Zanza pulled herself away from him, wincing at the pain caused by scrunching her face. Liam shoved her forward, sending her tumbling into the earth. Her face crashed against the grass, the dew cooling her bruised and burning cheeks. Her hair, though short, fell into her face and shrouded her eyes. The sunshine caught the black in her hair and flaunted the red tints.

"Pathetic," Liam taunted. "I would have expected you’d be more of a challenge than this. I'm insulted."

"I'll kill you," Zanza grunted, attempting to at least rest on her knees. “We drilled holes into your boyfriend’s knuckles. We’ll do the same to you.”

He kicked her down, pressing his foot into her neck until she was audibly choking. She clawed at his shoe, but the pressure only became stronger.

"I don't think you will," Liam laughed. He bent down and grabbed her arm, pulling her up to her feet. After a moment, Liam looked out to the lake, studying the calm waters and smiling. "Let's see how well you can swim, my dear."

She looked up at him, her expression unchanging. She was confident in her ability to swim, but he doubted those abilities would help her much when she was dazed and weak.

He escorted her to the end of the dock, pushing her forward a few times and laughing as she stumbled and nearly fell. In the distance, the sun peeked around a few buildings and the purple sky began turning to its brilliant blue. My butts were clearing and the birds sang their beautiful tunes. The world wouldn't stop for her.

"You’re a goddamn prick," she spat, staring at her reflection in the water.

"You asked for this, kiddo." Liam chuckled. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed her by the neck, crashed his fist into her face, and threw her into the water.

She struggled momentarily, but with each passing second felt herself slipping deeper into the waters until she was completely submerged. The water was cool and made her skin prickle. She fought the urge to gasp, but still felt the arising panic. In her ears, she heard her beating heart and the rush of the water. In her head, she heard the screams of her instinct begging for a second chance. In her chest, she felt her lungs crying for fresh air.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the surface of the water. Through the mugginess, she saw the clearness of the sky, and the greenness of the surrounding woods. No longer able to deny her chest's pleas, she took a deep breath. Immediately, her lungs protested, but they were quickly silenced. Panic grabbed her by the neck and stared into her eyes, daring her to flail about in a desperate attempt to save herself. Each time she inhaled the lake, her fears were replaced with serenity. As her feet touched the lake floor, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace. Acceptance.

Once her back hit the floor, Zanza took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

They’ll be okay, she thought to herself. Her body relaxed, limbs tingled, and her vision slowly faded to black.

They'll be just fine...

Seconds ticked by at the pace of minutes, her lips turning blue from loss of oxygen. The subtle beats of her heart petered out to a pace that was considered dead. Around her was simply stillness; no creatures lingered in these waters. She was alone in a blanket of pitch black silence.

Near the surface, where the light still lingered, a blotched shadow disrupted the stillness. The eyes were full of fear, but still held onto hope. They were the eyes of Liam Donovan. He looked around; first left, then right. He saw Zanza lying motionlessly on the floor. Though this would at one point bring a smile to his lips, it instead robbed him of his hope. It fed his fear. He knew he would suffer the same fate.

Again, the lights were disturbed. A much more energetic force surging through the depths, frantically searching for something.

For someone.

Liam reached out to it, hoping that it may mistake him for what it searched for, but it knew better than that. Instead, it turned left and grabbed onto the lifeless arms of the girl with blue lips. The sand scattered about as she was lifted from her grave. The lights shone on her face, and the heart of her savior was racing with panic and dread.

Don’t you dare leave me. He thought, calming himself down

His lungs burst with excitement as his head surfaced and he sucked in air. With nearly no delay, he pulled her above the waters and swam to the grass.

Come back to me. I already lost one person to fire, and I’ll be fucked if I lose another to water

He dragged her onto the land, prying her mouth open. Plugging her nose, he forced air into her lungs twice and pulled back, waiting for a response. When nothing changed, he placed his hands on her chest and pressed with an unimaginable force. Again and again, he applied pressure, hoping that he hadn’t been too late.

He jumped slightly as the water came rushing out of her mouth. He sighed in relief before clutching her tightly to him, tears of happiness staining his face. He’d managed not to lose, and that’s what mattered most to him in that single moment.

She flailed about, groaning incoherently. Her movements were desperate and tears fell down her cheeks.

“Stop, STOP!” she screamed, still fidgeting. “I’ll kill you!”

“No… No you won't.” Adam said quietly, running her hair out of her face with his thumb. She looked up at him and remained still. Her expression changed from distress to relief and she threw her lips into his.

“My hero…”

“Yep. I’m not gonna lose you.” He replied with a chuckle whilst smiling down at her.

“Where is he?” she nearly screamed, scrambling to sit up. “Where’d he go?!” She whirled around, looking for a sign for him but saw nothing hinting at his existance. Her heart raced and she looked up at Adam, who looked surprised.

"He's gone." He told her softly, glancing out towards the lake itself. The realisation hadn't quite reached him yet but he had caused Liam's death, something that would weigh in his mind for the rest of his life, "He can't hurt you anymore, I promise.”

She hid her face in his soaked t-shirt, sobbing into a collection of scars, burns and soggy cotton. He held her in his arms as she did, never wanting to relinquish her from his grip for fear she would slip away into the water again.

"I love you, Sera."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him for a moment, calming herself with deep breaths.

“I love you too.”