Going, Going, Gone

Chapter 2

I felt the water break beneath me as I splashed into the lake. I could still hear the cheers, but they were a bit muffled by my being underwater. 

I opened my eyes--something I'd never done while underwater--and looked around. It was so beautiful. The lake looked grayish-brown above surface, but underwater, it was surprisingly bright blue. The afternoon sunshine beamed down right onto a little turtle nest filled with eggs. I smiled--something else I'd never done underwater. 

As a matter of fact, I'd never stayed underwater for that long before.

As a matter of fact, no one had stayed underwater this long. At least, not here, at the camp. Not during our little "free fall game".

I should've been worried. It should've crossed my mind that the others were concerned about me, especially Beth and Chase. I should've realized that I'd been under way too long.

But it didn't. The water was so beautiful. It was completely tranquil below the surface. It was quiet and peaceful and just...beautiful. I loved it. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay down here, forever.

I swam a little ways to my right just in time to watch a baby snake slither behind one of the wooden legs of the dock. Normally, snakes would petrify me, but being at the camp had made me used to them. And anyway, I was in the beautiful blue water. I felt peaceful there. Nothing could scare me; I couldn't feel fear at all. It was like fear itself wasn't allowed beyond the water's surface.

I smiled again, and even though the snake was gone and I couldn't see the turtle nest anymore, I stayed right were I was. I was happy. I didn't want to leave, so I never would. I would stay here forev--

Suddenly, my peace was broken. I heard a big splash above me, but for some reason I couldn't look up to see who or what it was. I tried to, but my neck wouldn't move. It was strange--my neck felt fine, but it just wouldn't move.

Then I felt strong arms grab me from behind and try to pull me out of the water. Out of my peaceful haven. Away from the beauty and the pure blue and the little turtles and the fearlessness.

I fought back.

"No!" I screamed, sucking in water as I did so. "Don't take me! Let go of me! Leave me alone!" I kicked and writhed, and soon I was out of the strong grasp. I tried to swim away, still screaming, but the arms grabbed me again and held on tight. I scratched and bit and kicked and screamed, still sucking in more and more water. The arms wouldn't let go, and soon I was above the surface of the water, choking and gasping.

I was laid out on the dock and rolled over onto my back. I was still kicking and groping and trying to fight back, so a couple of the others came over and held down my arms and legs.

I was furious.

I just wanted to be left alone. Couldn't they see that?

Someone--I didn't know who it was; the once welcome sun was now obscuring their face--bent over me, placed their hands against my chest, and starting pumping as hard as they could. I tried to tell them stop, to tell them nothing was wrong with me, but I just spat out water.

After a few more pumps, all the water was out, and I shook off the others who had been holding me down. I sat up and coughed a few more times. Once I was sure no more water was going to spew out of my throat, I looked up at the "someone" who had pumped the water out of my lungs. The someone was Chase. I didn't care. I did just what I had been planning to do: screamed my lungs out.

"Why'd you grab me like that?! You should've just left me there! I was happy! I was peaceful! Isn't that the whole point of this stupid exercise?! To feel peace?! Well, I was peaceful! And you ruined! You just freaking ruined it! I wanted to stay! I wanted to stay!"

I realized that sometime between my screams I had stood up. I also realized that I was crying, crying so hard that my head was throbbing. But I didn't care. I was angry and I wanted everyone to know it.

Chase was staring at me with a shocked and slightly frightened look on his face.

"Tabitha..." he murmured, "...you were drowning. I...I thought that...I mean, you almost died."

I balled my fists at my sides. 

"I did not 'almost die'!" I shrieked. "I was fine down there. Didn't you see me? I was just hanging out down there by myself. I wasn't dying."

Chase seemed to be growing angry now.

"Yes you were!" he pointed at the others. "They saw you! Guys, wasn't Tabitha drowning down there?"

One of the others, a chubby blonde boy from the same cabin as Chase, picked at a hangnail and shrugged. "You were down there an awful long time," he said hesitantly. "And, well, when we looked down there, we couldn't see you at first...then Chase saw you and were your body was just floating around down there, all limp and stuff. So...so he dived in to get you."

Chase swung around to look at me as if to say "see?"

I glared at him. "You. Should. Have. Left. Me. There." I said coldly.

Then I turned and stalked off toward the cabins.