The depths caress me, and I drown.
Chapter Twenty
Alyssa
I don’t move back in with Mom and Dad. Instead, I stay with Heather’s mom. I curl up in her bed at night, dreaming of the lake. Every day, I search for a new fish among all the familiar ones, but she isn’t there.
Ruth told me everything through tears, but I don’t blame her. Heather made her decision. At least she’d been more informed than I’d been when I went.
I walk out, wrapped in my favorite gray sweater. It fits me a little better now that I’m putting some weight on, mostly thanks to Heather’s mom’s amazing cooking. I even have a little bit of fat on my belly, which I’m so, so thankful for. My boots clomp on the dock, and I sit at the edge, the early morning mist resting like a blanket over the serene water.
My eyes are heavy, and I’m basically half asleep as I toss bits of bread and fruit out to the fish. They swim up, all except the little one. But that’s mostly because I’d pulled her out of the water an instant after Heather went in. She’ll be in therapy for basically forever, but she’ll get to live. That’s what matters.
“School sucks more than I thought,” I admit. I’m not talking to them, though. “I’m so glad we’re over halfway through the semester. Mr. Magnus is just as awful as I remember.” I’m repeating my sophomore year and taking my junior year online. Next year, I’ll be a senior a year late.”
Ruth comes over a lot. It’s the house she built, after all. Sometimes, I catch her talking to the fish. Her daughter, Heather’s grandma, is one of them. When I’d been a fish, I had understood every word that Heather spoke to me, taking it in like it was the air I so desperately missed. Ruth claims that somewhere, deep in the lake, Heather can hear us, too.
Then, I get up and walk away.
To be continued...
About the Author
KATE HALL is a full time traveler, dog owner, artist, wife, and reader. She believes in wild things like love, magic, and basic human decency. Some of her least favorite things include selfish people, eating fish, and tornados. Sign up for her mailing list and get access to free short stories!
www.KateHallBooks.com
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Available Books:
Ignite the Mountains
Angel Academy
Clandestine Angel
Renegade Angel
The Girl in the Lake
The Girl Who Won’t Drown
The Girls Down Below
Night Academy
Final Academy
Southern Charms
Southern Spells
Southern Necromancy