Page 75 of Make Me Dream of You

I can swim. Kind of.

It will be okay. It’s a lake, not an ocean. There isn’t a current that’s going to pull me out or under. I’ll be fine. It’s like a big swimming pool. A big, dark, cold, scary swimming pool that I can’t see the bottom of and is surely full of little creatures and slimy plants. It’s cool. I’m fine.

I take the step out and suck in a breath, filling my chest with air and kicking my feet.

Keeping my arms moving, I wade out closer to Noah. The other three aren’t much farther out, but their heads are barely visible above the water and only lit by the stars.

See, I can do this. I’m wading. I can tread water.

But I do wish they would come back in, just a little bit. There’s really no reason to be out so far. How long does a skinny dip last, anyway? I mean, we’ve dipped.

Noah had been right by me, but now I’m not feeling the ripples from his kicks in the water anymore. I look around and go to call out his name, but the water at my chin is suddenly to my nose and when I open my mouth, I take it in.

I bob back up, spitting out water and getting a breath.

But now I’ve lost them. I can’t see anyone.

I want to go back.

I turn to go back the way I came, but it’s not right. The beach should be there. The fire. The lights from the back of the house—I don’t see them. The moon has gone behind the clouds and all there is around me is darkness, water somehow turning into trees. There’s no horizon. No beach. No land. No friends. No sister. No Noah.

I keep spinning around to see the house. I don’t know which way is in or out. My arms are cold, and my legs are getting tired.

“Noah!”

“Livvy, over here!” He sounds far away.

I don’t want to swim out there. I want to go back.

I open my mouth to call to him again, but I slip under for a second. Water fills my nose and my eyes. I come back up, coughing. My side has a cramp and my legs feel stiff.

I can’t stay up.

I can’t stay up.

Water overtakes me again.

I’m flailing.

I go under and I can’t tell which direction is up.

Kicking with all the strength I have, I burst to the surface again, splashing and waving and I scream for help.

I inhale and water rushes in. I can’t breathe.

And then I go under. Sinking. I kick. But I can’t get back up.

CHAPTER 14

NOAH

The splashing stops just before I locate the disturbance in the water. And then it’s gone. Livvy’s gone. Nothing. She’d been right behind me.

The water is calm.

“Livvy!”

No call back.

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