“Layla… Layla, hang on, please. Wait, you have to wait. You have to think deeply about this. Trust me. You do not have to kill me. No, you do not want to kill me. It will only complicate things. Your life will be a mess. A total mess! Killing someone… you’ll be found. You’ll be taken to jail…” Vera pleaded, trying desperately to change Vera’s mind. “Do you actually care about me? Or you’re just trying to save yourself?” She scoffed. “I admit I’m trying to save myself, but it doesn’t have to be like this. You will only make everything worse.” “Nope, I’m going out of this country very soon, and your body will never be found, until maybe three days? Five? A week? Well, you’ll be found when you’ve become all scabby and gummy. Your pretty face wouldn’t even be recognized and your man will cry. Oh yeah, he will.” She said, continuing to drag Vera into the water. Already, the cold water had covered her legs, and she was beginning to shiver. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and it seemed like she couldn’t hear a thing. In a few seconds, she’d be deep enough for the water to cover her face. “Layla… Layla, please…” She begged, as she began to cry. “If you don’t want a gun, I have a knife. I can still rip out your throat cleanly, and no one will ever hear you scream again.” She said, and held Vera up, so she could stand. The water was up to their waists, crashing softly, against them in contrast to how Vera’s heart was pounding against her chest. “You don’t… you don’t have to do this. You really don’t, Layla. I promise things will be better for you.” She said, but Layla simply scoffed. “Shut it. You make me mad, with each second. If you scream, I’m going to rip out you throat sooner than you can say yay.” She threatened, and pushed Vera\s head into the water. Vera wanted to scream, but the water rushed down her throat into her lungs, and up her nostrils. The sting was unbearable, and it made Vera want to shout out in tears. Breathing freely was indeed a luxury. She tried to fight against Layla’s hold, but couldn’t. All she saw were the bubbles forming in front of her. Her hands were bound behind her back, so it made everything harder for her. It wasn’t until Vera almost gave up that she was pulled out of the water. She gasped, coughing seriously, as she tried to fight for breath, but she held it all in, with great effort, as Layla held out the knife to her throat. Once more, she was dunked into the water, before she could say a word. The next time she was brought out, all she could do was cry, and plead. “You look even more beautiful when you’re all wet like this.” She said, and Vera tried her best not to get swayed by the water, as Layla left her. Layla brushed aside stray hairs plastered onto Vera’s face. Then she ran the length of Vera’s hair with her hands, and smiled. “Beautiful hair.” She commented, before pulling Vera’s hair out of the scrunchie holding it. Little by little, she began to cut it, smiling as Vera’s hair grew shorter with each cut. “Relax. I’m simply trimming your hair, okay?” She said, while Vera continued to breathe heavily. “You know, in our next lives, we can be friends. Nothing would stop our friendship. We’d greet each other in the mornings, and maybe in that life, I’d have more friends who care about me. More lovers, who would fight to have me. Maybe I won’t have to go to that hospital. You know…” She paused, and looked out at the water. “Being at the hospital was the worst experience of my life. They didn’t even allow a pen for me to keep a journal. They… they didn’t consider anything sharp. “Not even a pencil. Anything that could be used to harm myself was kept away from me. I was treated like I was a dog who had gone out of control. The nurses didn’t know that was how I felt. Honestly, if I had the power to do what I want, I’d make all those nurse lose their sanity. Maybe then, they’d understand me.” She said, and Vera ran her tongue over her lips, trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going. She was willing to do anything to stop Layla from dunking her and eventually leaving her to drown because her bound wrists meant she couldn’t even attempt swimming. So if it was a conversation Layla wanted, she would give it to her. “If all the nurses lost their brains, then, who would treat them? Who would take care of all the insane people?” She asked. “Of course, they’ll take care of themselves. Now, chit chat time is over. It’s floating away time!” She squealed, and giggled. Vera began to beg and plead, as Layla held her by the collar, pushing her towards the water, and pulling her back. “Should I do it? Should I not? Should I? Should I not?” She asked in excitement, and Vera closed her eyes tight. She alone in that vast body of water, going down in the middle of the night with no one to see her, no one to hear her, or stay by her side. “Who will save you now? Who will find you now?” She asked in a singsong, and Vera suddenly heard a wacking sound, and she was left alone. As she fell, a hand found her wrist, and she saw Charles standing there. “Unfortunately, her GPS is on. Didn’t check that, did you?” He asked, and pulled Vera towards him. She began to cry, as he untied her wrists, and the sound of the siren was heard. Layla groaned in pain, and tried to pretend she was dead, but she could stop whimpering. Charles had used Vera GPS, and had found it on the floor, with blood a feet away. Then he had looked up, spotted the both of them in the water, and had made his way over to them. He had called the cops way before that, and they had been on their way.“I want to go home. Let’s forget this trip. It’s cursed.” Vera cried, and it was all she was saying. And hours later, after everything had been solved, Vera stared out of the window shaking with a blank look on her face. He could tell immediately that she wasn’t going to be herself for a while.