Prologue
Deanna frantically kicked, breaking the surface just in time to hear the boat speed off. Almost immediately, the woman started choking up seawater. With ragged breaths she looked around. Dark, wet hair clung to her face and salt water burned her eyes. All she could see was water, all she could hear was gulls squawking overhead. Taking another sharp breath, Deanna felt the first bump hit her sneaker. Her dark, almond eyes looked towards the vast blue sky, grimacing at how beautiful it was.
Just another perfect day in paradise. Deanna frowned, her lips hitting a salty wave. She tried to remain calm, being as still as she could. Her hands rotated in tiny motions close to her side and her feet barely kicked. The weight of her clothes was going to be an issue. She hadn't swam in ages, too much had occupied her time. It would only be so long until she succumbed.
It was as she bobbed there, treading the tide, that Deanna wondered if this was how Kevin spent his last moments – staring up at the cloudless sky, the pale summer moon just peaking out from the east. Did he know he was going to die, like she did right now? She felt the brush of motion crash into her bare calf, and a shudder went through her.
Deanna let her head rest on the surface of the water, her hair finally sliding off her wet skin, into the crystal clear basin below her. She never had the courage to look down. Her eyes focused on the clouds, picturing happier moments. When she and Kevin would race across the skyline, splashing in the shallows on a cool night. When they shared all their secrets. Or, rather, hers.
Her heart was beating so hard and so fast, she thought it would take off swimming without her. But Deanna couldn't fight it anymore. She knew the truth now, and it was going to be enough for her. She would be with Kevin again, soon. That thought was the only one she let crash through her mind as a large wave overtook her, and she was once again wrenched under the surface.
