by Rena Marin
“Earth to Sissy,” I hear Jess call out. I look up to find them staring at me like I’ve been picking my nose or something. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “I was just thinking.”
I see her face soften. Jess knows exactly what is on my mind. Crystal? She is as clueless as ever and either doesn’t catch on or doesn’t give a shit. Instead of offering the friendly smile Jess does, she shrugs her shoulders at me then turns to start for the bank.
The worn path leading down to the edge of the water isn’t the easiest thing to navigate. Sharp rocks, which seem to love Crystal’s knees, and holes are a problem. I’m afraid by the time we finally reach the water we’ll all have twisted ankles.
“Oh man, that water looks inviting,” Jess calls out as she sits the cooler down and turns to look at me. I can see the excitement in her eyes. She isn’t waiting around. In only a few seconds, she strips off her T-shirt, kicks off her flip flops, and takes off at a run toward the water. Once she’s in far enough, I watch her do a dive and disappear.
“Last one in,” Crystal cackles as she follows suit, ditching her clothes, then running at full speed into the water where Jess has emerged laughing.
“Come on, Sissy!” Jess calls out as she waves her arms in the air. “This heat is too much; you need to cool off.”
“Someone has to be the responsible one, ya know. Let me get our stuff situated, and I’ll be in there.”
I can hear their protests as I turn my back to the water. I fish my keys out of my pocket and find a nice spot under the cooler to stash them. I’m not going to play around in a swimming hole where someone can show up at any minute and run us off without my shorts on. I need to be prepared for immediate high tailing.
Once I have everything settled, I turn, eye the water, and take off running to join them. The icy coldness takes my breath for a few seconds, and then I dive under the water to get my body used to the change in temperature. When I emerge, the sun immediately warms me. This is already shaping up to be one of our hottest summers, and it isn’t even July yet.
“Alright, if we’re doing this, let’s do it right.”
I turn my head to see what Jess is talking about. I didn’t expect her to be the first, but she is already climbing out of the water to give the tree rope a try. She navigates the tree like a pro. Most people think Jess is a bit spoiled for our little town. Sure, her mom is what people around here call uppity, but she’s not loaded or anything. That’s Crystal’s dad. Nah, Jess’s mom is a single mother doing her best. She receives decent child support for Jess and her two brothers while she works her ass off at the local ER as a night shift RN. I have to say, the lady’s earned everything she’s got.
Jess’s closeness with her mom and pride in her ability to work and see to the needs of all three kids is one of the reasons she’s chosen nursing school. Since our freshman year, all she’s talked about is helping others and taking a nursing job out of this little town. I can’t say I blame her. There’s nothing here for someone like her. She has plans, dreams, all that. Del-Rio, Cosby, Cobbly Nob, none of them can offer Jess what she wants, and she isn’t one for settling.
“Here I go,” she announces as she grabs the rope, holds it tightly, then squeals out as she leaps from the tree, letting the rope swing her out into the distance. She lets go and disappears.
We wait for what seems like ages. Worry starts to settle in. Has she hit something in the water? Is she hurt? Tired of waiting around, I start swimming out to the spot where she hit, planning on diving under to find her.
“Over here, guys.”
Hearing her voice, I look around but don’t see her. Finally, my eyes settle on Jess, and her ample backside the boys love, climbing up the edge of the rocks on the other side of the water.
“What the hell are you doing?” I call out.
“There’s a little clearing up here. I saw it when I came up. Let’s check it out.”
Crystal doesn’t hesitate. She dives back into the water and swims to the other side of the river. I don’t know why, but the idea of being so far away from my truck, my keys, and all our things, isn’t settling right for me. I want to have a good day, though, so I shrug off my worries. I take a glance back at our stuff, hoping no one bothers it, and then follow them to the other side.
About the Author
Monsters. Murder. Mischief. Even sweet love. There’s no genre international bestselling author Rena Marin is afraid to touch. Growing up in a small town in East Tennessee, Marin found her love for the darker things at an early age. From dark creatures who lurk in the darkest of woods, to creepy dolls locked in warehouses, the sassy southern wordsmith leaves no challenge untouched. With a wink at humor and the ability to glare down gore, Marin twists wicked tales that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Marin is the author of several published works including Piano Man, The Witches of Dark Hollow Ridge, The Hunter’s Guild of Dark Hollow Ridge, The Midnight Sisters of Dark Hollow Ridge, the Escape from Reality Novellas Devoured and follow-up Consumed, Backroad, The Donut Shop Series Novella Death with a Cinnamon Sugar Twist, Graveyard Girls, Uninvited Guests, The Statesman Series Novella Tennessee Two-Step, The Sex Shop Series Novella Maid for You, the Creature Features Novella Triple Threat, Lockdown, The Soda Shop Series Novella Death with a Cherry on Top, The Pet Shop Series Novella Death and the Trouble with Goats and horror tale Ride. She is also the co-author of the award winning and bestselling Dead Oaks Terrors Series which features Halloween Nightmare, Ouija, Nightstalker, Curse of the Candy Corn Queen, and Oh, Deadly Night. She also co-penned the Dead Oaks Twisted Tails, Slither and Swarm. Marin is co-author of the Dollhouse Series which includes Petunia, Sage’s Sticky Buns, Petunia’s Valentine, Pop Rox, Petunia’s Freight Night with Fred, Petunia’s and Cream, Petunia’s Twelve-Inch Hero, Petunia’s Luscious Lemons, Busted, Sylvia’s Secret Santa, Cat Doll, Dolls for Days in Amish Country, and Van-Gogh Trip. Other co-writes under Marin’s belt include the fantastical satires, Coming Out Monster and Dragon Slayer Society, the terrifying tale, Little Sleepwalkers, Flowers for Meg, the cozy mystery, Country Bumpkin’s Peanut Butter Cups, and the horrific duo, Virus and Quarantine.
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Website: www.renamarin.com
Copyright © 2021 by Crazy Ink
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
