THERE'S SOMETHING KALEIDOSCOPIC ABOUT THE RIVER.

Enchanting even, in the tranquility it provides as smooth blue-green ripples roll away from the paddles of the boat. Speckled with white water lilies, gold and red koi fish swirl in the water, their velvet silver fins swaying under the surface. Two pink young does stumble from the trees before making their way to the river for a sip of its iridescent charm. Then, a pair of small yellow rabbits, who dart across the marigold grass as they chase each other. Color, color, color. There's just so many splashes of color that a happy warmth expands in my chest with each breath — a sense of peace from the brutal burden of normalcy.

It's just Clark, me, and this mind-fucking, aesthetically-pleasing, psychedelic universe.

I've never been on a date before (that is, if yesterday doesn't count). Hell, I've never even found myself alone with a boy I've been attracted to. But if this was a date, I think this would definitely dethrone every other date known to mankind.

Turning around in the boat, my eyes lock onto the sky as I see magenta light hugging the jagged curves of the mountains. "We should hurry. The sun will start setting soon."

Clark stays quiet for a moment as if he's contemplating whether or not to speak up. "And... if we miss the bridge? Would staying here be so bad?"

His words catch me by surprise, and not a second passes before my thoughts automatically come rambling out, "Yes, it would. We can't stay here forever."

"Why not? It's nice here."

"Clark!"

"What? I'm serious."

I gesture to everything around us — the trees, the sky, the fox in our boat. "This isn't reality; reality is across that bridge. We don't even belong here. This is just a pause in our lives. You know, a fermata in the concerto, a red light in the traffic."

"Aw, you're so poetic, Karina." He continues to row the boat, the sarcastic smile on his face being the last thing I expected to come from this serious conversation.

"Clark, I swear to God I will push you off this boat."

I have to go back.

Shards of anxiety dig into the marrow of my bones as the truth of my situation comes crashing down on me. Coming to Eventyde Island has done nothing except remind me of my austere lifestyle back home. Nothing has changed in Cleveland, and nothing will change on its own. If the epiphany to my solution won't come, then I'll have to make one myself.

"You have to finish vet school," I explain with a frown. "And I... well, I don't really know what I'm doing. But staying here would mean running away from my problems — which I guess I technically am."

I know running away won't solve anything, but what if Clark and I do stay? What would our lives look like then? Like puppet strings, my family's expectations still hold me hostage, no matter how badly I want to snip them off. A future here in this strangely beautiful universe is hazy, and I can't imagine one right off the bat.

The burble of the river as Clark continues to row the boat washes away the tension — another sign that this place knows me too well. "You're right," he says. "It wouldn't really change anything. You'd still regret not pursuing music, and I'd still be here with one less sibling — don't look at me like that! I think I feel a bit better talking about him now."

Peach leans over the edge of the boat and stares at the water with wide-eyed fascination. A golden fish skims the surface and pecks his nose with a kiss before diving back under.

I dip my fingers into the river, letting the cool temperature linger for a moment before flicking my wrist and splashing Clark's grey t-shirt with shimmering water. He stops rowing, jaw dropped in shock as he blinks at his drenched shirt.

But before he can get back at me, Peach perks his ears, blue tips twitching as he listens for a sound. He sprints to the other side of the boat and lets out a loud squeak, his bushy tail swishing behind him. Butting Clark's hand with his head, he forces him to row towards the nearest patch of land.

Three minutes later, we find ourselves treading through another forest, one that hopefully contains our destination. Fireflies float above our heads, dancing around the blue butterflies that try to run away from a rambunctious Peach. Vines and thorns wrap around maroon tree trunks, the calmness of everything amplifying every snap and crunch beneath our feet.

Keeping an eye on the happy fox in front of us, I give Clark a nudge in the arm. "Do you really think he knows where we're going?"

He flashes me a look of uncertainty. "Well, foxes are supposed to have a good sense of smell. Besides, even if we end up in the middle of nowhere, at least it makes for a cool adventure."

Right. An adventure that no one would believe if we told them. But then again, there's something comforting in knowing that a boy with a whimsy smile and a heart of gold also knows about the existence of this Other World. There's something comforting in knowing that we both found an impossible place when we needed it the most. And that's all that matters.

I wonder if I'll ever see him again after I leave Eventyde. The thought alone widens the bruising hole in my heart.

An alarming high-pitched yip has Clark and me turning towards Peach. He sits at the base of a small tree, tail rapidly thumping against the ground as he stares at pink fruits hanging off the branches — heart-shaped with short, green leaves attached at the stem. Reaching up, Clark gently plucks one from the branch and watches Peach follow his movements. He crouches down to offer it, and the hungry fox easily bites into its juicy orange flesh.

Clark takes a whiff of the fruit. "It smells sweet. Should we try it?"

He's officially lost it because there's no way he hasn't considered the fact that it could be potentially poisonous. After all, we don't know the laws of this universe. For all we know, eating something not meant for us could result in waking up tomorrow with another goddamn arm.

"Just one small bite," he pleads as he picks another heartfruit, wiping its skin on his shorts to clean it. He's able to crack through its soft shell straight down the middle — two halves of a heart now in his hands. "And, look, if we live, we can even write a friendly little letter for anyone else who finds this place and let them know that the pink heartfruits are safe to eat! Trial and error at its finest."

Taking risks and living in the moment: a trait he's learned from Daniel — one that I wish I had. Both envy and admiration pull on my heartstrings because Clark Lee is the petrichor that comes after a torrential storm, and I'm stuck chasing white lightning that never actually reaches the ground. And it mocks me, ripping the sky open in its purple glow to constantly remind me of what's holding me back.

He waits for my answer and being the sensible one out of the two of us, I try my best to talk him out of it. "Okay, and what happens if we stumble on an error and you end up like Snow White?"

"Then I give you permission to be my Prince Florian and lay one on me," he says like it's obvious.

Peach butts his head against my ankle, round eyes darting between me and the piece in Clark's hand. I'm assuming he wants me to eat it as well.

Our fingers gingerly brush when I take half of the heartfruit with caution. Its orange flesh does smell temptingly sweet, and as much as I'm skeptical about trying new things (hi, I hate change. Have I mentioned that already?) maybe taking a page from Clark's book won't end in my tragic death. If anything, it'll be an interesting experience. "Florian was a creep, but fine. Here's to... peer pressure, I guess."

Another thing to add to my list of regretfully wrong decisions: the pink heartfruit from the Other World. Because unlike its deceitful scent, it's sour. So sour that the muscles in my jaw stiffen on impact and my face contorts into a painful expression. The tingles throughout my body cause goosebumps to rise on my arms.

With a shudder, Clark spits his piece out and tosses his half on the ground for Peach. "Yeah, bad idea — worse than lime. I'm so sorry I made us eat this shit. Ew."

An aftertaste of bitter citrus rests on my tongue, and I scowl at the unpleasantness. "You owe me every ice cream flavor the dessert bar on Eventyde has to offer."

"Deal."

After Clark's unsuccessful attempt at being a groundbreaking explorer, Peach leads us farther into the forest towards a mossy mountain where a large, dark cave resides. Rocks pile upon each other, plants with prickly red leaves and small violet flowers dangling from its expansive entrance.

"I'm going to be honest, Karina"—Clark blinks at the blanket of darkness—"I'm not really feeling this cave."

Releasing a nervous laugh, I take a step back. "Okay, thank God you said that, because I'm not — Peach!" With a happy squeak, the fox dashes into the cave and disappears without a glance back. "Oh, great. Just what we wanted."

We already established that going into a place that's probably filled with orange bats and giant spiders is ten times more terrifying than eating a potentially toxic heart-shaped fruit (feel free to disagree, but you'd be wrong. Spiders will always be worse.). But before I can even make a decision, a loud huff comes from the cave, followed by Peach and four other tiny fennec foxes with similar-colored ears — his siblings. And where there are siblings, there must be—

Clasping a hand over my mouth to muffle a gasp, I grab Clark's wrist to pull him back. "Uh, we need to go, like, right now."

As we crane our heads, a pair of large, glowing amber eyes look down at us from the darkness of the cave. Then, two large pointy ears with bright red tips and a large snout that could most definitely eat the both of us in one bite. It's both incredible and bone-chilling seeing Peach's mother tower over us at such a monstrous height.

Taking my hand, Clark slowly steps away as we try our best not to make any sudden noise. "We're just going to, ya know..."

"Yeah, we're leaving." I wave nervously at tiny Peach (who couldn't care any less because he's playing with his siblings). My grip on Clark's hand tightens by the second. "Uh, have a great life! I hope you grow tall like your terrifying  — I mean, your mother isn't scary!" The giant fox takes a threatening step forward into the dim purple sunlight. "I'm sure you're really lovely, ma'am—"

With a roll of his eyes, Clark yanks me back, and we run for our lives.

╰ ☆ ╮

Our journey back is swift and quiet as we both let the events of today settle into our brains. The lavender sun has started to set, and we don't have much time until the bridge disappears and we're stuck here for who knows how long. The river grows dark, specks and lines of glowing white slowly swirling into shapes right beneath our boat — a real-life Van Gogh painting.

"I wish I could have kept Peach in my pocket. I'll miss him," I say when we make it back on land and almost reach the bridge. Then, after I realize what happened back there, "Ugh, the nerve he had to not even vouch for us in front of his mom after all we did for him. We basically raised him, and this is how he treats us. What a little shit. Kids these days — they have no manners."

Clark chuckles, his smile not quite reaching eyes filled with troubled sorrow. He moves a branch out of the way before stepping over a thick tree root. After thinking for a moment, he says, "Some things are for the better, I guess. He wouldn't be able to survive on his own anyway; he's just a pup. He... needs to be with his family."

Just as we reach the cliff, the sun suddenly falls behind the distant mountains, the purple sky slowly blending into hues of blue.

The bridge is already there, but the rope rails have already started to fade. We exchange a look of panic.

Urging Clark to hurry, we both break into a sprint, the deck shaking as the bridge starts to dissipate behind us piece by piece. From the depths of the cliff, waves of a thunderous blue ocean slam against rocks beneath our feet. My chest heaves with each breath, heartbeat pulsing violently against my ribcage. Don't look back, don't look back. Clark reaches the island first, holding out a hand for me to grab just as I stumble on a plank that evaporates into particles of mist.

"Jump!" he yells, and without a second thought, I reach for his hand and leap into his steady hold. We watch as the rest of the bridge erases itself from existence, gone another day but remembered forever. "Are you okay?" he asks me.

"Yeah, that was just"—an exhale—"really scary."

It's night time on Eventyde Island. A quiet moon floats along a midnight sky, the stars illuminating the island in a soft glow. But I don't need light to feel his firm hold resting on the curve of my waist. Skin burning from the subtle touch tucked under my risen shirt, my fingers clench around the soft fabric on his shoulders. After all that we've been through in the past few hours, few days, few nights — confessions, inside jokes, and unprompted ventures — it's easy to lose myself in the sincerity in his eyes and the liquid gold contouring his moonlit features.

As we both still struggle to catch our breath, we can't help but laugh at ourselves for being a part of something so reckless yet exciting. It's a different experience that I never would have considered participating in if it hadn't been for him and his motivation to push forward and take a step outside of the box — a step in the water when I've been stuck on the shore.

Which is why when Clark leans in and kisses me, I decide to move one step farther into the ocean and kiss him back.