Someone's gasping breaths could be heard. Valery, just starting to wake up, felt repeated pressure on her chest, a clear sign that CPR was being performed. Slowly, she opened her still-foggy eyes. Her throat burned, and she coughed, spitting out the pool water she'd swallowed when she drowned.
A man with a drenched body sat beside her, looking down at her with a worried expression. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her to a sitting position. Valery nodded, clutching her chest as she tried to calm her coughing. Keenan then stood up and grabbed a towel for her. Gently, he draped it over her, wrapped her body tightly like a baby, and then held her close against his chest.
"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!" Valery yelled, struggling.
"Shut up, kid! You were just about to die, but you still have so much energy to scream!" Keenan scolded. He carried her inside and placed her on the living room sofa. He then went to the kitchen, made a cup of tea, and served it to her.
"Drink up to warm up!" he said, then wearily threw himself onto the soft sofa. His energy was drained from the panic; he even felt his hair turning white. Keenan opened his phone, turning on the camera to check his face.
"At least my eyebrows and eyelashes are still black," he muttered, then turned off the camera.
"Hey, kiddo, aren't you a swimmer? Then why did you drown?" Keenan asked. Valery didn't answer immediately. She rubbed the rim of the cup while biting her lower lip, as if lost in thought.
"I don't know. Suddenly my legs cramped, and I unconsciously lost my ability to swim. I... I felt so scared and miserable...!" she said, beginning to clutch her chest, which ached with sadness. Tears started to fall, one by one, from the corners of her eyes.
"Ah, why are you crying? I was just asking," Keenan panicked, now at a loss for how to calm the girl down.
"Actually... actually, my family... they all died because of me. I wish I hadn't been so selfish. Just because I wanted to show off later when I won the competition, I forced them to come. Now... all those trophies, without them, are just rubbish!" Valery said, sucking in a heavy breath.
"Didn't I tell you? Your family wouldn't be happy to see you sad. They're worried about you, and certainly don't blame you for their deaths." Keenan offered the advice for a second time. He hoped the girl could finally start learning to let go of her family. After all, Keenan knew that the death of her family wasn't as simple as just a storm. She shouldn't blame herself.
...
Under a tree shedding leaves in the wind, figures dressed in black, faces obscured by masks and sunglasses, stood gazing intently at a house for a long time.
Two men beside a central figure lit a cigarette for him. It was clear this man was their leader. He exhaled a plume of smoke, waiting for four of his subordinates to emerge with news.
"Report, sir! The house is empty. The girl isn't inside. It seems this incident... reached that person's ears, and he moved faster than us!" one of the four men announced as they exited the house. The leader remained still, taking another drag from his cigarette and exhaling it into the air.
He then tossed his freshly lit cigarette to the ground, stomping on it before declaring, "It's only a matter of time; she'll still fall into my hands in the end. And I'll make her understand the fate her family met because they resisted." He smiled sarcastically before leaving, putting his mask back on, and sliding into a luxury car, abandoning the empty house whose yard lay blanketed in dried leaves.
"Hold my shoulders and relax. Don't get tense! Honestly! It's like I'm teaching a baby!" grumbled Keenan, currently in the pool with Valery. The girl repeatedly submerged him as she trembled with fear.
"I can't do it! I just want to give up," Valery said, trying to swim to the edge. But in an instant, Keenan swiftly pulled her hand closer. This time, only inches separated them as he stared at her with unwavering firmness.
"If you give up now, my pride will be ruined! I told you I'd help you overcome your trauma so you could become an athlete again. But if you quit now, it means I've failed!" Keenan declared, his face serious and his words stern. Valery gulped, her throat tight. A powerful aura of intimidation rendered her speechless. In the end, she complied and grew calmer.
"I didn't realize someone could be so traumatized they'd lose their best abilities," Keenan remarked casually, holding Valery as she practiced moving her legs in the water.
"I don't know, it's just that every time my head goes under, my emotions churn. I think... my family died because of swimming!" Valery confessed.
Keenan was speechless this time. He knew the true cause of Valery's family's death wasn't the swimming competition. But revealing it now wasn't an option; it wasn't the right time. If she knew the truth too soon, it would only put her in greater danger. One day, he'd explain everything to her himself.
Time flew by. Keenan, noticing it was almost evening, rose from his pool lounge chair and went inside to change. He'd been relaxing, watching Valery swim, but now he realized it was time. More of his hair had turned black; it was time to embark on his mission.
"Hey! Hurry up and get ready. We'll be home soon!" Keenan called to Valery, who was still in the pool.
"Oh, is it time to go home?" She quickly got out, hastily wrapped herself in a towel, and went to her room to change. Soon after, she followed Keenan out to the car.
"I thought we were going to stay the night!" Valery said.
"You want to stay over? With me?" The swift question made Valery's cheeks flush, and she frantically shook her head.
"Um, no! That's not what I meant!" Valery stammered, averting her gaze. Keenan smiled faintly. He then leaned in, just inches from her, catching her off guard.
"Wh-what are you doing!?" Valery asked in a panic, but the man calmly replied,
"Put on your seat belt!"
At that, Valery quickly suppressed her embarrassment and looked away as he fastened her seat belt. "What's going on? Have I gone crazy! How can my heart be pounding because of this man-eating monster!" she cursed silently.
Keenan drove at full speed, slicing through the silence of the deserted road. His hair, now increasingly black, showed he was racing against time to reach his mansion.
It was getting late, and Keenan's appearance had changed even more. He had no time to spare; darkness would be perilous for them. They needed to get home immediately for shelter. Suddenly, bright lights from a car behind them pierced the night, clearly targeting them.
Two more cars quickly joined the pursuit, attempting to catch up to Keenan's lead vehicle.
"What's going on? I think this car is speeding up!"
"Hold on tight!"
Their cars swerved through sharp bends, leaving Valery swaying inside. Keenan never lost focus, continuously dodging the stalkers who tried to block their path.
"Damn people!" Keenan cursed, feeling a deliberate ram from the back of his car. He yanked the steering wheel, uncaring of the new scratches. He had no intention of stopping. This wouldn't end quickly! Keenan racked his brain for a way to shake off the pursuers. Spotting a road that crossed train tracks, he swerved onto it. The train's warning alarm was his cue; he floored the accelerator, speeding across the tracks just three seconds before the train roared past, severing the path of the cars behind them.
"What's really going on? Who are they?" Valery asked again once things had calmed down. However, Keenan was still reluctant to answer.
"We'll get to the mansion first!" he said, now speeding off in the car, heading for the mansion as quickly as possible.