Ayla's POV
The world tilted and before I even knew what was happening, I found myself underwater, gasping and struggling for air.
Cold water slammed into my body, dragging me down with a force that stole my breath. My eyes flew open, but all I saw was a blur of blue and light. Everything looked far away, muffled, unreal. Panic rushed through me like electricity. I tried to push upward, but the water pulled me deeper instead. My lungs screamed for air.
I didn't know a single thing about swimming. Not a stroke. And in this Olympic-sized pool, deep and endless, I was helpless. My hands thrashed, legs kicked at nothing. I could hear faint echoes above, shouts, screams, but everything was distorted under the water, like the world was wrapped in glass. My body felt heavier by the second.
I didn't want to die. Not here. Not like this. My mum won't be able to handle it if anything happened to me.
