Sometime later, Valentina Roberto slowly regained consciousness again. This time she found herself on a small, rocky beach, face down in the sand. She half-remembered swimming for what seemed like hours on her back, being tossed about by the swells, staring up at the blue sky.
It was mid-morning now. The Mediterranean sun was beating down on Valentina’s bleeding, battered, exhausted body. Despite the pain she was in, the warmth on her back felt wonderful. She could hear the cry of seagulls overhead.
She was alive.
She finally found the strength to raise her head and spit the sand out of her mouth, and then coughed up some seawater. Nothing was visible with her left eye except blackness. She could feel her eyelid move up and down as she blinked, but there was no hint of light.
When she
