Must Be Something In The Water

Keith was half way back to shore and was growing tired. Even though he pedaled as fast as he could. He knew that I wasn't going to make it after he call for help and start a search. He knew I was gone forever and it scared him to think that I was actually gone and it was his fault. But even this smart kid was wrong sometimes.

Keith stopped and floated trying to catch his breath when he felt something snag his boots and then his jeans and pull at them. He kicked at the object pulling him and when it began to weigh him down he thought it was the same creature that took me and began screaming.

I came up pulling on his pants legs and coughed and gagged.

"Alexis!" he said excitedly and hugged me.

"Stop kicking me!" I coughed.

"Come on." he said and helped me back to shore.

I fell to my knees and and coughed gasping for air. Keith by my side panting like crazy.

"What happened to you?" he asked me.

"I don't know." I said to him.

"Do you remember what caught you?" he asked.

"Don't remember." I said.

"I thought you were...." he looked at me.

I looked back at him and sat up.

"I'm not, I don't know how I survived but I'm here." I said to him.

"Alexis I thought I lost you." he said behind me.

I turned around and saw his eyes filling with water and turning red.

"I'm still here." I said to him.

"I have a vivid imagination anything I could think possible could've gone wrong." he said.

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Keith, I am fine, alive and somewhat well." I said to him.

"Okay." he said to me.

"So there's nothing to worry about right?" I asked.

He nodded slowly until I saw him turn around and I turned and looked in his direction.

"Hey!" someone wearing a black suit yelled at us.

"Oh crap, run!" I yelled to Keith.

We ran up the shoreline.

"My backpack!" Keith cried.

He ran back for his backpack and I waited as the man got closer.

"Come on, come on, hurry up!" I yelled.

Keith came back zipping up his backpack. The man in the black suit was close behind.

"You kids wait up!" he yelled.

Keith and I grabbed our biked and pushed them out of the trees and then hopped onto them and rode down the trail at full speed in the middle of the night. The lake, the weird guy in the black suit, and the thing inside of the lake was way behind us now.

Keith looked over at me as we pedaled down his block.

"Do you feel okay?" he asked me.

"Yeah why?" I asked him.

"You didn't get pregnant or anything." he said to me.

"I don't think so. Just a lot of water up my nose." I said rubbing it.

"I'm really sorry I know I promised you..."

"It's not your fault Keith. You didn't do anything wrong." I said.

"You warned me and..."

"We can talk about it tomorrow okay I'll see you then." I said riding ahead of him.

I hopped off my bike and unlocked the door to my house and I pulled it open just a little bit before it creaked I made sure to stay really quiet and then I tiptoed into the house. I closed the door behind me locking it. Just then I saw the light from the TV and then I saw my sister's head. I froze and then tried to make a dash to my room.

"Alexis, I thought you were asleep!" she said jumping up.

Believe jumping up for her takes a while. So I planned my escape.

"Why is the floor wet?" she asked and then turned on the light.

I ran into my room and slid off my clothes. She pushed my door open.

"Alexis, you're soaking wet! Where were you?" she asked me.

"No where." I said and turned to her she was standing at my doorway and I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed that my hair was soaking wet and so was the rest of my body. I looked back at her.

"Don't tell." I said to her.

"Tell what?" she asked crossing her arms.

I sighed.

"Keith and I went to the lake..." She didn't give me a chance to finish.

"The lake? You went to the lake! How, it's quarantined!" she said.

"Let me finish we went to the lake and Keith fell in the water." I said.

"What was he doing in the water?" Did you get in?" That's why you're wet isn't it! What were you thinking? It's like almost nine." she said to me.

"It's been an hour." I said looking at the clock.

"Alexis, you are in so much trouble wait till mom finds out." she said shaking her heard.

"Don't tell mom..." I said stopping short.

She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm listening." she said.

"If you don't tell I'll do whatever you want." I said.

"Whatever?" she asked.

I nodded feeling myself being stripped of my dignity.

She smiled and rubbed her hands together.

"Okay then. I will see you in the morning. Have a nice night sleep you'll need it. Oh you should also change your clothes. Good night." she said leaving my room.

If I could kick myself in the butt I would be doing it right now. I got out of my wet clothes and put on my night clothes and derived my hair the best I could before climbing into bed. I went under my blanket and then I rolled over on my side and stared at the wall. I was in deep thought about what happened when I was dragged into the water. I couldn't remember one damn thing and that's what worried me the most.

I closed my eyes my anxiety becoming evident in my dreams. I was being dragged by something to the bottom of the lake. I saw a glowing light that was blinding. I last my ability to breath. I felt claustrophobic, afraid, and light headed. I struggled with all my ability to get away from the light. Unable to fight its intensity, its pull. And then I saw the a glowing light floating in front of me in the shape of a tentacle. It made it's way to the back of my neck.

I felt a pain but not on the back of my neck. I flew my eyes open and sat up. I held my face it was stinging and I saw my sister holding a pillow.

"Good morning sunshine." she said to me and smiled.

"What the hell? I was asleep." I said to rubbing my cheek.

"I want breakfast in bed, eggs, pancake, and sausage links..."

"Make your own breakfast!" I said and turned over in my bed.

"Well then I can just tell mom what went on last night." she said.

"I don't care." I said.

"I distinctly remember you saying you'll do whatever I want well I want breakfast." she said.

I didn't even answer her.

"Okay... mom!" she yelled.

I sat up and looked at her.

My mom walked into my room.

"What's wrong?" my mom asked.

"Well funny thing last night Alexis..."

"I promised that I would fix her breakfast. Because I know that she's ill." I said kicking myself.

My mom looked at me smiling.

"That is so sweet of you. Now, can you make me breakfast too?" my mom asked.

"Sure, she'll fix anything for you." my sister said and glared at me.

"Really honey?" my mom asked.

I climbed out of bed.

"Sure, I'd fix you anything." I said through gritted teeth glaring at my sister.

"Thank you." my mom said kissing my cheek and then going back to her room.

"I thought you didn't care?" she asked.

"I still don't." I said walking away.

"I also want orange juice without the pulp!" she called.

Feeding my sister is like trying to feed a black hole now a days. I spent my whole morning making her breakfast now I was degrading myself to feet rubbing.

"Yeah don't forget the little toe." she said.

There was a knock at the door and I pinched her toe and got up to answer it.

"Ow!" she cried.

I pulled the door open and saw Keith.

"Hey Keith, come on in." I said to him.

"Thanks, what are you doing?" he asked me.

"I got caught last night so I'm stuck on ass kissing duty." I whispered.

"Who's at the door?" my sister asked from the couch.

"Just Keith." I said.

"Oh, well can you get me something to eat?" my sister asked me.

"I'd rather not." I muttered.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing." I said to her and rolled my eyes at Keith.

Keith walked by her on the couch.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked in a mocking manner.

"Ask me if the parasites are kicking again and I'll tell my mom what you two did last night." she said pointing at him.

Keith turned red and backed away from her.

"Okay, she knows?" he asked me.

"She knows. What do you want to eat?" I asked her.

"I want two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." she said.

"Okay." I said walking into the kitchen.

"With bananas." she said.

"Yeah." I said.

"And pickles." she said.

"Pickles?" Keith asked.

"Did I stutter?" she asked.

"Got it!" I said walking to the fridge and pulling out the peanut butter and the jelly and slamming the fridge door back hard.

I stomped over to the drawer and pulled out a knife then I slammed it shut. I slammed the knife on the table.

"I'm guessing you're mad." Keith said.

"She drives me totally crazy Keith, ever since last night!" I whispered loudly glaring at the couch.

I checked the cabinets for plates there wasn't any plates. I went to the sink and saw that all of the dishes were still dirty and it's always Aly's job to clean them.

"Aly the dishes are dirty." I said.

"Yeah and the lake is wet." she yelled.

It made no sense but I knew what she meant. I gritted my teeth and turned on the water. I was about to dig into the dishes but stopped. My mind went blank and I just stared at the water as it ran down the drain.

"Alexis... are you okay?" Keith asked me.

He got up and walked towards me. I stared at the rabidly falling water. Keith reached over and turned it off. I blinked and shook my head.

"What was I doing right..." I said and then went back to stomping around.

Keith looking at me funny.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing." he said shaking his head.