Dead Man's Float by Shawn Sarles

Author:Shawn Sarles [Sarles, Shawn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Music pumped into Sam’s ears, drowning out the world around her as she lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. In the days following Paige’s death, a stillness had settled over her house, uncomfortable and awkward and altogether unheard of. Sam had never felt like she couldn’t talk to her dad, and he had never been so lost for what to say to her. They’d been tiptoeing around each other, avoiding the big stuff, letting it steep and simmer and scald.

But how could she talk to him about Paige’s death? How could she make him understand that she wasn’t only sad but that she was scared, too? Terrified of Missy? Of those claws that had scratched at her leg? That had tried to pull her under after they’d finished off Paige?

She’d tried to tell Coach Hendricks the truth, but he hadn’t believed her. No one had, except for Caroline and Duncan. And now Sam didn’t know where to turn. She didn’t know who she could trust.

A new song came on and Sam skipped it. The energized beat reminded her of her prerace routine, of the playlists she’d plug in to hype herself up before diving into the pool. It was too sad to think about. Too frightening. And not just because of Missy or her fear of drowning. But because of the loss that it represented.

Sam had always felt her best while swimming, while doing something she was great at. Something she had devoted so much of her life to. But now she didn’t know if she’d ever go in the water again. She’d resorted to taking two-minute showers—never a bath—dancing in and out of the spray, her lips sealed tight, her eyes unblinking, always focused on the spigot in case Missy appeared. She hadn’t forgotten the bloody bathtub. The wet footprints in her hallway. Missy had already followed her beyond the high school pool, which meant that Sam needed to stay away from all forms of water and limit her exposure.

Luckily, practice had been canceled, the pool closed. So, Sam hadn’t had to face her dad or Coach Hendricks yet. She hadn’t had to make that decision not to swim. She hadn’t had to see her dad crestfallen and disappointed. But eventually, it’d reopen. They’d hold a memorial or a moment of silence for Paige. Then Coach Hendricks would have them back swimming laps like nothing had happened, and everyone would go along with it, forgetting so easily what had happened. Her dad would expect her to pick right back up where she’d left off. Would expect record times and first-place finishes. Would expect nothing less than perfection. Only Sam wouldn’t be out there with the rest of the team. She couldn’t be. Not with Missy’s spirit lurking.

But who was she without swimming? Without the state championships and personal records? Without the pungent aroma of chlorine clinging to her body? The perpetually dry skin and hair, the early morning practices and sore muscles, the red goggle

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