Page 99 of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

“Swim?”

“Absolutely.”

“You can swim right to the cave and even inside,” Sylvie says. “The noodles are helpful for that.”

“We’re noodle-free, right, Eleanor?” Allison says, taking my hand.

I take hers and squeeze it. “Yes.”

“Ready?”

She doesn’t wait for me to agree; instead, she runs toward the back of the boat with my hand in hers, tugging me along, then lets go as she gets to the seat where Connor and Isabella are sitting. She climbs onto the back of the boat in two graceful leaps, then dives into the ocean. I follow after her without thinking and almost slip on the seat as I climb past Connor.

“Hey! Watch where you step!”

I banish the thought of what I might’ve just stepped on and launch myself into the water. I hit it with a smack, but it feels glorious anyway. I surface to the sound of Allison laughing.

“I think you stepped on Connor’s balls.”

“I’ve been wanting to do that.”

“Dreams do come true, then. Let’s go.” She starts to swim toward the mouth of the cave with easy strokes, and I follow after her. She’s fast and strong and reaches it before me, but she stops and waits, treading water until I catch up.

It isn’t wide enough for a boat, and the water inside is that pure, crystalline blue that never comes out right in photographs unless you have a specialized camera. There are stalactites hanging down from the ceiling.

“Wow,” I say as I hear splashing behind me.

I turn. It’s Shek.

“You swim fast.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He motions toward the cave. “Are you going in?”

I look back at the boat. The rest of our crew is getting out of the boat slowly, climbing down the ladder, holding on to pool noodles. Oliver’s already in the water, but he’s the only one.

“Should we wait for the others?”

“You’re not afraid, are you?”

Allison splashes at the water. “Of course she isn’t.”

I look into Allison’s open, sunny face and feel a chill go through me. She dared me to come here with her, and now we’re separated from the group.

I get a weird flash of her holding my head underwater, my legs kicking in struggle. It doesn’t take that long for someone to drown if they’re not used to holding their breath. In under a minute, it could all be over.

“I…”

“You are scared. Wow.”

“It’s not that, I just—”

“Eleanor, if I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugs. “Your loss.”

She turns and does a little dive into the water, her body folding into itself, and then her feet come up straight behind her and she disappears.

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