Never Again

Another chance to change things? To go back the way they were?

Would you take it?

Even fools would have s.n.a.t.c.hed the opportunity on spot.

But Xi Rin just stood there as the boy dragged her along. His face was flushed red and his arms felt like lead. Swimming started to become a challenge for him, but never once he let go of her hand. Even when he could barely keep himself afloat in the raging tides, he"d never let go of her.

Why? Why, Kai? If he just would let go of her, he could easily swim to land. To safety.

But his eyes showed his determination. Even if his arms feel like they would break off and his body would collapse, he never loosens his hold on her. Never had he thought of abandoning her and he doesn"t plan on doing it either.

However, it broke her heart. "Kai, let go."

"Rin, you can barely swim. Your body will kill you for it." , he replied between pants. And that sentence was a harsh slap to her face. He was right. Her body, full of bruises and cuts caused by her mother, will only worsen if she tried to swim. That was why he was doing the swimming for them both. But will his body be able to take the extra burden?

No. He won"t make it. Not with her being dead weight.

"Kai, just leave me here!" , she shouted over the wind. But his hold never loosen.

"Just go first! Then, you can go and come back with help for me.", she persuaded. However, he knew that by the time he manages to get help, it would be too late.

"Kai! Let go!"

But he just gritted his teeth and tighten his hold. No matter how much she struggled against him, he would never let go. He rather struggles then abandon her.

So, she has no chance but to sigh. Looking ahead, the land was only a few meters away but it seems like Kai was running out of strength. Struggling, he barely could stay afloat as the tides only grow stronger. The wind blew harshly and the rain fell unforgivingly. The enraged ocean wants to devour them both. And the sky coloured in black seemed to foretell their future.

G.o.d must hate her.

Her whole life was full of nothing but abuse and darkness. One unfortunate event after another. And now, he wants to take away her best friend too. And now, she has to go through this a second time?

Haha.

She can no longer cry. So, she laughed instead. A slow and deranged laugh. And a hypocritical maniacal smile. It was somewhat frightening but somehow sad to see.

But through her insanity, a strong determination shone in her eyes. She suddenly grabbed Kai and began to swim. Even if her body screams in pain, she would only to continue to swim even harder.

G.o.d hates her?

That"s fine by her. But she refuses to let G.o.d take Kai.

Soon, she reached the sh.o.r.e and with her last remaining strength, she pushed Kai onto the land. But she exhausted all her strength and almost to collapsed on spot. However, she knew couldn"t exactly do that.

Frik. If she could go back in time, she swears she"s gonna work out. Only having this much strength, especially in this situation, is pathetic. And sad.

But in that second she took a breather, the wave pushed her back quite a bit. And she can"t help but groan in desperation. She tried to swim, but her body has no more energy and her futile attempts were useless against the growing tide.

For some reason, she remembers the old man that she met in the darkness. Didn"t he say something about another chance at life? That she could live again?

But at what price would that come at? Kai"s life?

No.

So she pushed her already exhausted body over the limit. Swimming with all her might, she managed to swim close enough to latch onto Kai"s reaching arm.

"Rin, hold on! I"ll pull you up!" , Kai shouts as he tried to pull her against the sea. But with the sea persistence and Kai"s worn out strength, it was no use. With each pa.s.sing second, the sea only seems to endlessly grow stronger. It was to the point that Kai was being dragged back into the water.

So, she did the most logical thing in this dim situation.

She let go.

Kai screams for her, but his cries were lost in the violent. Tossed and hurled by the wave, she slowly sunk. The air slowly depletes and the water replaces it, suffocating. Everything turned fuzzy and dark. Her mind blanks and her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open. So she closes them.

"Ah... Dying really does not feel nice" , was her last thought.

After dying for the second time, she opened her eyes to only be faced with darkness again. But this time, she can"t tell if she"s really dead or it"s just the darkness. Soon, her confusion was answered by a question.

"Why?" The deep voice coming from behind her, caused her to turn in surprise. It turns out the owner of that voice was the old man from before. But this time, he seemed to age by a few years with a grim look etched into his face.

"Why?" The old man repeated again.

"What do you mean by "why"?" Her head tilts in confusion.

"Why, Little girl? Why? You could have gone back. You could have that life again. Why did you sacrifice it? Why?!" The old man demanded, desperate to know the answer.

"If he dies, I would die too. Maybe not physically, but worse."