The sun has started its decent into evening, bringing with it a feeling of disquietude. The fireworks will be starting soon, which means in a few hours we'll be putting our plan into action and trying to break the girls out.

I am terrified.

"The fireworks start in thirty minutes and the crowds are already getting big," Reece says. "Now's the best time to find a hiding spot somewhere."

I give him a short nod, allowing him to take my hand again as we weave in and out of the crowd around the palace. I want to stop and admire it for a moment, to take in the way its towers seem to stretch into the sky, but Reece doesn't hover.

He pulls me down the path towards Oceanland, pushing us through the crowd. With a quick glance around, Reece pulls me into the foliage lining the pathway, hiding us in the shadows.

"Stay low," he says, pulling me towards the lake.

Branches lash out at the skin on my arms but we don't slow down, not until we see the yellow surfer hut Reece had mentioned the night before. We make a beeline for it, staying low enough among the foliage so as not to be caught on camera.

We snake around to the back of the hut, pressing our backs against it. "What if one of the employees come out?" I ask.

"Tier one employees don't have access to this entrance," Reece says, getting out his phone. "The rest of us rarely bother using it. It's too out of the way."

He scans the screen before meeting my gaze. "Ben and Hayley are near the lake. They're on their way."

I nod before staring back out at the lake, intrigued by the ink-like ripples. I go to move closer but Reece grabs my arm, pulling me into his chest. "You don't want to get any closer to that lake," he says, his voice low and warm against the side of my neck. "Not unless you want to be carried away by an alligator."

I look back to the water, trying to see beyond the murky, black surface.

"Look," Reece says, pointing at the sky. "The fireworks are about to start."

I follow his gaze to beyond the lake, where the palace sits tall against the dark night sky, its pillars lit up with fairy lights. I think some kind of announcement is being made to the crowd, but we're too far away to hear.

A crackling sounds out and I jump at the noise, watching as fragments of bright, pink light explode across the sky. It is like nothing I've ever seen before; stars so bright and fleeting I wish I could capture them, contain them so they need not ever fizzle out.

I lean back against Reece's chest, the same fireworks going off in my stomach. "It's so beautiful," I say somewhat inaudibly. "Like falling stars." I swivel my head to meet Reece's gaze, able to see sparks of fireworks reflecting in his eyes. "I can see why the guests come here. It's easy to forget what this place is capable of."

Reece shifts slightly, his breath feeling warm and fluttery against my neck. "The guests don't know you're here against your will," he reminds me.

"They know other animals are."

Reece's grip tightens, his fingers grazing my hips. "They were born in captivity. Even if they were let go, they wouldn't survive out there."

For a moment, I wonder if this is just another lie Marine World tells the guests to excuse their behavior. Or maybe what Reece says is true. Maybe these animals are far too dependent to ever really be free.

Maybe I am, too.

I shimmy out of his arms in order to face him, studying him in a way I'm only able to do when he's asleep. "Are you scared, Reece?"

He remains silent, his eyes searching mine. "Will it make you think less of me if I say yes?"

"No," I say, my voice certain.

Almost delicately, he lifts his hand to push back my hair, allowing his fingers to linger on my cheek. "Then I'm terrified," he whispers. Without warning, he swoops down and presses his lips against mine, a move that sends shivers down my spine.

This is what it means to be kissed. What Alison had meant when she'd told us she wanted a love that consumed, but left the best parts still intact. Reece doesn't complete me, he complements me, and as his lips explore mine, it feels like I finally understand what she was telling us.

A quiet beeping sounds out, seconds before the fireworks fizzle out for the very last time, plunging the lake into darkness. Reece and I quickly pull apart before glancing at his watch, both knowing what the beeping noise signifies.

Marine World is closing for the night.