no. I threw my hands up. A split second later my fingertips broke through the surface of warm water and I sank. Warm water rushed over me, swallowing me whole in the blink of an eye. My lungs screamed in protest. I needed air, I hadn’t had a chance to take a breath. I kicked my legs and clawed my way back up. My head broke through the surface of the water and I sucked in a huge gasp of air. I choked and tried to get my wings out to fly away, except I was stuck in my own dress. The material had already soaked in the water like a sponge and was weighing me down, like someone was down there pulling me.
A tall wave rolled in from out of nowhere and slammed into me, tossing me aside. I flipped and turned. When hot air swept over my face I sucked in a huge gasp of air — and then I was under water again. The warmth was a relief after the snow but I was tangled in my dress and sinking farther with every second. I kicked and thrashed through the water, trying to propel myself back up.
My air was already running out. My lungs screamed. Pressure wrapped around my chest. My pulse thundered through my head. I gripped the pieces of purple fabric by my face and yanked them aside. Sunlight streamed through turquoise water just a few feet above me. I could make it. Air was right there. I kicked and pushed. My red hair floated around me, tangling in my fingers as I clawed my way through the water.
Just…keep…going —
I broke through the surface and gasped. My lungs protested, making me cough and spit water out of my mouth. I peeled my hair off my face, then scrubbed at my eyes. But then another wave crashed right on top of me and I was pushed back under. The current rolled me several times before I could break myself free. Black dots swarmed my vision. I lunged for the sunlight shining above, bursting above the water like a volcano erupting. I coughed and gasped.
I didn’t wait three hundred and twenty-seven years to swim in the ocean again just to drown in it. KICK, Saffie, KICK.
But my legs were already tired. I kicked my legs to try and keep my head above water but there was no land in sight. I looked left and right and over my shoulders…and found only horizon. The ocean surrounded me everywhere I looked. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was screaming with joy that I was actually finally free. My curse had been broken. My memories were back. A huge part of me was overwhelmingly relieved…I just needed to live.
The sun shined down bright on me. I hissed as something glistened like a spotlight from my hand — wait. I looked to my hand and gasped. Keltie’s ring. I felt for my ear and almost cried when I found Keltie’s earring hugging the cuff of my ear. Another huge wave loomed over my head. I sucked in a deep breath then dove under the water and under the roll of the wave.
When I broke back through the surface, I sucked in a gasp of salty air and then held my ring to my ear. KELTIE? KELTIE CAN YOU HEAR ME? HELP ME!
Keltie, where are you when I need — I gasped as realization hit me. I knew exactly where Keltie was. She was in Salem pretending to be a photography teacher. Everything had happened so fast I hadn’t had time to process my old memories with the ones I’d made the last couple weeks. Keltie had been there in Hidden Kingdom when The Coven broke my curse and then she was in Salem. I knew she’d gone there to help me – why didn’t she see who Riah really was?
A wave slammed into me from behind and dragged me under.
As I fought for the surface I tried to remember the last time I’d seen Keltie…it was at Landreia’s on Christmas Eve…she’d stopped by to — I gasped. She’d stopped by to give Landreia this jewelry to give me. I knew it without a doubt — to connect me to Tegan! That’s it! That’s how they were there with the polar bears.
I squeezed the jewelry together again and closed my eyes, but this time I focused my thoughts on Tegan.
Bright light flashed in my eyes. I gasped. “TEGAN!”