I'm drowning. Or maybe not. No. I'm breathing. My lungs are filled with liquid yet I can breathe. I'm under surface, yet I can breathe. I must be dead. Or not?
Everything is pitch dark. I can't scream. I close my eyes trying to calm down.
Not everything kills you. This feels like water drowning me, but it can't be. I calmed down.
Thinking of what it could be, I remind myself of my life goals as well. Shattered memories of my childhood show up.
"I will find you!", I hear my mother from the bedroom. Where could I possibly hide so she won't find me. I look up to my dad for help. In answer he chuckles and picks me up. "Stay here and don't move, don't make a sound.", he hides me in the closet and quickly returns to his desk back to his game. "Aha! Gotcha!", my mother seemed to have found my sister.
I hear steps coming near in search for me. "Where did you hide the girl?", my mom squints at my father. "What? You can't find her? Search better.", he plays along acting as if he's searching for me too.
"For real now, where is she, I can't find her anywhere!", the search party is almost giving up. Until... "There you are!", she finally caught me behind the curtain of the closet. We both giggle. My dad joins us and tries to put the curtain back. "No, she's not here, look, it's empty, search further!", he tries to distract them but fails to do so. We all laugh and I am tilted out of the closet.
Sure I loved hiding. I spent little time at home. There must be something that could explain the situation I am in. I need to prepare for when I get out of here. For them.
I look through the book my mother got me full of frustration. It's full of letters. I can't read it. I spot the big letters. This must be the alphabet. "Mommy, what letter is this one?", I ask her determinated. She helps me by telling me the letters that are there while she watches TV.
I move my piece diagonally over the board. "You seem to have the hang of the game, you really have interesting moves.", my teacher looks puzzled at me. "I haven't played before learning it here but I saw others play.", I answer his hidden question. "Make sure you always set your knights in the game. Once they are out they're way more effective.", he teaches me. The same teacher that told me I might end up knowing more than him when I told him about Egyptian royalty amazes me and shows me I was wrong in believing him. Realising that I tell myself that there is no way. I have a lot to learn yet.
"From next year on, you won't have nature sciences anymore. They will be divided. You will have chemistry, physics and biology.", my teacher explains each course for the whole class. Excited to finally hear about those I feel the need to research on it myself and learn the most I could about the fascinating subjects.
I loved science. I still love it. I sure must have found something to explain the situation I am in. I dig deep in my memory.
That's it! I remember a substance called perfluorocarbon. That must be it. The substance looks like water, but it can let you breathe while submerged in it. It has enough oxygen for your lungs to handle. I scowl as I remember what happens when you get out of it. The lungs will try to get rid of the liquid. The process will be painful. And to think that this method is used for torture...
Before I can think of preparing I am pulled out of the liquid. I try resisting the pain and agony. It is worse than I had anticipated. "We saved you. You almost died.", I hear someone scoff. "Now you do as we say or we can put you back there and let you down and die.", I hear another voice. They don't know that I know what they are doing. After a few minutes of getting the liquid out of my lungs I catch my breath. "I'd spit on you and go back there myself if I didn't know any better.", I get up and confront them.
I backed off my determination as a child as I grew up. But that was my biggest mistake. And I don't want to repeat it.
I face the guys fiercely. "You won't get away with this so easily. The whole world won't be at your feet anymore, soon enough."
They laugh, but they don't know what's coming to them. They don't know what I am.
