Sahd was just outside the weyr , on the nearest beach. Despite the warm weather she was covered up with long sleeves and full length trousers. Brown eyes stared out at the calm waters. They stretched outwards almost endlessly. She would have sat staring at the calming scene much longer if a couple of older and much large weyr boys hadn’t of come along.

They probably thought everything was in good fun. Any other weyr girl would have been angry at most but still fine. One boy lifted Sahd up with no problem. Sahd shrieked and resisted but the boys in their fun didn’t realize Sahd’s fear was very real. Up onto the perch, the rock that jutted out over the ocean and was a favorite diving spot these boys took Sahd who screamed. She was so fearful that she didn’t realize the boys plans or else she would had warned them, would have screamed for them not to.

They had done this with a few weyr girl and it was always a good laugh. It never occurred to them as they tossed a desperately clawing and screaming Sahd of the edge and into the deep ocean water that a girl her age wouldn’t have learned to swim. It was just a standard thing that all children learn to swim. Sahd though wasn’t all children, she had been raised cruelly for nine turns. When she was finally safe her had wanted to hide her scars and that need had drawn her to avoid swimming or asking for lessons.

Sahd hit the water and screamed in panic, taking on a mouthful of the salty liquid. Her head went under. She couldn’t breathe. She scraped and clawed desperately unable to get back to the surface.

The boys watched but thought she was fooling, thought she had swam around and out of sight back toward the beach. They left Sahd.

>* Help me!*< she cried desperately to Runeth, Tianeth and others. She sent along a fragmented image of water and her sense of pure fear.

She clawed to the surface and took a gasping breath before falling under again. She kept clawing but couldn’t pull herself back up to the surface.