"What makes you think you can go and jump into the water when you can't swim?! Are you crazy?" Raylene hushed Esther before the latter's loud voice disturb the other patients in the Emergency Room.

"It was pure instinct, you'll do the same thing too."

"Uh, no. I would alert the lifeguards and the people around us. I'm sure there's other people that knows how to swim at the beach." Esther scoffed, hands placed on the waist like a mad mother going on about at her irresponsible daughter.

"Well, the doctor said nothing is wrong with me and ready to be discharged, so everything is all good ."

"No it's not! It's a damn miracle you're still living and breathing. That little girl didn't even make it-"  

"What?" Esther was interrupted before she could continue with the lecture.  

"I said, that little girl you tried to save didn't make it." Raylene stared confusingly at Esther.  The words didn't sink in until it abruptly turned into heavy weight on her shoulders.  Numbness dominated her whole frame as she couldn't bring herself to breathe properly.  Everything became so suffocating.  She looked away from Esther.  She refused to believe Esther's words. 

"That doesn't make sense... I-I made it so why didn't..." Raylene murmured to herself.  Regretting her action, Esther bent down and hugged Raylene gently around the shoulders.

"They said she's been underwater for too long. By the time the ambulance has arrived, it was already too late." Though the facility buzzed with machinery and people, it was dead silent in Raylene's ears.  Nothing but emptiness.  As if she was back in the cold water.  "Ray, you tried. It wasn't your fault."

The two females never noticed the shadow that observed them from afar.

As much as Esther insisted on accompanying her home, Raylene decided it was for the best to spend time alone.  Too many emotions were running wild inside of her, including the built up stress she had been experiencing lately.  

The train ride back home did not calm her mind down in any way, if anything, every scene burned into her memory even more.  Especially when a family of three sat in front of her.  The giggles of the little girl only left a bitter taste in while she looked down in her lap.  

A little girl with silky, straight brown hair and innocent hazel eyes stood before her.  She found herself smiling at the little girl.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked quietly.  The little girl nodded and replied with a shy apology, large eyes staring into hers. 

Next thing she knew, tears welled in her eyes once again while her hands trembled.  She remembered so vividly.  How bone-chilling the water was.  How scary it was being engulfed by deafening darkness.  How each time she inhaled, it suffocated her more.  How heavy and still the little girl was in her arms.  

It was her fault.  The little girl died all because she was incapable of saving her.  Esther was right.  She was the stupid one to jump in without thinking, not alerting the lifeguards or anyone else.  She took away the chance for the little girl to survive.  

By the time Raylene got off her stop, the street was rather dead.  Daylight has long died out and the depressing shade of blue painted the sky full.  Since street lights were scarce in her neighborhood, she usually wasted no time to hurry home.  Yet, tonight she wanted to prolong the journey.  Lingering outside was a better option compared to staying home and staring at the walls.  Or worse if she managed to fall asleep.  She was too scared to dream, and Bernice wasn't home to keep her company.

Passing through the front gate, her mind was lost in the sea of chaos until her nose picked up a particular scent.  Next came a sound.  

Drip.

Even more confused when she found nothing out of the ordinary after scanning her surroundings.  

Drip.

Whatever was dripping couldn't have been water, Raylene realized.  As weird as it sounded, she could hear that whatever dripped and landed on the concrete ground was... heavy compared to water.  In the meantime, she furrowed her eyebrows and focused on the sound, searching hard where it came from.  When the female thought she had found the source, she contemplated whether to check out the area.  It seemed to be coming from the alley at the side of the house.  However, the sound along with the scent faded away as