Electric Love

Chapter 14

I run to the car, a half-eaten bagel in my mouth and my book bag threatening to fall off my shoulder. throwing open the door to Nathan's mom's car, I slide in.

"Thank god you're finally here! Step on it, mom, we're going to be late!" Nathan huffs, sitting shotgun.

"I did not take that long!" I say, knowing perfectly well that we are going to be ten minutes late to school because of me.

"Seriously? A herd of tortoises could have crawled to China in the time it takes for you to decide which outfit you're going to wear!"

I poke the back of his neck to shock him. "Shut up."

Mrs. Mary chuckles. "You guys are so cute."

Nathan and I blush. "Whatever, mom." he says.
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I run through the woods, wanting to rush home in order to tell my mom about the events of the day. Nathan and I had made plans to meet in the clearing after I told my mom where I was going.

I stop running, encountering the river. The weather has been a bit out of control lately, and I look up at the sky as a peal of thunder rolls across it. I need to hurry. I step onto a rock shallowly covered by water and I already am unsure of my footing. I slowly place my other foot beside the first, sliding a little. I lift my foot to take another step when the deafening sound of thunder crackles across the sky, and I fall.

My feet fly out from under me and my head slams against the rock I was standing on. Water surrounds me and I suck in a gasp of pain. Water rushes into my lungs and I choke. The feeling of my charge surging into the water and ground is indescribable. I am crippled by the pain, hurting too bad to scream. My vision goes fuzzy and I cough and fight for breath as I struggle and sink deeper into the current.

(Nathan's POV)

I walk my path home from school, thinking about Reese. We agreed to meet after school today, and I am already counting down the minutes until I see her. I think of her soft, pink lips, her shoulder-length caramel hair and how it falls just right across her face, and her eyes. I could stare into her eyes all day, the light blue reminding me of the white-hot electricity coursing through our bodies.

I see the river ahead and walk to the edge. I am about to put my foot in when I hear a faint splash.

I cock my head to the side, listening. I hear the faint crackle of electricity and I start running toward the sound. Only one person could be powerful enough for me to hear their electricity from where I am. "REESE!" I yell, running faster. I stumble to a stop when I see one of her shoes on the bank. I get on my hands and knees and peer down into the water. Small bubbles appear at the surface, and I dive in.

Immediately I feel 10 tons heavier. I swim deeper and see her at the bottom, the murky river water stirred up with mud where she landed. I grab her arm and try to haul her up but she's too heavy and I feel more tired with each passing second. I start to sink, my lungs screaming for air. I see Reese's face in my mind, her bright blue eyes burning into me.

That's it? You're just going to give up? She says.

I can't fight anymore, I think.

You won't, is more like it, she sasses. Fight, Nathan. Fight for us. Fight for your life!

My eyes shoot open and I reach for Reese's hand. I kick as hard as I can against the bottom of the river and burst through the surface, gasping for breath. I drag Reese to the surface and lay her down on a piece of driftwood by the shore. I think back to the CPR lessons I got the previous year and start chest compressions. 2 breaths, chest compressions, over and over. By the third revolution, I am tired. I lay my head on her chest.

"Come back to me, baby." I whisper. "Please."

I start chest compressions again, and around the 20th compression, she stirs and coughs water out of her lungs. I breath a sigh of relief. She coughs a few more times and sits up, her blue eyes shooting open.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I feel weird," she replies, then she turns away from me and vomits onto the sand beside her.