Chapter 63: To the Depths of the Sea, Part 1

Charlisse clawed her way through a dark tunnel, groping against craggy, sharp walls. A damp chill enveloped her. Nothing but pitch black met her gaze, yet somehow she knew if she kept moving, she'd reach the end. The end of what, she had no idea. The pain had dissipated, replaced by the ache of a void, an emptiness that seemed to hollow out her heart. A pinprick of light appeared in front of her. She halted. Somehow she knew that if she reached it, she would have to face something she could not endure.

That's right. Stay where you are. Better to die here than face the truth.

Charlisse dropped to the dirt and sobbed. Maybe she was better off in this dark, peaceful place. Here, she did not have to undergo the pain of abandonment, the agony of betrayal, or the loss of …

My child, I am with you.

Lifting her head, she listened for that soft, kind voice. She'd heard it before, and it always brought her peace.