Supernatural Inmate (Supernatural Captivity #1) - Avery Song Page 0,26

it, everyone. Are you proud of me?

It felt stupid to fall deep into the illusion of their presence, but I didn't care. To survive death was another chance at survival and if it meant getting lost in the illusion that saved me, so be it.

When my breath steadied, I let my body submerge and kept only half of my head above the surface, my nose just above the water. My eyes scanned the area as I tried to blend in with the element that almost took me from this world.

Ironic.

I noticed the cliff I'd run off of, which reinforced my gratitude at still being alive. The drop was high enough that I shouldn't have survived the mere impact, but now that I had, it was time to get to safe land.

Glancing behind me, I saw an island that was within swimming distance. Even with my body throbbing in pain, I knew my survival instincts would kick in and lead me to where I had to be.

With a mental nod and one last surveilling glance around me, I began to make my way to the island. Stroke after stroke, I got closer to my new destination, and when my body finally crawled onto the sand, I almost passed out right there and then.

I knew I'd worked my stamina to the bone, but this wasn't safe either.

The thought of that dealer ran through my mind, the deep voice that held no remorse at ridding those two humans of life. If he could do that to them, I was nothing but child's play. Maybe I was still useful, but as the clock continued to tick and the word of my kidnapping spread, it could introduce far worse predicaments if I didn't find a safe place.

Tugging my heavy body forward, I went on my hands and knees and fought to control my breathing yet again. My body trembled uncontrollably, and the heat I'd felt coursing through my veins was gone, replaced by bone-chilling cold.

My dress clung to my body, the weight of the rhinestones making it even harder for me to stand. I gritted my teeth and managed to rise to my shaky feet, but I suddenly felt dizzy.

Nope. You will not fail. You didn't come this far to fail.

Waiting for it to subside, I wished the warmth I'd felt in the depths of the ocean would return. My eyes looked over to my right arm, but the glowing mark was gone.

Weird. Like everything happening right now. How I wish I were home.

As I got a grip on my surroundings and the dizziness faded, I began to take struggling steps forward. I had no clue where I was going, nor did I care at this point.

Anywhere away from that alligator, the scary man in the parking lot, and the hotel where this fiasco started. This entire experience was appalling, and it happened so quickly that it still wasn't registering.

I was sure when it did, I would break down and cry my eyes out, but I was still running in survival mode, and until I was in the arms of one or all of my bros, I wouldn't let my walls down.

Hopefully, they would be able to retrieve my location from the brick phone and were on their way. How they would track me from that point on was beyond me, seeing as I'd left the phone and my purse. It really made me wish I'd worn my Apple watch this evening, but who knew? Those kidnappers probably would have taken it like they had my phone. Now that I really thought about it, I wasn't sure if any of my credit cards or cash were even in my wallet. They might have taken everything.

Jeez. Being kidnapped is hard.

Surely, I was being too hard on myself. It wasn't like kidnapping was something you planned for. In school, they didn't teach you the steps to avoid being abducted or get away from your kidnappers like they taught you about fire safety and the whole stop-drop-roll thing.

I shouldn't feel foolish or guilty about this situation. It had happened and now I had to get out of it. Once it was all over and done with, the world would simply move on and expect me to follow suit.

That thought made me realize how hard and scary this world could be if you didn't have power or defenses of your own.

Is this why supernaturals are more confident than we are? Why they walk with their heads high and believe