Silver Bound Girl

Chapter 38

            Grey and pink rocks, smoothed by the pounding water, lay along the creek, patches of grass cropping up between and beside them. The trees stood away from the shining trail of water, as if in fear of its current.  But what dominated the area was the rocky cliff that rose nearly thirty feet above them, only the upper reaches sprinkled with trees, over which water came crashing down into the deep pool below.

            Willow sighed, feeling the fine spray coat her skin, cooling her down. When she glanced at Rune, he had his eyes closed, face turned up to the breeze that blew around them, his face already beaded with water droplets.

            “C’mon,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the dull roar. “We can get closer.”

            He opened his eyes to grin and nod, following behind as she picked a path towards the waterfall. Willow kept a careful eye on the rocks, knowing from painful experience what could happen if you didn’t take care with water-slick surfaces. She stopped Rune twice, waving her hands as she tested shiny surfaces. She ignored his amused head shake and raised eyebrows. He could make fun of her all he liked, she wasn’t about to get another black bruise on her butt.

The closer they got to the thundering stream, the cooler it got. The heavier mist began to sink into their clothes, adding weight as the fabric clung more closely to their bodies. Willow ignored it, aiming them towards one of the flattest spans of rock, a few dozen feet from the base of the waterfall. She knew it was the closes spot to the fall where it was still possible to carry on a conversation.

Settling down onto the sun-warmed rock, Willow shrugged out of her backpack and leaned against it. Rune followed suit, rolling his shoulders as the weight was finally removed. Then he grinned at her, his voice raised. “You weren’t kidding when you said this is far out here. But it’s definitely worth it. I’ve never actually seen a waterfall in real life.”

Willow chuckled, the sound almost swallowed by the crashing coming from beside them. “You’ve clearly led a sheltered and empty existence. Aren’t you glad you met me?”

Rune laughed. “Yeah, but not just for this, you shameless woman. It’s a pity we didn’t bring bathing suits. Today’s a perfect day for a swim.”

“Who needs bathing suits? Let’s go. A swim sounds good to me.”

“Uh…”

Willow grinned as she stood. “Now who’s being a wuss? We can just go in in our clothes. We’re both in shorts and T-shirts, neither will get heavy enough to drag us under, unless you’re a really awful swimmer. Leave anything that’ll get damaged in your bag. By the time we get back, we’ll be dry enough. And if you don’t want to walk in wet clothes, we can either wait here in the sun, or climb up the ridge where it’s windy and dry off.”

Rune shook his head but stood. “I thought I was supposed to be the one with the crazy ideas.”

She didn’t bother replying, instead picking a path towards the creek. In seconds, every sound was swallowed by the pounding water. At the very edge of the pool, Willow turned and grinned at Rune. Before he had a chance to react, she jumped straight in, revelling in the feeling of cool water enveloping her.

Willow came up for air to see Rune where she’d left him, watching her from the pool’s edge. Laughing, she smacked the water, sending a handful splashing into his face. He spluttered, shaking his head to clear his eyes. She laughed again as he stared down at her.

A wicked glint came into his eyes as he backed up a few steps. Rune suddenly raced forward, tucking himself into a ball as he jumped. Willow sucked in a breath and ducked under water, Rune’s cannonball splashing harmlessly over the surface, leaving her unscathed.

            She popped back up just moments before he did. He stared at her again as she grinned. “My cousins try that all the time,” she shouted, wondering if he’d be able to hear her or at least read her lips. “You’ll have to try something more creative to get me.”

            A moment later she was choking, Rune having shoved his hands forward in the water, creating a wave that got her full in the face. Willow spat out the water and eyed her grinning friend. “This means war!”

            She inhaled deeply and dove under the water, keeping her eyes open. She ignored the blue depths, gaze locked onto her target. Before could find her among the churning water, she reached out, grabbed his foot, and yanked him under.

            Willow released him immediately and came back up to the surface, keeping a close eye on his form. She didn’t trust him not to try the same thing on her. But he came surging up, spitting water and panting. She smiled and waved. He laughed before launching himself at her.

            She yelped as he caught her shoulders, barely able to grab a breath before she shoved under. Willow twisted, breaking Rune’s hold on her and dove farther down. She could see him turning as he brought his legs higher up. She smiled underwater.

            Willow twisted and turned, doing her best to churn up the water. Once she could only see a bit in front of her, she darted forward and away from Rune, swimming around until she was behind him. Feeling her breath begin to burn in her lungs, she lunged forward, once again closing a hand around his ankle. But this time, she didn’t pull him under. Instead, she ran her fingers down the sole of his foot, grinning as she watched him thrash about. Only when she couldn’t take it any longer did she let him go and get her head above water. She gasped and breathed deeply, her lungs still protesting.

            Rune was only just getting himself righted, turning to look at her. Willow chuckled. He shook his head before splashing her again. While she wiped the water off her face, he took off for the other end of the pool. Willow’s grin was predatory. If he thought that was enough to win this, then he was sadly mistaken.