19. TO HER RESCUE
1186 Words
{LUMIRA}
I mumbled, trying to breathe underwater, but the air wouldn't come.
Pain exploded through me.
Emotions gathered in my throat. I tried to scream but each attempt to open my mouth only made more water drift into my throat.
Struggling for my life, my mind drifted to the one person who actually looked out for me.
Tara.
I should have listened to her when she warned against coming back here. She had persistently begged me for hours to stay back. Maybe, just maybe if I had listened, then I'd have escaped this torture.
But what had I done to deserve this?
Was this the thanks I got after helping them save Mirabel?
I had nothing to do with Mirabel's kidnapping. Yet, Beta Kyro and Delta Jett made me suffer for it. I didn't snoop through Ama's stuff, much less push her down the stairs, and still... I was suffering.
Gamma Vance was the only one who could save me from this torment, and I didn't know where he was.
At the verge of giving up, I closed my eyes and let my mind call out to him.
"Gamma Vance, please save me. I need your help...please."
My head was pulled out of the water, and I gasped for breath again. My lungs almost collapsed from drinking too much water.
Amid my struggle, I heard them laughing and making a mockery of me in the background.
"Oh, look at her trembling like a leaf," Delta Jett taunted.
"She doesn't even have a single fiber in her body."
Tears stung my eyes, and my lips quivered from the anguish flitting through my veins.
Beta Kyro still had his grip on the back of my neck, his eyes filled with scorn and contempt.
"I thought you were brave," Ama said, crouching in front of me. "Why don't you try to act the same way you did earlier?"
"Did you or did you not try to push Ama down the stairs?" Beta Kyro barked again.
My lips parted, but words failed me.
I had lost the zeal to fight, and my arms flailed at my side.
"Do I have to repeat myself?" Beta Kyro barked, his voice made me flinch.
If I weren't slipping away, maybe I'd be scared. But now, there was no fear left in me.
He should do his worst.
When seconds passed and I did not respond, he spat at me. "Bitch." He seethed and proceeded to dunk my head into the pool for the third time.
Just as the water touched my face, a familiar voice boomed from a distance. "What do you think you're doing?"
Relief flooded my veins, knowing Gamma Vance had come for my rescue. I had thought death would come for me today, but maybe not anymore.
"Stay out of this, Vance." Delta Jett warned, but the Gamma did not listen.
"Let her go!" He demanded.
"And why should I do that?" Beta Kyro fired back. "I intend to punish her for what she did to Ama."
"What did she do to Ama?" He queried, the sound of his boots clicked in my ears as he advanced.
"Don't play dumb with me, Vance. You knew what happened. She snooped through Ama's stuff and tried to push her down the stairs."
"And why would she do that?" He retorted harshly. "Can Ama explain what led to the incident between them?"
"You're unbelievable, Vance." Delta Jett spat, disgusted. "Are you actually going to believe this tramp over Ama?"
"This tramp saved our sister's life." He asserted, his voice cutting through the cold air.
Beta Kyro scoffed. "Saved our sister's life? Mirabel was kidnapped on the same day she arrived at the mansion. Today, she led us to the car that had our sister in it. Isn't it clicking in your head?"
I heard Gamma Vance sigh. "Brothers, this is not us. Look at her, she's weak, vulnerable, and doesn't deserve this ill-treatment. Okay, let's strike a deal."
"What deal?" Kyro asked.
"We'd keep her in the mansion, and have the whole situation investigated. From Mirabel's kidnapping down to the incident with Ama, if any of this is truly linked to her, then she can be punished."
Silence followed his proposal.
I didn't know what went through Beta Kyro's mind, but then he dragged me back and released his grip on me.
I collapsed to the ground, almost breathless.
I watched him straighten to his feet alongside Ama, who had been quiet since Gamma Vance stepped into the picture.
Ama's lips curled in disdain.
And her boyfriend issued me a look of contempt. "Pathetic." He spat before tearing his gaze away from me.
"Fine." Beta Kyro stated. "We will investigate thoroughly. If she's found guilty, promise not to interfere afterward."
Gamma Vance seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he eventually sealed it off with his word. "I promise."
Soon, they left the pool area one by one, but not without throwing me dirty looks.
"Hey, Lumira," He cooed softly.
He peeled off his leather jacket and covered me with it.
As he crouched beside me, I heard him let out a low grunt, then he slowly lifted me into his arms and carried me back into the mansion.
I noticed he headed in the direction of his room instead of mine, which was just below the stairs.
"My room," I croaked out.
"No, you are staying with me tonight."
The idea of staying in his room made me feel safe, so I didn't protest. I let him carry me into his room and carefully settled me on the bed like I was an egg that could break if manhandled.
Then he leaned over and placed the back of his hand on my forehead. "s**t, you're burning up."
I took in a slow, deep breath, but didn't move.
"I will be right back." He said, before turning for the door, departing the room.
Minutes later, he returned with the first aid box and a glass of water.
Placing the glass of water on the bedside table, he dropped the first aid box on the bed and opened it.
Then he unscrewed the lid of the painkiller bottle and shook two tablets into his palm.
"Here," He lifted my head with one hand and brought the pills to my lips with his other. I managed to part my lips open and he placed them into my mouth.
As I took them, he picked up the glass of water and helped me drink a little to force down the drugs.
"Lie down." He lowered my head back to the bed, screwed the lid back on the painkiller bottle, closed the first aid box, and slipped into the bed with me.
"I'm so sorry for what my brothers did to you." He muttered softly.
That was the apology I needed, but not from the right source.
Beta Kyro, Delta Jett, and Ama should be the ones saying sorry.
He gathered me into his arms, his musky scent filling my nostrils and calming something inside of me.
I clung to him tightly, his warmth comforting me.
- Writer
