I splashed my way into the frigid water, laughing with Autumn, Sakura, and Isabella. "It's really freakin' cold!" I yelped.
"I know!" Sakura shrieked.
We waddled in, talking, laughing, having fun. Then I heard a "Cowabunga!" from above, and I looked up and saw Taylor launch himself off the rope swing and come tumbling down nearly on top of me. I just barely dove out of the way before a splash of water crashed over me, knocking me under the water.
I went under, water rushing into my mouth. I looked up, kicking my legs towards the surface. My head broke the surface, water spurting out of my mouth. Turning around, I saw Taylor resurfacing near me, dripping wet, the rope-swing above us still swaying. "What the hell is wrong with you!" I shouted, standing up, waving my hands, splashing water droplets.
"What?" he asked, mock-confused.
"Yeah, right. Why don't watch where you're going and not try to flatten me," I snapped.
He just grinned, throwing his flirty smile at me.
I rolled my eyes and brushed past him, my now wet hair plastered to my tan skin. "What a jerk," I grumbled to Isabella, flipping my wet hair out of my face.
"Yeah, a jerk who was definitely flirting with you," she replied.
"He flirts with everyone. And I don't like him, not even as a friend," I stated.
"He's a piece of work," Autumn said, rolling her eyes.
"He even tried talking with me, throwing that stupid smile of his my direction all day during math class yesterday," Sakura added.
"Which proves he has no taste," I joked.
Sakura playfully shoved my shoulder, and I grabbed her wrist, pulling Sakura under the water with me. Sakura shrieked, the sharp sound cutting through the air as our heads went under. I swam under Autumn and yanked her foot until she came crashing under the water. I looked over, and saw Sakura doing the same to Isabella, her dark hair swirling around her in beautiful cascades, her ponytail undone.
We swam and talked, played, laughed, and eventually, I worked up the nerve to try the rope-swing. It was really just a rope tied to a big tree on the edge of the lake, with wooden boards nailed into the tree trunk for a makeshift ladder.
I climbed up as high as I dared and grabbed the knot in the rope, clinging to it so hard my knuckles turned white. I swung my arms back, took a starter step, and launched myself out into the air, and it felt like… like I belonged there.
I looked down, the water getting closer, and I rolled my legs up, and felt my grip loosen, but something inside my head was telling me to not let go, I had to survive, I couldn't let go. It was an instinct that I had never felt before, unnerving me. What the hell? I asked myself. I forced myself to let myself drop, but I hit the water awkwardly, landing on my side.
For the second time that day, I swallowed lake water as I flailed my arms, kicking and waving my legs rapidly. I came up, coughing and wiping my eyes.
"Hey, are you okay?"Isabella asked, swimming up to me.
"I'm good." I said, but I could tell by their faces they didn't believe me.
Isabella eyed me for a moment. Then, she finally said, "Okay then."
I swam for the shore and sat on the pebbly bank, staring out at the sunset.
A few hours later, shouts echoed across the rippling lake, the rope swing full of high schoolers, the beach crowded with nearly twice as many people than before. This swimming hole get-together was now officially a large-scale party.
I went out to find Isabella and Autumn, and probably not Sakura. My best guess is that she already went home after it got too crowded, and too dark, in fear of breaking her curfew. I scanned the water, using the fires dotting the beach to find my way.
Isabella?" I called. "Autumn? Sakura?" I called out, a little louder. No answer. I climbed back into the water, wiggling my frigid toes. "Isabella?" I called again, this time nearly a shout.
I heard a muffled, "Vera?" called from the water. I turned around and saw Isabella outlined in the growing shadows around the lake. "Hey, where did you go?" Isabella asked me.
I shrugged half-heartedly. "I lost you in all the confusion. And I can't find Sakura or Autumn."
"Yeah, they went home. I stayed to track you down." Isabella replied.
I smiled weakly. "Sorry, I just needed to be alone."
She nodded. "I know. The party wasn't all that fun, anyway. Without you, that is."
"Thanks." My smile got more genuine.
We climbed out of the water, drying off. I wrung my thick hair out as best I could and pulled my clothes on. I would still need a shower, but I was used to my hair my now. Across the pebbly shore, Shawn looked at us, a look of concern on his face. Our eyes met, and I gave him a tiny nod of reassurance. He returned it and jogged over to Oliver, another guy on the football team.
I looked away, not wanting to stare. We climbed into Isabella's car, driving home through the twisted forest roads.
Isabella pulled up in front of my house. I grabbed my bag and yanked Isabella's car door open. "I'll text you tomorrow," I said.
Isabella nodded, turning her car key, engine roaring.
I waved as Isabella pulled away. As I backed into my house, I heard the crackling of underbrush coming from behind my house. I stiffened, my back arching. I swiped my hair out of my face, curly wisps drifting in front of my face, looking over her shoulder. All I saw was the swaying of creaking branches in the wind, a bird flying over the full moon, hanging in the sky. I quickly opened the door, walking into my house, shutting the door behind me with a force I didn't even know I had.
"Vera?" my father called out from the family room. I jogged in, my father sitting on the couch.
"Hey," I said. "So how was your night?" I crossed into the kitchen, opening the fridge.
Her father stood up. "I don't set a lot of rules here, but you need to text me if you're going to be late."
I grabbed a lemonade, closing the door. "I know, I'm sorry, we just lost track of time." I popped the lid open, chugging nearly half the bottle.
My father sighed. "You can't disappear on me. I was so worried."
"Why? Why were you so worried? You know I was with Isabella, and hello? This is Louisiana. Nothing ever happens here."
"I still worry," my father said, his voice rising.
"I know," I said.
I brushed past him and walked over to the pantry, grabbed a bag of trail mix and headed upstairs.
"Where are you going?" her father called.
"I'm eating in my room," I called back, shutting my door behind me. Sitting at my desk, I opened the bag and pulled out the novel I was reading. Putting my headphones in, I blasted my music and ate my meager dinner. As I ate, I listened to my thoughts. I knew I was acting like a little brat to my father, but I couldn't help it. He brought that behavior to the surface with his 'switched parent' act. One day he'll forget I'm there, and the next he's freaking out because he can't find me. It was confusing growing up that way, to say the least.
Finally, I turned my music off and went to sleep, settling down into the middle of my bed.
The dark night enveloped me, surrounding me on all sides, trees popping up from the ground. I walked through the trees, the underbrush crackling as my hooves stepped through it, scraping my long legs. Looking up, I saw the full moon peek out from behind a cloud, its bright glow illuminating the vast forest surrounding me, making my fur an even brighter copper color than it already was. I found myself scanning the treeline. I was looking for something, only I didn't know what it was or who it was.
A loud snarling sound from behind me caught my attention. I didn't stick around to see what it was, but just bolted through the forest, leaving a trail of distorted dirt in my wake.
I looked behind me, and saw the pack gaining on me. Terrified, I tried and failed to pick up my pace. They circled me, like I was a mouse. I feinted to the right, but then turned left, sprinting for cover, but another coyote jumped in my path. Still, they still circled me. I knew this was the end. That I would die.
I sat up, gasping. I brushed my hair back from my face, blinking. I tried to get my thoughts in order, but they stayed tangled. I'd had similar dreams before, but I hadn't had one of these in a long time, years, even. Light from the full moon outside filled my room as I sat up, pacing the floor.
I decided to get out. I pulled on another pair of shorts, and a thin pullover hoodie, with an intricate design repeating all over it in purple thread. Grabbing a small flashlight and attaching it to my belt loop, I made sure to wear my good hiking boots, and started to climb out the window. It sounds crazy, but I can't talk to my father right now. I can't even talk to myself, and this is the only other way out of my room without being seen.
My window didn't have a screen on it, so I just pulled it out, and sat on the windowsill, my feet dangling over the jut on the roof. My window was over the bay window in the kitchen, my room right above it. Shining my flashlight down, I swung out of my window, my stomach facing my house, my hands gripping the window sill. I looked down and saw that the ledge I was prepared to jump down to was about five feet below my feet. I let go with my hands, my fear pounding in my heart and running through my veins. Flying through the air, I landed, crouching on the little roof, then saw my problem: the ground was nine feet below me, and I had nothing to help her get back up.
An idea sparked. I grabbed the white lattice next to my window nailed to my house, and propelled myself down, my heart nearly coming out of my chest. I can do this, I can do this, I chanted to myself, breathing in and out, in and out. When I had climbed close enough to the ground, I jumped out from the house and squeezed my eyes shut. My feet hit the ground with a single thump and I was home free. I jogged quietly around the side of my house and disappeared into the forest, the stars twinkling brightly above.
Could I really be doing this? I had never had the need to sneak around my father. It felt… oddly invigorating.
I crept through the trees, my footsteps silent. I walked, walked, and kept walking until I didn't even know how long it'd been. I eventually popped up on the other side of the river that flowed through the forest, a lot closer to the Bayou than I normally was. I found a clearing and sat down on a half-submerged rock, running my hands through my dark, messy hair. The moonlight shone in the water behind me, making it sparkle and shimmer and shine, gurgling along happily in the Bayou. I didn't know why I have these dreams. I can't explain them. All I know is that I hate them, but if I ever bring it up to my father, he insists it's just my imagination. But I know that it's not. It can't be.
A rustling to my left caught my attention. Standing up with my flashlight in hand, I walked into the treeline for a couple minutes, the noises growing louder. The only person out at this time was me, so it must be an animal, my mind reasoned, but as I kept coming closer, the noises grew even more. I crouched around a big tree, swinging leaves out of my face, and I realized that I was standing in another clearing, this one surrounded by a thorny underbrush. I swept it away from my bare legs, scraping my palms, streaking them with drops of blood.
Around a rotted, fallen tree log, I saw a scrap of clothing. I stifled a gasp. I came closer, and saw a dirt-smeared shoe. Then, shining my flashlight, I saw a human hand.
I screamed.