Senayda Pierre
Willfully Compelled
4/30/2015
A centuries-old legend foretells of twins who will one day save the earth. Lysandra and Leondra have been raised by their parents with the notion that they could possibly be those destined twins.
A once kaleidoscope-colored land is now brown. Water sources have become nonexistent leaving behind only lethal bodies of water. Animals and people disappear beneath the tempting waters never to resurface.
As the world falls apart the twins become separated. Alone and injured, Lysandra ventures forward trying to locate and reunite with her family. Instead she slips beneath the river's surface discovering a new world where no human has ever survived before.
A prophecy. A dying world. Twins, Leondra and Lysandra are compelled to make the ultimate sacrifice for an entirely new world.
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Excerpt:
Lysandra turned toward Phoebe. Her friend’s lips were blue. Her complexion deathly pale. She shook Phoebe hard. She wanted to scream at her best friend to wake up but she couldn’t afford to attract attention. She bent down to ensure that Phoebe was still breathing. Her best friend’s haggard breaths let her know how bad things were. She choked back a sob as she hoisted Phoebe up.
She sighed in relief and continued toward the river. Just being close to the river gave her a sense of renewed energy and hope. Her skin tingled with anticipation at the clear sparkling water in front of her. Her mouth watered as she stared longingly at the river.
She gently placed Phoebe down, a few feet away from the bank. A loud splash froze the blood in her veins. Her head snapped in the direction of the noise. Most of the herd had followed the leader but a straggler had attempted to get one last drink. Lysandra just saw its rear end as it disappeared under the water’s surface. The water buffalo’s legs kicked in desperation as it met its watery death. The other animals scattered as if a lion had approached the river.
She remained frozen with horror. For years she’d heard of the dangers of the water but had never seen it for herself. She looked around desperately. There was no doubt about it, they were in danger and Phoebe was dying. The harsh wind blew sand in her eyes. She put her chin to her chest and blinked hard. They’d learned the hard way to not rub the sand or debris from their eyes. She reached out touching Phoebe’s face. Her hand stilled. A sob escaped her lips as her palm touched cold skin. Even the viscous sun and heat couldn’t hide death’s frigidness.
Desolation blanketed her. She was too late. She couldn’t help her best friend. Lysandra leaned over Phoebe listening hopefully for small, haggard breaths. She frantically checked her pulse. Something to hint at Phoebe still living, but she found nothing. There was nothing there but a cold, lifeless body.
Lysandra tilted her head back. Her parched throat couldn’t let out the scream that resonated within her. Her body shook with tearless sobs. There was nothing left for her in this life. Her family was gone. Her best friend lay dead by her side. The world was literally a living hell. She jolted as Phoebe’s body jerked. A flare of hope quickly died as her addled mind registered what she saw. Phoebe’s body disappeared beneath the surface just like the water buffalo’s. She was too slow to catch her best friend’s body as something dark dragged her underwater.
She jumped in not caring if her loud splash attracted unwanted attention. Phoebe’s silhouette disappeared into the depths of the river. She frantically kicked to keep up with her friend’s body but it was too late. Lysandra lost all hope. Her lungs screamed to get to the surface but her heart sank with sorrow. In her previous life she would’ve cherished the peacefulness of the silent water world. She might’ve reveled in its beauty. But now it only represented death.
Sharp talons imbedded in her thigh yanking her down. She gasped in shock and terror before savagely kicking at whatever had hold of her. The talons gripped harder making her scream in pain. Lysandra inhaled deeply hoping to fill her lungs with water. She desperately wanted to drown before being eaten alive. She couldn’t see what held onto her as the surface got farther and farther away. Her body tensed. Her mind screamed that she was drowning. Her lungs expanded with liquid but didn’t burn. She wheezed as terror flowed through her body. She fought the black dots that raced in front of her eyes refusing to lose consciousness to panic.
The talons loosened around her thigh as she regained some semblance of control over her body. Her mind warred with itself as she fought for reasoning. Was she going mad? Had she blacked out and was only dreaming? How could her lungs take in water and treat it like air?
“Just get it over with” She whispered as she closed her eyes quietly sobbing. A quick and painless death was not meant to be though; whoever or whatever had planned for her to be cognizant throughout. Her eye flashed open as her body jerked to the left. She gasped as the talons dragged her into a cavernous room. She stared in horrified rapture as sunlight filtered through the oversized underwater cave.
“Interesting” a deep voice rumbled. Lysandra stiffened as the talons released its grip from her thigh and shackled her wrist to the rock wall. She refused to look in the direction of her captor. Her eyes flitted around absorbing her surroundings. The cave was beautiful. Colorful fish swam by unbothered by its occupants.
“Who grabbed her?” The same voice interrupted the peaceful silence. She sensed more than one presence in the cavernous room. So her captor was not this bastard with the deep voice.
“Sire” another voice responded. His voice was much closer to her. She scowled knowing it was this SOB who’d captured her. “She jumped in immediately after one of the sentinels grabbed the cadaver.”
Lysandra shuddered at the word
cadaver and bit her lip knowing they were referring to Phoebe. She swallowed the boulder-size lump in her throat. What had they done with her best friend?
About Senayda Pierre:
Senayda Pierre is a native Floridian who’s always had a passion for music, sports, reading and writing. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and three beautiful daughters.
Senayda is an identical twin. That’s right, sometimes people give her a second glance wondering if she’s the person they know! She’s never seen snow… Swears she’ll live in Hawaii someday… And she intends to travel the world…
Senayda’s had a long love affair with reading and writing. She loved to write short stories and poetry throughout her childhood. Now Senayda’s moved onto novels.
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