Divergent Elements

Chapter 15

One week later

I look through my swimsuits, extremely excited. Today, we are going out to a lake. It will be our first "family trip" in a while.

I pull out a black bikini with a white lacy cover up, and put them on. My flip flops are by the front door, so I can put them on on the way out.

"Natalie! We have 20 minutes to get up to the car!" Mom shouts.

"Be there is a minute!"

I don't want to look totally terrible, so I put on some waterproof mascara and lip gloss, and fill my invisible eyebrows. I just cover the redness under my eyes with concealer.

Finally, I grab my extra clothes, towel and phone, and put them in a bag. Mom walks in,"You ready sweetie?"

I nod,"Lets go!"

I walk out into the living room, and see dad shake his head at me.

"A bikini?"
"Yes. I'm a teenager. I'm not gonna die"
"Maybe not from the bikini..." He mumbles.

Mom shoots him a look. I laugh,"It's ok Dad."

I slip my shoes on, and we head out. I am not sure who all will be going out to the lake, but I know Aunt Christina and Nadia are coming.

A guard meets us by the exit stairs, and Aunt Christina, Uncle Uriah, Nadia and Samantha are already waiting on the stairs.

"About time!" Uncle Uriah jokes, standing up.

I laugh,"Did Aunt Marlene make you wear those unicorn trunks?"

They are purple, with sparkling unicorns on them.

"Nope. I'm just awesome."

Samantha laughs at her Dad. She is a few years younger than us, but we treat her just the same.

"It is time for us to head out." The guard says, ushering us up the stairs.

I run up, exhausting my legs long the way. Nadia and I wait at the top for our parents and Samantha.

The guard is fiddling with the keys, finding the right one. He finds the corresponding key by the time the others get up.

We head up, getting some dirt on us from the ground around the narrow exit.

The air is perfectly warm, a nice day.
The breeze is light and cool.

Once everyone gets up, the guard leads us to a large car, covered in a camoflauge tarp, with bushes and leaves on all sides but the front. He pulls it forward, and we load in. The 3 kids are in the back, the adults in the middle 2 rows, and the guard in the front.

"How far out is it?" I ask the guard.
"About 10 minutes. No further questions ma'am."

I sit back, and buckle in.
"I heard from some other kids that the lake is crystal clear, and it's warmer than a pool." Samantha says, as she fiddles with her fingers.

"I would hope, that would be awesome."

We arrive in no time, and we all pile out of the car. I can see the shining lake a small walk away.

I grab my bag, and we head down the trail. There is a small deck and a table beside it. We place our things on top of the table.

"Wanna jump off that rock?" I ask, pointing upwards towards a, maybe 10 ft tall, slimy rock.

"I'm in!" Nadia says. We take our cover ups off, and find the back of the rock. It is kind of slippery, but I make my way up.

Nadia holds my hand and we stand beside each other. I can see the fish and plants floating in the lake. It really is crystal clear.

"Hey Dad! Watch this!" I yell to him.

He looks up smiling at me.
"Ok, 1." I let go of Nadias hand.
"2" we get ready to jump.
"1!" I dive cleanly into the water, and trap and air bubble around my head. I look around, watching the swarms of fish and plants swaying with the water.

I notice something shiny and seemingly, steel? I float up, seeing Nadia has almost swum all the way back over to our parents.

"Mom! Come here!" I yell.
She groans,"Do I have to?"
"Yes!" She dives in, and comes to me.

"Cover your head, and come look at this." I say, as I go back under the water. My body pushed through the water, towards the metal. It is right beneath lichen hanging above a cave. There a quiet sound that I can't quite place. 

We get everybody to join us, in case it is a threat.
"Did you see this underwater?" Dad asks, looking around.
"Yeah. I don't think it's anything bad." Mom replies.

We all climb onto the rock in front. Uncle Uriah  and Dad stand in front, then Mom and I, and lastly Nadia and Samantha.

We pull back the lichen, revealing the last thing we ever expected.

Cliffy!! Love ya'll!