Meet You At The River

"Elide. Elide!" A harsh whisper cut through the blissful haze of Elide's sleep and upon opening her eyes, she almost screamed. A pale, bemused face curtained with long, silvery hair floated above her.

"Christ, Manon I thought you were a ghost," cursed Elide, sitting up. "It's 2am in the morning what do you want?" Manon's blood red lips stretched into an evil grin. Her friend was beautiful really, with her sharp features and amber, almost golden eyes. However, in the dark of night with only pale moonlight filtering in, she looked positively ghoulish.

"It's our last night on camp! And I couldn't sleep so I thought why not go for a nighttime swim?" Elide pondered for a moment, rubbing sleep from her eyes. It was Elide's first week of university, and she had forced herself to sign up for an orientation camp, telling herself that she was starting a new chapter in her life and it would do her good to actively meet people for once. Really, she wasn't expecting much from it. Surprisingly enough, of all people, the stunning and slightly terrifying Manon took her under her wing on the first day of camp and Elide had stuck with her since. Elide still wasn't sure what Manon saw in her, but Elide enjoyed her company nonetheless.

"You know what? I'm down," Elide said, swinging her feet off her bed.

"That's my girl. Grab your stuff, I'll meet you outside in 5," chirped Manon. Manon's sheet of silvery hair whipped out of sight as she whisked out of Elide's room like the ghost she was. Elide shucked off her pyjamas, pulled on her favourite indigo bikini and threw a baggy shirt over it. She grabbed some essentials and left her cabin quietly, making sure not to wake her roommates.

Elide loved this, the serenity that swept over her whenever she was alone in nature. Their cabins were arranged in a U-shape, bordering the amphitheater which had a firepit in the center where most of the camp meetings were held. Beyond their campgrounds towards Elide's left was a pine forest standing sentry and whispering softly in the nighttime breeze. On her right was the river, murmuring and glistening under the pale moonlight that washed across the entire landscape. Elide's phone vibrated in her pocket, snapping her out of her reverie.

Elide rolled her eyes as she read Manon's text: I can't find my towel! Also I'm bringing drinks.

Hurry up!! I'll meet u at the river, typed out Elide, before pocketing her phone. She trudged upstream a bit, where there was a bend in the river and the campgrounds disappeared out of sight behind the trees. Elide pulled off her shirt and sat on the rocky bank, submerging her legs in the water. Due to thermal activity further upstream, the water remained pleasantly warm despite it being a chilly autumn night. She was completely content – the river water was a warm caress on her legs and she leaned back, taking in the stars pinwheeling above her through the gaps in the foliage.

Until her neck starting prickling with the sensation of being watched. Elide was then aware that she was in the middle of a forest, alone at night. She knew she was being stupid: these campgrounds were safe as they were cordoned off by an electric fence which prevented any hostile creatures from entering. But that didn't stop Elide from imagining. Her sense of foreboding only got worse.

Where the fuck was Manon? thought Elide, pulling back on her shirt and grabbing a sizeable rock. She was about to stand up, when a figure shifted out from behind a tree on the opposite bank. Elide let out a silent scream and without looking at what monstrosity had appeared before her, she chucked the rock with all her strength towards the figure. The rock hit its mark.

"OW!" Turned out, the figure was actually a person that could only be from her camp. He stumbled forward out of the shadows. Elide was struck dumb for a moment as she beheld his tanned and sculpted body, mostly bare except for his swimming trunks. His body was aglow in the moonlight, and Elide distinctly thought he looked like some Greek god. The guy hissed, bringing Elide back to the reality of the situation. Elide had done her job a bit too well as the poor man was now clutching his shin, which seemed to be bleeding slightly.