Requital

CHAPTER 7

Deianira

I can't run fast enough to get away from my heartbreak. I can't stop thinking about the look of loathing on his face. My Tar, my best friend, who I thought would be my forever has completely broken me. It feels like as if he's taken my heart and crushed it in his palm. Everything between us has all been a lie. He's played me like a fool. He makes me question everything about my life. Do my adopted parents even love me like they have said? Or had they been just doing what Yutu had wanted. The farther away from home I get the more the ache stabs me in the chest. I can never go back to see Apaay or any of the people I have grown to care about there. I dont even know where to go Ive never left the village. Apart from my strolls in the woods with my two best friends. Well one now. Lost in thought I slip on the snow and start rolling down a hill straight to a river that's come out of nowhere. I can't stop myself from crashing into the icy depths. Immediately I'm panicking, I dont know how to swim

Im thrashing around trying to hold my breath. Im kicking trying to go up but all I seem to do is sink in the dark abyss. I can't take it anymore. I finally give up and fill my lungs with water. As I close my eyes and wait for my death I think of my mother, my father, Apaay, even Tarkik

I wake up choking up water. My lungs burn and my eyes are blurred. Im in what looks like a cave. How did I get here? I look around trying to figure out how I got here. I hear a splash and see a blue tail slip into the water. What was that? My vision returns to normal, so I go to sit up and shiver. Im freezing. I see a lit fire not too far from where I am, so I get up and slowly walk over to it. A fire means someone lit it someone was here with me but who. Who would be in the water where I was drowning in those frozen waters. It's eerily quiet, and I feel as if Im being watched I call out "who's there?" No response. This day has been almost as crazy as being found as a child in the middle of the mountains. Im so numb to it all. I dont care anymore. I rub my hands together and put them above the fire to try and get warm. Eventually I feel like I'm warm enough to explore the cave Im in. It looks like an underwater gave if I had to guess. Once again what do I know? This is all new to me. Somehow even deep in these waters the cave is lit up by little twinkles of light. Walking further in the cave I see some bedding in a corner. A few strange pieces of clothing. Very bright and unique and a few trinkets. Back turned to the water I hear another splash. I jump and spin around. Nothing greets me once again. I turn back around to the clothing I've found and put it on so I can dry my clothes by the fire. I make my way back over to it and set my clothes as close as possible to the fire as I can. Sitting back down I think back on how just a few hours ago I was home with my loved ones. Happy, safe. Tears flow freely down my face and a sob breaks through my lips. I cry, I cry until I can't anymore. I lay on the cave floor and slowly drift off to sleep....