The water was so cold that Scarlett probably would have gotten hypothermia before even reaching Vanessa's retreating rowboat, and Vanessa had been so hell-bent on finishing their quest alone that she might have dumped Scarlett right back into the water anyway, but as the hours turned into days which then turned into weeks without anything to do to pass the time but bury the dead as best as she could and then stare across the water at the distant mainland or search the tiny island for methods of escape which did not exist, Scarlett regretted not trying when she had the chance.

When the last of the stored food began to run low with no sign of Vanessa coming back for her, Scarlett decided that she was going to have to attempt the swim after all and hope that her increased healing would be enough to counteract the killing cold of the water, and waiting any longer to do it would not help her chances of survival at all. As Scarlett walked down the beach, past where Jacob had died, up to her knees, up to her waist, until the frigid water was too deep for her to touch bottom at all (and so damn cold), she considered leaving her blades behind to make the crossing easier, but she knew she would need them when she got to the other side and, knowing her luck, would probably also need them to stab a shark in the face along the way.