The Butterfly Girl: A Star is Born

#8 The Shallows

[Apollo]

Apollo decided to go out early to the lake until Sophia decided to get her lazy butt out of bed. He left her a message telling her he'd be back later and gathered his gear. He flew out to the lake from the tree house and went to his usual spot on the little beach below the cliffs. He landed softly on the sand and set his backpack down on a nearby rock as he mentally prepared himself. He slowly stepped into the water until he was about waist deep and then dove in, and shot out into a breaststroke. He did a few laps out and back, going at his own pace. Speeding or slowing down. Taking breaks every once in a while, but always pushing himself. Sophia's told him he's getting better everyday. Apollo really appreciates her support and it continues to drive him to improve.

He decided to do one last lap and as he was going out, he felt something brush his leg.
Ew, no! Bad moss! Don't touch me!
It made him flinch, but he didn't allow it to slow him down. The lake was full of slimy things, which was normal because most of it was all moss and seagrass, so there wasn't anything to freak out over. He dove and turned around until something brushed his leg again, but this time it felt longer and thicker. He stopped again and decided to move whatever it was out of his path. But when he ducked his head under the water, he couldn't see it. There was absolutely nothing around him, it was just cold water that faded into darkness. He couldn't possibly be anywhere near the bottom, and he wasn't too far from the shoreline either. Just as he was about to continue swimming, something grabbed his leg and started pulling him under. He screamed and quickly held his breath as his head was suddenly pulled beneath the surface.

He tried kicking with his free leg until he felt something rush past him and cling to his arm. Apollo felt himself being lowered into darkness and he thrashed about, trying anything that could push him back to the surface. But nothing was working. Not even using his wings to push him back up was helping. He was surrounded by strange things he couldn't identify and he was about to lose his breath. His lungs ached and his movements were starting to slow down.
Suddenly, Apollo felt something else fly past his face. His goggles were starting to slip off and he shut his eyes tight. Until he felt something hit the back of his head and everything faded into darkness.