CAMILLA’S P.O.V


    The water began to move, almost as if someone were controlling it. It started with a small wave that


    quickly grew angrier. Marie was screaming some words but I couldn’t hear her. I could hear the roaring


    of waves in my ears. The waves rose highly and with them did Peggy’s body until the water was almost


    lifting her out and washed her onto the shore. Marie and I stood there for a full minute, no one dared to


    speak or move as we tried to process what had just happened.


    I broke free of my spell first and rushed over to Peggy. She wasn’t breathing and she looked paler than


    I would have preferred. I wasn’t sure how but I knew exactly what to do. I dropped to my knees in front


    of her and started to push hard on her chest willing her awake but she wouldn’t. I wasn’t at it for long


    when Marie’s hand came onto my shoulder and she pushed me back almost harshly.


    “What the hell just happened?” she yelled out loud as she took over from me. I wanted to help but she


    shot me a scathing look. “What was that back there?”


    “I don’t know,” I admitted. She looked terrified and I should have been too but I felt more curiosity if I


    was being honest, I stared at the water again trying to ignore the soft tug I felt in my chest towards it.


    “Are you going to stand there or are you going to try to help me?” Marie snarled and I turned back to


    her. She was furiously pumping her mother’s chest but there was no change in Peggy and I cursed.


    I didn’t know what to do. I could barely remember my own life, how was I expected to know how to help


    Peggy? I froze in ce staring at Marie’s grief stricken and panicked expression. Peggy was her only


    family and she was so close to death’s door, I could almost smell it. The best I could do was utter a


    small prayer to the goddess hoping that the same way she heard my prayer about the water, she would


    hear this one.


    “Don’t just f**king stand there!” she eximed. “Help me you bitch. She saved your life, soe over


    here and help me pump the f**king water out of her chest goddamit.”


    She was crying now and her movements were bing sloppy. I gently pushed her away from her


    mother’s body but she wouldn’t move. She was clutching her like her life depended on it. I knew I


    couldn’t do much about that, so I maneuvered around her and took over. I wasn’t sure how long I could


    last pumping her chest but I could try and try I did. My eyes welled up with tears and I repeated the


    same prayer under my breath until my


    throat was sore.


    παρισι 174


    “Please,” I whispered, my voice cracking on the end. “You cannot die right now.”


    As the words left my lips, Peggy’s body seized. It was slight and I thought I had imagined it until I heard


    Marie gasp


    beside me. She asked a few questions but I couldn’t focus on her words. My eyes were fixated on


    Peggy and the tug beneath my fingertips. I could feel something tugging at my wrists and it felt like


    muscle memory as my hands moved. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing but I watched as Peggy’s


    mouth opened and water flowed out almost following the movements of my hands.


    My eyes widened inplete and utter shock. My finger shook and Peggy coughed snapping my


    attention back to her. The water sloshed over me and before I could even figure out what had just


    happened, Marie pushed me to the side. She took a protective stance in front of her mother and


    narrowed her eyes at me in slits.


    “What the f**k are you ying at?” she spat with narrowed eyes. “You can bend water?”


    “I don’t know,” I nced down at my hands unsure of what had just happened. “I can’t- I don’t


    remember.”


    “Did you push her in there?” she asked and my eyes widened in shock. “Don’t look at me like that.


    What the hell do you want me to think? One second you are here and the next you are pulling her out


    of the water with powers that you didn’t tell us that you had.”


    “I didn’t know I had the powers!” I eximed. “I don’t know what the hell is happening. This is as


    terrifying for me as it is for you.”


    “You’re lying,” she snarled. “You’re a witch aren’t you? Get out of my house or I will make sure that you


    leave in a body bag.”


    “I didn’t-”


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    “Leave or I will tell the entire town that you are a witch.”


    I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by a groan that came from Peggy’s lips. Marie turned away


    from me to focus on her mother. Her hands were gentle as she stroked her hair which was a sharp


    contrast from how she had spoken to me a few seconds ago.


    “What is all the yelling about?” Peggy groaned but Marie waved her off. “Don’t yell at Cami, she had


    nothing to do with this. I fell in while I was trying to touch a lily pad. I knocked my head on something


    and cked out.”


    “She’s a witch,” Marie tried to exin but Peggy waved her off.


    “She smells like a wolf, Marie, she isn’t a witch. Listen, can we talk about thister? I am freezing my


    ass off and I would like a warm cup of tea first, okay?” Marie nodded and helped her mother to her feet.


    She kept her eyes on me as if worried I would do something. I couldn’t help but scoff at the stark


    contrast to how she treated me in the afternoon. It took less than half an hour for her to hate me more


    than she did when I first arrived. Due to her stares, I couldn’t even find it in myself to go after them.


    They were almost to the front door when Peggy stopped and turned to me.


    “Are you going to stand there? Come in.”


    I let out a sigh of relief. I could tell that Marie wasn’t pleased but in that moment, I was just relieved that


    Peggy was not upset with me. Still, I kept a respectable distance so as not to piss anyone off. Peggy


    was dried off and brought back to the living room where a nket was slung over her shoulder and she


    was sporting a cup of tea.


    “Now,” she began sping her hands together. “Is someone going to tell me what the hell happened


    outside?”


    I opened my mouth to speak but Marie beat me to it. “She controlled the water. She made waves so big


    that they spat you out and she controlled what was inside of you. Do you know how insane that is?


    Why would she keep it a secret? How could she hold that kind of power?”


    “I didn’t know I had those powers,” I tried to reason but Marie ignored me. “If I did, I would have told


    you. All I wanted was to get her out. I had no ulterior motives.”


    “Of course,” she snorted but Peggy held up a hand to silence her.


    “Cut her some ck, Marie, she cannot remember thest six years of her life. Even if she


    remembered and forgot to tell us, it isn’t her fault,” Marie crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.


    “She didn’t hurt me, she rescued me. If anything, you should be thanking her.”


    “No one should have those kind of powers.”


    “It is unwise to fear everything that you cannot exin,” Peggy whispered and Marie opened her mouth


    to protest but changed it at thest minute and stormed off. I heard the door to her room m and


    Peggy winced. “Please, forgive her, she is a very untrusting child. She has been that way ever since-”


    “Since?” I asked and she hesitated.


    “I’m not sure it is my story to tell.”


    Ipletely understood that. There were some things that were better heard from the lips of the one


    who experienced it. I nodded and gave Peggy a small smile as I stood to my feet. I wanted to give her


    some privacy and was almost at the door to the kitchen when she spoke.


    “She loved a boy, we do not speak his name anymore. They went out into the woods for a night out


    under the stars. The girl she considered her best friend had nned with the boy to betray her. They


    wanted to be with each other and thought to get rid of her. She overheard them and was able to run


    away.”


    I stilled. “That must have been horrible.”


    “It was and when she tried to tell people, no one believed her. She is fine now but some scars are not


    visible. Give her some time, she wille around.”


    “Of course,” I agreed. “I’ll just take a walk outside. You should rest.”


    I stayed outside, not because I needed fresh air but because I just needed to be away. I stared at my


    hands shocked that such little things were capable of housing such power like the one I saw earlier.


    Before I could stop myself, I found myself walking back towards theke and sitting cross legged in


    front of it.


    I felt stupid as I reached out over the water but I needed to know for sure if it was a fluke of nature of if


    truly I had these powers. I exhaled deeply and focused on the movement of the water, I listened until it


    had settled in my soul, until my heart moved with it in one slow beat.


    My hands started moving before I even realized what was happening and I heard the sloshing of the


    water as it moved with me. I cracked one eye open shocked to see that the water truly was following


    the movements of my hands. I stared in disbelief which quickly turned into glee as a smallugh left my


    lips.


    “Oh my goddess,” I whispered watching the water. I had never felt as alive as I did in that moment. It


    felt like every nerve cell in me was on fire. “I can control water.”


    “For someone who ims not to have known, you sure are good at it.”