The Bridge

Chapter Three

The only thought rushing through my mind is getting free. I can't let her win. I can't let her have her way. I had to survive. I tug once more at my jeans and the plant finally releases it's grip on me.

But I'm too tired to struggle any more. My mind is screaming at my body to react, to get out of the water, but my body doesn't seem to want to respond. Images of my life are flashing before my eyes. I hit the rocky bottom and then my world goes dark.

A few seconds later, I'm vaguely aware that someone is pulling me out of the water. They set me on the bank and start pumping my chest. I want to tell them to stop. It hurts. I open my mouth and splutter water out.

Suddenly I was breathing. I coughed more water out and took in deep breaths. The air burned my throat and my lungs seemed to want to reject it. But I forced more air in. I coughed a few more times before opening my eyes. My mom stood there, leaning over me. Her brows were knitted together in worry, but they relaxed as she noticed I was okay. She stopped pumping my chest.

I turn my head and see her at the edge of the pond. She seems annoyed. I know it's not over. I know she's still panning revenge.

For now, I decide to ignore her. I try to get up, using my hands and arms to push me up. I manage to walk a few steps when the world tilts beneath me. I collapse to the floor.

My mom is at my side in an instant, helping me to my feet. After a few practice steps, she decides I can walk without help. She lets me go, but stands beside me. Just in case.

My clothes are filled with water and weighing me down, but I manage to get inside my house. My mom must be in her zone. She rushes here and there, bringing me a towel and some dry clothes. Then she offers me some hot cocoa. I sit down at the kitchen table and sip it. My mom watches me out of the corner of her eye but asks no questions.

--

That night I lie in bed, wondering about the day's events. I'm grateful my mom had just happened to look out the window when I fell in. If she hadn't...I shudder just thinking about what may have happened.

I close my eyes, attempting to forget about it for now.

"I'm not going to go away."

I'm startled by the voice. My eyes spring open and I sit upright in bed. She's sitting at the end of my bed, looking around the room without interest. She grins when she notices me awake.

"Let's do something fun," she says.

"Fun?" I repeat.

"Yeah. Follow me," she answers, her voice calm and friendly. No sign of any threat there. But I don't believe her. I laugh and close my eyes instead, snuggling myself into my bed. A loud crash makes me open them again.

I see my lamp shattered to pieces on the floor at her feet.

"Oops," she mutters, staring down at the broken glass.

"What are you doing?" I growl.

She ignores my question. "Follow me," she repeats instead. When I close my eyes again, she drops another object on the floor. The crash echoes in my head.

"I can keep this up all night," she says.

I glare angrily at her. "No, you can't. My papa will hear you. He'll come and see what's making all the noise."

She lets out a hoarse laugh. "Noise? The only one who hears the crashes are you and me."

She picks up another object off my nightstand. "Still not willing?"

I sigh in defeat and lower my tired body to the floor. I throw on some jeans and a jacket and grab my house keys. Then I follow her out the door, down the stairs, out the kitchen and into the crisp Autumn air outside.

I follow her silently to a nearby park. Unsure of what to do, I sit on a swing. She watches me silently nearby.

After a few minutes, she steps forward. She smirks at me, then raises her hand up as if saying "stop". I feel the swing start to vibrate. Before I can piece together what's happening, the swing has ejected me and I'm on the damp grass. I groan in pain.

"No more swings," she says. Then, she orders me up. I force myself up, wincing at the pain shooting down my back and the scratches on my arm.

"What did you do?" I ask once I'm up.

She smiles. "A little ghost trick. But that's not important," she says quickly. "Let's play tag."

"Fine," I agree, not really wanting to anger her. Before I know it, she was it and I had to run away from her. I raced around the park a few times, often screeching to a halt when she simply materialized in front of me. As I ran around the park, I noticed the front gates. I looked behind me. She wasn't there.

I ran out the front gates and onto the sidewalk, hoping I could lose her. I turn around and see her following me, her blonde hair flying behind her. I sped up my pace and ran faster. I quickly checked to make sure there were no cars before crossing the street. I was almost to the other side when she materialized in front of me, a scowl on her face.

I could have probably run right through her, but the thought didn't occur to me. I stopped and turned around, running back toward the park.

Too bad I didn't see the car until it was too late. I froze in the middle of the road as the harsh white light washed over me. I held my hands up to my face, as if to shield myself from the glare of the lights. The last thing I remember was seeing her grin as the car hit me and sent me flying across the street. I landed with a sickening splat and then my vision blurred.

I heard the car screech to a stop and the driver's door open. I heard the footsteps and worried voices. Then, my world went dark.