Romain

At this moment, I realize that time has slipped away from me, and Emmalee doesn't look like she's breathing.

This forces me to act. I slap her face lightly, calling her name and ignoring the way my mind is spinning. I'm in shock—how can it be that the faint scream I heard happened to be hers? How?

How can it be that if I'd made the choice to stay put or follow that trail of blood, she would've drowned in this pool of water, never to be found again?

No, things like this don't happen. ...