Swept Under: Prologue: (looking for feedback) 25/03/26

  Waves coiled and crashed against the surface of the water. The wind howled while volleyballs were being punted through the warm breeze and into the bright sand. Cameron sat silently against a cold, grass topped plateau of dirt which shaded him from the morning sun.

  Alone with his thoughts, Cameron struggled to reason with his racing mind. He didn’t interact with people all that much, so when he did he'd play the situation over and over again in his head, picking apart every little thing. Every action, reaction, every vocal and physical cue was a realm of infinite, negative possibilities. 

   Cameron observed the rest of the kids have fun, whether that was through volleyball or swimming in the ocean. The teacher stood back on the sand at an angle which allowed her to keep an eye on everyone. If anything happened though, she would be too far to do anything about it. 

  Two hours had passed since Cameron had sat, and the sun had crept overhead, pushing the plateau’s shadow back so that his feet were in the light. He stood up and took his first steps toward the beach. 

  The loud volleyballers shouted and called to each other. Their demeanour made Cameron tense his shoulders and lower his head lest anyone acknowledge him as he walked past. Just as his feet touched the wet sand of the shore, Cameron stopped. The water pulled back quickly. 

  A wave approached the beach, but unlike the others which had settled before hitting the shore, this one kept growing. The wind accelerated, howling past Cameron's ears. It silenced all the other sounds. The wave crashed down in front of him, taking him off his feet and throwing him back onto the sand.

  As the wind slowed back down again, the sounds of play didn’t return. 

  Cameron’s hopeless teacher was yelling at the lifeguard. “Trevor was taken by the wave!”

  Cameron's classmates had fixed their attention on the rough, bay water. The lifeguard sprung into action, running along the shore, panicking as he searched the water for Trevor. 

  Cameron froze, the thought of someone drowning and dying made his arms and legs lock up. Trevor was out there alone. The same boy who couldn’t swim was just snatched by the ocean while he was playing on the sand. 

  Cameron couldn’t move his body nor gaze away from the sea in front of him. Only the worst came to mind as he stood on the shore, and just when Cameron had accepted it as fact, something stuck out of the water. It was Trevor's arm flailing about. 

  Cameron’s head cleared. His arms and legs suddenly felt light as his conscience forced him into action. He dashed into the water towards Trevor. And the water ran away from him.

 Cameron stopped for a second and looked up as the water arched over his head. He took a deep breath and braced as a second wave came crashing down onto him. He squeezed his nose shut between his fingers as the water engulfed him and sent him tumbling back. Up became down and down was now up. He couldn't tell the difference. The water's pull changed directions as it drew him back towards the ocean. Tightening his body, he kept a solid structure as he was pulled around by the forces of the sea.   

  He bumped into something, causing his form to break and his fingers to slip off of his nose. Salty water entered his nostrils, and the thought came to his head. This really could be the moment of his death. 

  With a puff of air, Cameron cleared the water from his nose. He regained the strength to brace his body and waited in hope for the water to calm down.

  When the ocean’s grip loosened, Cameron spread his arms and legs. He leveled out until his back was facing the sky. After adjusting himself with his arms so that he was upright, he kicked himself up towards the surface of the water.

  Cameron’s hope was snatched from him when he breached the surface and opened his eyes. The shore was further away than he had ever swam before. 

  As his lungs relentlessly reaped all the air they could from the atmosphere around him, something grabbed Cameron's ankle from below. It pulled him down.

  Cameron fought the weight and kicked harder. He got his head above the surface but was pulled under again as the thing readjusted its grip, wrapping itself around his waist. Cameron tried to push the thing off, but as he pushed against it, Cameron felt its shape with his hands. He stopped pushing when he realised it was a person holding onto him.

  Cameron grabbed the person's arms and dipped under the water as he pulled them over his shoulders. He fought hard to get both of their heads back above the ocean’s surface and struggled to stay there. 

  “Trevor, ca-an you he-ear me?” Cameron asked the boy on his back. 

  Trevor couldn’t speak through the constant rush of air going in and out of his mouth as he tried to catch his breath, “Uh-huh” is all he could get out.

  “Can you ki-ick?”

  Trevor put his hand in front of Cameron's face and gave him a thumbs up.

  “Ok, hold onto me.”

  Together, they fought their way as close as they could towards the shore. They didn’t make it ten meters before Trevor loosened his hold on Cameron. 

  “Trevor, are you with me?” Cameron asked.

  Trevor's arms slipped off Cameron’s shoulders. After doing all that he could to hold onto Trevor, Cameron could do nothing but feel him disappear under the murky water.