The scene unfolding in front of me feels like a sick fever dream. I'm not yet sure what I'm looking at as the only feeling that registers is pure fear and shock. A trembling Allison sits on a fold up chair, her Hello Kitty beach towel draped around her shoulders. My friends crowd around her, terror- stricken looks on each of their faces. It's not until we get closer to the group do I register the pitch of her voice and that something is terribly wrong.

"I swear something grabbed my leg and tried to pull me under! I felt claws or teeth dig into my skin," She screeches. Upon reaching Allison I notice an open gash and rivulets of crimson blood running down her calf. Isa at her side hysterically crying. My other friends are stunned in silence, none of them knowing how to react.

Not sure if it's my adrenaline kicking in or the horror of watching Allison's blood soaking the beach towel right on Hello Kitty's joyous face, but I quickly spring into action.

"I think I saw a First-Aid kit in the boat house!" Before anyone else has time to react I'm retracing my steps back to the shed. Upon opening the cabinet I'd seen it in before, the kit is nowhere in sight. That's odd, I know it was just here. I let out a frustrated growl and open each cabinet in my search. Nothing.

As I'm leaving the shed to check the house for more bandages and supplies, I hear a splash in the water to my left. I have to squint in the dark to adjust my eyes to what I'm looking at. I turn my phone flashlight on quick enough to catch a glimpse of what looks like some sort of fish. wait. A fish hand? No that can't be, fish don't have hands. Slippery, webbed fingers grasp the side of a rock. By the time they disappear back into the murky water, I'm still reeling in disbelief.

To make the situation even more puzzling, the First- Aid kit sits next to the rock, as if mocking me. As hot as it has been all day, I can feel myself trembling in this moment. The distance between me and the lake feels like miles as I tentatively step towards the rock.

After snatching it I muster up every ounce of courage left and aim my flashlight into the lake. For a moment, I expect the webbed fingers to reach up out of the water and pull me down in. Nothing except for my frazzled reflection stares back at me in the shimmering emerald lake.

After patching up Allison's wound, the night feels tarnished. The silence in the lake house is palpable. No one feels like drinking anymore or even talking, which is unheard of for my friends. Even Jonah is not acting his usual goofy and class clown self. He just mopes around the house with a popsicle in his mouth.

Ally is the sunshine of the group, and none of us are feeling her warmth. She's locked herself in her bedroom, clearly feeling as if her vacation has been ruined. As I walk past her door to retire to my room, I hear sniffling and Isa's hushed voice. I can't wait to fall into a deep sleep, putting an end to this nightmare of a day.

As I'm about to do just that, I hear a soft knock on my door. I'm not surprised to see Xavier waiting on the other side. I step aside to let him into the room and he sits on the edge of my bed.

"I know what's just happened was traumatic, but I think we need to get this trip back on track before it becomes a total disaster," He blurts out.

"I'm not sure what you mean," I respond.

"I mean we should stick to the plans of the trip and go Kayaking tomorrow," He finishes, surprising me.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, I mean Ally is still not over what happened in the water today, I don't think anyone is," I protest. How could he even suggest that we force everyone back into the water after what happened?

"Did you forget why we planned this trip? I'm the one who needed this more than anyone else," He says, eyes already welling with tears. I know he's right, and I instantly feel a pang of regret at my tone of voice. When Xavier's dad died in April, he was a mess. Such a mess that we planned this trip. He initially wanted to go to Vegas but none of us had the funds, so here we are.

"We're going tomorrow. I'll talk to the others in the morning," He says with finality, already standing to leave. I touch his arm, stopping his exit.

"What do you think did that to her leg?" I question quietly. "I don't know, she probably just hit it on a rock or something and freaked out, you know how Allison is," He replies with a roll of his eyes.

I want to believe him so badly that I leave out the part about seeing a whole hand with clawed finger nails on the side of the lake. I realize Xavier probably wouldn't believe me anyways, especially since he has such high hopes for this trip.

I turn off my lamp and wait for everyone to fall asleep. Tonight I won't be sleeping, I'll be investigating.