"Ready?"
I hastily nodded, not even containing my excitement. Sawyer's hands left my face, causing my eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. I couldn't help but gasp at the sight in front of me when everything became clear. There was a small lake with a waterfall flowing into the water below. It was breathtaking. I'm not even sure how I've never heard or seen this place. Darling is so small.
"You like it?" My dad asked me, suddenly at mine and Sawyer's side.
"Yes! This is so cool! I didn't even know this was here!"
"It's because we keep it a secret," Parker yelled before running and jumping into the crystal-clear water.
Freezing water splattered against my body from the big splash he made, which made me suck in a breath. Parker broke the surface of the rippling water with a big smile on his face.
How was he not freezing?
Sawyer explained, "It's like the only place we can hang out and actually be ourselves."
Owen and the rest of the guys besides Rhett, my brother, and my dad, jumped into the cold water.
"I see," I nodded, understandably. "But how do you guys stand to swim in there? The water is freezing!"
Everyone laughed at my comment, which caused my cheeks to heat up. It's like there was a secret that they were all in on except me.
"What?" I asked as my eyes danced around the group.
"We are wolves. We can withstand colder temperatures," Rhett answered me like it was a fact everyone should know.
"Noted," sarcasm fell from my lips.
Sawyer ripped off his shirt, ready to dive into the water. My dad quickly followed suit, and the two of them raced to the lake, which left me alone with Rhett. I could feel his eyes on me even though my sight was on a bunch of werewolves splashing each other like little kids. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and cleared my throat in effort to get him to stop.
On cue, he slowly walked up to me like a predator stalking it's prey, "Are you gonna get in?"
"Are you crazy? That water is freezin', and I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm not a werewolf," I whispered that last part.
A melodious laugh filled the distance between us, and it lifted the corner of my mouth slightly. I made the mysterious bad boy of Darling laugh, something I never imagined myself doing.
"No, you're not," he said rather huskily with a mischievous glint in his light-green eyes.
His voice made me blush, so I turned away to make sure he didn't notice to change in the color of my face. My action made it easy for Rhett to make his move. Quicker than the normal human, he grabbed me around my waist and jumped into the lake. Instant stinging and exhilaration took over my body the moment my skin hit the water. It was too cold to be angry at Rhett for doing what he did, and to be honest, his glowing eyes staring at me underneath the water before we surfaced distracted me from the fact.
That was until I saw the smug look on his face above water.
Rhett was in front of me, smirking with water droplets on his bare, muscular chest.
"Wow, I never thought that werewolves were such jerks!"
I splashed water in his face, and this reaction made him smile.
"Well, you can't tame a beast," he said deadpanned, then splashed me back.
Before I could say anything, water hit my face again. Sawyer was now splashing me, along with Rhett. Humor was written all over their faces.
"Really?"
The look on my face said it all. Their eyes went wide and they disappeared under the water to get away from my glare.
The next few hours were filled with laughter and fun as I was able to adapt to the temperature of the water. We swam, played a few games, and talked. I found out that the guy I didn't know was a lone wolf named Issac, who was wandering across the states. When he crossed through Darling, he met the Dixons and joined their pack. He was a man of few words, probably from being alone so long, but when he did speak, he was actually pretty funny.
It was also nice to spend time with my dad and brother.
Throughout it all, it was hard to keep my eyes off of Rhett. At first, it was little things that got my attention, like the way he bites his lip when he is anxious or unsure, but then it was his smile, which was something that I haven't really been able to see since he never did at school. It is contagious and addicting, the way it brightens everyone's mood. I often found myself quickly looking away every time Rhett looked in my direction to hide the fact that I was staring.
I'm not sure if I am because of his perfect features or because of the mystery behind the guy. He was someone I used to feel sorry for because of how he was basically shunned by the whole town for things he doesn't even do, but now, all I can think about is how he the opposite of what everyone thought of him. Although he doesn't show it that often because he tries to be serious, I can see through the facade. I can see how spirited, funny, and caring he is.
Just observing the guys today, I saw how much he cares for his pack by the simple gestures he does for them. These gestures made me realize that he's done them for me too, even long before Sawyer turned into a werewolf, like the time where Blake walked through the classroom door and tried to slam it on me. Rhett's hand caught it before it hit my face and held it open so I could go inside. I didn't think much of it then, but he was being nice. He could've just let it happen. For all he knew, I was just like everyone else.
I hope that he realizes that I'm not. In reality, I'm nothing like them and have never been. It's hard to think that I would have to join those people back at school on Monday.
Knowing that we would have to leave this beautiful place soon, I looked around and tried to soak in the memory of it all. I haven't had this much fun in awhile. This experience was nothing like the ones at the creek. I thought that was fun before, but it doesn't compare to this—to these people. I was actually getting to know all of them, and they were all pretty cool to hang out with, even better than my fellow classmates I party with every weekend.
As I thought about how much fun I had today, I heard water ripple from behind me and turned around to face Rhett.
"I want to show you somethin'."
He started swimming towards the waterfall and motioned me to follow him with his head. When we get next to it, Rhett goes through it and disappears. When I don't follow, he comes back through and yanks through the other side, causing the high-pressured water to briefly pound against my head. As soon as the pressure stops, I realize that I'm in a cave, and the sound of the waterfall seems to dim down.
Rhett made his way up a rock that led to flat ground, where he sat down. I took a minute to look around. I've never seen anything like it. It was like there was a veil separating us from the rest of the world. It felt safe.
I carefully climbed up the rock and took a seat next to him. He was eyeing me, and I felt the courage to meet his gaze. He was silent for awhile, but then randomly spoke.
"Why aren't you scared of me like everyone else?"
"Should I be scared?" I retorted.
He ignored my question, "You're different."
My eyebrows rose, and I let a small smile show. That was an interesting thing to say, considering he is thought to be the most different person in town.
"I used to think that being different was a bad thing."
I subconsciously picked at my fingernails as I watched the clear veil in front of me.
"And now?" He asked as his light-green eyes bore into mine.
"I can't picture myself being any other way—being like the others."
Rhett glanced downwards with a half smile, and then looked back up at me. There was a hidden emotion behind his eyes. His wet hair clung to his forehead, and water drops trickled down his face.
"I'm happy you're not."
A smile reached my eyes, and I tucked my hair behind my ear shyly. That same feeling gave me goosebumps again and made my stomach do flips. I can't explain why the way he looks at me makes these things happen, but for some reason, I don't want it to stop.
"Hey, we are leavin'. Ready to go?" Jason's voice suddenly echoed through the cave, causing me to jump.
He was wading at the bottom of the rock. I didn't even hear him come in here.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Rhett responded, back in his guarded tone.
He climbed down and disappeared under the water before I could even speak. Jason gave me a small grin and helped me down into the water.
"Thanks. For inviting me here."
"It's no problem. It's nice to have a girl around.... and to see your dad happy again," he reassured me while patting my shoulder. "We take care of family in this pack."
I gave him a grateful nod before disappearing under the waterfall.