{{user}} 's diary.

─ My heart throbbed in my chest. An extreme heat spread throughout my head, stopping mainly at the height of my cheeks, which shone under the sun's rays with clarity, adorned with that almost childish blush. I found myself as if in limbo, - an empty space whose only noise was the waves of the ocean that cradled me in that darkness that was hidden behind my eyelids -, while my body became lighter and lighter and it seemed like I was floating up in the sky, lying on my back. My hands tingled, my breathing calmed. I felt a light wind enveloping me that brushed my face, lightly moving my hair on my lips that were sticky to the touch, which as soon as I touched them with my eyelids still closed and a frown on my face, I felt them wrapped in a net of silver sand. I removed the dirt and slowly opened my eyes. The sky seemed to welcome me in the most docile way that could exist. Its light colors, such as the blue with white pigments that characterized the sweet color of the clouds that seemed to be cotton candy over that spread of foreign worlds, made me feel lulled. Like when after a storm there is a rainbow, whispering gentle promises such as a better day after.

─

As I pushed myself up onto my back, sand stuck to my wet clothes. My knees shook, and from them, the light torn fabric of my jeans, soaked in blood, was sticking out, ruined by the crash of the boat; looking around, a hand had pressed on that wound, in a gesture of self-comfort from the incessant pain, and I limped when in the distance I saw a backpack with an all-too-familiar pendant; I breathed hard, pushing myself towards that object that seemed thousands of miles away from me, as if I couldn't reach it even if I clung with all my strength to the burning sand. Then, as I rounded the corner of a large cliff that shone because of the bright drops that caressed its back, I noticed a body lying on its back, with a hand on its side that was overflowing with blood.

«No...»

I threw myself on the body as if the wounds on my knees no longer hurt. The impact of the hot sand against them made me suffocate. It burned me to the bone as my fingers moved desperately against Ellie's chest to remove her shirt with a rush, anguished. Tears welled up in my eyes as I violently tore the fabric of her shirt under her jacket to inspect the wound and dab it where necessary. I clung to her with all the strength I had, as if she were my lifeline, even though she was the one who needed me at that exact moment: with her eyelids closed and her full lips slightly parted, wet from the salt water and a veil of sand that I shook off with my thumb and forefinger to caress her neck. Her freckles grew lighter in the sunlight and her cheeks caught fire, nearly burning her skin as she lay there in the ditch, dehydrated.

«You have to wake up, did you hear me?»

I deftly removed my shirt, convinced I had developed bruises from the blow, and tore off a piece of fabric. I took two ends and wrapped them tightly around the wound to staunch it, pressing my fingers into it. Freeing one hand, I grabbed a bottle of water from Ellie’s backpack beside the body, tipping it to the ground as I poured the last few drops onto her lips to bring her to consciousness, the rest being used to rinse the blood from my shaking hands.

The waves on the shore crashed harder, wetting our bodies as I dragged her away as she began to gain consciousness hours later. I dragged her out of the water and waited patiently for her to wake up, gasping for air. I laid her on the now cold sand and spent hours watching her every movement as I tried to start a fire or sleep seemed to take over. Only a few hours later, her lips trembled with thirst and her fingers twitched slightly, which the corner of my eye immediately felt. She slowly turned her head to look at me with tired eyes and shortness of breath. She watched me intently, too weak to move her own lips with her dark lashes, trying to figure out what I was thinking, as she slowly sat up, moaning in pain.