Chapter 2 - The Last Breath
Rosa didn’t fight Daniel at first. She let him drag her down, then twisted and kicked him hard in the chest.
He let go. A stream of bubbles burst from his mouth.
Elena was already sawing at the zip ties on her wrists. The knife slipped twice. The blade bit into her skin. She felt the sting, then the blood, warm in the water.
But the plastic snapped.
Her hands came free. She reached for her ankles.
Rosa grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the shallow end. The glass cover was sealed, but near the steps there was a gap the width of two fingers. The stick Rosa had thrown was wedged in the track.
Air.
Elena got her mouth there and sucked in a breath that tasted like chlorine and copper.
Rosa held her steady. “Breathe, mija. Just breathe.”
Then Daniel surfaced next to them, gasping.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then Daniel looked up through the glass at his mother. She was still standing there. Still watching.
He didn’t say anything.
He just reached for the stick and yanked it out of the track.
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The gap closed.
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