I dropped some towels on the chair and headed toward the deep end of the pool so I could dive in. I was a huge baby about cold water and took the "all or nothing" approach. I felt creeping into cold water slowly only prolonged the inevitable.
Taking my normal stance, I stood at the edge of the pool on tiptoes and placed my arms above my head, well aware of the fact that Mark was checking me out, much as I had done to him. Smiling briefly, I bent my knees and pushed off the side off the pool, cutting through the cold water in one movement. I swam the length of the pool and kicked off the side, propelling me back toward the other end of the pool. My lungs threatened mutiny as they burned for oxygen, but I pushed forward, finally reaching the point I had started from. I broke through the surface, gasping for breath, no longer feeling the cold water as I completed my ritual. I had learned long ago that by escalating my heart rate, the chill of the water would dissipate quicker and I could enjoy myself.
Mark swam to my side. "You look like a porpoise swimming under the water like that," he said huskily, wiping a drop of water off my forehead with the pad of his thumb.
I wanted to make a joke out of his comment, but his hand slid down my cheek, circling around underneath my hair until it rested against my neck. I sighed against his lips as he placed them on mine. Releasing the side of the pool, I wrapped my arms around his neck, anchoring myself to him. Our legs tangled together under the water as Mark deepened the kiss. We began to sink beneath the surface when he took his own hand off the side of the pool. Kissing him with the water surrounding us was a sensation like no other. My lungs craved air while my heart craved even more contact.
After a few moments, my lungs won and we finally broke the surface. "Wow," I said, looking at Mark.
"Yeah that was pretty wow," he said in a strangled voice.
"Race you to the other side," I said, laughing at his expression. I felt extremely powerful knowing my kisses impacted him so intensely. I surged away from the side of the pool and smiled under the water when I felt the water move behind me indicating he was close on my heels. My hand reached the wall on the shallow side of the pool a fraction of a second before his.
I broke the surface, gasping for air and laughing at the same time.
"You cheated by distracting me like that," he said, mock growling at me as he started to stalk me across the shallow end.
Giggling uncontrollably, I backed away from him. I climbed up the steps backwards as he closed the distance between us. My feet hit the patio a split second before he could reach me as I turned and raced around the pool, cautiously trying not to slip. Mark's hands reached out of nowhere and grasped me around my ankles, sending me sprawling back into the water and his waiting arms.
"I see how it works. You entice me with your mermaid-like-allure and flee when the water gets a little warm," he whispered in my ear, making goose bumps pop up on my arms.
"Mermaid allure? Being an Angel isn't enough? You need a mermaid too?" I teased sliding my arms back around his neck.
"Well, mermaids are pretty hot," he teased back, dropping his head in for another kiss.
"Cannonball!" a voice screeched out seconds before water cascaded over us as a huge weight dropped in the water right beside us.
"Shawn!" I sputtered, spitting out the mouthful of water I had ingested from the wave he had created. "You're such a dork," I added, heading for the steps to get out of Dodge while Mark and Shawn tried to dunk each other under the water. Robert joined the fray doing his own version of a cannonball as I exited the pool.
"Boys, you gotta love 'em," Sam said, handing me a towel so I could wipe the water off my face.
"How right you are, though it's a good thing they're cute," I said, trying unsuccessfully to sound disgruntled.
"I'm going to go take a quick shower. See if you can corral everyone together, Mark and I have something to talk to you guys about," I said, heading into the house.
I took a quick shower, taking only a few minutes to wash the chlorine out of my hair. I was anxious to talk to Haniel and my friends. The images I had received from the unknown girl had haunted me the entire afternoon. I yearned to erase them from her memory and replace them with new ones that would give her peace.
Within ten minutes I was dressed in a pair of comfy cut-off sweats and one of my favorite hoodies. I walked out to the living room barefoot and was pleased when I saw my friends waiting for me.
"What's going on Sis? Mark wouldn't tell us anything until you were done," Shawn said, sounded stressed.
"Is Haniel here?" I asked, ignoring my brother's question for the moment.
"I haven't seen him," Sam said, looking at us curiously.
"We can at least fill them in and when Haniel shows up we can get his input," Mark suggested.
"That works," I said, agreeing with him. So for the next fifteen minutes, Mark and I took turns filling our friends in on what had transpired while we were at the outdoor market. Everyone remained quiet as I told them about the awful images I had gleaned from the girl, and how bad it left me feeling when I didn’t have the chance to help her.
"It was different than when we train with Haniel. You know how the images fade as soon as he pulls back?" I asked them. They both nodded their heads. "Well, hers didn't. They seemed to have pierced my soul and I can still feel them there," I said miserably.
"That is because you did not filter them," Haniel's voice said from behind me. "If a Guide does not filter the emotions appropriately they can fester in their soul, proving to be quite painful," Haniel stated in his no-nonsense way. "Untrained Guides are advised against accepting the emotions of forgotten souls inside them for that reason."
"So, she was a forgotten soul?" I asked.
"It would appear so," he said.
"So, when do we go in and save her?" Sam asked in an excited voice.