Zelda
A sharp sting jolted me from the darkness. The world around me was a blur, sounds muffled, and my chest ached from the struggle. Slowly, shapes and colours came into focus. Someone was hovering over me, their voice cutting through the haze.
“Wake up, Zelda! Come on! Wake up! You were on the swimming team in school—you’re better than this. Stop pretending to faint over a little pool!”
I blinked, finally able to make out the face of one of James’s friends. I couldn’t remember his name, but his disdain for me was unforgettable. For years, he had treated Susan like a delicate flower, his pseudo-little sister, and me like the thorn in her side.
As soon as I gasped for air and moved, he stepped back, brushing his hands as though his job was done.
“She’s alive!” he announce
