If only it were summer already! The sheer terror of standing on the top of the world, the anticipation, wondering if he had the courage to take that leap. The ecstasy when he did jump, and then the rush of wind in his hair. The sensation of falling and flying and losing control all at once. The lack of solid ground beneath his feet, of the deep blue water and turning foam far below. Wondering when he would hit the water—and then the shock of plunging into it. Having all the breath pushed out of his body, seeing nothing but the clearest blue—and then the astonishment of his head breaching the surface at last. The utter euphoria of crawling onto the warm sand, lying on the beach with the sun in his face as he breathed, as he felt life rushing through his veins.
“There’s something we can do right now!” He leapt to his feet, fed by the images in his mind, his voice wild, his eyes trained far out on the lake. He ripped off his gloves and began fumbling with the buttons of his cloak.
“What are you doing?” Aries demanded.
Collin tossed his gloves aside. “Too much talk, action now!” He yanked off his boots and dragged the scarf from his neck.
River jumped up. “What’s he talking about?”
Nic was laughing. “You are completely insane!”
Aries made a wild grab for Collin. “Are you out of your mind?”
Collin adeptly dodged out of Aries’s reach. As he galloped across the ice, he yanked off the rest of his clothes, leaving nothing but his thin under shirt and shorts. The cold bit at his skin, but backing out now would be too foolish.
He stood at the edge of the fishing hole—but his friends were coming fast. River was gathering up his discarded clothing, and Aries was racing for the hole.
Collin jerked the fishing lines up with a quick flick, sending a spray of icy water into the air.
He stared down into the icy abyss. His teeth gritted, his fists clenched. He gazed into his own dark blue eyes as his reflection smiled back, silently urging him forward.
He had to do this. He needed to do this.
This was madness! Why on earth was he doing this?
Aries was getting closer, calling him names and shouting obscenities. River was galloping behind with an armload of clothes. Nic was still beside the campfire, avidly urging him to jump.
This was it. If he didn’t do it now, Aries and River would make him stop.
He dragged his undershirt over his head.
Aries was a dozen feet away.
Collin sucked in a deep breath.
Aries was reaching out, about to tackle him.
The vision he’d had earlier—of falling into the lake’s belly, swallowed whole by black water shoved into his mind. And now here he was, daring it to happen.
Aries’s fingertips grazed his upper arm.
Now!
Collin held his breath—and jumped in, feet first.
The cold shocked his mind into stillness, his body into numbness. He would surely expire—like falling through a million shards of broken glass. His lungs contracted, pushing all the oxygen out of his body.
He sank and sank and sank.
It was as if some nameless force were pulling him steadily downward, wanting to keep him in the deepest part of the lake’s soul for all eternity.
Oddly, he wasn’t frightened. As he sank, the harshness of the cold eased. The loud thudding of his heart pounded rhythmically against his ribs, pushing forcefully on his chest, telling him that he was still alive. He was lost in this mysterious world—a world filled with odd sensations he had no words for. He was submerged in a place where he could hear the remarkable sound that pure beauty made, where he could truly feel the essence of verve.
A bubble escaped his mouth. He followed its progress. The world beneath the ice was dark, but the ice didn’t blot out the bright sky. It possessed a shimmery quality, and a single spot shone particularly bright as sunlight poured through the fishing hole.
He kicked upward, his lungs craving oxygen.
“Collin, are you stupid?”
