10“Hey, are you alright?”
A deep, unfamiliar voice startled Lena awake. She struggled to open her eyes, squinting against the blinding brightness of the sun. She glimpsed the pink conch nestled in the sand beside her cheek and darted her hand after it, yelping at the motion.
Was this what it felt like to live on the surface, she wondered? Were humans in constant, debilitating pain?
“Froken? Miss? Are you injured?”
The voice was closer now. Lena opened her mouth to respond, but a cough rasped over her throat instead. Her lungs felt gritty and coarse, ravaged by the harsh saltwater and crisp air.
She clutched the conch in her fist. With a groan, she raised her shoulder blades up from the beach, lifting her head just high enough to refasten the necklace around her throat. A flush of fres
