Camp Bluelake

Chapter 13

I awoke to the steady rhythm of a heart beat underneath me. Mine and Jesse's legs were intertwined underneath the sheets, my head resting on his chest. We stayed like that for a while, just listening to one another's breathing.

"Shall we go see if our lock has been fixed," Jesse says while stroking my head. I hum in response and slowly rise. We get dressed, promising ourselves a shower later, and head for our cabin.

We test the lock.

"Good as new. They work quickly." We head inside and unpack our night bags. Then we meet the rest for breakfast.

Milo and Fox are at our usual table. We tell them about our crazy night, leaving out the steamy scene in the bedroom before the wind interrupted. The thought made my cheeks pink.

"We're going out on the boat today." Fox says nonchalantly.

"I think we're riding on those tubes that connect to the back of the boat!" Milo adds excitedly, then ducks his head down, realising his outburst. Fox just pats his head.

"Yeah it should be fun."

We all head to the lake. We're some of the first to arrive from our class. The lake is split into two parts by blue buoys. The rest of the class is assembled and the instructor begins.

"Okay, so, we're going to split the class in half. If you're number one, you're on the first boat, number twos, you're on the second. The rest of you will be divided again after ones and twos have had their go. This is because we don't have enough room on the boat for all of you." He pauses so we can take in the onslaught of information.

"We will be using a float that you lie down on. It will be attached to the boat. Since the storm has some of our residents shaken, we've decided to take it easy today. Does anyone have any questions?" Just like yesterday, nobody raises their hands.

"Alright, no wet suits today, just trunks. I'm going to give you all numbers." I ended up in the first group, and Milo in the second, Jesse and Fox were left, which meant they would be going in after.

There were about twelve of us on one boat. I sat at the front, enjoying the water sprinkling my skin. A volunteer was driving the boat, and we took turns swapping out to lie on the rubber circle.

It was my go next. The last kid was reeled back in, and I replaced him. My hands found their way around the handles, and I gave the thumbs up. The boat started moving slowly at first, and then picked up speed. Our half of the lake was nearer the wooden square floating in the water.

The driver turned the boat in circles, creating large ripples. It was freeing. The water hitting my face in sprays of blue, my body sprawled out. I closed my eyes. It felt like I was flying. And then... I was.

My hands slipped from the black handles , my body flipping off to the side, hitting the surface hard.

The water was suffocating me, collapsing like the Twin Towers. My lungs filled with the exact substance that would cause my demise, blocking off my main source of survival, oxygen.

This wasn't peaceful like in all the movies I had watched, this was painful, and dark. I couldn't see through the heavy surges of rocking waves, caused by the ignorant boat drivers. At this point my head couldn't surface, and every time I thought I had, I would suck more lungfuls of H2O into my respiratory system.

My arms were so desperately clawing for something to grab onto. My screams giving off vibrations in the water, but nothing more. My weak legs kicked out, but for how much longer, I did not know. The sting in my calves was enough for even the most athletic runner to stop, but this was no ordinary race. It was a race with a reward far higher than any gold medal. The reward was my life, and I wasn't willing to lose it just yet.