The next morning I wake up with an ache in my head. I don't know what it is. I get up and step into the bathroom and brush my teeth. I wash my face and tie my hair into a round bun and go downstairs. Michael is sitting on the couch, reading news paper. No sign of Jonah and Stephen. I walk towards Michael.

"Good morning." I say and sit on the couch.

"Good morning Alice. " he smiles.

"Breakfast done? Where are others ? " I ask taking a view of the lounge.

"Everyone has done breakfast. You were tired so I asked Nancy to let you sleep. Others are outside, playing in the garden. " he tells me.

"Oh. "

"Is there any nice place for swimming, Michael ? " I ask him.

"There's a pool in my house too, at the other side of the garden." He tell me, " or you can also go to the beach, if you want." He adds.

"I'd like to swim here, in the pool." I say and come out of the house. The pool is large. The water seems shallow in the beginning, which then turns into deep and then deepest. Jonah and Stephen can be seen playing badminton on the other side of the garden. I take off my coat and step inside the pool. I decide to stay in the shallow water, since I don't know much swimming. The water feels cold just as I step into the pool. I get my temperature balanced and start to swim, carefully. I reject the idea of staying in the shallow side because the water attracts me real bad. I begin to swim further more forward. The water reaches my neck, then my chin, then my lower lip. Suddenly, my legs seem to move upward. I know I can't go further more. I try to go backward and as I do so, I lose my balance.

Crap!

I'm stuck in the middle of the pool and there's nothing I can hold on to stay still. I feel the water going inside my mouth, then covering my lips and begin to cover my nose. I gasp. I'm drowning. The water covers my head. I move my legs and hands at the same time to come up, but as I come up, I'm getting more into the deep water side. I manage to pull out my head one more time. My eyes see Jonah, playing with the ball.

"JONAH!!!" I cry out loud his name and the water reaches my head again. I try to balance my self but nothing helps I rise up my hand to indicate that I need help but I'm going down.

Down. Down. Down. Up!

A hand comes from behind and drags me out of the water. I hold the hand for a while and then put my arms around the hard muscular shoulders. It's Stephen. I can feel him. I'm alive. He saved my life. I hide my face under his chest, my body shivers. The only word that comes out of my mouth repeatedly is "Jonah ".

Jonah. Jonah. Jonah.

He lays me down on the grass and move aside. I keep my eyes closed. I don't want him to look at me with anger again. Not right now.

"Oh Alice! What you did! " Jonah hugs me.
I open my eyes to look at him.

"Thank God you heard my voice, Jonah. " I say and cough.

"I'm glad you are okay." He says

" yeah, but I___" I'm about to thank him again when we both hear Michael calls Jonah from inside. Jonah stands up and runs towards the house, "coming!" He says, and vanishes.

I manage to stand up. My clothes wet. I cough again and walk towards Stephen who is looking at me with a kind of expression I can't describe.

"Thank you, Stephen. " the words come out of my mouth and I wonder if they are scared of the answer I'm about to hear. Probably he'd say, "not a problem." Instead, he says something that breaks my bones inside, " Next time, don't even go under water unless you don't know how to swim!" The words come out of his mouth with such an anger that makes me feel like I'm dead.

He walks away.
All I can do is stare.