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For the First Time in Forever

CHAPTER FOUR – Just Breathe

And then the room disappeared.

All around me was a seemingly unending expanse of blue water. It was almost pretty, for a moment; so very blue. Then my lungs screamed at me for air and the most frightening thing was that I didn't know which way was up. I didn't know which way the air was.

The waves jostled me about, like they were fighting over me and which direction I should go in, trying to pull me in half. Twisting me and tumbling me over, so I didn't know where the surface was. Gravity had little power over me in the water, and I couldn't feel if I was sinking, I couldn't feel if I was being pulled down so I could know which way was up.

My body realized I needed air, and I started twisting and clawing for it, one hand still gripping my book. I couldn't seem to relax my fingers to drop it, holding it in a tight, vice-grip, so I didn't try to let go of it, the last thread of my sanity, just searching for air. I didn't know which way was up, didn't know which way the air was. I fought to keep my breath from escaping me, to keep my lips locked down on it, otherwise I'd have to breathe in, and there was only water. A burning in my chest flared agonizingly and I couldn't think much past that or the overwhelming panic. My mind screamed at me to move, to swim, to get to air.

Panic and dread and fear filled me like rocks, my arms and legs kicking out wildly, but it seemed like I wasn't moving at all, just floundering around. My head pounded painfully hard, my chest fit to bursting. A thousand tiny needle pricks were jabbing me over every inch of my body, feeling like my cells wanted to rip apart.

I screamed. Silver bubbles flew from my lips and something clicked. Those bubbles were heading to the surface. I frantically chased them, but the cold of the water was numbing my arms and legs and it was so hard to move. I ached. All my air had left me and I needed some. I needed it now. But there was only water.

I was drowning.

No! I didn't want to drown. Not here, not now. I forced my legs to kick harder, just as I began to notice that bright sunlight was penetrating the waves to me. Air was up there, with the sunlight. I needed to get to it, but God, my arms and legs hurt so badly and it felt like I wasn't getting any closer.

Then strong arms wrapped around mine, just as I was slowing pathetically, tugging me up quickly, currents forming from the powerful strokes. Black patches started appearing in my vision. I needed air. The waves were choppy and it felt like my limbs were made of lead, dragging me back down. If I wasn't being pulled up, I would have sunk.

And then I split the water.

I sucked in huge, raking breaths of half air, half water, and I started slapping around like a maniac, desperate to stay up here. Sweet, blessed air. I cried out in pure relief, my lungs hacking up the third of water that was stored in there, my throat searing painfully as I tried to breathe and expel the water at the same time.

Oh, God, air.

"It's alright, I've got you." My ears felt flooded with water, but I could still hear the voice behind me clearly, and I noticed that a firm hand was gripping my waist, helping me stay up. My legs were treading water, but I couldn't seem to move them very well. I kept being dunked back under by the choppy waves as they slapped into my face. As I blinked water out of my eyes, I managed to spin myself around in the water, my arms flapping about to my side to keep my head up.

God, I was so exhausted. I was panting heavily, my belly quickly filling with salty water that made me want to gag. But I couldn't get my head high enough up to avoid the water smacking into my mouth as I tried to breathe.

The man beside me, whose hand was helping me stay up, and was the only real reason I was still at the surface and breathing, had dark brown eyes that watched me closely. His dark brown hair, slightly shorter than shoulder-length, was plastered to the side of his face, and there was stubble covering his cheeks and jaw and chin. That was all I could see as water splashed up again, stinging my eyes and covering his face.

I was sluggish from the cold, like my veins were filled with icy water, and I felt certain that my lips were blue. I opened my mouth, rasping out, my voice croaky and painfully raw and scratchy, each breath burning. But I was breathing. "Who are you?"

Better question: where the hell am I?

But that question started a tirade of questions rushing through my mind, so quickly I felt suddenly overwhelmed with how little I was comprehending about my situation.

My situation. It made me snort, which quickly became painful and burning when I snorted in seawater, choking. 'Situation' seemed so…pedestrian, when I thought about what my situation actually was. One second, I'd been in my room, then that room had filled with water, which should be impossible, and from a painting nonetheless, and then I was in the middle of the ocean. My already labored breathing accelerated, my eyes wide in panic.

This couldn't be happening.

"I am Caspian the tenth, King of Narnia," He answered, spluttering slightly as water lapped into his mouth. I was doing the same. I blinked at him as his answer registered. The name was familiar and...Narnia? Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. I'd been saved by a crazy man. A man with the same name as the King of Narnia in the game Ed and Lucy and their brother and sister played. Narnia wasn't real – it was just a game Ed and Lucy played – Ed and Lucy and Eustace!

I looked around frantically, and I finally noticed everything else, because before, it had been about breathing. It have been about surviving and not drowning. Where were my cousins? Where was Eustace? Oh, God, what if they hadn't made it up? I screamed out, still coughing up water, the waves pushing more into my mouth and up my nose, "Eustace! Ed! Lucy! Eustace!"

I could barely hear my voice, it was so horribly raw. Where were they? What if they were hurt?

I spun around wildly, and let out a yelp. There was a ship, coming towards us. It was the ship from the painting. It was the ship from the painting! Oh, my god! It had an ornately carved dragon head at the front, the ship made of wood, a purple and gold large sheet of material filled from the wind and pushing it along the sea. I pushed myself back from it, colliding with the man who'd saved me.

Oh my God, I was losing my mind.

Then I spotted other heads, bobbing in the water. Lucy's head was not far from me, a man I didn't recognize close behind her. Her eyes became wide as she looked over at me, her gaze landing on 'Caspian'. "Caspian?"

"Lucy?" The man behind me asked.

Lucy grinned widely, turning over her shoulder to yell out to another dark, bobbing head, "Edmund! It's Caspian!"

Oh, my God, they were all crazy.

So, I did the only logical thing to do in my situation. I screamed. Loudly and hoarsely, the sound horrible and grating, and hysterical. I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate, my breathing shallow and quick, making me feel dizzy and lightheaded. It wasn't a good mix with the salty waters of death still trying to drag me back down to their depths forever, and my previous, tenuous attempts at being calm were destroyed.

With jerky, uncoordinated movements, I started swimming away from 'Caspian'. He could be dangerous. My screaming continued, short and cut off when the waves slapped into my face. But I would just gasp in more air and scream some more. I couldn't seem to stop myself, but panic and fear were pounding through my system, my body taking over as my mind went around in confused circles.

"Eustace!" I screamed, just before I slipped back under the surface of the water. Moving my arms and legs was like pushing a giant boulder. Uphill. I breathed in water before I thought not to, choking. Then warm hands were gripping my upper arms tightly, pulling me back to the surface. I spluttered, hacking up the water in my lungs.

'Caspian' tried propelling me towards the ship, where heads poked out over the edge to peer down at us, "You need to get out of the water and catch your breath or you'll drown!"

He really was crazy if he thought I was going anywhere with him. I evaded his grip, my hands colliding with his surprisingly firm chest as I shoved him away from me, before trying to swim back out of his reach. "Stay away from me!"

I sounded hysterical. I'd had my fair share of crazy men invading my space for one day. First Don now this man, who was just as deluded as the former. My arms were a hazard as I made a mockery of swimming.

I'd just been in my room, looking at a painting, and now I was out in the middle of the ocean being saved by a man who thought he was a king. Of Narnia. Which was a made-up world! My head pounded, and I started shivering, my teeth chattering, despite the fact that the sun was out, shinning high up in the sky. My legs and hands slowed, and I sunk under the water more easily. I was so exhausted, so tired, that I couldn't keep myself up. I sucked in more air, my eyes sweeping over the water in quick, darting motions, like I was looking for an exit.

An exit from the crazy train I'd boarded in my mind, maybe, because all I could see was water and a ship.

"Eustace?!" I called out again, despite the way my throat flared with pain when I used it, damaged from the seawater and screaming. I had to find my brother, I had to make sure he was okay. And then I had to get us away from them. I'd mistakenly thought Ed and Lu's lunacy was harmless. I was wrong. Somehow, they'd managed to drag me and my brother down the crazy path with them, and I just wanted to go home to my nice, normal, sane, dry room and never think about this again. "Eustace! Eustace!"

Unsurprisingly, I didn't get far until 'Caspian' had caught up to me. He shouted at me, sounding exasperated, "Just let me help you!"

"No!" I said stubbornly, gasping in breaths as I was dunked more and more often under the surface. His fingers wrapped around my upper arm easily, pulling me back. "Let me go!"

Further out, I spotted Eustace's blonde head and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard his shouts of fear and disbelief. His yells meant that, at least, he was breathing, if nothing else. Then the man who called himself Caspian started propelling me over to the ship again, determined to get me aboard.

I wanted to fight him on it. I really did. I wanted to swim over to Eustace and somehow will us back to my bedroom. But I doubted I'd even make it over to Eustace. I was too exhausted to move, and I just wanted a reprieve without fearing I'd drown. And at the very least, Ed and Lucy had talked about how Caspian was a good person, so if this man had fooled himself into believing that he was Caspian, then maybe he'd also possess the same qualities and traits. Maybe taking a couple minutes to catch our breaths on the ship wouldn't be too bad. And then I could get Ed and Lu to send us back. Yes. That was a better plan than drowning.

I looked back over at my brother, who was still yelling and trying to swim away. Men I didn't recognize, and were probably a part of the crew of the ship chased after him before he ended up drowning too. I had to admire their determination to save us, considering we were too stubborn to let it happen easily.

"Eustace!" I screamed at him, and he paused slightly in his race, his yells subsiding for a moment when he recognized my voice. He looked around quickly, spotting me. I pointed up at the ship, "Come on!"

"Glad you've decided to make this easier for me," 'Caspian' laughed behind me, his voice carrying amusement so clearly that I didn't even have to look at his face to know he was grinning.

Fantastic. My crazy, delusional savior had a sense of humour.

"I don't particularly feel like drowning today," I croaked out.

'Caspian' was doing practically all the work as he swam us over to the ship considering my limbs didn't seem to be working anymore and I was shaking from the cold. A plank of wood, with rope tied around each end, was lowered into the water for us to be lifted up onto the ship. His lips quirked again, his voice purposefully smooth like he was holding back a different remark to the one he said. "Could've fooled me."

Oh, so funny.

Nearly drowning and being surrounded by crazy people had put me in a bad mood.

I didn't know who these people were – or if they were even real – but Lucy and Ed seemed to be happy to see them. I just needed to get out of the water, to breathe without each intake of air being half seawater, so I could think and make sure they were okay and then think some more. This had to be a dream; a horrible, dreadful dream where I nearly drowned, but a dream nonetheless. Caspian grabbed the rope with one hand, grabbing my upper arm with the other as he helped me.

"Brace your feet on the wood," he instructed, and I did as he said, going to grab the rope to mirror his actions, when I noticed my book was still in my hand. I could seem to unclench my fingers from it, other than my pinky, so I held the rope with that finger. But my legs felt like jelly, and I tried to stand next to him, only to find I couldn't. "What's your name?"

"Juliette," I managed to get out.

"Juliette," he repeated. "Just hold onto me."

I was too exhausted to argue, wrapping an arm around the back of his waist hesitantly, just as there was an almighty tug upwards and I slipped slightly. He pulled me to him quickly, his strong hand digging into my waist as he kept a hold of me and the rope at the same time. My other hand with the book came around to brace against the cream coloured shirt sticking to his lean torso. The side of his body pressed against mine was warm, and for a moment, my shivering subsided.

We were lifted out of the water, great streams of it dripping down our bodies and from our clothes. His shirt became somewhat transparent, clinging to his chest that I realized was far more broad than I expected as well. We were pulled across and onto the ship, and I stumbled forward as a hand reached out to help me, my legs nearly caving out from under me.

I stood there, shivering, both hands gripping my book as my arms tensed. Long tendrils of my reddish-brown hair had fallen into my face, slightly obscuring my vision. A rough material blanket was wrapped around my shoulders firmly, and I relaxed into it, grabbing the ends to hold together and conserve body warmth. "Th-thanks."

I glanced up to find Lucy staring back down at me, as she was already on board. I launched myself at her, hugging her to me tightly before pulling back, the blanket balancing precariously on my shoulders. My hands fluttered over her, turning her face this way and that, fussing over her, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I peered into her eyes, waiting impatiently for her response, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she insisted, as beside me, Caspian was handed a blanket by one of the men. It startled me, and I looked around the ship to find about twelve men gathered around, watching us. They all wore matching uniforms of a mauve vest-tunic over a white long sleeved shirt and long pants. My shoulders tensed under so many eyes. At least none seemed hostile or looked like they were about to charge at me.

"Good." I looked back at Lucy, grabbing the edges of the blanket over her shoulders, pulling it around her body more firmly. I hugged her again, relief swelling through my chest cavity.

"That was thrilling," she laughed, and I pulled back slightly as I looked at her like she was mad.

That was not thrilling. She walked forward towards 'Caspian', a happy smile on her face, and she slipped out of my arms. For a second, I didn't want to let her go, afraid that if I did, she'd disappear. I mean, where was I? One second I was inside a room filling with water, the next I was in the middle of the ocean! How was that even remotely possible?

Maybe I hit my head and blacked out. Yes. That made sense. And this was all just a horrible dream.

'Caspian' rubbed the blanket over his hair before he clapped Lucy on the shoulder. "How in the world did you end up here?"

"I have no idea," She laughed honestly, shaking her head.

My clothing clung to me uncomfortably and I pushed back at my long hair as it stuck itself to my neck. I huffed in annoyance as I tried detaching the strands from my skin with difficulty, battling with it, and I glanced up to find warm brown eyes watching me in amusement.

My eyes widened, my breath catching in my throat. It was like drowning all over again. My breath was lodged half way to my mouth as I looked up – for he was considerably taller than me, unsurprisingly – at the man, really actually looking at him, outlined in beautiful yellow sunlight, his bulk blocking out the sun temporarily. I hadn't noticed before, when we were submerged in water, only parts of his face visible at any one time.

God, he was devastatingly handsome. His dark, kind eyes held an almost playful light, his neatly sculpted features working together to create a very pleasant image. The stubble on his jaw and cheeks made him look slightly older, but his face was unmarked by any signs of real age. He was young. I shook my head, suddenly dizzy from the lack of air. Again.

Breathe, I commanded myself.

He had an unnerving ability to make me forget how to, though, and I finally gasped in some air. The silence between us as he watched me and I gaped at him extended and I felt the need to say something, anything. Stuttering out the words in short, stupid sentences, I said, "Thanks. Thank you. For saving me."

Even if I'm pretty sure you're crazier than me right at this moment.

I was anxious about a lot of things; getting my brother and making sure he was okay, making sure Ed was okay, and then getting back to my bedroom. And him looking like that didn't help the whirlwind of emotions swamping my chest.

His lips quirked into a grin, completely at ease like there was nothing to fear or worry about, "You're welcome, Juliette."

Just breathe.

Thanks for reading!

What did you think?

I guess it took longer than my estimated 12 hours…but Caspian finally came into it! I hope you enjoyed Juliette's reaction to Narnia and to Caspian!

Review Replies –

Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967: Thank you! I'm really glad you loved it, and I'm glad you were excited for Caspian to come into it – I hope you enjoyed it then! Thanks again :D

BlueRose22: Thank you so much, I'm really glad you thought it was a good chapter, and that my story is great so far! I'm really pleased you're enjoying it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and thanks so much for reviewing! :D

Teddy bear 007: Haha! That's a little embarrassing, ut at least you could laugh about it! :P

Just Me: Thank you! I'm stoked you thought the description of her reaction to the painting and the water was good – yes, she's a little like Susan in that she searched for a logical explanation, because it was the only thing she could do, haha! I hope you liked her arrival in Narnia! Thanks so much for reviewing again!

MyNamesMoonChild: Okay! Thank you, I'm stoked you want to read more and that you love my OC! I like her too :D Thanks so much for reviewing! It means a lot to me! I hope you liked this chapter too! :D