Inoperative

Chapter 3

       I pump my legs as fast as they will go. I can see the lake now. It's so close. I can also see Aiden right beside me. The idea of losing motivates me to move even faster and I get a tiny distance ahead. I reach the edge of the lake puffing but he dives right in. Putting my hands on my knees and sucking in gulps of air, I watch as his head breaks the surface and he shakes the water from his hair. The bag is laying open on its side a few metres from the edge.
"You had a head start and I still won," he calls.
"You didn't win. I won by far," I argue.
"Yeah, but you didn't jump in."
"Neither of us ever mentioned having to be in the lake."
"I know but the lake means the water specifically and tell me Amara, have you touched the water yet?"
"I. . . " I actually don't know what to say to that because he has a fairly valid point.
"Well, are you going to come in?" he asks.
"I'll just sit over here and watch you swim," I tell him and walk over to the large dead log that dangles half over the lake.
Sliding up onto it, I shuffle along until I'm at the very end of it and almost in the middle of the lake. The lake isn't that big but it's beautiful. The water is crystal clear and large stones lay at the bottom of the deep pool. It streams in from the hill, creating a small waterfall.
I sit and watch as Aiden swims back and forth doing somersaults under water and splashing about. The air is freezing so I can't even begin to imagine the temperature of the water. He swims towards me and stops when he's right below me. And then, I'm covered in tiny freezing droplets that sting like needles everywhere they hit.
"What the hell, Aiden?!" I yell.
"Come for a swim. It's warm once you're in. Trust me."
"Well, I'm sorry but I don't trust you. Besides, I just don't want to swim, okay? Let it go."
He swims to the edge of the lake and climbs out. I quickly look away when I notice his shirt and it's level of transparency.
"Come on, Ames, it's time for my little surprise," he calls.
I shuffle back to the edge again and off my log. The grass is so green and soft that I could probably fall asleep in it. The lake is surrounded by a small clearing where the trees don't dare to grow in case they disturb the peaceful setting. He grabs his overturned bag and empties the contents. He lays one of my torn up blankets out on the grass and then lays out two cloths with berries and fruit in them.
"What is this?" I ask.
"A picnic," he replies. "What? Don't tell me you've never had a picnic."
"Yeah, I um. . . I don't really get around."
"Well it's pretty simple really. You sit down with some sandwiches and fruit and you eat," he says.
He walks right up to me so that his chest is just inches from mine, though he's a bit taller than me. I let my eyes wander anywhere but on him.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
"It just. . . " I clear my throat. "You're shirt."
"What about it?"
"It's very see through."
He smiles. "You're right. Sorry," he says as he pulls his shirt over his head.
"That's not what I—"
"Fixed!" he states, cutting me off.
"Whatever." I walk around him and sit down on the blanket. "Do you know if these fruits are safe to eat?"
"Of course I do," he says proudly, sitting on the blanket next to me. "I assure you, they're all very safe."
"And where exactly did you learn that?" I ask incredulously.
"Boy scouts," he says as if it's obvious.
"What's that?"
"They take us outside the walls and teach us how to survive out here. They also teach us how to use guns and other weapons. It's pretty fun," he explains.
"Wait, did you say they take you outside the walls?" I ask.
"Yeah. . ."
"They never take anyone outside the walls. I thought it was forbidden?"
"It still is. I'm pretty sure they just taught us in case we were ever stuck on the other side."
"But, the only reason you'd get to the other side would be if they deemed you an inoperative and if you were, they wouldn't want you to live," I pointed out.
"I don't get it either but anyway, let's change the subject."
"Ok, what to?" I take a berry and plop it into my mouth.
The delicious juices fill my mouth, tantalising my taste buds with the most divine taste. I groan and lean my head back. These are way better than the fruit that I get from Madge.
"You like them?" Aiden asks.
I nod as I put another one in my mouth, biting slowly and savouring the taste. He chuckles softly as he watches me.
"They're delicious," I tell him.
"Try the other ones. Those ones you just ate are raspberries but there are better ones there."
I go through the berries, sampling each one. Once I've tried one or two of all of them, I put another raspberry in my mouth.
"I've come to a conclusion," I say, looking up at him for the first time since I started eating. He's staring at me intently. His face is serious like he's trying to figure me out. "What?"
"Nothing," he says, looking down and shaking his head. "What was your conclusion?"
"Oh, yeah! I've come to the conclusion that the raspberries are my all time favourite food."
"Well then now that that's sorted, we can have some real fun. Let's go for a swim," he says, standing up and then holding his hand out to help me stand.
I take it thankfully. I don't think I could stand up on my own considering how much food I just ate. "You swim. I'll watch."
I climb up and scramble back onto my log as I watch Aiden dive back into the lake with barely a splash. The mid morning sun sparkles off each tiny droplet that has the pleasure of falling upon his flawless skin. He swims slowly towards me, looking scarily like a predator with his half submerged head drifting like a log.
"Why won't you come in?" he asks.
"Why do you want me to?" I ask.
"Now, now Ames, don't answer a question with another question," he whispers, pulling the top half of himself out of the water, his arms acting like pillars, so that his irritatingly gorgeous face and bare chest are inches from my face.
"I just don't want to swim, okay?"
He pulls himself up so that he's sitting beside me. "If you won't go in willingly, I'll just have to force you to get in!"
Before I can react or grab hold on something, I'm sent plummeting towards the freezing pool of water. I think I mutter an inaudible "no" before my body becomes engulfed in frozen liquid.
Within five seconds, the blood that runs through my veins freezes. I can't breathe and I find myself inhaling gulps of water that burn my throat.
I struggle and kick, waving my arms frantically, praying that I could just reach the surface and take one vital breath of air. But my efforts are futile.
In about ten seconds, I feel my body settle on the rocks at the bottom of the lake. My arms and legs turn to jelly and all logical thoughts flee my mind. I watch as the world goes silent and the bubbles that are fighting to breach slow to a snail's pace.
Images flash across my mind of things that I haven't even thought about in years. My mother. . . Brayden. . . someone dressed in a blue cloak, holding a scalpel and looking down at me.
And then once again, I'm brought back to the water that surrounds me, cold and dense. Only there's something coming towards me. It's blurry through the consuming blue. An angel? My guardian? It's a boy — no — a man.
Grabbing me around the waist, he hauls me upwards. Everything goes black just before I reach the surface.