HAVEN ✓

Twenty-Six

Luke lets out a whoop before diving in.

Not from the very top, thankfully, but once we climbed down to the pool below, he quickly divested himself of his filthy clothes and jumped in, wearing only his undershorts.

If it was any other day, if I hadn't walked for nearly a week without a proper bath, if dirt wasn't stuck to me with my own sweat, then I would have politely covered my eyes and waited my turn.

But today is not the day.

I cannot shed my clothes fast enough. Kicking off my shoes, my packs hit the ground a fraction faster than my shirt does, then my pants. I ignore the wind caressing my bare stomach. Only then do I gaze at the shimmering blue pool below.

Luke comes up for air and I watch him slick back his wet hair. Our eyes meet for a brief charged moment before I take a breath, filling my lungs with oxygen until they hurt.

Then I jump.

Cold is the first thing that crosses my mind. Air is the second. Thirdly, I realize that I haven't been swimming since before Rhett was taken. It used to be one of my favorite activities.

I open my eyes underwater to see blurry bubbles climbing upwards around me, crawling up my skin as I sink. The sun refracted through the pool gives just enough light for me to know that I'm nowhere close to the bottom. I am suspended there, weightless for what could easily be eternity. There are no Skinwalkers in this place, no Council warning against innocent Outlanders, no existence of hardship. Time itself is almost non-existent, if not for my burning lungs.

Luckily, my limbs remember the movements, and I kick and paddle my way to the top. Feeling the water completely surround me, the currents brushing up along my bare skin is entirely invigorating. For the first time in what feels like days, weeks, years, my soul is restored.

Breaking the surface of the water, my ears are met with the roaring waterfall once more. It is jarring compared to the muffled sounds underwater. Wiping the water out of my eyes and sucking in a much-needed breath, I search for Luke, swimming in a complete circle.

Realizing he must have dove again, I work on scrubbing the filth from my body. My arms and legs are the worst-off, caked with grime from traveling. How I wish I had a loofa from home, or even a washcloth. A bar of soap would do nicely.

Suddenly, I feel something wrap around my ankle and tug. I barely have time to draw in a breath before I am submerged once more. I kick and flail, and my ankle is released. When I break the surface, Luke is laughing hysterically, clutching his chest.

"So not funny!" I scold, splashing him for reinforcement. It only makes him laugh harder.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Luke offers, not looking anything near apologetic. "I'll make it up to you. Follow me." With a grin, he swims off toward the flow of water falling from the cliff.

I can't quite keep up with Luke's long-limbed strokes, but I swim after him nevertheless. When we reach the bottom of the waterfall, Luke turns to me and winks before diving under the stream.

I'm hesitant to follow, unsure if I'll even be able to make it across. I cautiously stick my hand under the falls, then my arm, and when I'm sure it won't be too powerful to knock me out, I swim across to the other side.

Behind the waterfall is a smaller pool surrounded by more concave rock. There is an alcove off to the right with a rocky platform where Luke sits, waiting for me. It is the perfect place to rest, hidden behind the curtain on water. As I lift myself up onto the platform to lounge next to Luke, I realize how intimate the space is, sectioned off from the outside world. I try to pretend I'm wearing more than just my underwear.