Element Restraint

Chapter 32: Erik

All I remember is I was in the ocean. Suddenly I open my eyes and begin coughing. There is no air. I need air! I cough water up, the saltiness burning my throat.

I lean on my side and puke up everything  I have in my body as I fight for air. Still disoriented, I look around for where I am.

I see Acantha breathing tirelessly next to me. She drops down on the rock I lay on and wheezes.

"I thought you were going to die." She says between breaths.

I look around the cave, and then out at the waves crashing in. The last thing I remember happening was us being in the middle of the ocean. Did she swim both of us here?

We both sit for several minutes, trying to get ourselves together. When I try to stand up my head begins to pound hard. I put pressure on my temple and clench my eyes shut for a moment.

When I feel I am able to maintain my headache, we climb into the boat. Acantha, as usual, sits looking at her feet curled in the middle of the boat.

"I thought you did not fear the water anymore," I say to her.

"Why would that be?"

"You did just swim us both several feet through the ocean."

"I think that experience has made my fear of water grow."

I smile to myself and continue rowing the boat. Acantha is very brave. Something never expected from someone of her upbringing. But she has guts, that is for sure. It makes me respect her.

"You're welcome," Acantha says to me.

"I am so sorry!" I say quickly to her. In the event of everything, I forgot to thank her. "Thank you for saving my life."

"I guess we are even now." She says nonchalantly digging into her wet satchel.

"I guess so."

I look in the direction we are headed. Past Acantha, in the distance, the island we wait for the ship is not too far.

"No!" Acantha cries. I look at her as she pulls her book out of her bag. "No. No. NO!" she wails as she turns through the wet pages of her book.

The pages are soaked with seawater. Due to the saltwater, the words are completely destroyed.

She then turns to the back of the book and pulls out a wet letter, the ink  washed away. Tears well up in her eyes when she pulls the letter out.

I stop rowing the boat and reach out for the book.

"We can fix it Acantha," I say gently knowing full well we can not.

"This would have never happened if you did not push me into the water!" She screams, her voice cracking a little.

"Would you rather us be executed in the Earth Realm, your father cheering in the audience!" I shout back and immediately regret it.

Acantha clenches her jaw and stares me down with her meadow eyes with fury. I should apologize. I know why that book meant so much to her. I know it belonged to her deceased mother.

But what would apologizing do? I look away and continue rowing the boat.

Acantha looks at the book in silence. Moments later, she reaches for my satchel and begins digging in it. I watch her wordlessly, too afraid to stop her from digging around that it might make her angrier than what she already is. She soon pulls out the small brown paper-covered "package".

Acantha begins unwrapping it to see what it is. It is so tiny it fits in the palm of her hand.

I never got the chance to actually look at it. There was so much commotion when I left the house. I heard Acantha's signal so I grabbed it and ran. It is a good thing I did, or we would not be here right now.