SERAPHINA'S POV
From what I've gathered from the previous tournament, Artemis and I made it to the finals - which is a shocker.
Him with 58 points, and I with 27- everyone else was beaten down with their points stolen.
The situation perfectly explains the glares I received as soon as it was made known that I would be moving to the next round and while I still don't want to believe that Artemis had a hand in all of this, it's highly likely.
That boy is an enigma I can't seem to categorize because of his inconsistencies. Is he an asshole, or a wounded soul?
Even now while I stand in front of the last task before a winner is decided, numerous eyes stare at me shamelessly.
The pressure in the air around is almost unbreathable.
However, I'm used to all of it at this point.
Instead of bothering, I sigh, leaning back against Olivia as she massages the knots in my shoulders. She's been obsessed with my well-being ever since I came back bruised and battered last time.
"Yeah, right there." I say, sighing the moment she sinks her finger right into the perfect spot that sends sparks though my entire bother.
This feels so good.
It's just before the final event and the crowd has just begun to gather for the finale.
My eyes roam over everything. The two boats we would be using for the final stage, which involves sailing the beautiful outdoors.
At some point, my eyes wander all around me until they finally find Artemis, far ahead of me with a serious look on his face.
My interest is immediately piqued.
I don't know why, but he just holds my gaze firmly to the point that I can't look away. I've realized that since the archery event, we have only exchanged stares from afar.
Besides that, it feels like I'm being ignored. It's crazy that I would think that, but I get this faint feeling that he is avoiding me and sending his lackey to be in my way instead.
Right now, he's talking with Kamila.
She wears an equally serious look while looking up to speak to her boyfriend. Their hands remain intertwined during the conversation still.
Without putting an effort, they look perfect together, like the model couple for the werewolf community - they both belonged to the cover of a high-society magazine, or TV poster. I mean, who else would be worthy of a drop-dead gorgeous person like Kamila other than Artemis himself?
His large body-build perfectly matches her smaller and petite looking form.
I can't help but feel a bit of jealous toward the both of them, having someone in this world for you - someone that you can solely rely on. Up until now, I still don't understand why Artemis won't cherish something as precious as what he has.
While I stare at the two pining for what they have, his eyes turn and meet mine as if answering the questions in my mind, and my shoulders grow stiff, realizing that he's looking at me as well.
I pry my eyes away immediately, fearing he might read my other thoughts, and realize that I've been thinking about him a lot more than usual and misunderstanding the reason behind it.
"You okay?" Olivia speaks, looking at me the moment my body stiffens.
"Yeah, just had a small scare."
"She's afraid of water."
Both Olivia and I freak out from the sudden jump scare, clutching onto the other person when a voice pops into our conversation. We both turn to see Jasper standing behind the both of us with a wide grin as always.
"Fuck off, Jasper!" Olivia snaps first, swearing in his face.
It seems I'm not the only one getting tired of his unexpected appearances. I feel kind of bad knowing that even if I wanted to, I can't get rid of him unless Artemis rescinds his order to follow me around.
"I'm not afraid." I correct him now that all the jitters have been calmed.
He turns to look at me more closely, closing the distance between the both of us pretty fast. I try to avoid his eyes that pierce through my soul, immediately seeing through the lie.
"Holy fuck, are you... afraid of the water?" His eyes widen.
Before I can deny the truth one more time, he breaks out into a burst of laughter right in my face. His eyes wet with tears as his clutches his gut painfully.
I immediately feel embarrassed with my cheeks getting flushed up quickly. Olivia gets in front of me while Jasper continues his maniac laughter.
"Oh my god, Sera. You don't need to do this; we can forfeit the game right now." She says in a panic.
"Yeah, it's better to throw in the towel now and let Artemis win, rather than having the most crushing win ever." He continues to taunt me, knowing exactly what set of buttons to push that sets off my competitive side.
"I'm not quitting." I say to him firmly
Even if it meant facing a major fear, then so be it.
He shrugs casually, still not believing I can.
Suit yourself.
***
An hour after and the games begin with the sound of a siren.
Artemis and I climb into our respective boats that sit at the edge of the very wide and vast lake that remains to be part of school grounds.
They're both small enough to fit only two people, so it's sort of cozy. Still, the second I step in, it wobbles a bit and I can already feel my fear crawling up my legs.
In a state of panic, I grab onto it, laying down instead of standing up.
From the corner of my eyes, I notice Artemis looking at me, on the brink of laughter, yet he tries so hard to conceal it before facing ahead again.
"Try not to mess this up. I need this to be an easy." He says over the blowing wind.
He releases his sail and almost immediately, the wind pushes him forward through the sails.
Just like that, he's in the lead.
I calm myself, immediately shaking off whatever phobia I have and finding my ground on my own two feet again. I don't stand up straight yet, but it's a start.
I follow his movements, the way he held the sail, pulling it out.
The boat jerks forward, immediately picking up speed once the wind hits.
Yes, I'm moving. There's progress.
It's not perfect, but I'm able to gain more control of the boat just by copying Artemis' movements from watching him ahead of me.
Soon, I catch up to him, racing side by side, and I can't help the wild laughter that rushes right out of me, actually having fun for the first time.
"Hey, slowpoke. Is that the best you got?" I decide to tease him instead.
His eyes look at me briefly, surprised before morphing into amusement. It's like he's trying so hard not to be interested but he can't help it.
"I'm just starting." He says before he widens his sail again, and there's an immediate increment in his speed.
He shoots forward faster than ever, turning back just to wink at me before he rushes for the finish line.
I do the same thing he does, copying his hand movements and shooting forward. I might have just gotten the hang of it now. Maybe boat riding isn't so bad, right?
But sadly, I've spoken way too soon.
Just as fast as I've sped up, I soon realize that my speed begins to drop again and Artemis is still way ahead of me, and I immediately know that something's not right.
The sail is perfectly opened just like Artemis' was, and nothing seems noticeably wrong as I go through the boat.
My eyes eventually falls to the not-so-obvious hole at the bottom of my boat that very slowly seeps in water, and with every second, the amount of water gathers faster.
"Fuck!" I swear out loud, immediately feeling my panic grow.
I look for anything to stuff the hole with, but it's just me on it - no piece of clothing, or anything that could close the hole.
I look back and I'm a good distance away from the starting point, and Artemis had driven so far off that if I possibly scream, he wouldn't hear me.
No.
No.
No.
I descend into intense panic mode, losing my shit. My anxiety begins to act up almost immediately due to my phobia, and somehow, along the lines of pacing about the boat without caution, it capsizes.
The boat turns over, tossing me right into it, reminding me that I have, in fact, never learnt how to swim because I always imagined I wouldn't be stupid enough to go near a body of water in my life time.
So, my body immediately begins sinking, plummeting deeper and deeper into the body of water as the air in my lungs are pulled out and are filled with water instead.
I'm drowning.
I struggle against the force pulling me down, but it only aids my sinking, and I fall down faster than ever.
If I could cry right now, I imagine my salty tears being mixed with the water as soon as they leave my eyes. I'm already losing consciousness the more it's gets darker, until I just faintly hear my name again
"Sera." A sweet and calm angelic voice calls out to me.
I pry my eyes open, fighting the sleepiness to look up and stare at the bright light that slowly approaches me.
No, it's not a bright light - just someone dressed in a white gown swimming down to me. Her long deep brown hair spreads beautifully in the water as well.
Her hand immediately stretches out to me, and I quickly try so hard to grab it.
"Help me." I plead in my mind, wanting to grab a hold of her.
Our hands finally touch, and my eyes open more clearly again, and for the first time, something else besides her silhouette becomes more obvious to me.
And it's those bright green eyes that look just like mine.