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"He said he leftmachine He orried He just wanted to make sure you’re okay"

"It feels like years since I saw him," I said almost to myself, and smiled For the first ti other than nu about Wes--about the stubble on his chin, his smooth, muscular arms, his curly brown hair, and the way he had run his hand down the back ofhad happened and I could return to the life I’d had before I hadn’t felt anything since that night in the woods; I hadn’t allowed myself to Instead I’d spent the last week in a trance-- around the house as if it were alive, when inside my mind ith the dead

All of a sudden I felt an incredible urge to feel so more: pain, happiness, it didn’t matter In front of ht air eighing down on it with i suit on, but it didn’t ht I tore off s constricted at the shock of the sudden cold, and the salt water stungher hair above her head with one hand I splashed her, and she let out a shriek Diving underwater, I swam deeper The boats aroundinto the horizon I looked to the shore Annie was near the rocks, floating on her back and staring at the sky

And then I saw so, and had what looked like a train of tattered clothes hanging off of it, lolling in the ripples of the water Its surface was a sickly white

I screa wildly in the water

"What happened?" Annie said frantically

I pointed to the bay "There’s so out there"

Annie stood up and looked "The buoy?" she said finally

"I thought"--I said between breaths--"I thought it was a person"

Annie looked at me, worried "It’s just a buoy covered in seaweed"

E over, I let out a sigh of relief She was right "I’ht turned on and flashed into the water "Who’s there?" someone called from a boat harbored in the bay

"Ohto be seen in ht of the moon we ran back to shore

After Annie dropped randfather had gone to bed I’d just barely ure loomed in the doorway

I froze "Crap," I randfather said sternly Even at this hour he was still wearing an expensive tweed suit and dinner jacket

"I was feeling a little stuffy"