✾

My mom is sitting by Ruby, trying to calm her down. It's easiest to let my mind go to her — I want to make sure that she's okay. Naturally, I keep glancing back at her for this reason.

But then you have to remember why she's freaking out, and that's because of Robert.

After Iris had swung him over the head with a stick or something, I floated and swam to the top and was glad someone had done anything before I passed out.

In fact, it still takes me a few moments to catch my breath. Once I'm sure I can get back to Robert, I see him holding something down in the water and start to look around in worry. Then I notice Iris is nowhere in sight and go over to where they're at. They're close in the grand scheme of things, but they feel so far when you know that someone's life is on the line.

I eventually get close enough to where I can wrap my right arm around his neck with enough force to drag him under. And I do just that, but instead of Iris swimming to where I can see her so that her face would appear, she starts to sink. I punch Robert to keep him back as I swim as fast as I can to get Iris.

The water fills my ears once I get underwater, clogging them just another time today and I ignore the headache that starts to develop because of it. I reach far down enough to grab Iris's arm, and because she doesn't weight much I can pull her to where I'm at with ease. After we get to the top I quickly put her on the grass and watch as she lays there without moving. I put my hand on her cold wrist, testing to see if she still has a pulse with water dripping down our hands.

When I can see that she does have a pulse — shallow, but still there — I try to wake her up by shaking her shoulders and calling her name. When that doesn't work, I start to perform chest compressions and give her CPR.

After sputtering out some of the water in her lungs, of course. "D-Did you just—"

"CPR, Princess," I tell her in a rush. "I'm going back in, stay here."

And I do just as I say.

After crossing the river to get to him, he comes back up with his dark blue eyes fixed on me. His wrinkles and his stringy grey hair show just how much he's aged in prison, and it makes me wonder for a moment if he ever missed us or regretted what he did while he was serving his time. You know, not enough to change his mind, but if he ever felt bad for just a fraction of a second.

He throws himself towards me but he only splashes into the water after I swim just out of his reach. I grab a log just like Iris did, waiting for his head to bob out from the water just so I could bash it with this again. When I do, it leaves a bloody gash on his forehead. I move on as I planned and watch him drop under again. I think for a second, debating with myself about whether I should let him up or not.

I know he's a killer, but he's also my father. But, he also killed a pregnant mother and abused my own. But then again, he might just have a mental illness. But then again, they would've treated it if he wasn't just pure evil. But if I killed him, there would be the same amount of killers in the world. But then again, he killed a woman and for no reason, at that. Then again, that's no excuse for me to become a killer... for me to become a killer just like my father.

I swim down to pick him up, taking his limp body and leaving it resting on the opposite side of the river from Iris, Ruby, and my mother. I swim back to them, ordering, "Let's go, we need to call the police and there's a gas station over there. Now."

As we start to climb and get ourselves to the top by the road, and Iris asks, "Okay, but why is R-Robert still down there?" Just saying his name makes a visible shiver run down her spine.

"The cops'll get him," I assure her. "He's passed out and I hit him hard enough that he should be out for a bit. As long as we're fast it'll be okay."

By the time we step into the cool gas station, we run up to the counters. We must look crazy to the poor teen behind the cash register with buck teeth and strawberry blonde hair tied back, because she widens her eyes in shock and looks us up and down.

"We need you to call the police," I tell her straight away. "Tell 'em that there's three people here, and Robert Wright is right here. That's a killer, and he—"

"I know who he is, he's been all over the news!" the teenager suddenly gasps and says with a slight southern accent, picking up the phone immediately. She gestures for us to hide as the phone rings, whispering, "Go hide behind some shelves and I'll call."

We do as she says, sprinting behind some shelves containing bags of candy and just trying to stay out of sight. Ruby keeps crying and Iris takes my own hand off of the cool tiles and holds it between us. We exchange a look, before she blinks. In her light brown eyes, I can see that she's looking to me for comfort so that she doesn't break down herself.

After several long, dreadful moments full of anxiety and paranoia, sirens can be heard in the distance and I hear the door open. Quickly, I hear the girl say, "They're behind those candy shelves in the back," with her small southern accent.

The loud footsteps grow in volume as the officer gets closer, and eventually, I see a tall, muscular man with smaragdine eyes land on us. He gives my mom a once-over kind of look before sighing, putting his hands on his hips. "I know you guys have been through a lot today and I know you probably don't want to hear it about it much more, but it's in my best interest to inform you that Robert was found dead in the water by two vehicles. He appears to have slipped in the water after resting on the grass judging by the skid marks in the dirt."

I hear Iris gasp from my right, and in the corner of my eyes I see her out her face in my hands. Her warm hand, no longer on mine, leaves mine cold. I turn to her, seeing that she's no longer keeping any of her emotions inside. My mother stands up and talks to him to inform him more about what happened, walking outside with him. She brings Ruby with her, so it's just Iris and I sitting behind a shelf as she cries into her hands.

"Iris," I say gently, taking her hands in mine and bringing them away from her face, "we're okay. He's gone." Her chestnut eyes have a red gloss over them, emphasized by the bloodshot veins on the sides and the bags under her eyes. Nonetheless, I still find her eyes beautiful.

"I was only so bold because I thought I was somehow going to die," she whispers with a sniffle, her eyes cowering towards her hands on her lap. "But then, before I passed out, I realized I really didn't want to die."

I open my mouth to reply, but once our eyes lock they kind of naturally silence me. She leans closer to me and speaks low, but just loud enough I can hear the words, "I guess no one can stop us now."

Iris puts her hands just below each side of my jaw, my eyes tracing her delicate facial features. I take in this moment, feeling like I've been deprived of her fuchsia lips forever. I've never wanted to taste the strawberry sunset on her lips like I do now, getting lost in her eyes of brown and traces of gold. Iris suddenly closes her eyes and plants a soft kiss on my lips with hers. The electric shock she gives me rings throughout my entire body and it's a feeling I haven't felt with anyone else before. Although it seems negative, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Her soft lips taste like strawberries like I imagined they would, and despite how cold they are from the water, they seem to fit with my lips perfectly like they were meant to be there. The intensity between us fades away and we lean closer to each other. I put my hands on her waist and she wraps her arms around my neck.

We don't part for a long time. It's as if nothing matters except for us, and deep down we were the ones in the audience waiting for this to happen as well as the performers on stage. Or maybe we're like magnets that are meant to stick together. You can come up with as many metaphors as you want, but anyone could understand what I mean.

When we do part it's to catch our breath, but we keep looking at each other and Iris laughs.

"So, Princess..." I start, not knowing how to ask this. I'm not one to make commitments with people so I never have to ask, but right now, I sure as h*ll do. "Uh... Wanna be my girlfriend?"

Iris laughs, giving my a quizzical look but nodding. "Sure, Pierce."

✾