Choice

                                    

                                          


                          
For a moment, I felt strangled. The water that I called home was now so cold, and the clothes I was wearing were constricting. I made my way above the current, struggling to keep my head above water. 
                          
"Caterina," called Edmund. We made eye contact. "I NEED A ROPE," he yelled. "Don't worry, we'll get you back on board soon."
                          
"Caterina?" my sisters called from under the waves.
                          
 "So Lorelei wasn't lying?" one asked. 
                          
"There's a first time for everything," replied another. 
                          
"It does not matter," boomed Alyssa, "she is one of them now." 
                          
Something in their mannerisms changed when she said that. All began to descend, pulling at my legs, grabbing at my dress until I went under. They clawed my face and tore my dress. My lungs were beginning to burn as I struggled to getaway. The world started to fade out when I felt a disturbance in the water. They all let go in favor of whatever had dropped. I looked and saw Edmund struggling to get them off. I went up to the surface and took a deep breath before heading back under. 
                          
I tapped one on the shoulder, she turned and bared her teeth and clawed at my face. I felt a stinging sensation on my cheek. The burning sensation returned with a vengeance as bubbles came out of my mouth. Edmund raged harder against their grip, but they just dug in and pulled him lower. It was then that I realized I would have to fight through them to save him. I dove deep in the water, grabbing my sisters by their tales and throwing them back. I kept my focus on Edmund as he began to struggle less and less. They clawed me, pulled at my hair, and bit me. Finally, I reached him. My hands found their way around his torso, and for a moment, I felt the urge to hold him down here