Grace stopped running as she approached the girl who had screamed; she seemed vaguely familiar, she looked older than Grace by about 2 years and had black hair tied up in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She was also wearing a dark blue dress in the same style as Grace's. She seemed to be in shock.
"Are you okay?" Grace asked "Anna…" the girl whispered.
The name stirred something in the back of her mind but she pushed it aside. "What's wrong?"
"She can't swim…." the girl whispered in horror. Grace glanced at the river and noticed bubbles rising to the surface of the water. She looked back at the girl again as what was happening sunk in, "You've got to help me get her out." The girl ignored her, rooted to the ground in shock. Grace couldn't waste time waiting for her to regain her senses, the bubbles were becoming less frequent. She jumped into the water. Only realising too late that she hadn't taken an extra breathe before jumping in.
She'd almost forgotten what it was like to drown. But now she felt drawn to the place. It was beautiful underwater, the water was a murky grey but she could still see the sun reflecting off the surface and illuminating the world below. The river wasn't deep but it was strong. The current pushed her downwards until she could see the soft sand and tiny pebbles at the bottom. There were plants too, green things wriggling like snakes, a death-trap for anyone unlucky enough to get ensnared by them. Grace felt at peace under the water. The land above seemed a world away from the cool pull of the river, calling her downwards, telling her to close her eyes and take a nice deep breathe…
'NO!' Grace cried out; a second mistake, she realised, as icy water filled her lungs.
The girl's black hair was fanned out like tentacles in the water. She looked extremely young. Why she must only be about 7 or 8; Grace thought to herself once she saw her. Her features were similar to the older girl's, Sisters she realized. The girl, Anna, was still struggling, albeit rather feebly. Grace took that as a good sign, at least she was still conscious. It was the current keeping the girl down. She put a arm around the girls waste and tried to swim upwards. But she didn't make it very far. I can't do this. Grace thought, panic rising as the current pushed her back downwards again.. If she let go of the girl she could make it, after all she had faced worst battles then this out in the ocean and there was no sense in both of them dying….
But she couldn't bring herself to let go of the poor girl. They were going to die…
The current shifted and a surge of water underneath her, pushing her upwards instead of down. The panic left her, Maybe her luck had finally changed.