Witches in Training (#2 in the Witches Trilogy) [rewrites ongoing]

Chapter Seventeen: Who is She(r)?

VERA

After seeing zombies attack, my friend murdered with a bone and my brainwashed mom, I didn't think things could get much stranger. But here's the thing-they did.

As I emerge from the water, with the liquid dripping down my fcae, all I see is a gigantic unidentifiable blob moving towards the plaza. Then I slowly start to pick out the individual adults in the mass crowd walking in perfect sync, with insane uniformity. Each step is the same, every pace is matched, and no foot falls out of line. I spot my mother in a beige cardigan somewhere in the middle of the mob, moving with the same mindless unison.

I shiver, but it's not because of the chilly wind that's started blowing across the lake. What's controlling them? I'm half tempted to swim out and blend in with the crowd, see where they're going, see what they're doing, but I'd be putting myself in danger and Kieran would go nuts, not to mention Russell and Louis, who seem to have gotten it into their heads that it's their sworn duty to keep me from running into danger.

Speaking of Kieran, the boy pokes his head out from the water and chews his lip as he watches alongside me the army of marching zombies. "What do you think we should do?"

"You're asking me?" I say, surprised. "You normally just drag me along with you."

"Yes, well, I can't think of anything right now, so, what do you think we should do?"

Well, since he's asked... "I think we should follow them."

Kieran nods. "Good choice. How well do you swim?"

"Uh... fairly well, I suppose."

"Good, because we're swimming all the way and there might be a fairly strong current underway."

Judging by Kieran's skills in water, I'm worried by what he defines as 'fairly strong'. But I've no time to voice this, because Kieran signals to me, and dives back underwater. Panicking and not wanting to be left behind, I follow suit.

My swimming is pretty good, but as I worried, Kieran's definition of 'fairly strong' is vastly different from mine. He's a few metres ahead of me when I start to feel the force of the water attacking me viciously. Kieran is still cutting through the water strongly, repelling the current as though it's not even there, and he's smaller than I am.

You're nuts! I telepathically yell at Kieran, and accidentally get a mouthful of water. The lake looks so calm on the surface, but down a few metres and the currents start becoming vicious, especially towards the middle where we are, towards the rocky bay.

He twists around and treads water like he's in a swimming pool, looking surprised. Sorry, he says, I thought you said you could swim okay.

This is not 'okay' standards of swimming, Kieran!

Really?

Why am I even having the conversation with you?

Sorry.

Kieran swims over to me. I'm going to put a force around you that will match my pace.

Well, yeah, sure...

A watery shield envelops me. Kieran nods, and takes off again, slicing through the current effectively. Seconds later, I'm dragged along with him, pulling through the water more cleanly than I've ever gone in my life, and at a speed I would never have been able to achieve in this current. If this is what Kieran's usual pace is, I've got to remember to never challenge him in the water.

After what seems like merely seconds later, Kieran surfaces again. We're almost at the foot of the rocky bay that the adults are marching past. There are less hazardous ways to get up to land again, of course, but this is the fastest.