Page 55 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)

Chapter 54

TRISTAN

12 years ago...

He wouldn’t leave me.

He can’t leave me.

Stumbling over the rug in my room, I go racing towards my closet.

Full-blown panic hits my system as I scramble onto the dusty ironing board and try to reach the suitcase on the top shelf. It nearly topples me over in the process, sending my pounding heart into overdrive.

There has to be a mistake.

Dad wouldn’t leave without me.

My fingers are trembling as I randomly grab clothes from the hangers around me. The ship was already at the dock when I looked out the window this morning, so I don’t have much time.

Miscellaneous clothes get thrown into the bottom of my suitcase. There’s no rhyme or reason, everything that’s within my short reach gets tossed into the open luggage. My hands are shaking as I rearrange my bundle of clothes to make room for one crucial item.

The sailboat sits beneath my dirty laundry. I hid it there to make sure my dad wouldn’t find it before it was ready. After six weeks of construction, I finally attached the final piece last night – an anchor stolen from my favourite key chain.

Removing the ship from its hiding spot, I carefully position the wooden model between the soft fold of my clothes. The mast sticks out from a rumpled pair of shorts, but I quickly tuck it back in.

“Please don’t break.” I whisper the prayer before closing my suitcase and zipping it shut.

I don’t bother taking any of the puzzles decorating my bedroom walls. There’s no room left in my suitcase, and I don’t know how much space will be on board.

Whether dad will give me my own room or let me share his.

I go running out of my room, dragging my suitcase behind me. It bumps awkwardly against my legs, making me stumble and trip my way out of the house and onto the shore.

“Dad, wait!”

The wind steals my voice and sweeps it across the open water. The ship has already left the dock, its glistening hull slowly moving farther away .

I hit the dock hard, feeling the rough wood scrape my bare feet. My steps falter when I reach the edge, the tumultuous waves sending a thread of fear through me.

“Dad! Come back!”

The sails flap in the wind, pushing my dad just out of my reach. I swallow hard, looking down at the rolling waves.

I’m not a strong swimmer, but maybe if I get close enough...

Clutching the handle of my suitcase, I take a deep breath and jump. Saltwater splashes into my eyes and mouth, making me cough and splutter when I break the surface.

“D-Dad! Wait for me!”

I swim away from the dock, kicking hard against the weight of my clothes. My suitcase is getting heavier the farther I go, but I hold on.

The ship I built for my dad is more than a silly figurine. It’s a token of my love, proof that I care about him more than anyone else in this world.

I know I’m a weird kid. I know it frustrates him that I like building puzzles instead of playing ball. I know that sometimes he feels like we have nothing in common.

But I can learn to be normal. If I can learn how to build a perfect replica of my father’s sailboat then I can learn to do anything.

Even love him like a normal son.

“Dad, please! Don’t leave me.”

Every wave seems to push me back, stinging my eyes and putting a terrible taste in my mouth. I’m struggling to keep my head above water, struggling to hold on to the ship I spent six weeks building for my father.

He needs to see it.

He needs to know I care.

“D-Dad-

A wave crashes down on me, and I get pulled under. The suitcase is like an anchor, dragging me into the depths below.

The current of the water rips the suitcase free from my hand. I try to grab it, but another wave knocks me backward and the brown case disappears from view.

My head breaks the surface and I inhale a gust of air. Another wave hits me before I can catch my breath, and suddenly I’m under water again.

Saltwater burns my eyes, and if I could, I would cry. It’s so dark down here, an all-consuming darkness that paralyzes my mind. I don’t know which way is up, I don’t know which direction I'm swimming in, I don’t know why there’s a fire igniting in my lungs.

There’s water everywhere – in my mouth, up my nose, down my throat. I can’t find a way to breathe, and every time I open my mouth more water pools in.

I claw at my neck, desperately trying to make the pain go away. The fear is consuming me, the darkness closing in until I start to scream.

The water muffles the sound and tosses me around some more. I don’t know if my father ever did see me, but I do know he chose to leave me .

He chose to leave me with her.

It was foolish to think he cared. Foolish to think I was strong enough to make it to the boat. Foolish to think he would have turned back even if he did see me.

I start to choke, spluttering and coughing on the water that won’t go away.

I’m going to die here. I’m going to die here and nobody will ever know.

I’m going to die a fool.