P E N D A N T

Her spirit was limp, dancing through their nightmares,

Her kiss was soft yet full of despair.

Some would love her, some would despise her,

Best to keep her at bay,

Because death always has her way.

Always.

_____________________________________________

“You’re an idiot,”

“Um Excuse me, how was I supposed to know it would do that?!” Eric snapped back, gesticulating towards the lake.

Bethany paused for a second, pressing her fingers to her temples as she shut her eyes. She took a deep breath before glaring at him “How. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW? It’s pure common sense?!” She screamed at him, ready to hit him.

Eric put his hand to his chest, looking back at her as he scoffed” Well excuse me for trying to LEARN something. Not everyone is as smart as you, Bethany,” He mocked her.

“Guys...” I tried, looking at the lake.

“You know what Bethany, I’m so done with you criticizing me. That’s ALL you do, CONSTANTLY” They were now both in front of me, bantering away. I moved aside and tried to catch their attention.

“Guys...”

“You know why?!” She probed a finger at his torso “Because you pull stupid shit like this all the time!” Bethany exploded, her face now turning red. “You threw my freaking car keys in the lake you idiot,” She stomped the ground “It’s eleven at night, in a freaking forest where you had the brilliant idea to gather us all on a Friday night. Well, guess WHAT?!”

“What Bethany, GO ON. COME ON” Eric provoked, cutting her mid-sentence.

“Guys...” I was now tapping Eric’s back mindlessly, my sole attention on the lake, as I could imagine the poor little keys sunk to the bottom.

“WE WON’T BE GETTING HOME BECAUSE YOU LOST THEM” She shrieked, her eyes now closing as she let more of her anger out.

“No you IDIOT, the keys are RIGHT THERE” He pointed towards the lake, looking at her with confidence.

She paused for a second, looking at him. “Oh my god, I swear you are THE MOST STU-”

“GUYS” I ordered, now looking at them both with a murderous glare. “The keys. They’re gone.” I stated calmly.

They both turned their attention to the lake. Bethany’s eyes went wide as did Eric’s.

“Oh shit, oh my god, OH MY GOD” Bethany exclaimed. She looked back at Eric in an instant” Go get them NOW!” She pointed her finger at him.

“Why me exactly, huh?!” He fumed.

As they kept on arguing, my last hope for the night was slowly slipping away, gradually sinking in the water. I glanced at Bethany and Eric who were still arguing, then back to the keys. I hesitated before finally starting to take off my boots hurriedly, followed by my socks.

Both of them turned to look at me in confusion. “What are you doing?” They said in unison before glaring at each other.

“Well since no one is doing anything,” I explained whilst taking my coat off and staring at the now almost gone keys. “I guess I have to go get them myself. You owe me a meal after this.” I looked at them pointedly.

I was left in my pair of thick jeans and my sweatshirt. I looked back at my friends and shrugged as I took my pants off and stripped off my sweatshirt, leaving me in only my underwear and a white tank top.

I patted myself down for any other item that would weigh me down, briefly grasping the pendant around my neck. That one would stay.

“Are you su-” Bethany started but shut her mouth as I gave her a warning glance.

“No comments. I’m saving all of our asses tonight.” I looked back towards the water, taking in a deep breath. I shook my body vigorously, hoping to get some extra circulation before freezing myself to death.

Okay, don’t think about it. Yes, it’s freezing outside. Yes, you might get hypothermia. That’s okay. Just do it. It’s beautiful outside, you’ll just enjoy a nice night out in the water. Just like a pool.

Truth be told, it was beautiful outside that night. The lake I was about to get into was large and made up of clear, fresh water. The body of water was surrounded by a dark and dense forest, only illuminated by the moon that shone brightly over the lake, similar to a sheet of light silk, caressing the movement of the water. Although this moment would be cut short as I was about to torture myself.

I balled my fists and clenched my jaw before sprinting towards the water. I just had to get in quickly and out fast.

The second my skin came in contact with the water, my body regretted it. I shrieked as my breathing quickened, the small fog my mouth created in the air dissipating quickly. The water was more than freezing but I decided to ignore it, for the sake of the consequences.

I tried to rush in the water further, small needles prickling all over my skin as I moved. My legs were already starting to feel numb, but I ignored it.

“Remember the keys, “I murmured to myself, “It’s just water, Trinity. Haha, nothing to fear, just nice, warm water,”

“Are you talking to yourself?” Eric said loudly as I was now far enough from both of them. I rolled my eyes as I tried to pinpoint the keys.

“Ow, no need to hit me” He screamed as Bethany let out a snort.

After swimming quickly, I got to the keys. They were now just about a meter underwater. I took a deep breath and dived in, face first.

That was a mistake.

My face was prickling with pain. Underwater, it was complete silence. I kicked with my legs before opening my eyes. My vision was blurry under the surface. The lake was pretty deep, the water lit by the moonlight until a very deep point, where you could discern nothing but darkness.

I feared the dark. I could see the keys not too far from me, slowly sinking further. I reached out to them and after grasping them tightly, I smiled before swimming my way back out.

I took a deep breath before coughing, the chilliness of the air burning my throat. My dark hair was sticking to my skin, enough for me to yearn for a warm blanket and a scalding hot shower. I let out a small laugh as I turned around, waving my right hand still grasping the keys towards Eric and Bethany.

My smile faded when I saw no one onshore. I looked around furthermore, perhaps I had missed them somewhere else. But no. No one was there. The usual bickering of my friends was now replaced by absolute and complete silence. I could only the wind blowing through the trees along with the water moving around my body, my arms waving around in the liquid to keep my body afloat.

“Bethany? Eric?” I tried loudly, the echo becoming my only answer. I furrowed my brows as I realized the fact that I was still in the water. Sighing, I began to swim towards the shore. I would try to find them once I was out of the water.

When I reached a certain point, my body was blocked. I tried to move to the side but found myself stuck in place.

“What the hell?” I grumbled, still trying to move. I looked down and tried to get a view of my legs, perhaps they had gotten caught on seaweed; that used to happen to me a lot. When I realized that nothing was holding me back, I pushed my way forward, to no avail.

“Regina”

I turned around as a small gust of wind made its way past my right ear, the chilling feeling crawling down my shoulder. “Guys?” I tried, this time unsure of my question. “If this is a prank, it’s not funny” my voice quivered. This, of course, wasn’t a prank, none of them were here, why would this be a prank?

Ok, now I was getting scared. I still tried to move but I couldn’t. I huffed in exasperation as I fought with god knows what to get free. My breathing was almost out of control as I inhaled and exhaled quickly, my chest rising and falling at an irregular rate.

“Regina...”

The whisper came back, this time louder. It almost seemed to be taunting me, mocking me. Small shivers made their way up my arms, to the nape of my neck. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my heart down which was smashing through my rib cage out of fear.

I gulped, my mouth becoming significantly drier. “Who’s here?” I panted, a small whisper coming out.

“You”

This time, the voice was joined by many others. All of them seemed to repeat the same sentence to my ears. They seemed to be here yet they were nowhere to be seen or to be sensed. I was still blocked, I couldn’t move.

I should have stayed home. I should have. Now I’m alone in a lake and I can’t move.

“Regina”

The voice reached out again. It came out as a high shrill, making me jerk my head away. My ear started ringing. I grunted.

Ok, this thing or whatever it was, was seriously starting to get on my nerves.

“Fuck off” I cursed.

Silence. It was complete silence. I let out a scream of frustration, a few strands of hair were frozen from the cold air. If I stayed for too long, I might just get hypothermia by the time I leave the water. If I ever do.

I looked for any signs of Bethany and Eric but I was still alone. This made little sense, perhaps I was dreaming? Hallucinating from the cold? I have the keys in my hand right now. As I thought of them, I looked towards my hand before gasping.

My eyes went wide. My hands were completely free of any object. I let out a whimper. “What the fuck? Oh my god, I’m going to die” I quivered as my teeth started to chatter violently.

I could swear I had them. I looked around, maybe I let them go. Haha, yeah that’s right, I probably had. I just have to look around, I’ll find them for sure.

A small laugh was emitted behind me. I stopped moving and gulped, not daring to look back. It was sinister, similar to a small child’s. I made sure to move enough to be able to stay afloat. I stopped breathing. My eyes darted around as I kept my head still.

Something was behind me, I could feel it. Its presence was similar to a dark shadow analyzing me, waiting for my next move. It was creeping up behind me as my fear grew.

It laughed again. This time making me shake in fear from the clear demonic presence it sheltered.

The forest became so suddenly quiet. Eerily silent. The wind disappeared, the trees stopped moving. It was quiet, oh so quiet. My breathing was the only sound to be heard.

Complete silence.

“Welcome back, Regina,”

A hand snaked itself around my leg and pulled. I let out a scream before breathing in water.

I was getting dragged, more and more towards the bottom of the lake. I screamed, my voice only translating to bubbles of air coming out, a small cry for help traveling in the water.

I opened my eyes as I could see the light of the moon no longer reach me. In a state of panic, I tried to pull my leg away, desperately trying to get back up for oxygen but I was stuck. I clawed and dug into the hand that was grasping me, hearing a shriek under the surface. I could feel a quick movement around me. The grip loosened, giving me enough time to swim upwards desperately, my arms burning from the effort as the pressure of the water did its trick to my head.

I reached the surface, my left hand trying to grasp the cold air, the hairs on the surface of my skin standing straight. My eyes looked up to the sky as I took a big gulp of air.

Before any warning, I violently got seized again, this time with more force. I fought against the grip more and more as I could feel myself getting dragged under again.

The next thing I saw as I opened my eyes were a pair of bright red eyes. They were shinning under the surface. The shock was etched onto my face as it gave me more motivation to pry myself free from whatever thing was holding me underwater. It wasn’t time to think but to survive.

Another hand came my way rapidly. I dodged it once as I dug into the one holding me once again. My hair was floating around my face as I pulled my leg towards me with as much strength as possible, rocking back and forth in the water.

The same hand came back, but I was too late that time around to stop it. I squeezed my eyes shut as I prepared myself for something to grab me but instead, I felt a small snap on the nape of my neck.

When I opened my eyes again, I could see a thin silver chain with a polished piece of amethyst attached to it. My pendant.

I tried to reach for it but when I did, my hand got horribly burnt. I looked back at the jewelry as I could see it much better.

It was glowing.

Before I knew it, something happened. Something that even I couldn’t grasp.

Power. It was similar to a magnetic field. It was big, and it came from...

Me.

I could feel it from within my core. It was imploding. It was painful yet delightful. It pushed against me, right within my heart.

It was like an orchestra. The power of the music running down my arms in a chill, the beating of the tambourines pushing the blood through my body. The tiles of the organ dissimulated through my limbs, each of which was getting played with, the notes of music coming out as sharp and painful blades of pain, a pain that I was slowly letting in.

I tried to fight the ensemble but eventually had to cave in, the chief conductor being this mysterious power which gave me no choice but to accept it, to let it in; to consume me. The whips of the baton were now under the surface, hitting me harder and harder every time. It was trying to tame me, to tame the fear that was in me. Everything was in harmony, it felt at home.

It felt like me.

I let out a smile of relief as I could feel the oxygen leaving my lungs. I was in bliss with the new surge of energy.

I let my body relax under the surface, small tendrils of hair floating around my figure. I could sense the moonlight as I was slowly closing my eyes, drowsy from the electricity that was still coursing through me. It made my fingers ever so slightly twitch, as I let out one last bubble of air into the water.

I heard faint voices surrounding me. I tried to open my eyes but failed to do so. I was still plunged in darkness. I tried to look around but I couldn’t.

My body was still buzzing with the same energy. It was more subtle now, but it seemed to have stuck within me.

“Trinity” I seemed to recognize the voice. It was so far away from me, why didn’t it come closer?

“Trinity come on” I heard another voice. It seemed almost helpless. Why was the person so sad?

I could feel a hand on my cheek. It was cold yet very soothing, very delicate. I relinquished the feeling as I let my body fall back into the deep slumber it was in, my mind walking away from the voices that were slowly disappearing into silence once again.