The Other Side of Sanity

3. A Petal of Truth

"Hand me a beer, Em?"

I blinked, peeling my eyes away from the shimmering surface of the lake and turning them towards Kiera's expectant face. I glanced to my left, realizing the open cooler was right next to me.

"Right," I said, shaking myself out of my stupor. I grabbed the nearest bottle and hopped down from the wooden picnic table, handing it off to her.

"You okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and examining my face. "You look sort of out of it."

I forced a laugh, trying to keep it lighthearted. "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking about how weird it is that this is my first time ever coming here, and I've lived so close by most of my life."

Kiera grinned, using an opener attached to her key ring to pop open her beer. "Well, good thing your first time here is with us. You're gonna get the whole lake experience. Here," she passed the opened bottle to me. "You take this one and I'll get my own. We've gotta get this party started!"

Before I could protest, she let out a whoop and grabbed another bottle from the cooler, popping it open and guzzling half of it down in a few gulps.

I stared down at my own bottle. It would be nice to let loose like Kiera. But I wanted to look around first. There would be time for partying later, once I'd done some exploring. I took one, small sip to appease Kiera and set the beer down on the picnic table before turning towards the cluster of trees at the edge of the beach.

"Where're you going, Em?" 

I turned back towards the lake to find Carmen watching me. Behind her, Liz and Sylvia were already knee-deep in the water, splashing each other and laughing.

I bit my lip, my hand making its way back to my mother's locket. Carmen was the most understanding person I knew, but I still felt she might think I'm a bit crazy for wanting to explore the lakeside because my mother was found there so long ago. What did I expect to find? A time capsule with pictures and letters pertaining to my mother's past? I knew it was silly to expect to find anything. And yet...

I kept thinking back to that day I drove back to town. When I stopped by the lake before getting home and stared out at the water. That eerie, unexplainable feeling that the lake was calling to me. Summoning me to come closer. To walk through the trees. To sink beneath the waves.

Even now, there was a strange pull that was pushing me towards those trees. An invisible force tugging at my chest. Each lapping wave on the shore, like a whisper in my ear: Come in, Emmie. Come in...

"Well," I mumbled and then cleared my throat. "Well, I was just telling Kiera how I've never been here before, at least not this close to the lake. I was thinking of taking a short walk around. See what it's like, y'know?"

Carmen nodded. "I'll come with you. I don't want you to get lost since it's your first time here."

"That's a good idea," I agreed, sheepish. I'd wanted to explore alone, but I couldn't deny that she was right. Getting lost didn't sound like a good idea.

We stepped onto a well-worn trail that wove through the trees. I looked around, scanning the ground. The underbrush was sparse, a few cans, bottles, and bits of litter strewn about, but there wasn't much else to see. I wasn't sure what I was even looking for, but I couldn't stop myself from searching.

"Careful," Carmen's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I realized I hadn't spoken a word for a few minutes. She nodded towards my throat. "You'll break the clasp."

I looked down with surprise at my mother's locket, twisting between my fingers. I hadn't even realized I'd been fiddling with it.

"Oh," I said, releasing it. "I haven't been able to get it open yet."