The Inexplicable Exploits of the Dork Corps

Part I - Aquastrophe

     "Whenever you want." and with that she left too. Nemesis watched her go and pulled out a volume from her book bag. A midsummer night's dream. She mumbled under her breath as she read,

     "The cusore... no course, of true love neevr, never did run smooth..." She read on for the better part of an hour. The sounds of her laughing friends echoing up from below. When the sun had reached it highpoint in the sky, she was deciphering a particularly difficult word when she felt a wet hand on her shoulder. She yelped and turned around to see a sniggering Carter trying to see what she was reading. She slammed the book shut and said,

     "What do you want Worth?" as shove shoved the volume into her bag and clasped it shut.

     "Come on Nems, come get in the water with us. Its great." he pleaded. She gave him a bored glare through her sunglasses. He reached out and then took her bag in one fell swoop. He dangled the book bag over the edge of the bluff. "Come with me, or the book gets it." She halted in her pursuit of hitting him and glared,

     "You wouldn't dare." 

     "Oh I so would"

     "Come on please give it back Carter." she took off her sunglasses and widened her eyes, pouting. She quickly tossed her hat and glasses on the close by picnic table. He hesitated for a heartbeat and then removed a finger from the handle of the bag.

     "That won't work on me Nems, I've seen you kick a puppy."

     "You said you wouldn't bring that up again! It was an accident."

     "Come with me."

     "No."

     "Come with me."

     "No."

     "Come with me."

     "Fine," she spat, "But I'm only going in to my waist, I'm not swimming" she stepped forward and snatched the bag from his hands as he chuckled,

     "Okay, sure." She dropped her bag on the table and set aside her flip flops. she practically slid down the steep rocky path to the beach.  As she reached the sand below, she deeply regretted not bringing her flip flops. The sand was burning hot. "What? Do you want me to carry you?" he said sarcastically.

     "Shut up." She growled and placed a carful foot on the burnished sand. It stung. She refused to move fast though as she watched Carter run down the beach and splash into the water. She swallowed, but she was only going in to her waist. She would be fine. The sand under her feet grew darker and more compact. It was cooler. Could she still run back up the shore? Probably, but the sand was so much cooler down here. The white foam of a wave lapped at her toes. It really was deliciously cold. She stepped further in, until she was up to her knees. It wasn't so bad. The water was a murky blue not clear, it smelled of salt rather than chlorine and is was in constant motion, though there were no large waves. She wasn't in a pool, she was in the ocean. and so she moved in until the water level was at her thighs, then her hips, and then her waist. She was deeper then she cared to be, but it was lovely all the same.

     "Hey Neme!" Fire shouted from about twenty feet away, "Carter finally got you down here huh?"

     "Yeah, he held my book hostage"

     "Still I never thought that I'd see you here after all that whining about the beach back at the barracks."

     "Well, I still hate the beach but-" And something grabbed her ankle, tight and dragged her under. Suddenly she was six years old again and had her head held down in the deep end of the pool. All she could taste was chlorine, black was fringing in on her vision and she could hear her foster brother cackling from just above her. She tried to breathe and sucked in raw water, she could not breathe, and all she could do was pray that her brother would let her up soon.