Chapter 8
A short while later, Esme leaned over the side of Talia, watching Daniel disappear into the grey-green depths of the lagoon. The water stretched out ahead of her, a sheet of cool relief, waiting for her to slip underneath.
Or drag me down into its depths.
She hesitated, fiddling with the strap of her borrowed swimsuit.
Why did I even suggest this?
It was so unsettling, seeing Daniel disappear beneath the surface, and not coming back up for air. The dangers of drowning had been drilled into her since before she could remember. Her whole life had been spent beside a lighthouse, built to prevent people from perishing in the waves of Splinter Bay. And for years, she had dreamt of her mother sinking beneath the waves.
Daniel resurfaced and kicked away from the boat. Lillian, sit
