Page 40 of Theirs to Ruin

The only way to know was to go after her.

Throwing on my jacket, I marched out of my bedroom and headed outside.

Guess I was going to the lake party after all.

Chapter 16

Camille

The sound of the party echoed in the distance, music drifting toward me as I hurried down the dirt path to the lake. The party was closer to the mouth of the Scarlet River, which flowed from the hills above Crimsonvale and emptied into the lake. The warm glow of a bonfire painted the night in shades of amber. As I neared, the flames leaped and twirled, sending shimmering sparks up into the starlit sky, reflecting in the glossy surface of the lake. Silhouettes of students moved around the fire, their movements fluid and uninhibited.

Bursts of laughter, snippets of conversations, and the rhythmic beats of a song I couldn't place all swirled around me as I made my way through the thick crowd of people. It seemed like an innocent gathering—if you forgot that many of these students were probably armed with a firearm or blade despite CU’s no weapons policy. Bianca herself often carried a snub-nosed revolver. I stuck to pepper spray and maybe a Taser if I was going someplace really sketchy—neither of which I was carrying tonight.

I searched for Ava in the crowd. While most students congregated in clusters, I noticed a few solitary figures. Among them, leaning against a tree with a nonchalant posture, was Kage. He was looking in the other direction, his gaze scanning the crowd as if he was searching for someone, too.

A barrage of emotions flooded me: anger, confusion, lust, and curiosity but I didn’t have time to deal with any of that right now. I needed to find his sister.

I spotted Jenji Wallace by a keg and jogged over to her.

“Have you seen Ava?”

Jenji gave me a snotty look and shook her head. “No. Even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you.”

I rolled my eyes and moved on. I asked every single person I encountered, but none of them had seen her. Finally, I ran into Ethan and Mia. I smiled, grateful for some friendly faces.

“Hey, have you guys seen Ava?”

"I think I saw her head upriver," Mia said. “You going to confront her about what she said about your mom? That totally sucked, by the way.”

I shook my head. “No, I just need to ask her a question.”

I waved at them and headed upriver, the noise of the party slowly fading behind me. The moonlight slipped through the trees but didn’t give me enough light, so I used the flashlight on my phone.

The ground grew uneven and slippery underfoot, the mud threatening to suck my shoes off my feet. I was almost to the pool when I heard a voice over the river's slow gurgle. The sound made it difficult to tell where it came from or even the gender of who was speaking. Was it Ava? And was the voice growing fainter, or was I moving away from it? I felt isolated, the weight of darkness pressing in from all sides.

Eventually, I reached the rockpool by the river. Just beyond it, there was something floating beneath the surface of the water,something that wasn't moving with the current but against it. I moved closer, my heart pounding, every instinct screaming for me to turn back. As the object became clearer, an icy chill washed over me.

It was a body.

The world seemed to blur around the edges, sounds becoming muffled as panic took hold of me. I tried to call out, but my voice came out as a choked whisper. Trying again, I screamed for help, but my voice was lost in the wind. I tried calling 911 on my phone, but I had no service.

Shit.

I had to do something. What if they were still alive?

I moved closer to the river’s edge then cried out when I caught sight of a familiar piece of clothing—a shimmering sequined top, one that matched what Ava had been wearing.

"No, no, no," I chanted.

Without thinking, I dropped my phone and lunged forward, diving into the river. The chill of the water took my breath away. It was much colder than I had expected but determination propelled me forward. I had to get to Ava.

Reaching her limp form, I took hold of her waist, trying to pull her to the surface but every tug I gave was met with resistance from the water's flow, the weight of Ava's sodden clothes and limp body making the task almost impossible. The current caught me and brought me under, water filling my nose. Kicking hard, I managed to come up for air, gasping, a strangled cry escaping my lips.

"Help!" I called out again, hoping someone—anyone—might hear my desperate plea.

But even as I shouted, I realized how far I had drifted from the bank. The party's noises were now distant echoes, swallowed by the vastness of the night.

Dread wrapped its fingers around my heart. Ava's body began slipping from my grasp, the river wanting to claim her for itself. It felt like a waking nightmare, one I couldn't escape from. Tears blurred my vision and I took another desperate breath. If I didn’t let go of Ava soon, the river was going to take us both.

---