(#1) Roommates by Day, Enemies by Night

Chapter 38

When I was young and I was forced to watch Disney films, I would fast forward the good guys, wasn't interested in princes and princesses, only by the villains.~ Nuno Roque

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Siena

Dying is not something that is everyone's to-do list. It's not exactly a daily occurrence that people look forward to, or expect to happen. Well, unless you're the male hero in a fantasy book written for YA readers. Of course, it's always a surprise when you wake up and find yourself about to fall of the edge of a bridge.

Perhaps I should explain.

I jolted awake, my eyes snapping open so hard it hurt. It took me a minute or two to become aware of my surroundings, even though the sun was shining and it was bright.

I was back at the Brooklyn Bridge, where we had discovered one of the clues. Only this time, I was in a much more dangerous position. I was leaning over the edge of the bridge, and this, coupled with the melting ice, meant that if I had leaned a bit more, I would have tipped over, smashed into the ice, and be plunged into the freezing cold water. What a great way to start off the day.

Looking around, I saw that it was not night like my sleepwalking experiences had been previously, but pretty early in the morning. It seemed to be around 7, and the first shafts of sunlight were peeking through the thick cloud cover. The chill in the air seemed more pronounced, more sharp, due to the chill from the water.

I took a hand off the railing and rubbed it over my face, trying to make myself more alert and focused. The sun was shining into the ice, which was reflecting the light onto my face, causing me to squint against the harshness of the sun. I couldn't see more than two feet ahead of me, and the sun was shining so bright that if I even looked in the direction of it, I could be risking temporary blindness.

I tried to back away and turn around, to get out of the dangerous situation I was in, but my foot caught on one of the railings. I stepped on it to try and get it out, wrapping a hand on one of the other railings and lifting myself up, so my foot would come out easier.

I managed to wiggle it out, but the railing was icy. All of a sudden, my foot slipped, and I lost my grip. I was leaning over the edge, and I fell, tumbling headfirst into the river.

My back hit the ice first, and I groaned at the harsh impact. The ice immediately shattered around me, shards floating in the water. But the chill of the ice was nothing compared to the water.

I tumbled in, the freezing water covering my body instantly. Under normal circumstances, I would have fought back, tried to swim up. But the water was so cold, it froze every muscle in my body. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

It felt like thousands of little knives were stabbing me, working their way through my body. The chill of the water worked its way through my bloodstream, and slowly, I felt like it was freezing every limb that I had.

I tried to keep my eyes open, but slowly, the force of the water and cold forced them closed. I didn't want to die here. I didn't want my body to be found, washed up on the shore of the East River. So I tried to fight.

I summoned every last bit of strength that I had left, kicking and clawing my way up to the surface. What I didn't anticipate; the ice. The water current had pushed me a few feet downstream, and in my condition, I could only kick up, not in any other direction.

There was still ice. And even though I had broken it before, I had my whole body, my body strength, and gravity to help me punch through the ice that time.