Pet Project, Trista, Post 7

Despite my brother’s considerable muscle, I soon heard the undeniable sound of footsteps approaching. Shit, ran through my head. I tried to push faster, but I had little left. This day had beaten me. My heart pounded in my ears to the beat of my gasping breath. I skidded to a halt. “No,” I gulped. A stream, well more of a stream: a big, long, wide chasm of fast rushing water. I glanced behind. He was close. Without meaning to I whined; the footsteps came faster. Andrew knew exactly where I was now.

The water was freezing, and everywhere. I lost myself as well as which way was up or down and the fact I couldn’t breath in water. My mouth filled with the icy liquid and there was no way to cough it out. I didn’t want to die tonight, especially not like this. Somehow I managed to find the surface and struggle oxygen into my lungs and most of the water out, but I was moving. Down river and no where near the other side. A rock appeared next to me the next second and I tumbled back under. The fear and loss of thought drowned me again faster than the water did. There was no hope this time. I was finished with no way out.

Something snagged me, I fought, though I wasn’t sure why. This had to be me dying. It had to. But the thing pulled right back, and hard. Within the second everything changed, I was out of the water and back into the air. I strived to be back in the drenched sanctuary. That was what my body knew now, it had become accustomed to drowning in those few fatal moments. “Trista,” came a loud, bellowing voice. My eyes flashed open. “Trista! Girly, come on. Trista!” I breathed as something hard and firm pounded my back.

I was alive. Choking, gagging, terrified, soaked and my throat felt like it would never cease being in pain, but alive. After my fit and my breath became halfway steady again I looked up. “Joey,” I more gurgled than spoke.

“Are you okay,” he asked frantically grabbing my shoulders. I simply looked, I didn’t have an answer for him. “Can you speak,” he said slow and deliberately. I nodded. He looked at me funny. “Can you prove it?”

I shook my head and coughed again, “Yeah.” My voice didn’t sound much like mine, but at least something came out.

He smiled, just a bit. “Can you breath?”

My power of thought returned. “Well I’m talking, right? Then I guess so.”

He grinned, but he eyes read relief. “Thank hell,” he whispered. “Are you nuts,” he said suddenly serious. “Why did you jump in? You could have died. There was no way you could have gotten across that.”

I shifted from my hands and knees to sit. Exhausted seemed like and understatement. “I had to.”

“Why,” he sputtered.

“Andrew was chasing me, he, he was going to-”

“No, Trista, I came after you. Donnie dragged your dad back. I tried to tell you that, didn’t you hear me?” I looked at him funny and shook my head. He sighed, “You nut job.” Joey’s smile turned soft and doting. I flushed.

“Sorry,” I said bashful, “Guess I had something else on the mind.”

He laughed. “Don’t sweat it.” I felt myself sway for a moment as my eyes grew heavy. As it happens, drowning and passing out in the same day makes you a bit tired, it felt as if my head was forty pounds. “I should get you home, you look beat.”

“Home,” I asked skeptically.

“Home, camp, the words become synonymous after a while.”

“Then I dread that day.”

Joey gave me a sad look, “Come on.” He got up and offered his hand. I took it graciously and thanked him for catching me when I nearly toppled over again. “Wow,” he grinned, “you really are tired.”

“Oh, hush up,” I said bumping into him, but as we walked the feeling grew heavier and before long I felt as if my feet would never move again. Joey stopped in front of me.

“You’re done aren’t you?”

I nodded, “So very, very done.”

He smiled gingerly and brushed a hair from my face. “I missed you, Trista.”

My cheeks were on fire, “I missed you too.” With that he scooped me up like a rag doll and began to carry me back, something I usually would have protested, but not tonight. Being held in Joey’s strong arms close to his warm chest while his heart beat into my ears was far too peaceful a place. I did not fall asleep there, though. Mainly because I didn’t want to leave this happiness, so I simply let him take me back and I watched the trees pass.

“Thank hell you found her,” my brother said as we entered the small clearing.

“I got lucky,” Joey replied setting me near the fire and sitting close.

“Why’s she so wet?”

“Jumped in the river.”

“What,” he yelled. I groaned at the loud noise. “Oops.”

“She thought it was Andrew coming after her so she jumped to try to get away. She was scared is all.”

“That things got to be freezing.”

“Trust me,” Joey said taking off his damp shirt, “it is.”

Just as I was about to drift off Hannah comes over with worry all over her. She collapses next to me and stares at me close to the ground so she can see my face. “Oh, Trista! Are you okay?” I nodded. “Do you want anything? Are you cold? You must be freezing.”

“Just tired,” I said closing my eyes.

“I’ll be right back,” I watched her scurry off then looked at the two men with eyebrows raised.

Joey laughed. Donnie gave me a lopsided smile, “She’s a softy.”

Hannah brought me a blanket and pillow and I accepted them graciously. “If you need anything, you let me know, okay?” I nodded absently. She sat close to me and brushed my hair from my eyes. “You poor dear.” My eyes shut to ignore the pity. I didn’t want it.

Suddenly I found I could not sleep, despite my exhaustion. I suddenly felt like there was empty air around me, and it was driving me mad. My brother sat next to Hannah, still close to me and I could feel his eyes watching me in case he had to protect me again, but he didn’t feel the hole. A small frown formed on my face. Then as if on cue Donnie came and sat to the other side of me, the distance between us was timid, but close enough to have meaning. The emptiness subsided instantly and I didn’t give another thought until the next morning.