The Heart of the Ocean
A Pond of Seashells

“Eventually, everything connects.”

-Unknown

His anger was painted all over his flushed face. His cheek had taken on a deep red color, which would certainly turn purple by the next day. His dark eyes were swollen -it was evident that he had drunk and smoked enough to have his mind clouded. His gaze was trained on her every move, ignoring the fading footsteps of a certain red-haired behind her.

“Good”, Aide thought internally.

At least, Aileen would find Petra and bring her home safely. She didn’t trust their blonde friend to return by herself -she had drunk too much to even form a normal sentence. She couldn’t help but feel angry at her. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before, but she was sick and tired of getting into complex situations because of her. She was tired of picking up her messes and having to explain to her mother why her daughter was almost passed out on her front door. She would deal with her tomorrow when she was sober and capable of upholding a conversation. Now wasn’t the time.

She sighed deeply, rubbing her tired eyes with her fists. The whole night was a disaster. It was late -she was worn out and hungry. The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped significantly, making goosebumps appear on her skin as she slightly trembled from the cold. Aileen was terrified and Petra was completely wasted. She just couldn’t deal with any of this shit today. She wanted to go home and lay on her bed for the rest of the weekend.

The angry male in front of her seemed to have a different opinion from her. His friends were silently watching them as he approached her furiously. It was obvious that he wasn’t done -he felt that his pride had taken an impact. Being the mayor’s son, he considered such a thing to be unacceptable. Everyone should treat him with respect!

Little did he know, respect is earned...

“What do you want, Alastor?“, she asked tiredly.

She watched as his nostrils flared at her dismissive tone. His hands turned into tight fists -his knuckles painted white. Honestly, she couldn’t care if her words or actions offended him. He had sexually assaulted her friend, ignoring her pleas and tears. Aide didn’t want to know what he would have done if she hadn’t appeared on time...

“You f*cking punched me!“, he shouted at her.

He looked as if he still couldn’t wrap his head around it. His cheek wasn’t the only one bruised -his ego was too. It wasn’t about the punch -it was about the insult. It made him look weak in front of his friends. Alastor Steel was put in his place by a girl! He couldn’t accept it.

“Well, now what?“, Aide shrugged her shoulders, “Do I have to kiss it better?”

The thought alone was enough to make her cringe. She didn’t understand why everyone found him attracted. He did have the looks, but his behavior was horrible. Why would anyone want to be with a person who constantly degraded others? She watched as he let a cold laugh -a warning finger was pointed at her.

“You are going to pay for what you’ve done”, he promised her.

Aide felt a shiver going down her spine. She didn’t know whether it was because of the frosty weather or the threat concealed in his words. The fact that he was trying to intimidate her for saving her friend, didn’t sit well with her. She had done what any normal person would do! He was the one that should be afraid -afraid that the word would get out and ruin his precious reputation!

“Do you expect me to apologize?“, she asked in a steady voice, “If you do so, you are a bigger foul than what I’ve thought.”

She could see clearly the veins in his neck -they seemed ready to burst. His anger had turned to rage faster than a wave breaks on the shore.

“You got some nerve to talk to me in that way”, he fumed.

“You are one to talk”, she humorlessly chuckled, “You, Alastor Steel, are an insensitive jerk who doesn’t know the difference between a consensual adult and a girl who says ‘no’. And you still have the nerve to talk when you should be ashamed.”

He came closer to her figure. She didn’t back down.

“What did you just say to me?”

“I said that you are an asshole”, she smirked, “and I should have punched you harder.”

She held her head high, meeting his furious eyes. He had to give it to her -the girl knew how to hold her ground. But there comes a time in life, when even the bravest people bend to the will of others. Willingly or not.

“You ruined our fun”, he slightly slurred.

She was utterly disgusted and she didn’t even try to hide it. Forcing yourself on an unwilling girl, while she’s crying and begging you to let go is not ‘fun’. It’s atrocious and revolting. Even if you are drunk or high, your actions arent justified -it only shows that you cannot even keep your own self in check. She could feel bile of vomit rising in her throat, ready to spill all over her expensive clothes. But she didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.

“You have a weird definition of what ‘fun’ means”, she spat angrily.

“Oh, don’t worry”, he gave her a sinister smile, “I’ll become more specific for you.”

Before she could realize what had happened, a pair of arms took hold of her own. Her world turned upside down as someone threw her on their shoulder. Her belly ached from the forceful impact and a wave of dizziness clouded her thoughts. She could hear distant cheers and slurred laughter, but she couldn’t see where they came from. She was disoriented -she couldn’t put her thoughts in a logical line. The person holding her was moving, making her head spin and her vision to turn blurred.

The sound of the waves seemed to grow louder with every step, filling her with dread and panic. She could clearly listen to them as they forcefully broke upon the sharp rocks that were scattered around the beach. When she realized they were nearing the dark waters, it was already too late. She started to hit the male with her fists, but she couldn’t cause any damage to his muscular behind. He didn’t seem to mind -he just held her firmer as he approached a complex of huge rocks.

His friends were cheering him on, shouting words of encouragement and fueling his actions. What kind of people were they? She was practically hanging from his shoulder, punching his back and demanding of him to let her go. Couldn’t they see she was struggling? Couldn’t they see she didn’t want this? Couldn’t they understand that ‘no’ means ‘no’?

Strong dizziness overcame her senses as he began climbing the sharp rocks. He didn’t care about the scratched on his feet or the cuts on his fingers -he had a name to clear and an honor to restore. Besides, he was too drunk to care about it. He didn’t care about hurting himself -only about causing pain to others. Aide’s breathing became frantic as she realized he didn’t intend to let her go. Well, if her fists couldn’t do the job, perhaps her teeth would.

“OH!“, Alastor suddenly screamed, “You f*cking b*tch!”

He let her fall on the hard rocks as his palm rubbed the tender flesh her teeth had sank into. She hadn’t realized they’ve reached the top until he practically threw her away from him. Her bum hurt as it made contact with the rough surface, making her eyes water and close momentarily at the sharp pain. Something wet touched the tips of her fingertips, forcing her to snap back to her senses. The rocks they were currently on, had created a pond filled with saltwater. The familiarity of it made her heart race.

“I’ve had enough of your sh*t!”

The angry voice brought her back to her senses. Alastor gripped her ponytail, forcing her to stand up and face him. Aide winced at the pain -her hands trying to pry his fingers open. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of seeing her crying. She gazed at him hatefully, before spitting on his face leaving him momentarily stunned.

“Coward”, she whispered.

He held her brunette locks tighter, forcing her to move backward. Panic started to settle in when the water touched her feet. The only thing helping her to keep her balance was the grip on her hair. He seemed to be waiting for something -waiting for her to apologize. Waiting for her to beg him not to push her into the dark depths. She only gave him a fierce glare, promising that she’ll kick his ass if the chance was given to her. Drunk and furious as he was, he did the only thing he could think of.

He let her go.

The water was extremely cold. She was shocked as her whole body was surrounded by it. The moment her back touched the surface, it felt as if she had broken through the ice. Her mouth opened in a scream of agony, only to be filled with salt water. She moved her hands and legs frantically, breaking the surface and taking a gulp of freezing air. She could hear fading laughter as someone seemed to give some sort of speech.

Before she knew it, she was once again beneath the waves. Her limps were getting tired as she tried to coordinate them, but this was a life or death situation. When she broke upon the surface for a second time, she tried to reach for the walls of the pond. Her breath of relief was cut short when she realized they were extremely slippery and sharp. Scarlet lines decorated the soft skin of her palms, while the salt intensified her pain. She ignored them -no matter how painful it was, attempting to grasp on them and pull herself out of the water.

A figure looked down at her -a smirk decorating his face.

“This isn’t funny”, she yelled, “I don’t know how to swim!”

She could only watch terrified as his smile grew larger.

“That’s too bad.”

Her eyes widened in utter terror as he gripped her forearms and threw her into the center of the pond. Her eyes were burning from the water. Her figure was trembling from the cold. Her cuts were pulsing in searing pain. She was trying to ignore everything -fighting tooth and nail to keep herself above the surface. Before the waves swallowed her, she saw his retreating figure as he ignored her pleas for help.

Her clothes were dragging her down as she desperately tried to reach the surface. She realized it quickly and pulled her jacket away from her body, although it was easier said than done. She tried to reach the opening of the pond, she really did. But her body did not have any more energy -she had already used all the strength she had.

No matter how hard she tried, she was sinking deeper and deeper into the dark waters of the ocean. Her chest was burning as the need for oxygen intensified. The temperature was extremely low, although she could barely register the cold anymore. The surface seemed to be far away from her reach -she could only watch as the distance grew even further. Her surroundings became darker as she reached new depths. The only source of light was the moon’s rays as they glistered upon the beautiful seashells of the pond.

The moonlight caressed her shell too.

She gripped it tightly, bringing it closer to her vision. She admired its blue color -for one last time. She had almost reached the bottom when she realized that her death was inevitable. Nobody knew she was drowning. Nobody would come to her aid.

This was truly the end.

Her chest felt like it would burst any moment -she finally allowed herself to breathe. The saltwater filled all her senses, making her vision blurred. She couldn’t feel her body anymore, only her lungs burning by the freezing water that filled them. Her hand let go of her shell as she finally reached the bottom.

The last thing she saw was a pair of gleaming purple eyes looking intently at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 8!!

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