Melanie's POV
Not far away, by another pool, a little girl about Trista's age was squatting on the edge. She was leaning far forward, reaching out to slap the water.
This pool was about four feet deep, or about 1.2 meters.
I instinctively calculated the distance in my head, my body tensing up before my mind could fully process it.
"Hold still," I started to say. Before the words were fully out, I heard a splash—
The little girl tumbled into the water.
I reacted purely on instinct, surging out of the pool, vaulting the edge, and quickly pulling the child out of the water and into my arms.
Her hands clutched my neck desperately. She was crying and coughing, her small face bright red, her breathing ragged.
The shock had clogged her chest and throat before she could fully catch her bre
