ever happened.”
I climb the stairs to my room and shudder at the thought of going back under the water, but I need to wash the chlorine off of me.
You’ve got this, Octavia, there’s no one else but Smithy in the house. You are safe.
It takes a minute after my pep talk to actually get my ass in the shower, and I rush through my usual routine; but once I’m out, I feel a lot better.
Though if this is an example of how this day is going to go, I’m not even going to bother to hope for a good day.