He fell.
His hands flew back, preparing to catch himself, but it was all open water below. His heart staggered, then started to pound in his chest, his eyes widening in a mixture of shock and disbelief. They focused on his little sister, who he had saved previously, for a fraction of a second.
Her lips had parted, and a small gust of air escaped. There was an internal battle within the depths of her brown eyes. Unlike the frozen lake below, they were warm and caring.
"Jack!" she finally screamed, breaking out of shock's paralyzing trance. "Jack!" She reached out for him but knew there was nothing she could do to keep her dear brother from being overtaken.
Jack's hand twitched forward, but it was then the water found him. He sank as thousands of icy needles penetrated and prickled at his exposed flesh. The rushing of water muted his sister's screams for several long moments as the water pushed him farther from the surface.
Above the icy barrier, Jack's sister snapped into action. She ran back to the village, hollering for help. But in her heart, she instinctively knew it would be too late. Yet she held onto a childish hope her beloved brother would survive.
He wouldn't.
Jack's lungs were filling with water as he sank. His brown eyes refused to open, but Jack fought against them anyway. They burned when coming into contact with the freezing water. He thrashed, seeking out a place to resurface. With each passing second underwater, more panic rose in his chest.
As Jack started to drift away, limbs going numb and heart slowing, he thought of his family. Just the simple thought alone managed to place a small, but significant smile on his blue lips as his heartbeat drew to an end.