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The water was so cold it was fire Chris sank, the water like chains, drawing hiht and a sinking, gutted husk of a boat Most of the aft deck was gone; the pilothouse was a ruin; the hole the fire aped like a wound No choice now He was co inside and out The water was so oily, he was afraid to look away frole up By so a h a square hatch

Chris followed Inside the wreck, the churning water was even blacker, curling hat looked like se of air and screah--was blood

"Calirls had their hands hooked around a pipe Chris had no trouble recognizing Penny; the shrieking girl had Peter’s jaw and eyes The other girl, who looked e gash in her scalp "Just follow et out, I prori! I’ll drown, I’ll die!"

"Penny" Peter was trying to pry his sister’s hands free "Let go--"

"I can’t!" Thrashing, Penny lost it "I don’t want to die, I don’t want to--"

"Help irl was pale as ht Water slopped over her chin "I don’t kno to swim, I can’t--"

"We can’t take them both at the same time" Peter’s eyes shone with panic and tears "It’ll take two of us to handle Penny, and we can’t--"

"N-no" One hand slipped, and the girl flailed The air pocket had squeezed to a sli on" Lunging, Chris slapped her hands back onto the pipe The air pocket was shrinking very fast, and he was freezing, getting tired out He was horribly aware that the longer they stayed, the deeper the boat sank As it was, he’d barely irl ed to loosen one of Penny’s hands, but the other clung so fiercely to the pipe, he couldn’t both hold her and work her free "Help irl cried "Wait!"

But Chris was already wrapping both hands around Penny’s wrist, pulling with all hisher terror, and then her hands were free and he was shouting, "Peter! Go now, go now!"

"Penny!" Peter grabbed the still-screa, hold your--"

"No!" the other girl shrieked "No, don’t leave me here, don’t--"

"Come on!" Peter bellowed, and then they were under the water, kicking out of the engine rooh the hatch Penny was still thrashing; Peter had one arht stabbed up, but Chris was no longer sure if that truly was the way He could hear Penny: the boil of her breath and a thinhis hand over her nose and limmer of a distant sky spread itself over the water, but his air was nearly gone; his lungs was blazing I rong I’ to drown in Peter’s nightmare

"No," Peter said--and because this was a dreaain, side by side No Penny No Jess No wrecked boat, of course; that was lost to the dark, and the girl with it "You can’t stay here, Chris" Peter stared out over endless inky water "I won’t let you"

"A-are you d-dead?" He was shuddering so hard, his mouth balked

"Partly"

"Wh-what does th-that mean?"

"I’m not sure myself" Face still averted, Peter shook his head "I think part of o, Chris I don’t kno long it’s safe for you to stay"

"I’ you, Peter Let me h-help you"

"I don’t think you can" And then Peter turned His eyes were no longer blue but as red as that drowned girl’s blood ht "Still love me, Chris?" Peter said Then: "Easy Watch out you don’t shoot--"

"Hunh!" Chris started awake, his hand stretching for his rifle even before he was fully upright "Whoa, watch it!" Ellie juround, Jayden bolted to a sit, si and free his gun hand

"What?" Jayden said, wildly "What?"

"Nothing," he said, feeling the sudden tension drain When they o, the eastern horizon had been only a silver sh trees He scrubbed his face with his hands "Sorry I was having a bad dream and--"

"You have a lot of bad dreaan picking up scattered branches and twigs "I thought we could have tea before we leave"

"Here" Chris et up "Let me help"