𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚.

─☼☼☼─

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙏𝙏𝙀 𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙀𝙍𝘼 𝙒𝘼𝙎 drowning. The waves pulling her deeper and deeper with every passing moment. 

Somewhere in the distance was Kildare Island. But now matter how hard Charlotte tried, she could not reach land. Could not reach home. 

She wasn't sure how she'd ended up here. Had no idea why she was alone...why she was so cold. 

Voices swam around her, familiar but unrecognizable. They were drowned out, hard to distinguish within Charlotte's muddled mind. 

"Jesus, did you really have to hit her?" That voice was male...Rafe, maybe? She wasn't sure. 

A sensation clawed across her, as if someone was touching her face. Even beneath the cold waves she could feel it. 

"I didn't have a choice!" Came a female voice, desperate and distraught. "She would have argued with me...or she would have stayed. I couldn't live with myself if I left her."

"So you just almost killed her instead?"

"God, stop making me feel worse than I already do!"

"Here," Came another male voice, further confusing Charlotte. "Ice for her head."

An even more intense wave of cold washed over Charlotte, starting at the back of her head and flowing across her entire body. 

She tried to push toward the surface of the ocean, fighting against the waves as she vied for a breath. 

Someone was beside her suddenly, screaming beneath the dark waves. 

Charlotte turned, squinting through the darkness at the figure. 

Rafe.

Panic tore through her as he seemed to be pulled away from her, the ocean ripping the two of them apart. 

She reach out to him, pushing against the current with outstretched hands. 

He was ripped from her grasp, just beyond her reach. 

Again, she tired to reach him. Used all of her strength to attempt to grab onto him. 

Inches away from grasping his hands─

"Rafe!"

Eye flying open, a sharp intake of breath. 

Charlotte was no longer in the dark ocean. Sun shone down on her, blinding her eyes as ragged breath heaved through her lungs. 

Her head still swam with confusion, eyes dragging in front of her, snagging on the outline of six figures who were watching her. 

Panic tore through her for a moment, her mind still unable to process who she was staring back at. 

That was until one of them spoke. 

"Hey, Charls."

A flood of emotions broke within Charlotte, a small sob falling from her lips as her eyes finally began to adjust.