“Nooo!”

That was the last thing I heard before my body was submerged in water. I struggled hard to get back to the surface even though my hands and feet were tied up. I still wanted to live. But the huge stone kept pulling me further down to the bottom of the lake, with no end in sight. I had heard many tales of people drowning. Some felt horrifying pain, others were in such a panic and fought for their lives with all they got, while some simply gave up and drowned peacefully with no pain. I fought for my life and held my breath for as long as I could. I realized I couldn’t allow myself to swallow the water. My vision became cloudy, and all I could see was the light on the surface getting further away until ultimately, I could no longer see. My mind felt fuzzy from the shortage of oxygen and I slipped. I gasped for air. Hearing about drowning and experiencing it are two completely different things. I assumed I had understood just how horrid it would be, but I had now learned the truth. Water came in through my nose and mouth, filling my lungs. The pain was unimaginable. I had felt nothing like it in my entire life. There were no words to describe what it felt like. I had stopped fighting. Everything seemed to slow down and just before I gave up consciousness, something was diving towards me.

“Aunt Anne, why do you hate me so much?”

“Why do I hate you? You have everything I have ever loved. Everyone worships you. And god forbid if anyone were to hurt you. When you got kidnapped the entire world was in turmoil. Because of you, my sister no longer pays any attention to me. Before you showed up I was the apple of her eye. I was the one the whole family adored and depended on. I wish you would just disappear and never come back!”

Aunt Anne left the room, and the scene shifted.

“You don’t understand. You will never know what it's like to be me! You have everything. Wealth, friends, family and love. All I have is myself. Don't you realize why I forsook you? From the start, we were never friends! I wish you would just disappear forever!” She yelled with tears in her eyes.

Once again the scene changed. This time I was in a dark cellar and in front of me stood a man looking down at me.

“Someone wants you to disappear, and I was hired to do it. You, my dear little girl, have drawn too much attention. Your family is filled with influential people. You became a target the moment their enemies realized how critical you were to them. Certain people would be pleased to have you disappear.”

The surroundings switched anew. This time I was sitting on my mother's lap.

“You are a special girl Rana. Remember, that no matter where you are, you will always be treasured. We spoil you too much. One day you will have to stand on your own two feet where we may not be by your side. Be strong. Remember to always love yourself, and be proud of who you are. Because you are exceptional, and you will always be special.”

“All I need is you. As long as we are together, I will be happy.”

She smiled.

“We can’t always be there for you. My little sweetheart, stay strong and live your life.”

She leaned down and pecked my forehead.

“Wake up.”

“I miss you.”

She shook her head and smiled.

“Wake up.”

I woke up. Tears were flowing down my face.

“She’s awake.”

“She’s awake.”

“Awake.”

“Awake.”

Several voices entered my ears all at once as if echoing each other.

“She’s crying.”

“Tears.”

“Crying.”

“Is she sad?”

“Sad?”

I sat up and studied my surroundings. I was sitting on a bed floating in the middle of a vast lake. Everything looked so graceful and tranquil. Everywhere around me were small fairy-like beings. They had a human shape and looked as if their bodies were water. I blinked several times. Why did I wake up in strange places so often? Or maybe this time I was dreaming? I pinched myself. The pain that followed surprised me and I yelped out loud, startling the surrounding creatures. They scattered, and no longer was I surrounded by them and their curiosity. It became quiet. I pinched myself again. It was real. I wasn't dreaming. I heard voices whispering to each other. The little beings began to slowly appear. I smiled. They reminded me of sparrows. Ever curious and yet cautious. Even if shooed away, they would reappear, and once again sing their tales for everyone to hear.

One of them was hiding behind the others, but occasionally, it would peak its little head out and stare at me, only to escape back into safety. It was smaller than the others and unlike the others, had purple eyes. I couldn’t help but stare at it.

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“So pretty,” I said.

When my voice reached the little creatures they scattered into hiding, leaving the purple-eyed one all alone. It blinked its pretty little eyes several times before letting out a gasp and fled as fast as it could. The poor little creature didn’t know where to go and kept flying around in circles. Whenever it found a hiding spot, the others would push it aside, and it was forced to fly away. I laughed.

“You’re really funny.”

It froze. I heard whispering voices surrounding us. Our eyes met, and we stared at each other. My green eyes versus it’s purple.

“You’re pretty. So, shiny,” I said.

It blinked and cocked its head to the side.

“I like the colour purple. Its pretty. Your eyes shine so beautifully.”

Suddenly it was dancing all around the place. Little drops of water from the lake floated around it, swirling in the air as if dancing. I couldn't help but gasp from the sight. It ceased dancing and stood floating just before my face. But even though it stopped dancing, the water did not. It flew closer to me and kissed my forehead before darting away. After that, it began its little dance once again. I giggled at its antics but then I asked;

“Do you know where I am? How did I get here?”

“You are at a place where Gods live. In a different dimension from the world of humans and this is my territory. I was the one who brought you here,” a sudden voice sounded behind me.

I turned towards the voice and before me, was the most exquisite man I had ever encountered. He was even prettier than my dad. He had long silver-white hair, that reached all the way down to his waist. It looked so shiny and soft, making me want to run my fingers through it. He was tall but slender; almost like a woman. His skin was fair without making him seem sick. But his eyes interested me the most. They were ice blue, and unlike Alec, his eyes were not filled with all the different colours of blue; instead, they were the colours of ice. He was too beautiful. If it wasn’t because of his broad shoulders and deep voice, I would have confused him for a woman.

The little creature had stopped dancing the moment it heard his voice and fled to hide within my clothes. It tickled and I couldn’t help but giggle as it pulled my gaze away from the man.

The little creature had stopped dancing the moment it heard his voice and fled to hide within my clothes. It tickled and I couldn’t help but laugh as it had pulled my gaze away from the man.

“She seems to have taken a liking to you. You even formed a contract with her,” he said.

“Eh?” I glanced at him and did a double take as I realized he was standing on top of the water. Pointing at him I asked;

“How are you doing that? And what do you mean contract? Do you know what these creatures are?” I kept asking him a bunch of questions without allowing him a chance to speak, “Who are you? What is this place? Are you that god whom the villagers tried to kill me for? Do you know how painful it was? I have never felt such pain in my entire life!”

I remembered it all and felt overwhelmed. I cried before the man could even respond to my barrage of questions.

“Mommy, I, I want to go home. I don’t know where I am. I want to go home!” I said in-between sobs.

He stood there dumbfounded for a while but then seemed to ignore my crying.

“I’m Zelorzthas and I am in control of the water element, which is why I can stand on it. These little creatures are Water Sprites and can serve as familiars. Yours is one of the few that hasn't become my familiar. It made a contract with you and became yours. As for the mortals' actions, I had nothing to do with that,” he sighed and continued, “I only saved your life on a whim. Those humans always do ridiculous stuff to get my attention even though I don’t care.”

I kept crying and only listened with half an ear. He didn’t seem to like it.

“Stop crying already. It’s annoying. I answered all of your questions,” he said.

I didn’t stop. I became louder.

“Stop it.”

“Hey, Zelorzthas, what did you do to make the girl cry?” I heard another voice say.

Another beautiful person had arrived. It was a woman with wings on her back. Zelorzthas face turned sombre.

“Sheila, what are you doing here.”

“Oh, am I not welcome?” she giggled.

He didn’t say a word and stared at her until her smile fell.

“I came to check on our little bet. Don’t you remember that I told you, you wouldn’t be able to keep her and you telling me it would be a piece of cake? The way it looks now, it seems I’m winning,” she said and laughed.

His face darkened, and he turned towards me.

“Stop crying!” he commanded.

I cried even louder than before.

“I, I, can’t,” I said in-between sobs.

“If you don’t stop, I will make you stop!” He threatened in a heavy tone.

I tried but had trouble breathing. I was crying so hard that I couldn’t breathe, almost like having a panic attack.

“I, I can’t,” I started, “I can’t. I can’t. Home. I, I want,” I gasped for air, “want to go, go home.”

“You are being awfully harsh on her. She’s just a little kid,” Sheila said.

Zelorzthas snorted.

“You make her stop crying then.”

“You sure about that? If I help you out, you lose our bet,” she said with a smile.

Suddenly a drop of floating water entered my mouth and then went back out, floating towards Zelorzthas hand. I found myself unable to make any sounds. Even though I was crying, no sound came. I pulled my hands up to my throat and tried to speak. My breathing became harder, and the air was tight.

“I’m keeping your voice. This way, you won’t be so noisy,” Zelorzthas said and left.

Sheila hovered in the air for a while looking down at me before turning to catch up with him.

“Wait for me!” she yelled.

I was left alone. All the Water Sprites had disappeared except for one. The purple-eyed-one came out of hiding from within my clothes and kept flying frantically around me. I was having trouble breathing and just couldn’t calm myself down. My whole body was shaking. Even when I tried to stop, it would only start again. Suddenly, it stopped. A cooling feeling went through my whole body and I could breathe again. The little Water Sprite had put her head against my forehead. Her thoughts and feelings were everywhere. I could feel her very being. It was amazing. We had a deep connection and feeling her like this, so close to my heart and thoughts made me less scared. I felt love. It was such a warm feeling; one I’ve only had with the people I love most. It was like she was talking without the words. I could understand everything about her. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I felt my eyes becoming heavy and before I knew it, my body fell into a deep sleep.