We walk for a while, then make camp, then walk for a while longer, then make camp.

We fall into a routine.

As long as no one tries to start anything, there's no shouting.

We make sure to keep the ones that argue away from each other. Rae and Erick walk at the front of the group, Daniel and Cat behind them, then Alex and Izzy, then James and Charlie. We switch Ava between us every few hours.

At night, Cat tries to teach her how to get around without being able to see, and even finds a spear from one of the Fae for her to use as a walking stick. She keeps trying to convince Ava to wear shoes to protect her feet, but Ava insists she can feel the earth better without them.

As we're setting up camp one night, James straightens and turns to face the trees.

"What's wrong, buddy?" I ask.

He steps forward. "Water."

Izzy offers her canteen to him.

He waves her off. "No. Running water."

"James," I call, "let's stick together."

But he walks into the woods without another word.

I frown. "You all stay here; I'll bring him back." I follow James into the trees.

He seems to know the exact path to walk where there's no brush to smack at our legs.

"James," I groan. "My feet are exhausted and I'm sweating like a pig. Can we please go back to the camp?"

The tree line ends and James freezes.

I come to his side and stop. "Oh," I say.

Somehow, James has led us directly to a lake.

It stretches so far I can't see the other side. Nearby, there's a waterfall crashing down.

"Whoa! James! How'd you find this?"

I turn and find Cat approaching. "You followed us?" I ask.

She shrugs one shoulder. "We thought James had gone loco."

James makes a face. "So, what, you wanted to watch me be insane?"

Cat slaps his chest. "Pretty much. But great find! I'd kill to get clean right now."

"What are you doing!?" I shout as she strips her shirt off.

She tosses it at me, grinning. "Don't be such a prude."

"Damn," Izzy's voice mutters as she emerges from the tree line. She gives Cat a once over, smirking. "I forgive you for dropping me in a hole now."

Cat grins, slipping out of her pants. "Thanks." She wiggles her eyebrows at me. "C'mon, you know you want to swim. You've still got blood on you."

I reach for my shirt, stepping back. "I'm not getting undressed."

She rolls her eyes and waves at her body, which only has panties on it. "Please. If they've seen me naked, they've seen you naked."

I gag. "Please, get in the water."

She scoffs, "prude." But she runs off and dives into the water. When she reemerges, she yelps about how cold it is, but doesn't come back to shore.

"Wait for me!" Izzy shouts, stripping and following her into the water.

The rest of my friends join us.

Rae is hesitant, but Erick coaxes her into the water, though she pulls one of his long shirts on to cover herself.

Alex starts to guide Ava in until I grab his arm.

Ava pauses as he turns to me.

"What, Raven?"

"You're binding," I say.

He yanks his arm from my grip. "So?"

I catch him again. "You know that can hurt you, Alex."

He shoves me. "What do you care?"

I sigh, "if you get your binder wet, you won't be able to wear it for a while. Isn't it better to take it off now?"

"Raven's right," Ava cuts in. "It's fine. Daniel can walk me in."

"Not James?" Alex asks, poking her in the ribs.

Ava turns red from her cheeks to her shoulders. "We're friends," she snaps. "He doesn't want to get in."

I turn and find James standing right where I left him, staring at our friends laughing and splashing in the water.

Once Alex goes to remove his binder and Daniel is guiding Ava into the water, I join James.

"Hey, what's wrong? You found this place. Don't you want to swim?"

He stares at the water like it's a shark about to bite his head off. "I'm okay. You go."

I turn to stare at the water too. I want nothing more than to dive in. Wash the weeks of grime, blood, and dirt off. Maybe stop smelling like sweat so much. Get the crusty feeling to go away.

But I hesitate. Like Alex, I don't want people to see my chest. Or the scars on my back. "I don't want to take my shirt off," I admit. "I'll stay here with you." I settle onto the shore to give my feet a break.

James frowns down at me, then settles in beside me. "You don't have to take it off."

I glance at him. "Then I'll stay to keep you company."

He shakes his head. "You don't have to do that, either."

"I want to," I say.

He rubs the back of his neck. "Well, then I'll feel guilty you didn't get to go swimming."

"I'm not doing it because of you. I'm doing it to hang out with you. It's my choice." I glance at his expression.

He's still staring at the water like it's going to kill him.

"You're scared," I note.

He glances at me and chews on his lip. "I- no. What? I love the water. I was even a fisherman in the dome for a while."

I frown. "That's dangerous. Usually, only criminals do that job."

James flinches.

"Hey, no judgement," I mutter. "It's not like being the councilwoman's kid didn't have its perks. I could get away with murder." I look down. "Literally."

"I wasn't a criminal," he says, quietly.

"Okay," I murmur.

It doesn't add up otherwise, but I don't press. I know usually only the worst of the worst work the seaports in the dome. The dome couldn't protect the water from getting irradiated, so we were always told there was a chance fishermen would come back poisoned and dying slowly from radiation.

It was a form of the death sentence.

I can't imagine anyone would take that job willingly.

James glares at me. "I'm not a criminal," he insists.

"I didn't say anything."

He circles his finger at my face. "You did." He shakes his head. "Look, I was on the streets for a while. After my parents died-." He clams up and clenches his fists.

I grab his shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it. Criminal or not, I'm not judging you. I believe you."

He sighs, "it's why I'm scared of the water."

"What?" I ask.

"Years ago... the city pools were shut down to conserve water."

"I remember," I murmur. "It was basically free to get in the last few days it was open."

James nods. "My family wasn't well-off, but I loved the water. I wanted to be a professional swimmer when I was younger. My parents always supported that, even though it was insane in there. So, when the prices went down, they took me to the pool every day. We would stay as long as they would let us. Even after everyone left."

"Sounds... fun," I murmur.

He closes his eyes and rubs the back of his neck. His long hair is knotted and wilting. "Something happened. Something always happens when I get in the water. They-they drowned. They were going to put me in the system, so I ran. I met my friend and we left the dome for a while. But neither of us could leave our past behind, so we went back. I found the only work that would take me... but something always happens when I get in the water."

I grab his hand and lace our fingers together. "You don't have to get in."

He nods. "You should. You smell like crap."

I bark a laugh and look out at the water. "Thanks."

He offers a half smile.

"Were you close?" I ask.

He glances at me and sighs, "I mean... I guess. They were always working. They weren't around much. But when they were, it was good." He frowns and rubs the back of his neck. "But ever since the power went off... something's changed."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

He glances at me. "I'll sound crazy."

"Charlie has wings," I say, pointing. As if that's all the evidence I need to assure him I'm used to crazy. Maybe it is.

He sighs and rubs his neck again. "I don't know. I guess my past started to feel... different. Like I'd remembered everything wrong. Like the things I knew were all... fake."

My heart slows.

Like having all these memories of your mother that she says were modified. Like years of scars covering your body that were from 'accidents' you can't remember. Like your mom's voice suddenly being horrifying, instead of comforting.

"See? I knew I'd sound insane," he grumbles.

"No," I say, quiet. "No, I know what you mean."

He raises his eyebrows. "You do?"

"Do you ever have dreams?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Dreams?"

"I mean of somewhere else. Somewhere like... out here. Not the dome. As if you've been there before?"

He blinks at me. "Sometimes," he admits.

I look to Charlie. "And sometimes, it feels like you've met someone before, even though you know you haven't. It feels like you've known them your whole life."

"Can't say I've felt that one," he murmurs.

"My point is... I don't know. I think we're in a similar boat."

He rubs his neck again. "I thought I was the crazy one."

I snort and lean on him.

He's quiet for a bit, then looks down at me. "You should swim. You really do smell."

"Thanks," I chuckle. "I'm fine staying here with you."

"I'll come to the edge," he says. "You can stay near me if it makes you feel better."

I groan, "fine, if you insist."

We scoot to the edge of the water.

James stays back from where it laps along the rocky shore.

I keep going, yelping as the water sends ice through my blood. I splash myself, letting my dried blood dissolve into the water.

"Is it nice?" James asks, leaning forward.

"It's freezing," I say, my teeth chattering. "But it's divine."

He scoots forward a few inches more, letting the water lap his toes. He shudders as it washes over his feet. He braves inching forward more until he's at my side. He grins and splashes water at my face.

I laugh and splash him back.

James pushes forward onto his knees and dunks his wilted hair underwater.

It flows out around him like brown seaweed, swaying in the water.

Once he's sat back up, I do the same. I dunk my whole head underwater, scrubbing weeks of dirt out.

James slaps my back, but it's too hard to be playful.

I jerk my head up and find all the blood has drained from his face.

My friends are screaming and scrambling from the water.

James stares above us, trembling. "This is all my fault. It's here for me. This is all my fault."

I don't look away from James. I grab his leg and squeeze. "Go grab my daggers."

His eyes snap to me, meeting my gaze. "Are you insane!? It's here for me! It'll try to follow!"

I don't even know what it is yet, but I don't pull my eyes away from James's face. "I need you to get my daggers, Jamison. You can protect me. All of us. Okay? I need your help."

His chest heaves as he nods. "What about you?" He rasps.

"I'll be fine once you bring me my daggers."

He shuffles back and whatever is looming above me hisses. James sobs and scrambles to his feet, sprinting away.

I risk looking up.

The thing's eyes watch James run, then shift down to me.

It doesn't care about him.

"Raven." Charlie appears at my side. "You have to be careful. These creatures are very dangerous."

"What is it?" I ask, pushing to my feet.

The creature's eyes follow.

Charlie looks up. "It's... an electric eel."

"It's the size of a bowling lane, Charlie," I hiss.

"Well, yes! It's magical! But it is, essentially, an electric eel."

I step back and the thing snarls, moving its head with me. "Why is it doing that?" I whimper.

Charlie flinches, folding his wings in.

The thing doesn't even look at him.

"It latches onto a single target once it's smelled their blood."

"Okay," I say, my mind racing. "Get the others back to the camp."

"What? Are you crazy?"

I risk a look at him. "This thing lights up in this water, we're all fried. Get everyone out of here. And make sure James can't come back."

"What? What about you?"

I draw my daggers from my waistband.

"You took those swimming?"

"Out here? Of course. Do what I said."

"Raven," he whispers.

"I'll be fine."

He closes his eyes, then takes off to corral everyone back to camp.

I try to step out of the water, but the creature snarls and moves towards me.

Sparks dance along the top if its head.

"Okay," I tell it. "I'm not going anywhere."

How high of a voltage can a giant electric eel get up to? Could it kill me? Would it shatter my bones if I'm in the water?

Its face moves down, towards me.

I take a shaky breath as it seems to sniff me.

Do eels have noses?

It makes a hissing noise, as if it doesn't like the way I smell.

"You and me both, buddy."

The sparks come faster now and they leap higher and higher.

I need to get out of the water, but it's big enough to swallow me in one gulp if I'm not careful.

"Hey, ugly!"

My head snaps around. "Izzy! What the hell are you doing!?"

She chucks a rock at the eel's face.

The eel whips around to face her.

It lunges and she splashes into the water.