Edythe lifted an eyebrow. I have a Ph.D. I understand simple directions.
He smiled at her tone and kissed her again, swimming away. I don’t know what a Ph.D is, he called before he disappeared, making her smile.
When he was out of sight, a strange sensation began in Edythe’s stomach. At first, it felt like a cramp in her side, similar to what happened to her anytime she exercised, but as time passed it began to grow, wrapping around her back until it encompassed her entire abdomen. It felt like the worst menstrual cramps she’d ever had in her life. With it came a building anxiety. She swam back and forth, the underwater equivalent of pacing. The ache inside her worsened, traveling up her spine and along her neck until her body felt like one clenching muscle. She stretched and swam, but if anything, it only got worse.
It was hard for her to think, to remember what she was doing and where she was. She remembered suddenly, she was supposed to be keeping track of time, waiting for Linc to come back for her. How long was she supposed to wait?
Her body abruptly cramped, an excruciating contraction making her scream in pain. She perceived something inside her mind, and a tiny voice answered her cry.
Linc!
The voice tried to reach her, but it shut off.
Something had happened to keep him from her. She was supposed to stay beneath the water, but she couldn’t. If he was so far from her he couldn’t answer, then he needed her help. She struggled to push through the haze of pain, and remembered being able to hear his father in her mind.
She called out to him. Hello! Linc’s dad?
Perhaps there was some secret underwater whale call she wasn’t privy to, because there was only silence. Still, she tried one more time. Linc’s dad, listen up. Something has happened, and I think he was hurt. We’re— she pictured the landscape they’d traveled— I’m going after him. If you can help us, would you please?
There was no reply. Steeling herself against the anguish in her heart and body, she kicked to the surface. As soon as her head broke through the waves, a bright light blinded her. She could hear people yelling, and she attempted to dive back beneath the water but something was thrown over her.
A net.
She kicked and struggled angrily, but she only became more entangled. The water rushed past her as she was dragged toward the shore. The whole time, the light shone in her eyes.
The beach floor was rocky, scraping against her skin and ripping her clothes. She could feel her skin slicing open. The net twisted, and she found herself face down. One last tug of the net, and her cheek raked across the sharp stones. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain still pulsing through her body. In a moment, she was on dry land, panting and coughing. The light shut off, and she blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. At first, she only saw darkness, but as her sight adjusted, some shadows appeared lighter than others. One of those shadows kneeled next to her, reaching out a hand to push her hair away from her face.
“Edythe,” the voice greeted.
The net was wrapped so tightly around her she couldn’t turn her head, but she didn’t need to see the person to know who it was. “Hello, Dad.”
Abruptly, someone lifted her. The net holding her so tightly was ripped off her body. She trembled and would have fallen, except arms caught her and held her upright. Her vision cleared, and she saw her father—older, heavier, balder, but still recognizable.
Edythe stared at him.
“Nothing to say to me?” He canted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing.
“You killed Mom.”
For a second she thought she saw regret flash across his face. “No,” he answered. “Those were my associates, but it was a possibility when I took my job, so it would be fair to blame me.”
“Where’s Linc?”
Her father’s face hardened, and he didn’t answer. His silence only increased her fear, though she didn’t ask again. All he did was watch her. It was strange to watch the moment when she stopped being his daughter and turned into a specimen. “Load her up,” he told the people holding her. “We’re taking her with us.”
Edythe didn’t struggle as they yanked her toward a nondescript van. The door slid open, and she sucked in a breath. There, in the back, was a cage; the same kind of cage that held Linc all those years ago. A harsh shove against her back thrust her forward. She landed hard on her hands and knees before the door slammed shut, and she was left alone.
The van started and pulled away quickly. Her body slammed from one side of the cage to the other until she maneuvered herself around so she could brace against twists and turns. As they drove, the pain in her body began to lessen. It could only mean one thing: wherever they were taking her, they’d taken Linc, as well.