Inkling 2025 - Flipbook - Page 23
His arm wrapped around me. He swam—
faster than I’d ever seen. We broke the
surface together, coughing and gasping,
soaked to the bone. He dragged us to
shore and collapsed in the sand beside me.
kept you away from it, maybe I wouldn’t
lose you too.”
I turned to him, shaking. And then—he
pulled me close. Held me tight.
“Daphne,” he said. My name. Like it meant
something again. “I’m so sorry.” Then, for
the 昀椀rst time in so long, he looked me in
the eyes.
He took a shaky breath. “You have it too,”
he whispered. “Just like…Isla.”
It was the 昀椀rst time he’d said her name in
years. It fell out of him like a stone dropped
into deep water.
“I used to love the sea because she did,” he
said, eyes shining. “And after…I hated it for
the same reason.”
He looked at me—really looked. His voice
cracked. He looked down. “I thought if I
“You didn’t lose me,” I said quietly. He
nodded once, like he already knew that.
I nodded, not ready to speak. The water
wrapped gently around us. The night was
quiet.
And for the 昀椀rst time, so was the grief.
Rebekah is a runner-up in the Short
Story category for this year’s Teen
Writing Contest.
INKLING 2025 | 23
