Slowly, Rose opened her eyes and gasped for air. She tasted the saltiness of the water, which she struggled to expel from her stomach. Coughing, she expelled the seawater from her mouth, allowing oxygen to flow into her lungs. With a burning sensation in her chest, she continued to heave, trying to clear out more seawater and gasping for air.
She could hear someone calling her name, but she couldn't identify the voice. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she was gently turned onto her side, which brought her some relief.
A man was speaking to her, but she couldn't comprehend his words. Her vision remained blurry, and her ears were ringing. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest.
"You'll be okay now, Rose. You're safe. Just keep breathing, that's it," the man's voice reassured her.
The man unzipped his bag and pulled out a thick towel, covering Rose's body. Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, accompanied by a deafening thunder that startled the man. The wind picked up, uprooting some trees on the island.
Rose felt a chill, her teeth chattering as she looked at the man who had saved her, now seated beside her. He smiled, and she recognized that smile, particularly his expressive green eyes. Her memories flooded back-trying to save the drowning child, the shadows that had taken the child's soul, and being pulled under the sea by the shadow.
The last thing she remembered was someone pulling her by the shoulders before she lost consciousness.
She looked at Brenan and tried to assure him that she was okay. She smiled at him, pretending that there was nothing to worry about, and all she wanted was to return to the hotel.
"Thank you," she said, her voice weak but audible. Her hair remained wet and tangled.
"Thank God you're okay, Rose. I was afraid you wouldn't make it," he said, looking exhausted but attempting to smile.
"I owe you my life, Brenan. If it hadn't been for you, I might be dead now," she said, holding his hand tightly.
"Your gratitude is appreciated, but we need to leave this place as soon as possible. The boats from the mainland are coming, and we need to get ready," Brenan explained, gazing at her with his green eyes.
"Can you walk, Rose?" he asked, still concerned for her well-being.
"I think I can," she replied. She still felt dizzy, and her knees trembled as she attempted to stand. Her body remained weak.
Brenan moved closer, supporting her by placing his hands on her shoulders. Carefully, he lifted her from the ground. Rose felt slightly awkward as she felt Brenan's warm breath on her cheeks and touched his well-defined muscles on his chest and abdomen. His strength allowed him to effortlessly lift her.
"Oh, Brenan, you don't have to do this. I may be weak, but it doesn't mean I can't walk," she said, her face growing warm and flushed.
"No, you won't. Just a little smile and a thank you, and carrying you will be worth it," he said, gazing at her intently.
"Oh, come on, Brenan. I nearly drowned, but I'm not invalid. You don't have to treat me like this," she exclaimed, though her mind urged her to feel and savor the closeness of his presence.
She had never experienced these feelings before, not even with her boyfriend Karl. But she loved Karl, her boyfriend. Memories of her best friend Agnes kissing Karl and pleading for her to keep it a secret flooded her mind. Her heart ached with every image, and she finally understood why her mother had acted the way she did towards her father.
She fell silent as she remembered what had happened that afternoon. The memories brought back the pain that she never wanted to feel again.
"I said, put me down, Brenan. Let me walk," she said.
"Okay, as you wish, my lady," he replied and set her down on the ground.
She looked around the island. Most of the people were already on the shore, waiting to be evacuated. She tried to find her friends, but they were nowhere to be seen. She saw the mother of the child seated on the powdered white sand, wailing for her deceased son. Rose felt her heart almost crushed as her gaze landed on the lifeless body of the child she had tried to save.
She burst into tears, unable to control her emotions any longer. Slowly, she approached the grieving mother and touched her shoulder. The mother looked at her with teary eyes.
"I'm sorry..." Rose said, crying. "I'm so sorry... I tried, but I wasn't able to save your son," she added.
The child's mother stood and held Rose's hand. She looked into her eyes, then embraced her. "It's okay... I know you tried to save my son," she said. Again, she looked into Rose's eyes. "Thank you," she added, squeezing both of Rose's hands. Slowly, the woman moved away from her deceased son, staring at him.
"We'll go home now... Ssh! Mom loves you, my son..." she whispered.
Rose felt a hand on her shoulder and she held onto it, turning to face Brenan.
Rose was still crying, blaming herself for the child's death. She knew she could have saved the boy if she had only swum faster and braved the shadows.
Brenan embraced her, trying to console her. She felt his sincerity in offering his shoulder for her to cry on.
"Back off! Stay away from my girlfriend!" It was Karl, water still dripping from his head and body. He was standing near the shore where he had come from.
A flash of lightning illuminated the horizon behind him, but this time, there was no thunder.
Rose turned her gaze towards him. "Karl?" she muttered, seeing her boyfriend's face filled with anger as he looked at Brenan disdainfully.
"Leave my girlfriend alone!" he exclaimed, his voice hard and loud.
Brenan simply stared at him. Karl moved closer, his wounded fist clenched tightly, trembling.
"I said, leave my girlfriend alone!" he repeated, pushing Brenan forcefully in the chest.
Brenan pushed Karl's hand away when he tried to push him again. Rose was shocked and tried to intervene, but the two ignored her.
"What's your problem, dude?" Brenan shouted at Karl.
"The problem is you! Stop flirting with my girl!" Karl retorted, throwing a punch at Brenan's face.
Karl winced in pain, clutching his arm. Brenan was surprised and fell to the ground, holding his face and feeling the heat spreading.
He looked at Karl, and without uttering a word, he lunged at him, and both of them fell to the ground.
Brenan ended up on top of Karl and began landing punches on his face. Rose shouted, desperately trying to stop them from fighting, but they refused to be deterred and continued their brawl.
"Stop this!" Rose shouted at them, pulling Brenan away from Karl. She looked at Karl with teary eyes as he tried to calm himself.
"Why is it so easy for you to hate me, Rose?" Karl said, his voice shaking with anger. "Why is it so easy for you to judge me? You said you loved me, so why is it so easy for you to give up on me?" Karl added, standing before her, still trembling in anger.
Rose turned her head towards Brenan and nodded, indicating that she wanted him to give them space and to stay away for a while to allow them to talk.
Brenan hesitated to leave Rose alone with Karl, but what could he do? Rose was still Karl's girlfriend, and he had no right to forbid her from talking to her boyfriend.
Slowly, Brenan took his first step away from Rose. He knew he had no right to prevent Karl from dealing with her. He would watch over them and protect her from a distance.
"I thought I knew you. We've been through thick and thin in our relationship, only to end up like this? I've even sacrificed my relationship with my parents just to be with you," Rose said with a high-pitched voice, her heart heavy and on the verge of exploding from her chest. Her guilt made her more vulnerable.
"I love you, Rose, and I didn't do anything wrong. Agnes kissed me, and I did not initiate it. I thought she was my best friend, and yours too. That's what I believed. So please, Rose, don't do this to me. Please?" Karl pleaded as he knelt before her, both of them crying.
Rose realized that Karl might be telling the truth. She knew Karl would never do anything to hurt her. She knew how much he loved her, but she was hurt. What made it worse and pained her even more was the betrayal by her best friend, Agnes.
"I'm sorry, Karl. Maybe it's better if we take some time apart. I need time to think," Rose said, trying to control her emotions.
"No, please, Rose, I'm begging you," Karl pleaded, holding onto Rose's hand.
"I just need time to think, Karl. That's all I'm asking for. I do love you too, but for now, it's best this way," she replied.
"Rose... please?!"
Rose closed her eyes as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She pulled her hand from Karl's grip and began to turn away from him. Her heart felt heavy, as if it were about to explode from her chest. Her anger made her feel more vulnerable.
She was doing this not because she no longer loved Karl, but because she needed to discover the truth about her identity. She needed to confront her father and ask him about what she had learned from Seth. She needed answers, and her father had a lot of explaining to do. She now despised her father even more for being unfair to them. And she hated him even more for not telling them the truth about their origins.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the dark sky, followed by a deafening thunder. Rose gazed out at the seashore with teary eyes and saw Brenan waiting for her as the six rescue boats approached, only a few meters away from the shore.
Karl found himself standing alone. He could not find the strength to lift his feet to chase after Rose. It seemed he felt weakened by Rose's words, his beloved. Did the woman he gave his love to truly love him back? Why did she so easily abandon him if she genuinely loved him?
Karl raised his head and his eyes searched for Rose. He clearly saw his girlfriend headed towards the beach where most of the tourists were congregated, waiting for the rescue boats to return safely to the main island. Karl's anger intensified upon seeing following Rose, the foreign man he had punched. Karl was furious. It seemed the man truly intended to steal Rose from him. He would not allow it. He wouldn't easily give up his beloved Rose. He knew in his heart that his girlfriend deeply loved him too. He would not give up on their love.
"Karl!" a husky baritone voice of a man shouted from behind him.
Karl's focus on Rose's presence faltered upon hearing the voice. He immediately turned to face the man who called his name.
"Argel?" He uttered upon sighting the other man with Henry.
"What happened? Where's Rose?" Henry inquired.
Karl heaved a sigh at his friend's question. With a saddened gesture, he pointed to where Rose was. Both men exchanged glances upon their friend’s response. 
"Are you okay, bro?" Argel asked, patting his friend's shoulder to provide moral support.
Karl offered a bitter smile in response, then slowly started walking towards their tent.
Just then, a light rain began to pour. The wind also picked up considerably, adding to the apprehension and fear of the people present. 
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminally it dramatically. Almost simultaneously, a deafening thunderclap erupted that made most of the women scream.