Swim Away (Mermaid)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I sat there all night long and waited.

I waited for something to happen. Anything.

"I can't believe this!" I shouted to the sky as tears ran down my face.

I ran my hands through the sand and threw some of it in the air. I kept my eyes on where the black flame had been burning. I wiped my tears, stood up, and slowly walked over to it.

The spell didn't work. It didn't work and everything I did was for nothing. I should've used Selena. Asher was right, if I had one thing missing, it wouldn't work.

And it didn't.

I could feel the pinch in my heart and I cried more. It was so painful knowing what I was relying on failed me.

It felt like my insides were going to come out. I couldn't bear this pain anymore, I needed to get away. I ran past both Selena's and Asher's bodies, still lying lifeless on the sand. I ran as fast as I could, not having a destination in mind. Somewhere in my mind, I wanted to jump into the ocean and swim away.

But I couldn't.

I sobbed even louder. The pain consuming my heart, mind, and soul. My heart felt like it was being squeezed to its limits, and that I was taking my last breaths. I couldn't run anymore. I couldn't stand up. Each breath was more painful than the last.

Am I dying?

Is this the end?

Had the after effects of the spell begun its course?

My legs slowed down, until I couldn't move anymore. The feeling in my legs were gone, and I fell on my knees. My hands dug into the sand, and I clenched my fists. The sound of my sobs did not stop, and with each breath I took, it felt like my last.

I could feel myself drifting away, and slowly losing all my senses.

"Please-" I managed to say before my vision blurred, and I lost consciousness.

***

I could feel myself waking up, and slowly, I opened my eyes. I couldn't make out what I was seeing, so I rubbed my eyes. When I opened them again, I saw Asher pacing back and forth. He was still wearing that silly cloak.

"I can't believe you're still wearing that," I mumbled, half asleep. If I closed my eyes again, I think I would be able to fall back asleep.

Asher stopped, "you're up?" He seemed a little shocked about that.

"No, I'm sleep-talking," I replied, sarcastically.

"Hmm, same old you." He walked over to me and stared into my eyes.

I wanted to slap his face, for being so close to me. It was annoying being stared at. His intense stare, while he narrowed his eyes, was getting on my nerves.

"What is up with you?" I sat up against the headboard.

"Do you recall anything? Do you know what happened last night?" Asher asked.

I looked at his face, trying to figure out what he was talking about. What had I done last night? I remembered having a list of things to do. A list that Asher gave me.

"The spell," I whispered, as it all came rushing back. Everything that I did and the outcome. "It didn't work."

"I told you it wasn't a good idea. But you didn't listen. The after effects took a toll on you." He sat down on my bed. "You seem fine. For now."

"For now?" What else could possibly happen?

"You only passed out, and nothing too serious has happened yet. I'm not going to lie, things like this have major consequences." I could hear the worry in his voice. The way he spoke made it clear that the consequences weren't going to be pretty. I didn't even want to know what he had on his mind.