We pulled to a stop in the middle of the woods at the end of a long dirt road. Kason and I stepped out of his Charger and closed the doors while we waited as our friends joined us. Getting the Charger down that dirt road wasn't easy, especially since Kason was constantly complaining that it was somehow going to ruin the paint job, but after a long twenty minutes, we made it.
Once everyone was parked and out of their cars, Kason led the way on a smaller dirt path through the woods that had to be hiked, following some directions that he was reading off of his phone. I wasn't prepared for the small hike, wearing sandals and a pair of shorts. Bushes and thorns were scraping the skin on my legs and I was nearly tripping with every step. But I didn't complain because one: nobody else was, and two: I was excited to see the waterfall. Fortunately, about three-hundred feet later, we arrived.
The waterfall was only about thirty feet high, and there were large rocks all around it that would make easy jumping into the large body of water below it. The water pool catching the water falling from the rocks was about as wide as the height of the rocks and seemed deep enough in places to be somewhat safe to be classified as a good place to go cliff jumping. The rocks were dark grey and brown, fitting right in with the greenery that surrounded us, and the water was somewhat clear but had a slight green tinge to it.
"This place is beautiful," Aria stated, immediately pulling out her camera from her drawstring bag and snapping a couple of pictures. The rest of us nodded in return.
"I guess we will go wait by the car," Chad spoke up, gesturing to himself and Brandon. "There's no one else around and I'm guessing you guys would enjoy some privacy."
"Thanks," Holden spoke up.
The cops nodded once and turned around, heading back the way we came. Honestly, I was surprised that they were allowing us to be that far away out of their sight, but no one spoke up thinking it was a bad idea, so I didn't either. I wasn't going to complain about some one-on-one time with my friends. I mean we were in the middle of nowhere, so it wasn't like there was anything to worry about.
Everyone started taking off the clothes that they were wearing over their swimwear when Gavin suddenly groaned in aggravation. "I forgot our towels in the Jeep," he announced, throwing his shirt onto a nearby rock. "I'll hurry and go get them."
"You don't have to," Holden told him. "We can all just dry off once we get back to the cars."
My brother shook his head. "I'd rather not have to hike back through the woods while drenched in water.
"I'll go with you," Marla jumped in immediately.
With that, Gavin nodded and together, they started heading back down the dirt path. I found it odd that Marla would jump at that opportunity of alone time with Gavin when he would be gone only a few minutes. But again, I didn't say anything. I thought back to the time when Marla was super laid back and independent before she started dating my brother. It's like she's starting to change. Should I worry? No. They are literally just going to get towels. It shouldn't be that big of a deal. I'm over thinking it as always.
Holden and Kason didn't waste a second before they raced up to the rocks and started climbing. "Please be careful," I called out to them, watching their every step on the slippery rocks, terrified that one of them would lose their footing.
"We'll be fine, Delilah," Kason chuckled as he carefully chose where he was stepping on the boulders.
"You don't know where you should jump, though," I replied, not even trying to hide the worry on my face. "What if you hit a rock underwater, or hit a shallow spot?" Aria didn't say a word beside me, just zoomed her camera in on them up on the cliff and snapped a few more pictures.
"I can see the water depth better up here," he assured me in return. I couldn't help but admire him in his bright pink swim trunks. It accented his tan skin. I watched him climb higher, and the excitement grow in his wide eyes, but it didn't help me feel any better about it. I kept hoping that in any second, a local would show up and show them the proper way to do it and where the safest place to jump in would be.
Just as the boys reached the top, Aria took another picture of them before dropping her camera around her neck and dipping her toes in the water. "You know, it's not as cold as I thought it would be," she said. Her thin, red hair was strung back into a French braid and her thin frame was accented in a simple, black one-piece. "I mean, it's definitely cold but possibly bearable." Sitting down on the rock she was standing on; she stuck her feet into the water and then raised her camera to fill up more space on her memory card.
Kason and Holden peered down at the water below them just as Marla and Gavin returned. Immediately, Marla stripped down to her blue bikini and jumped in the pool of water with Gavin right behind her. Directly in front of them, letting out a loud cheer, Kason jumped off the top of the waterfall and into the water below. Holden copied his actions.
Just as they hit the water, water splattered in my direction, making me shriek from the cold. Aria groaned beside of me and pouted dramatically, making me chuckle. "What's wrong?" I asked her, watching as she looked down at her camera in disappointment.
"I missed the perfect picture moment," she said. "I wanted to catch them in the air, right when the top of the waterfall is behind them...They are going to have to jump again. I need the perfect picture for my scrapbook." I just laughed as she started yelling at Kason and her boyfriend to start climbing back on the rock.
Just then, a ring filled the air, so I reached over and pulled my phone out of my small drawstring bag. It was a video call from Daniel. "Hello?" I answered it.
"Hey, how is everything?" he asked, greeting me with a smile.
"Good," I admitted, returning his gesture and looking out at my friends. "We're having a lot of fun."
"That's great. Listen, I've been thinking about what needs to happen once you guys get back," he started. "And I think you and Gavin need to go into hiding again."
"What about everyone else?"
"They will be in college," he told me. "With everyone separated, you'll be safer."
I just quietly sighed and watched my boyfriend climb back to the top of the waterfall with my brother and Holden trailing close behind him. "I don't know if I believe that," I replied, not bothering to mention that my friends had commented on the fact that they want to take a gap year.
"Well, I'm the Sheriff, and I do."
I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, Lucy appeared on my screen, grinning widely at me. "Hey, you," I greeted her with a chuckle.
"Hi, Lilah! Where's Kason?" she asked immediately, her high, blonde pigtails falling toward her face.
Explaining to Lucy that my real name wasn't Lydia was really difficult in the beginning. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that I had lied about my name for so long. Fortunately, she wasn't mad at me or anything for doing it after we explained that I would be "in big trouble" if I had used my real name sooner.
"Kason!" I yelled before he jumped off the cliff. "Lucy wants to see you!" After grinning widely, he jumped down into the water, giving Aria the picture she wanted, and then quickly swam in my direction. Rushing out of the water, he sat down beside me, drenched in cold water, making me shiver when his skin brushed against mine.
"Miss you, Kay," his little sister pouted.
"I miss you, too, Lu."
Suddenly her blue eyes lit up with excitement. "Guess what! I'm about to go to an eye doctor appointment!" she exclaimed. "Daddy says I might get to try on a bunch of glasses!"
Kason and I chuckled at how adorable she was. "Are you excited?" I asked her, already knowing the answer.
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Kason, why are you soaked?" his father asked him, reappearing into our view.
"Cliff jumping," my boyfriend answered simply.
Daniel's brows scrunched together. "That doesn't sound safe."
Kason scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, it kind of isn't." Before his father could reply, Holden gathered our attention by yelling for Kason to rejoin them. "I've got to go, Dad, I'll talk to you later." With that, he stood up and jogged to the waters' edge where he dived in next to Gavin, Holden, and Marla.
An unfamiliar girl's voice filled my ear, coming from my phone. "Come on, Lucy, it's time to go." Then, the three-year-old disappeared from view.
"Who's that?" I asked Daniel.
"Olivia," he told me. "She's been watching Lucy while I'm at work."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Miles' little sister?" I questioned, not wanting to say "Kason's ex-girlfriend."
"Yeah," he said, looking behind the camera for a moment. "I've got to head back to the station. I'll contact you again soon." With that, he hung up. Exhaling, I put my phone away in my bag. I hadn't even gotten a chance to ask him if there were any updates on Charles.
"Come on, Delilah!" Gavin called. All my friends were chest deep in the water, except for Aria who was only waist deep, seeming to still be getting used to the low temperature. I could tell she didn't like being in the cold, but I guess she didn't want to ruin the mood. It took a little persuasion, but sooner rather than later, I did join them in the water. Hating the cold, I did spend most of my time hanging onto Kason's back with my arms around his neck, wanting to receive a little body warmth. We were out there for a good while, just swimming around and playing games like "Chicken Fight" and "Marco Polo."
A few hours in, more people showed up, seeming to be locals or at least familiar with this cliff. They were nice and talked to the boys about how to be cautious and where the safest place to jump in the water was. It was basically a short "Cliff Jumping 101" course. At that point, I decided to get out of the water, wrap myself up in a towel and watch everyone else. Kason Holden and Gavin followed a group of chill guys up the rocks. I was a little more relaxed this time around, knowing that they were at least a little more experience in what they were doing. Marla and Aria joined me on the rock I was sitting on, and I noticed that the cops had rejoined us too. They were lingering on the edge of the tree line, keeping a good look out for us. I found them having to watch us weird sometimes, but I was glad for the protection. Because none of us knew when the time would come when we would actually need it.
***
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! VOTE if you did!
I will be posting another chapter tomorrow!
Predictions?
~Emily