Foreword:
Long story short, I just wanted to write something.
Hopefully I´ll come around to writing the continuation of this as well, as I´ve got more about this specific timeline. It´s based on a world where neither A nor Alison existed; Paige never became bullied into a corner and lashing out, and Emily never really got her sexuality explored or particularly discovered. Now they´re simple teammates, in a less complicated world.
Still, self-discovery and taking the step to truly getting to know each other remains.
But I´m a lazy bastard. Sorry.
That also means I´m not much for grammar checking;sorry for eventual flaws.
Also; listen to this on youtube. Awesome.
watch?v=UjQxhOXco_k
Drowning
The sound of underwater; like peculiar thunder. A low, yet tranquil rumbling was the only sound in Paige´s world.
The most beautiful sound between all that was and had ever been.
She pushed farther, cupped hands digging deeper into the aquamarine blue as bubbles formed around her moving, seeking arms. Like a sacred ritual, her body knew the routines of what its task was. Taking her deeper and deeper, farther and farther in and under the water.
The air stuck in her mouth and nose trickled to an end. Her lungs burned. Her head felt fuzzy. Her squinting eyes stung from the chlorine.
The most wonderful feeling in the world. Here she wouldn´t feel, wouldn´t see, wouldn´t hear.
She was nothing and nowhere.
This was her world.
A world of light blue chlorine water, and mosaic.
The sound of low, rumbling thunder being the music.
Upon reaching the middle, she made it a game of how much farther she could get before she´d either faint or swallow water, and dove a bit deeper. She counted the small illuminating lights along the edges under her, forcing her narrowed eyes to stay open even through the harsh stinging.
1, 2, 3…
It seemed her body thought it enough; but Paige willed her mouth shut, not allowing it to automatically grasp for air where it´d only find water. It´d probably be painful when water rips into the lungs.
The thought was oddly disgusting yet alluring.
She pressed on, the buzzing sound of being under the water growing louder.
4, 5…
It was as if someone had suddenly flashed a spotlight into a pitch-black room. In one fast moment, only bright light existed.
Her eyes screwed shut, and the sharp ringing pierced through her ears.
She opened her mouth to shout, but found herself unable. Soft, kind liquid swallowed her voice, her breath.
In the moment she opened her eyes, Paige saw an angel. In the middle of that white, shining light, a woman with glimmering dark brown eyes gazed at her.
Black, long hair flowing like silk in a warm gust of wind.
Lips full, and soft like cotton.
When the angel extended her arm, moving towards her in the water, almost about to touch her, the light disappeared.
Only pitch-black remained.
It´s cold.
It´s warm.
It´s hard.
But then it felt soft. Softer than anything she´s ever had words to describe.
"Paige! Come on, wake up…!"
At the distant, smooth voice, she realized that the angel´s calling for her. Paige wished she could answer, and say that she´d do anything the angel would ask of her.
But she couldn´t.
It hurt. A stinging sensation appeared, and perhaps it was because the angel wanted an answer.
But then the softness returned. Paige wished she could drown in it.
A harsh pressure brought her down, slamming her downwards from the pitch-black nothingness, from it´s warmth and softness. Paige gasped for air, but found herself short of it instead. She ended up reeling to the side, coughing and choking up splashes of water.
Her eyes, blurry and stinging, barely made out the blue and white mosaic tiles she laid on. How hard they felt against her sore body.
But then she registered a hand resting on her back as she coughed.
It´s warm. Soft.
Not at all like the painful liquid burning and ripping through her lungs and throat. Or the hard and unkind tiles underneath her hands.
She choked a few times more until the burning relented, air eventually making way into her desperate lungs. The warm hand stroked her back, as if encouraging her.
"Thank god…" a breathless voice murmured. "You´re…You´re okay."
It´s as if she´d been slammed down into reality once again as Paige realized just who it is and why. And it was as if shame, happiness and embarrasment flooded her system, engulfing her and leaving her reeling all at the same time.
She cleared her throat and turned around, facing those dark, soft brown eyes that belonged to that warm hand.
"W-wha…" Is the only thing Paige could say, as she couldn´t get any further before she hacked up some more liquid.
Droplets of chlorine and water splattered against the mosaic, right next to the far edge of the school swim pool. The part where it was easier to exit and enter as the edge is far less high. Emily must´ve somehow managed to pull her up, and all by herself at that.
The thought makes Paige choke even more.
It´s dark outside; stars already prickling the night sky, and the clock was already 7 PM when Paige got here. She can only imagine what it must be now. And why Emily Fields was even here in the first place. After stealing a glance at Emily in her ordinary and tightly fit competition swimsuit, even Paige could take a genial guess.
The hand rubbed her back some more; Paige only managed to tense up, tried to stop her embarrassing coughing without succeeding, and felt her chest burn.
"You probably shouldn´t try to talk for a little while." Emily said as she watched Paige with great worry, and rubbed firm yet soothing circles on her back. "You almost drowned." she added, in a tense murmur.
Paige almost wished she had; it´d spared her the shame and embarrassment. She didn´t even want to think about what Emily thought of her now; that she was lame, a klutz, a bumbling idiot who drowns as soon as they´re on their own.
Paige was supposed to be the second best on the team. A place she was content with because Emily was the number one, the captain.
She was closer to Emily in terms of ability and skill than anyone else.
But Emily probably thought less of her now.
Who wouldn´t.
Yet even as Paige´s coughing calmed and her face slowly regained a more healthy color, the warm hand stayed on her back, fingers splayed across her shoulderblades. It was comforting; and made the childish thought of drowning being preferable fade the longer time passed. Almost like being underwater; that was how it felt like for Paige whenever Emily was near, even though they weren´t particularly close.
As if holding your breath.
The feeling of comfort.
And like the sound of water.