The initiates organize to take taxis down to the lake. There is nowhere on campus to store cars except in a lot by the theatre, and the faculty underground lot. So, they agree to take the three taxis to the docks and split the fare evenly.

They pile into the taxis and make their way to the specified address. Once they arrive at the house, they follow the letters' directions. Together, they walk around to the back of the property.

There, they find a long wooden pier. Nearby is a tree with a tire on a rope tied to it.

"Who do you think owns the house?" Roman asks loudly, looking around.

"It looks abandoned to me," Kai says, stepping closer to the house.

There are no lights on, after all. The bricks are dirty, likely from soot rubbed on old houses to keep them warm. The lawn is thick and overgrown, with weeds and wildflowers abound.

Felix grabs Kai and pulls him back. "Let's not get close enough to test out your theory."

"What are we doing here?" Briar asks, looking around. She didn't bring a flashlight and it is too dark to see anything clearly.

Luis laughs. He can hear the disdain in her voice, clear as day. While he is slightly out of his element himself (darkness is no place to paint), he shakes his head. "Why don't we wait and see what the night has to bring us?"

With the knowledge that The Divide has stolen a body, Ellie keeps her eyes peeled. She watches every step and pays extra attention to the house. Once she reaches the tire swing, avoiding the pier, she pulls on the rope will all her force. It seems it won't snap.

"What are you doing?" Evelyn asks. She is shivering once more, wearing only shorts and a bikini top with ruffles. She couldn't risk getting any clothes dirty.

"Not jumping, I hope," Ez sneers, rolling his eyes. He too is paying extra attention, except to the others around him. Only seven will make it. Looking around, it is hard for him to tell who it shall be.

Jetta has a hard time seeing, especially in the dark. With only one working eye, navigating is difficult. She steps carefully through the grass until she reaches the tire swing. She grabs onto it, with Ellie stepping aside.

"Should I swing?" Jetta asks.

Ellie shrugs. She feels the chill of the wind on her shoulders. "It's safe, I think."

"Do it!" Tom shouts from far away.

He and Vieira have reached the pier. They walk down it, their feet crossing over each step carefully. Tom is used to being on peers, with the beach of Brighton always nearby. He makes sure he is a step ahead of Vieira in case the wood gives way.

Vieira sees the note beneath a rock, while Tom is too busy watching his feet. She approaches it and takes the sheet of paper in her hands. Like the others, it is written in fancy black ink.

She picks it up and then reads it. Her fingers nimbly pass it to Tom.

He clears his throat and projects, thankful he hadn't smoked a cigarette days before. "Be careful swimming in Mermaid Lagoon!"

The others move from their spots and begin to gather around. Kai snatches the paper from Tom's hands to read it himself.

"Is that from Alice and Wonderland? I don't remember mermaids," Kai asks.

Ez sighs. "Peter Pan, actually."

"I'm not going in the lake," Felix insists, shaking his head.

"What if there are leeches?" Evelyn asks. She clings beside Kai, who hopes no one looks at him. He wants to keep Evelyn by his side without the others knowing. Especially Poppy.

"There aren't any," Poppy says. She begins to take off her top and her pants. Beneath, she is wearing a bikini with a hue that is hard to see in the dark.

Kai races to take off his clothes as well. When he is finally down to his swimming trunks, he jumps in. With a splash, he is in the water.

Luis begins to take off his clothes as well. The others watch him, once he is down to his shorts, and he leans down off the pier and lowers himself inside.

Jetta moves over to the tree with the tire swing, climbs atop it, and throws herself in the water. Once inside, she splashes Luis, who laughs.

On the pier, Evelyn kneels down and put a hand in the water. "It's freezing."

"Oh, believe me, darling, I know," Kai says, clenching his teeth so that they don't chatter.

Luis is careful not to duck his curly locks below the surface. His hair is the only thing he cares for in a routine.

"You're going to get hypothermia," Ellie insists.

Tom, beside her, doesn't care. He's on his last chance to get into The Divide, and if they are asking him to swim, he is going to swim. So, he removes the articles of clothing, lays them on the pier and jumps in. His head ducks underwater, and he shakes out his hair.

"It's not too bad," Poppy says. "The pool at the country club is colder."

Felix doesn't want to seem afraid, so he joins them in the water.

"That's the spirit," Kai says.

"Can it," Felix adds, his voice silent. He enjoys being underwater though. No one can see him beneath the surface. "Poppy's right, it's not that bad."

Roman is nervous. They brought a bathing suit with a binder built-in, but they don't want to risk jumping in and exposing themselves. Though they take off their pants, revealing swim shorts below, they keep on their shirt. With that, they jump in.

"Pitch black winter nights live in my bones," they say.

Everyone has come accustom to their incessant quoting, so no one questions it.

Kai jumps up to reach at the pier and tries to grab Briar's foot. She leaps back just in time.

"Not funny," she enunciates every word as if it is stuck on her tongue.

Evelyn is next to join them, when Kai wiggles a finger in her direction, gesturing for her to follow him in. The water isn't much colder than the air, but goosebumps erupt on her skin.

Though Ellie is skeptical, she begins to move in. Briar, not wanting to be outdone, follows after her. The two lower themselves into the lake and look at each other. Their arms cling around their bodies, holding tightly to keep the blood circulating in their bodies.

Ez and Vieira are the only ones left on the pier. Ez puts down his satchel as well as his clothes. He looks at Vieira, and leaps in the water. He lands next to Ellie and Briar, soaking them both.

Ellie feels herself relaxing, for the first time in a long time.

"How are we going to get back if we are soaking wet?" Vieira asks. "A cab won't take us."

Poppy rolls her eyes. "It's only two kilometres back to campus. We could've walked here."

Vieira looks around. She guesses it will be fine. She wore a bathing suit after all, so it's not like she wasn't expecting this. They had all agreed to wear them to be safe, and so safe they shall be. She makes her way into the water, plopping down off the pier. She stands on the tips of her toes to keep as much of herself out of the water as possible.

"What now?" Ez asks, his voice dry despite his wet body.

"Well, last time they gave us a sign," Roman points out.

"The phone call," Ellie remembers, thinking of the way The Divide lured them upstairs to find the note. The body had been an unwelcome addition.

Evelyn squeaks. "Something just touched my leg."

"Probably just seaweed," Kai rolls his eyes, a smile on his face.

Tom isn't so sure. "Maybe they bought an eel."

"I'm sure they didn't," Poppy insists.

No one else is entirely sure.

"I want to get out," Evelyn says. Then, she remembers this is her last chance. Fashion isn't about what you know, but who you know. She cannot bear to lose her spot.

"It's fine," Poppy insists, her voice losing its lightness. It cuts, colder than the water.

To distract everyone, Kai jumps up. He picks up sand off the bottom of the lake and throws it at Ez.

Ez looks up and wipes the sand off his face. "What the fuck?"

Kai shrugs. Ez dunks his head underwater and grabs sand. He chucks it back but misses, and hits Felix.

All at once, an all-out fight bursts. A whirlwind of sand and water erupts on the lake as they all throw sand and kick water at each other. Luis tries to protect his hair but it is far too late. Briar shrieks as she is pelted and begins to pelt back. Jetta laughs and teams up with Poppy to pelt the others. Felix actually grins, though he generally doesn't like to get his hands dirty. Evelyn giggles, only stopping when the sand gets in her hair. Vieira hides under the water to avoid being caught. Ellie only targets Kai, because it's his fault, and Kai targets everyone indiscriminately even though he is receiving most of the backlash. Tom tries to swim away. Roman cannot stop laughing, no matter how hard they try. Ez is stewing in the water.

Then, there is a bang.

They turn their heads and look over the water and see a figure with a gun. He stands above the water all in black.

Screams erupt from their throats and the sound echoes. When it reaches back the owners' ears, only then do they realize that they have screamed. They duck underwater or freeze, unable to move. Those who can drag down those who are frozen.

The gunman shoots bullet after bullet into the water.

Poppy looks on, her eyes hovering over the surface of the water.

Tom tries to get to shore, to stop the gunman.

Jetta holds her breath and shields her head underwater.

Vieira cannot go underwater because she is hyperventilating.

Felix looks at the murky water and watches bullets enter.

Kai, too, is chasing after the gunman, as any hero would.

Roman zig-zags away from shore, trying to make themselves harder to hit, even though they move in the water slowly.

Ellie is underwater and grabs Briar to bring her down as well.

Briar swallows a mouthful of water and begins to choke underwater.

Luis has never believed in God, but he prays that he might not die at this moment.

Ez sinks to the bottom, aware that he can't tell when the sound of the shots will stop.

Evelyn is shrieking, as loud as her usually soft voice allows.

Before anyone can make it to shore, the figure runs out of bullets and runs away.

Blood runs through the water.

~~~~~

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday. I got my second dose, so I was feeling under the weather. I'm back baby. Also, I know I'm evil. Enjoy!