Nope.
It slams into a jagged rock sticking out of the lake and explodes into a gazillion pieces. A bowl of rice is not going to bring it back to life now. Nothing will.
The water is really cold and I need to get out before I freeze to death. I swim to the side of the river that Violet and her friends got out on.
I’m wet, scared, cold, and hopelessly lost.
If I had gotten to shore before I went over the waterfall, I could have just followed the river back to the group, but there’s no way I’m getting up these slick rocky cliffs. They jut out as far as I can see, so I don’t know what to do.
“Get out of the water,” I tell myself. That’s what I can do.
I’m in survival mode here. I have to think one step at a time.
Finally, my feet hit the ground and I start wading toward the shore. It’s thick wilderness around here with trees packed in tight all around. There’s no way they’re going to find me in this.
All I want is for someone to find me. I don’t want to be alone.
But when I hear footsteps and see a big burly man walking toward me, I take it all back.
I want to be alone! I want to be alone!
I step back as a cold shiver racks through my soaked body. The only people who live out here in the wilderness are serial killers. I’m so dead. It looks like the wilderness is going to get me after all.
I sink down to my chin and try to hide, but I have a bright orange life jacket on that isn’t fooling anyone. Plus, his brown eyes are on me. They’re fixated on me as he comes walking over.
I’d think he was handsome in any other situation. He’s the manly type—big, tall, thick body with strong wide shoulders and powerful tree trunks for legs. He looks like he can chop down a tree with only a stern look. His brown eyes are smoldering as he approaches.
I look around in a panic, wondering if there’s another waterfall that I can escape over. There’s nothing. I’m in a small lake.
He’s got a thick manly beard down to his chin, brown just like his messy hair. He’s wearing faded dirty jeans and a plaid shirt that’s rolled up his solid forearms. No t-shirt underneath.
Is that? Oh, my god he is a murderer!
He’s holding two dead rabbits by the ears.
I’ve seen enough. I gotta go.
I turn around and start heading back into the lake. I’ll swim across it and make my escape on the other side.
“Where are you going?” he calls out in a deep booming voice that’s all bass. “There’s no town or anyone around for miles.”
I stop dead in my tracks. I won’t last ten minutes in this thick forest. I’m cold and wet and have no idea what to do.
I’m dead either way, so why not go with him? He’ll probably make it quick. He might even feed me first.
I’m thinking a knife to the heart will be much better than being eaten alive by a grizzly bear.
I brush some hair over my face, hiding behind it, and turn around sheepishly. “Are you going to kill me?”
His big shoulders rumble as he chuckles. “Do you think everyone you meet is going to kill you?”
“No,” I say defensively. “Only weirdos who live in the forest!”
He laughs as he walks out of the trees and steps onto the shore. “Fair enough.”
I’m peeking at him through my wet hair, keeping my face hidden as he looks around, first at my broken computer and then at my broken canoe.
“You went over the waterfall?” He sounds impressed.
“Not on purpose,” I say as I sink a little lower. “I took a wrong turn.”
“I can see that. Where are you from?”
Oh no. If I tell him I’m from New York City, he’ll know that I’m not from around here and he’ll be free to proceed with my murdering.
“From around here,” I lie as I try to act casual and normal. “You know… close by with my big husband. He loves guns. He has so many of them. He should be here any second.”
I make a show of looking around. “Maaa—Andrew!” I shout. “Where are you, my lover?”
He’s not buying it. He never takes his eyes off me.
“Pull your hair back,” he says in a deep commanding voice.
It’s the kind of voice that makes me want to listen. It makes my body want to do what he says. With trembling hands, I run my fingers through my long wet hair and pull it back.
His eyes widen when he sees my face. I see his big chest rise as he sucks in a deep breath and he holds it as he watches me, stunned and transfixed.