Authors note: sorry for the cliff-hanger, I just had to do it. Thank you so much for your continued support, you guys are amazing and you're reviews genuinely make my day. Please don't hesitate to give me suggestions; I'm willing to make awesome changes J. Okay sweet. Enjoy!
I don't think. I just act. Releasing the line, I dive into the water. The current sucks at me, dragging me along like a rag doll. It resisted my attempts to thrash my way to the surface, tumbling me along the bottom; until it was hard knowing which way was up. For a few moments I panic… until I catch sight of a flash of blue which reminds me of the reason I am here: I need to save Livvy. Once I stop fighting the current, it is much easier. The river rushes me along, and I scan the top of the rolling waves, searching for Livvy and Alec. I catch a split-second glimpse of a blue dress for the second time and I lunge in that direction.
It is a long minute before I manage to grab the limp, bobbing girl and haul her to me, struggling to keep her little face out of the water. Planting my feet on the river bottom, feeling the current rip my legs as I brace myself, I strike out for the shore.
Staggering up the bank, I lay Livvy on her back and sink down beside her. My heart beats faster than hummingbird's wings as I anxiously study her for signs of life. The girl looks wholly drowned; eyes closed, mouth slightly open, light brown hair tangled and smeared across her face. She doesn't seem to be breathing. I put an ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat, bracing myself to hear only a hollow emptiness.
It is there. Faint, but still beating. Still alive.
I sit up, biting my lips as I stare at the motionless girl. I have an inkling of what I am supposed to do; back when the world hadn't turned to shit, id watched as a boy on television was dragged from a river. His rescuer had tried to resuscitate him, breathing in his mouth and pumping his chest. The boy had not lived. I can't help but wonder if Livia will share the same fate.
Well, she certainly will if you don't do something Clary.
"Dammit," I mutter, gently prying open the girls mouth and pinching her nose shut. "I have no idea what I am doing here," I warn her, before lowering my mouth to hers. I have to remember to steady my breathing, take a deep breath, before slowly releasing it past the girl's lips.
I do this five or six times, breathing for the girl, feeling her stomach expands and contract with each breath. Livia remains limp, unresponsive. By the seventh breath, I am ready to admit defeat, when Livvy suddenly chokes, gages and starts coughing, expelling river water from her mouth and nose. Relieved I draw back and as she struggles upwards, bends over and vomits water and mud into the grass.
Shivering, she looks at me, her small body tense. "Relax," I tell her in a gentle voice, recalling all the wide-eyed, fearful looks she'd given me when I first joined, Alec's doing probably. "You fell into the river, but you're safe now. When you're up for it, we can go find the other-"
Livvy lunges forward, throwing her arms around my neck and snuggling close to me, burying her face in my shoulder. I freeze for a second, shocked, before I hug her back and finally let myself relax. "Let's get back to the group." I say, standing up. "They're probably looking for us." I hope. Or has Valentine already given up on us for dead and moved on?
Gazing at the foaming river, I wince. I hope Alec made it out okay, I think, trudging along the riverbank with Livia close behind. There's nothing I can do for him now.
The walk back up the river was longer than I thought; the current had carried us quite a ways. Livia snivels and whimpers a bit but, clutching my hand, we manage to make it out of the worst of the mud. The rain has finally let up, and night is approaching fast. At last we can see figures.
We walk back to camp where Livia is greeted with hugs and tears, her twin brother doesn't let go of her from the moment he first saw her, and a few smiles are thrown my way. Dorethea even took my hand in both of hers and squeezed with her old withered fingers, mumbling about how I was god send and how they were so grateful that I had joined the family. Embarrassed, I excused myself and retreated to the bonfire at the edge of the camp.
And that is where I still am when Alec comes to join me. His clothes and hair are still slightly damp and he smells faintly of river. "So you made it out alive then?" I say to him as he approaches.
"Yeah, I managed to grasp onto the log that knocked us down and when it got caught on some roots, the others hauled me out. I owe them my life." He says this with a pleased smile, as if he is proud of them for saving him rather than grateful. I wonder why this is, but assume it has something to do with siblings.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay." I say, surprised to find I actually mean it.
"I just… wanted to apologize and thank you. I haven't been very… welcoming with you and I can see know that maybe I misjudged you. What you did for Livia was amazing and I just want you to know how grateful I am. She would be dead if it wasn't for you. So thank you." Alec stood up, patted me awkwardly on the head and left me to sit on my own, wondering what an earth just happened.
"Making friends?" says a familiar voice from behind me, and I stand up to greet him. Before I can say anything, Jace takes me into his arms and hugs me, tight. My eyes flutter closed and I feel his warmth all around me, enveloping me. I feel encompassed by his golden glow. I hug him back, my arms going around his waist, my fingers brushing the muscles in his back. My stomach flips.
"I'm glad your back freckles," he says, pulling away. "You've got some balls for a little person, I'll give you that. That's twice in a week you've done something stupidly heroic." I just shrug in response, and look down at my feet. "You are alright though aren't you? No broken bones, no hidden concussions? No fish swimming around in your lungs?"
I smile at him. "There might be a guppy or two, but I'm sure I'll cough them up before tomorrow," I say, and he chuckles. My stomach squirms weirdly at that laugh, and I ease back towards my tent. "I think I'm done for the night, though. Something about near-death experiences always wear me out." I yawn, covering my mouth and stretching. "See you tomorrow?"
He reaches for me before I can turn, taking a strand of my damp hair, running it lightly through his fingers. I freeze, my stomach in knots. "Clary." Jace's smile sends a rush of warmth through me, and I have to stifle the urge to touch him, skin to skin, just to feel the heat. "I'm glad you're here," Jace murmurs without a trace of embarrassment or guile. "It feels good having you here, like we were meant to have you here. I hope you'll stay, so we can see Utopia together."
He gives my hair a final, gentle tug and turns away. I watch him go, anxiety and longing and that strange, squirmy feeling twisting my insides. Crawling into my tent, I pull the blanked over my head and try to sleep, to forget Jace. His touch. His warmth. And the feeling of danger that lights up in me whenever he is around.
