The sound of roaring water filled my ears, the trees rustled with the wind, and Thomas was being as annoying as before. Were it not for that last bit, it might be a perfect afternoon.

"We're so high!" There was nothing quite like the innocent excitement from a child, but I severely overestimated my patience. We truly were high, though. I'd taken us to the very top of the mountain to take the same route Claire and Kristina had, figuring that if they could do it, then so could I.

I was looking through the oars, but constantly had to make sure Thomas wouldn't fall over the edge and drown. I'd given him a life vest, but I couldn't be sure.

"Alright, I think I found a good one," I called out. We had to hurry, unfortunately, because while Antoinette hadn't noticed us disappear, I feared it was only a matter of time before she-

"Sebastian, get out of there!"

Speak of the devil.

Both Thomas and I turned to see Antoinette standing at the edge of the dock, grabbing a hold of the rope that tethered the kayak and pulling. She looked furious, and probably within reason.

"Not happening!" I shouted back, grabbing the same rope. "You were incredibly unfair and biased to that chick-- what kind of seven year old doesn't want to share their toys? She's gotta learn sharing is caring, doesn't she? She ruined Thomas' day, so did you, I'm just making sure he enjoys today!"

"That's not an excuse to take him down the most dangerous river in Paradise!"

"Are you sure? 'Cause I-"

"Sebastian, get him out of the fucking boat!"

I wasn't going to take that. I knew that Antoinette would ruin our fun if she pulled enough, so I didn't give her the chance. Before I'd lost my shot, I jumped into the kayak, untied the rope from the boat, and Thomas and I were sent down the river at once.

"NO!" Antoinette lunged forward, just out of reach to grab us.

I laughed uproariously, focusing my attention on the route ahead of us, already making us speed downslope. Keeping a very thrilled Thomas secure in place, I took the oar from the floor of the kayak and- I then realized I'd never actually taken it.

"Shit," I whispered. Maybe I could have handled that better. Thomas didn't notice, he was having the time of his life as we rode down the river. It was filled with much more obstacles than I thought it would be, but as soon as I realized I wouldn't be able to get help from the oar, I paled.

It was fine. Thomas hadn't realized yet, he was enjoying the rocky waters in blissful ignorance much more than I was, but I could only wonder how long that would last.

Thinking fast, I gripped the sides of the kayak and tried to maneuver it like that, but I quickly realized that I could only do so much.

I threw my body weight to the side when a large rock rapidly approached us, able to swerve out of its way just in time. Thomas feared not for his safety like I was, and this was something I did not appreciate of children.

As I started coming to the realization that maybe I could have handled this better, I heard a familiar voice from behind us.

"Thomas!" It was Antoinette. I whipped my head back to see her running. She was running- sprinting -along the left side of the river, trying to catch up to us. At once I felt a pang of annoyance, but I wasn't planning on stopping. We could take care of this- I could take care of this on my own, I just had to think.

I tore my eyes away from Antoinette just as she'd tripped, and tried focusing on my own problems. I forced the thought of seeing her fall during her sprint out of my mind and focused, gripping the sides of the kayak.

It was with great timing that I did that, because the moment I had, our kayak bumped head on with the top of a rock, sending us soaring through the air, high above the rushing waters below.
For a brief, fleeting moment, we were flying. And it was glorious.

Then we crashed back into the water, much rougher than I would have liked. It shook us like an earthquake, nearly sending us tipping over, but at least Thomas finally understood the dangers that came with this plan.

His laughter turned into crying almost at once, grabbing onto me with a vice grip I never expected from someone so young.

It was fine, I had to remain in control; I could still get us out of here in one piece, no matter how much we bumped into rocks, each one dangerously close to tipping us and throwing us into the raging river.

As I steeled myself and prepared to show that I really could do this, I saw a fair distance away that the river turned left. Thomas must have seen it too, since he hid himself like a turtle at the floor of the kayak.

I grit my teeth, grabbing onto the sides of the kayak and throwing all my weight onto the left side as we hit the curve at full force.

The rocks in the water made our turning that much more difficult, and for a moment I feared we'd crash, but that fear subsided once we'd made the curve and started again on a straight route. It was going good, we just needed to get to the end of the river.

But it was relentless, and as soon as we'd seen a flicker of peace, it launched us right back into the chaos, jagged rocks sticking out of the water threatening to destroy the kayak as we picked up speed.

I knew at once I wouldn't be able to stop this, but I didn't have time to think. Before I'd realized, the jagged rocks were already upon us, and before I could stop to think, I grabbed Thomas and jumped off the kayak, seconds before it smashed into pieces against one of the rocks.

We hit the water, hard, and his smaller body slipped from my grip almost immediately after we resurfaced.

I had to save myself. Calling upon a forgotten memory, I started swimming in direction of one of the smoother rocks I could see, using the current to guide me towards it.

As soon as I managed to latch on, I heard Thomas screaming.

"Son of a bitch," I hissed, struggling to stay afloat as the water crashed against me. I hoped maybe he'd be able to do like me and grab onto something, but he wasn't. He was just screaming and flailing. Useless.

Taking a deep breath, I kicked myself off the rock and swam with the current until I could grab his shirt. By then the jagged rocks had cleared out, leaving smoother (but not smaller) ones in our path. Using my legs, I dragged him along with the rushing water until I could reach a rock large enough to hold both of us, and I could finally get a breather.

I forced him up the side of the rock, leaving him to cry on the top as I tried searching for a way out. We were smack in the middle of the river, and I wasn't even sure how much longer it went for.

But it was fine. I could still manage to find a way out on my own, I could still handle this.

That's when the rock we had stationed at started to move. It started sliding across the river floor, something I suspected came from the strong current plus the two bodies.

Then, just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, I heard it. The roaring sound of a waterfall.

Thomas screamed. Eh... maybe it wasn't the best idea to bring a 7 year old to the most dangerous river in Paradise, but hindsight is 20/20. Right now I had more important concerns.

The rock continued to slide, drawing ever closer to the waterfall as I looked at our surroundings. There was a lot of nature around us, but none I could reach, none I could use to get us out of here.

That's fine.

The rock continued to slide but I could hardly hear a thing above the roaring river and Thomas' blubbering. It didn't let me think.

That was fine too.

I just needed to think of something, anything! There had to be something, I thought, turning my head from side to side. This was fine, I could make it out.

The rock hit us with another tremor as it lowered abruptly, nearly sinking me. We were running out of time, I was running out of time and I couldn't think of anything.

Was this what failure felt like?

I looked up at Thomas, an innocent victim in my mistakes, but despite having an obligation to get him out of here, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think, I didn't know what to do, I'd made a tremendous mistake.

This was not fine. The rock had started to pick up speed, so it was only a matter of seconds until...

"Thomas, Sebastian! Over here- catch the vine!"
Her voice reached out to us from firm land like a lifesaver, and as I turned my head, Antoinette had already thrown a vine towards us. It landed in the water nearby, and were it not for her keeping the other end firmly grasped, it would have immediately been lost.

"Alright, time to get a move on." I stretched out to the vine, resisting against the waters until my hand managed to reach it and pull it back. "Thomas, hold on tight!" I told him, and as he grabbed on for dear life and I held onto the sliding rock, Antoinette pulled him against the current to bring him back to land.

I felt a sense of relief, but then I had my own problems to worry about. Namely, how I was now too far from Antoinette for her to throw the vine properly.

It felt like time slowed down for us. I saw Antoinette fretting with the vine on the floor, I saw the drop from the waterfall, I saw Thomas safe and sound on land, and then I saw the world go upside down as my hands slipped from the rock.

I could see everything in those instants, the river that continued at the base of the waterfall, the forest extending with majestic trees farther than the eye could see. I was left breathless, in utter terror, or at the beauty of the horizon.

Falling was a strange sensation. I couldn't react, but as I stared up at the sky and the falling water, I saw the image of a night sky for a fleeting moment.

The stars were high above me, the lights from the city below that I rapidly approached, the vision in my head let me escape from an endless fall for a few seconds, instead thrusting me into a familiar place...

Then I felt something grabbing my hands, and I was thrown away from the vision.

It took me a moment to process the pain in my arms from the sudden stop, but I realized too soon that I wasn't falling anymore. I looked up, noticing my arms to the sky, and then... her.
Antoinette. She was grabbing onto my hands, the only thing keeping me from plummeting down the waterfall.

I tried to look past her, noticing the vine she'd used to save Thomas now wrapped around her ankles and tense. Did she tie it to something and jump?

... to save me?

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't think of anything. No witty or sarcastic remark, I could only stare as Antoinette's face contorted with effort just to hold onto me, managing still to speak through grit teeth.

"I told you not to go!"

There was a pause where all we could hear was the roar of the waterfall. I was still awestruck and unsure on how to handle this exactly... so I smiled weakly.

"Hey Antoinette... how's it hanging?"

She nearly let go of me.

"Okay! Okay, sorry! I'll stop- just, please get us out of here."

She squeezed open her eyes, glaring down at me. I could tell she was furious, but there was something else in her eyes this time. Something I couldn't place.

I hoped that, whatever it was, it would convince Antoinette to not let me babysit with her ever again.

We stood at each other's side as the sun began to settle down, and with it, a group of 7 year olds that made today one day I would likely never forget.

I accompanied Antoinette as she passed through every room, making sure they were well and accounted for and tucking them into bed. I was... still trying to think of what to say.

I was good at talking about what I feel, I didn't hold back, but I didn't know this time what I wanted to express. Gratitude? Regret? I wasn't sure.

"Alright," said Antoinette once they were all finished. "They're all in bed, even Thomas. He was a little... resistant, on edge, because someone decided to take him to the place you don't take a goddamn 7 year old."

"Ah yes, I wonder who that strapping young fellow could have been," I said as we left the building, entering the clearing outside.

She deadpanned at me. "That was you. You're the one that did it."

"And I already apologized for it."

The evening seemed so peaceful, especially when compared to what we'd just been through. Antoinette and I walked side by side as we were leaving, and as we did, a thought occurred.

"I still can't believe you take care of them willingly," I said. "If they get into fights over such stupid things."

She looked at me oddly. "You asked me that in the morning, my answer hasn't changed."

"I meant with your patience," I said. "They can be so frustrating, getting upset at each other for the silliest things."

"As if you have the patience of a saint," she replied with snark. I wasn't expecting the sudden bite, but after which she exhaled out of her nose. "It's part of the job. We all learn from it, I take it as a growing experience for me and for them."
"Well today seemed like a very eventful day, did you learn anything?"

"That I can't leave you alone for over a minute? And... that maybe I could have handled that situation better." She huffed. "I was a little harsh in taking Michelle's side immediately. Should've been fairer in deciding that."

We finally left the clearing and returned to the yellow road, where I stretched as we headed down the path.

"Well I know I learnt something," I said. "Bringing Thomas along was definitely a mistake; it was way too dangerous. I've no idea how Claire and Kristina managed to get past that, I barely could."

And the only reason I even managed to was because of who was walking next to me.
"..." I looked over, and then stared forward. "Thank you for saving me, by the way..., and sorry I took him away like that. You looked really cool though! If that helps."

She didn't respond immediately, but when she did it was a soft voice. "Don't mention it. Even if all of this was your fault, you made sure Thomas took the vine first, I couldn't just leave you to fall after that, as much as I wanted to."

I nodded, but didn't say anything after that. Somehow I felt like the air between us was different. As we continued to walk along the moonlight road, I felt for a brief moment that perhaps we could get along after all. It made my heart feel a little lighter, and as I looked up at the sky and the stars, I wondered what would come of me from here on out.

...And yet, no matter how much I thought that, it wasn't enough to get that vision out of my head. It was a memory, but of what? And why that? By the time we reached 1-A again, I was too tired to think, so I went into my room and prepared myself for the next day, returning into that uncomfortable darkness for sleep.