A groan escaped as Niylah slowly stirred awake. Her eyes clenched as the sun blinded her behind her closed lids. Her head was pounding and her body felt weak, unbelievably weak. Slowly, she began to open her eyes, blinking multiple times to get used to the brightness. Once her eyes adjusted, she realized it wasn't natural light that had been blinding her, but the fluorescent lights buzzing above.

“Niylah! You're awake!” The voice sounded with excitement beside her. The sudden noise wanted to make her head explode. She propped herself up on her pillow, taking in her surroundings. She had figured she was in her bed at home, but was surprised to find that wasn't the case at all. She was in, what appeared to be, a hospital room. She looked herself over and frowned at the gown she was wearing and the IV that steadily dripped in silence. Tom, the source of excitement, was the only one in the room. He was sat upright in the leather armchair next to the hospital bed. His face was contorted in a mixture of relief and worry, tears b in his eyes.

“What happened?” Niylah croaked. Her voice was strained and stung.

Tom moved closer to her bed, his knees pressing against the bed. He took her hand in his, his hands were hot to the touch and the sudden contact sent a shiver running through her body.

“Are you cold?” He asked and, without waiting for an answer, he pulled the blanket over her shoulders and tucked her in.

“I'm okay, Dad,” Niylah said though she let him cover her up. Her body ached but she wasn't too cold. “What happened?”

Tom's lips pressed together and the wrinkles on his forehead emphasized his worry. “You fell overboard, Niylah. I thought...I thought I lost you. You were cold, so cold.” She could see his lip quiver and could tell he was trying hard to remain stoic. She couldn't recall a time she had ever seen Tom cry before.

“How did you find me?” Niylah's gaze was distant as she tried to remember the event that led up to this. She remembered slipping over the edge of the boat and plummeting into the water. She remembered fighting for air so desperately and failing to do so. She remembered her angel of death – no, not her angel of death.

“The beach!” She said suddenly, sitting up a little. The movement made her head ache and she lowered back down onto the pillow. “I was saved by a girl. She brought me onto shore.”

“A girl?” Tom asked, his voice laced with confusion. “I don't remember seeing anyone. When you went under, Niylah, I thought you were gone for good. We searched and searched, but we couldn't find you. I was hoping, through some miracle, you made it to the beach and that's where I found you. But you were alone; there was nobody around.”

Niylah's brows furrowed in confusion. Had she been hallucinating? Maybe she had gotten herself out but was dreaming about being saved by someone. Niylah reached a hand up to her arm, brushing over the spot the girl had been holding. She was sure she remembered feeling the grip on her arm. How could that have been a dream?

Seeing how visibly confused she was, Tom leaned over and kissed her forehead, a gesture she wasn't quite used to. “Get some rest, Niy. We almost lost you today. I'll call your mom and tell her everything's okay.”

“You told Mom?” Niylah's eyes widened. Her mom would be freaking out right now.

“I told her what happened. She wants you back in Colmoore.”

Home? She could go back home?

“Don't think too much about it yet. You can decide how you're feeling at the end of the week. If you want to go back home, Niy, I won't stop you.”

His voice sounded sad, defeated, and it tore at her heart. She was sure her father was tearing himself up inside, blaming himself for her clumsiness.

“Thanks, Dad.” Niylah reached out and gently squeezed his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. She wasn't sure if she was going to return to Colmoore, but for now, she'd enjoy her time, and recovery, with Tom.

“I'm fine, Dad,” Niylah said as he guided her into the house. She had finally been discharged from the hospital once her body temperature was normal and her vitals looked fine. She felt okay despite feeling exhausted. She had been unconscious for the majority of her battle with hypothermia and now she was just tired.

As much as Niylah tried to forget the whole ordeal, there was something nagging at her. Finally, she spoke up. “Do you have my things? From when I was found on the beach?”

“Your clothes?” Tom asked as he led Niylah into her room. She immediately collapsed on her bed before answering with a nod.

“I didn't have time to wash 'em. The nurse gave them to me in a bag. I'll have to get you a new phone though.” He scanned her room, remembering where he put it, before nodding towards the closet. Niylah's gaze followed his nod and landed on the plastic bag sitting against the box of her old toys.

“I'll take care of it, thanks. I just wanted to know where it was.” Niylah wasn't too concerned about her phone. She was sure her mom would send her a new one or something. She'd have to call her later so she wasn't pacing around.

Tom was lingering so Niylah spoke up again. “I'm really tired. I'm going to take a nap.”

Taking the hint, Tom backed away towards the door. “Rest up, Niy. I'll leave you be.”

She gave him a polite smile before he closed the door behind him. As soon as the door was shut, she swung her legs off the bed and darted for the bag. She stuck her hand in, fishing through her jean pocket before pulling out the tool. She was surprised it managed to stay in her pocket. She traced her thumb over the edges, unsure as to why she was so drawn to it.

Niylah had gone to sleep that night curled up in her bed. She was absolutely sure of that. And yet, nightmares of being tossed around below the ocean surface haunted her dreams. She was kicking her feet up towards the surface and, just as she was about to break through, a hand gripped her ankle. Niylah let out a scream and kicked at the hand holding her back, but the grip was too strong.

She looked down at her assailant. It was the girl! Why was she drowning her after saving her? The girl pulled her down further into the deep waters. Niylah was beginning to panic. The same familiar feeling of lungs fighting for air was overwhelming. Why wasn't she waking up!

Niylah was running out of energy and so her struggle against the girl was easing. Noticing, the girl let her go. The two were face to face now as the last of the air escaped her lungs.

Giving up, Niylah breathed in the water. She expected to be choking and spluttering on the water, but she wasn't. The girl studied her face, her gaze full of wonder. Niylah inhaled again, her lungs begging for air, but, again, she wasn't choking on the water. The more she inhaled the saltwater, the more she felt more comfortable. She was...she was breathing...underwater.