MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

30

"Does Billy also have powers?" El questions as I drive to the pool.

"What?" I ask.

"He had a blindfold like mine."

I slap my head. "I told you not to look in his nightstand."

"We were looking for clues," El defends.

"All we found was this," Max holds up the bag and whistle.

"That's not his," I note. "Where was it?"

"In the trash can. Do you recognize it?" Max asks.

"It looks like Heather's. Was there anything inside?"

"No. It's empty. Who is Heather?"

"The other lifeguard. She's on the shift before his."

"So.. a girl was over?" El questions.

I push aside the anxiety and jealousy.

Even if Billy was hooking up with Heather, it didn't matter. We weren't.. us.. until the other night. Not officially, anyway.

"Was there anything else weird?"

"The whole room was weird," Max shrugs.

"His bathtub.." El mutters. "There were empty ice bags."

"I told you, he does that all the time because of his workouts," Max reminds.

Ice bath. I've seen him prepare for those a lot. It was a basic workout thing he's done for years.

I park at the pool. People were leaving amidst the storm. We walk to the front desk- Max and Eleven in front.

"Excuse me," Max speaks up.

"No one in the water until 30 minutes after the last strike. And don't try to argue with me. If you wanna get electrocuted, climb a tree."

"Finn," I call, stepping behind the girls. "Where's Billy?"

"Billy?" he asks, looking up at me. "Oh.. hey, Racquel."

"Billy," I remind. "Have you seen him?"

"No. Him and Heather bailed on me today."

"Both of them?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

I roll my eyes and look to El, but she wasn't standing beside me anymore. I search the area before finding her staring at the wall.

"El?" I ask, walking over to her with Max behind me.

"Heather," she points at a picture.

The wall had a corkboard on it of the current lifeguards and instructors. My heart aches at the photo of Billy. But, I follow El's hand to the picture of Heather.

"Is that her?" Max asks.

"That's her," I confirm, tearing it off the wall. "Can you use this to find her?"

"I can," El nods.

I look to Finn's desk before ushering the girls to the staff area.

"Noise," Eleven requests.

"The showers," I tell Max.

Max nods and we set to turning the water on in each stall as El makes a blindfold out of a towel and swimming goggles.

It doesn't take long until El is back in her trance, searching for Heather.

"What do you see?" Max asks.

"A house.. with a red door.." El answers.

I look around the staff area. God, how did things change so fast?