I didn't mean to fall.
I really didn't.
One second, I was laughing—my little feet dancing over the garden path. Sunshine on my hair. A butterfly fluttering just out of reach.
And then—SPLASH.
A slip.
A stone.
A sharp turn that didn't go the way I planned. My arms flailed. The world spun. And suddenly—I was under.
The water wasn't deep. Not to grown-ups. But to me—so small, so little—it was like an ocean. Cold. Loud. Angry. My vision blurred. The sky above me rippled and vanished. I opened my mouth to scream—and water rushed in.
I choked.
Get up. Move. Please move, Lavinia.
But my legs didn't listen. My arms floated like broken toys.
Wasn't I supposed to be strong now? Didn't I get another chance? Wasn't I supposed to grow up and live a full life this time?
Move. Get up. Swim.
But nothing worked. My body dangled like broken strings, and I was floating—no, sinking.
And it hurt. Gods, it hurt.
