There was not a flicker of recognition in them. It was as though she was looking at someone she had never met before.

They were the eyes of an animal.

Alice struggled, but it was pointless. Brenda was too strong, and, inch by inch, she sank under the surface. As her mouth and nose dipped under the water she twisted and took a final deep breath, and then she was surrounded by cold, cold water, with only that final breath in her lungs.

She reached above her head and grabbed Brenda’s hand. It meant she was no longer able to fight the downward pressure, but that didn’t matter; it was making no difference anyway. If she could move Brenda’s hand then she could get away.

Brenda would chase her down, though. She was a much better swimmer than her. But so what. She could deal with that when – if – it happened.

It had been only seconds, but her lungs were already burning, her heart pounding in her chest. She had only moments to get away

She thought of her friends, Nellie, Mads. Of Ned. Of them all at her funeral, in tears.

She had to survive.

But Brenda’s hand was impossible to move. Part of the problem was that Alice was still struggling upwards, which was forcing her into Brenda’s grasp. It seemed crazy, but she needed to go down.

She stopped kicking and paddled down with her hands.

It worked; she felt the pressure from Brenda’s hand vanish, and she kicked away on her back. She needed to get to the surface, and quickly.

Her head broke into the sunlight. She gasped in lungfuls of air, water streaming down her face, then something hit her head. It was a foot, crashing into her chin. Brenda was on her back, lashing out with her feet.

There was another blow and pain exploded in her jaw. She tried to swim away, but Brenda, a much better swimmer, came after her.

A hand gripped her bicep.

Another hand clamped down on her head, and pushed.

Her vision narrowed, the edges darkened, and her lungs felt like they were going to burst.

As her oxygen-starved brain began to shut down, she had time for one final thought.

Why? Why is she doing this?

Brenda

Brenda felt calm, and good. She felt at peace.

The last few weeks had been hell. It had been hard to keep herself together. She had felt unmoored.

Moving from place to place, no idea what came next, just knowing she could not stay still, could not risk being caught. It had made her want to kill.

That was all she could think: I have to kill. It will make me feel in control, and then I can focus on other things.

Make a plan.

And then she had met Alice. No parents to look for her. Her boyfriend dismissed. Her friends abroad.