“And you’re a good swimmer?” I ask as water reaches my armpits. My long hair swirls around my body, and I regret not pulling it up out of my face before we came.
She winks. “State champion two years running.”
For some reason, that’s not surprising. I grin. “Good, then let’s take the long tunnel.”
Her eyes narrow as she works out my thinking. “It won’t be crowded . . . so we won’t have to fight for oxygen reeds.”
“Exactly. And we’re both excellent swimmers, so the extra distance won’t make that much difference.”
Her eyes light up. “Genius.”
We wade together to the door nearest the unpopular tunnel. Just as I suspected, we’re the only ones. Although I also suspect everyone is avoiding me.
When the water reaches so high I can’t touch the bottom, the cage doors spring open and swing out, and everyone surges through the doors to a tunnel.
Go time.
I dive for the door—
But right before I slip out, the pretty girl who laughed at me earlier slams into the door from the outside, the clang of metal on metal loud inside the chamber. She sneers at me. “Your kind doesn’t belong here.”
Aw hell no.
I lunge for another door but two other boys are working with her and they’ve locked them. All of them.
Murder. I would murder them with my bare hands if I could get out.
“Good luck with that, Trailer Park!” the girl calls out before diving under the water.
14
I’m so screwed. I grab the handle to the closest door just as Mack’s head pops up from the water.
“What are you waiting—” Her eyes go huge as she takes in the doors. “They’re all locked?”
I nod, gritting my teeth to keep from freaking out.
“Did Reina do this? That bitch! I’ll kill her.”
“It’s okay,” I lie, shoving with all my might on the iron door. “Go without me.”
“No,” she says immediately, although her voice wavers, and her gaze keeps flicking to the tunnel.
“Go!” I insist, sagging against the door, which is now completely under water. My mind spins wildly, my heart smashing against my ribcage as I do the same, throwing myself at the iron bars.
I’m trapped. I’m trapped. I’m trapped. The words swirl around my skull, a mantra of panic. This is my worst nightmare. Trapped in a cage. A cage that’s slowly filling with water.
Think, Summer. Desperation will only get you killed.
Thrusting my arm through the bars, I reach around the door and grab the lock. It’s solid, so I can’t break it, and there’s no key to be found . . .
I yank it anyway. A zip of electricity shocks my fingers.
Ow. What the Fae?
I reach for the lock again . . . only to discover it’s somehow been broken.
How did that happen?
Not one to dwell on the unimportant, I smash into the door with my shoulder, popping it open. Mack’s face softens with relief, and then we both grab a lungful of air and dive, swimming toward the closest opening.
Nebulous orbs of gold light our path, revealing a seven-foot wide tunnel. River grass sways at the bottom and tickles my arms. The precious air in our lungs bubbles out of our lips and tinkles faintly in the water.
Because I was forced to exert energy breaking out of the cage—assholes!—my lungs burn and ache almost immediately. Where are the oxygen reeds? Not sure what I’m supposed to be looking for, I follow Mack’s lead, trying super hard not to panic because I’m underwater. Without a plan.
Seconds away from drowning.
Just when my chest feels like it will explode, she points to something nestled in the grass below. Two wooden flute-looking things sit inside a shell. She grabs one and hands me the other. Her dark hair floats around her face like a muddy cloud. Then she brings the reed to her lips and nods for me to do the same.
The moment the reed touches my lips, I drag in oxygen.
I can breathe again. The feeling is wonderful. Clamping the reed between my teeth, I take two more breaths and then we keep going, swimming hard toward a pinpoint of light in the distance.
Every time my reed starts to lose oxygen, we discover two more planted below. I can’t imagine what it’s like in the tunnels where five or six people are fighting for these lifesaving devices.
Everything about this infuriates me, but I focus on swimming and conserving my energy. My outrage can come later.
Finally we grab another set of reeds just as the tunnel empties into a large body of water. The flow of water drags my white-blonde hair in front of my face. Kicking like mad, I swim into what I assume is the lake of sorrows. Strings of lanterns glowing with golden magic are all around us, providing more than enough light to see everything.
As we come out near the bottom, slimy reeds of grass tickling my arms, a flash of silver catches my eye. I assume it’s a fish until a semi-translucent tailfin slides across the sand, undulating gently in the current.
Selkie. Sucking on my oxygen reed, I take slow steady breaths and try not to freak out. If my heart pumps too fast, I’ll use the oxygen too soon, and the surface of the water is at least fifty feet above.
Mack sees the selkie too. She points, nodding her head. Her dark hair floats around her face like a shadowy halo, and bubbles stream from her nostrils.
Other students begin trickling from the holes all around the lake floor. Most don’t have reeds. Some are clutching their throat, their eyes wide, and I’m glad we took the long tunnel.
Mack pushes off the sandy bottom, torpedoing toward the surface. I follow, kicking hard and fast as I savor the last dregs of my oxygen, forcing myself to take a breath every twenty seconds.
My lungs burn, and I know I can make the surface with oxygen to spare, but the cautious miser living inside me refuses to use up the last of my oxygen until I’m sure I won’t need it.
Excitement amps up my heart. We’re going to be one of the first ones to surface. Take that, mean girl who locked me in.
She and I were going to have words soon. Once I break the surface and take my place beside Mack, who has just now breached the water. Thin patches of ice float beside her. The lanterns must also warm the water.
Something makes me glance down. As my eyes adjust to what I’m seeing, injustice overwhelms my senses.
The girl with the lavender hair, the one who couldn’t swim, struggles near the sandy bottom. When she said she couldn’t swim, she must have meant she couldn't swim well, because she’s managed to claw and fight her way into the lake.
And she could probably paddle her way to the surface . . . except the mean girl who trapped me in the cage swims by, same two boys in tow, and rips the oxygen reed from the other girl’s lips as I watch.
Lavender hair grabs at her throat and flails, her eyes all-white saucers.
No way in hell I’m going to watch her drown. Without a second’s hesitation, I dive, shooting straight for her. The others are now all passing me on the way to the surface, and my heart sinks. I’m going to lose.
But I’d rather lose than let someone die.
By the time I get to her, the girl is entangled near the bottom in the long red and green sea-grass. The girl’s eyes lock onto mine. I rip the reed from my lips and shove it into her mouth. Then I grab a fistful of her sleeve and give a hard kick, propelling us to the surface.