Declan dived deep, praying this was the spot he’d seen Alex go down. The murky lake allowed for visibility of no more than two feet in each direction. He stayed down as long as he could. At the last moment, he shot upward, filled his lungs with air, then plunged again. On the third time, he found her. She floated about ten feet below the surface. Drawing near, he could see small bubbles escaping from her mouth. Her glorious hair did a mesmerizing dance around her face. He grabbed her waist with both hands, thanking God she wasn’t wearing any sodden clothing that would have forced her to the bottom. Straining every muscle, he swam upward toward air and light. When their heads cleared the water, Declan drew in a quick breath, then faced her. He cleared the water out of her mouth and kept her head above water as he towed her to the shore. She hadn’t moved. The fear that he might be too late gnawed at his gut. With the last of his strength, he put her facedown onto a sun-warmed rock.
