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I sensed him behind me, and I tried not to care. I knew he needed to meet his brother. Any time now he would leave Barton Springs, and I’d never have to think about him, and what happened, again. But with my eyes closed, I realized I was listening for his movements.
Perhaps fifteen minutes passed, and I wondered if he’d left and I’d missed it completely. At the thought I sat up quickly, surprised by my disappointment.
He was reading his book again, but as soon as I sat up he looked over, his eyes scanning my body for a split second. Sweat trickled continuously down my back. I felt far too naked. Trying to cover his interest, he threw his book aside and felt for his phone. But now it was to check for the time, not for texts from his girlfriend. I felt it—he wasn’t thinking about his girlfriend now.
He stared at his phone, annoyed. Before I could turn away, he looked directly at me, making eye contact. “Excuse me, do you know what time it is?”
He obviously knew I’d heard him, but for a moment it seemed not answering would be the best thing to do, making it clear I didn’t want any contact.
But I couldn’t leave him hanging like that, I told myself. Without consulting a phone or a watch, I said, “Just after two.” My voice sounded a little huskier than I would have liked.
I was about to face forward again when he said, “I’m John.” And then to my pure mortification, I blushed.
I wasn’t sure what I was about to say in return when, without warning, I felt all the blood drain from my face. The feeling was like a connection had been severed, like a light had been switched off. I wasn’t sure how, but I suddenly knew Liv was gone.
I didn’t think about concealing anything. I ran so fast down the hill, I knew I was a blur, maneuvering too precisely between the groupings of people camped out on the now-jam-packed hillside.
Once I got through the people and leapt down to the sidewalk next to the springs, I ran directly to the far end of the pool, which was marked by a chain-link fence. Behind and below it was the runoff, a rocky pool a steep drop down where people took their dogs and swam for free. The Lost Kids were there at the entrance to the runoff. You could see the group of them diving and popping up like fish before going under again. It looked like they were taking turns trying to see something at the bottom of the pool, laughing and shouting to each other whenever they’d come up.
I heard myself scream, “She’s trapped!” I dove into the water, leaving behind me a crowd of people who’d risen to their feet.
The shock of the cold knocked the wind out of me. I swam hard over to the general area of the boys. It would seem suspicious that I hadn’t come up for air yet, but I was close now. I opened my eyes underwater. There were plants floating everywhere, and rays of sunlight were shining through the brown water in dusty beams. The stillness was in complete contrast to the chaos on the surface.
Between the bodies of the boys treading water, I saw Liv flattened against the runoff grate, sucked hard against it, long hair fanned eerily out around her. She wasn’t moving. I could hear the group shouting above the surface, yelling, “What are you doing? Leave her!” I heard Angus scream, “Shut the fuck up!”
Then I felt the intensifying suction of the water drawing me. I suddenly flew toward Liv, landing my feet against the metal bars to stop myself. I grasped at one of her arms, which floated lifelessly out from her side. Using all my strength, I tried to break away from the water’s pull and swim us to the surface. Her body didn’t follow. Through the haze, I saw her leg caught from the knee down in one of the slats of the grate, pinning her. I began desperately trying to free it. Her body was motionless, and I realized I was staring point-blank at someone who had drowned. I felt my own body begin to go into shock just as someone swiped at me underwater, trying to get my attention.
Like it was happening on a movie screen, I saw Angus angrily make a banging motion against the runoff grate. When he did it, a rusty slat bent outward, freeing Liv. Her body slammed against the grate again, the suction reclaiming her, and I struggled to grab hold of her.
Someone reached out to take her from me. Angus tried to stop him, lashing out with one long arm. I remembered his name was John. In the midst of the complete chaos, it came to me very clearly. He was the one who used his strength to haul Liv to the surface.
Everything happened in slow motion. John pulled Liv to the side of the pool, some of the Lost Kids right behind them. Hands of strangers reached out and helped move Liv’s body so that it was lying flat on the pavement. I flew up the silver ladder and rushed to Liv, Angus a second behind me. Somehow the group of us edged out the bystanders and circled Liv, trying to protect her from prying eyes.
“Livvy, come on.” I put my hands on her cheeks, until Angus pulled them away and started slapping Liv not so gently on the face.
“Come on, Liv.” This was lasting too long now. For a second Angus’s eyes met mine. “Are you kidding me?” I snarled at him. “She’s not like us.”
Angus couldn’t look at me and turned his attention back to Liv, determined to somehow make this okay.
“Liv!” I shouted at her, rubbing her arms. In my peripheral vision I saw George attempt to remove Angus.
“What did you do, you asshole? Get the fuck away from her.”
Within one second of George laying a hand on Angus, the Lost Kids jumped him. Marko, Daniel, and Max from Liv’s group descended upon our group to defend George. Suddenly I was surrounded by a nasty brawl, the Lost Kids choosing this moment to release months of repressed rage on Novak’s chosen ones.