Chapter 21
Stella
“W hy am I letting you all drag me into these ridiculous ideas?” Isabella whines, but even her complaint has a playful edge.
I laugh despite myself. About an hour ago, we’d all decided to explore what the camp had to offer. Jay found a creek and somehow convinced all of us to hang out around it.
Layla had looked at us, a wicked smile on her face. Seconds later, water was flying around, drenching us all completely. Hazel and I started laughing and splashing everyone.
We’re perched on rocks now, each of us catching our breath, our eyes darting around as we wait for the next splash.
The creek flows peacefully around us. The only sounds are the rush of the water, the warm summer air, and the thrum of my own heartbeat. The game has started, and no one can hide from the splash war that Layla started with her magic.
The sun filters through the trees, casting dappled light across the creek.
The air is warm, but the water, fresh from the mountains, is cold against our skin, making every splash feel like a jolt of electricity.
The rocks are slick underfoot, making every movement feel precarious and thrilling.
We’re all on edge, just one spark away from another round of total chaos.
I feel like a kid again. A happy kid. A giddy, carefree one, with cheeks that ache from the endless grinning.
The circle of rocks we’re perched on almost feels like a stage, each of us playing our part. Sam, a friend Layla invited to come with us, is a little further out, away from the main action. Nate and Hazel are positioned next to each other, but too far from me to strike.
Isabella and Adrian are laser-focused on Jay, who I’ve had a silent truce with. Which is perfect because it keeps me safe from these two and I don’t have someone who can control the wind targeting me.
There’s a lull in the action, a stretch of silence that feels almost unbearable.
And then, surprising everyone, Nate splashes Hazel.
My heart stops, my attention stolen and entirely on Hazel. She and Nate had avoided splashing each other since we got here, and everyone is frozen, waiting to see Hazel’s reaction.
Her face lights up, a wide smile spreading across her features. Without missing a beat, she retaliates, her splash hitting Nate with a splash of her own. And just like that, the war is back on.
Water splashes in every direction, cold droplets flying through the air, and the creek turns into a flurry of chaos. I don’t even think, I just move, my gaze flicking between Isabella and Adrian once again, both of whom are too distracted by Jay to notice me.
Sam, Layla, and I are the only ones that haven’t been splashed a lot since the beginning of this mess—
The water hits me right in the face.
Crap .
I wipe my eyes, blinking rapidly to clear the water, and when my gaze lands on Adrian, my heart skips a beat. He’s grinning, the mischievous light in his eyes making my stomach do a little flip.
His eyes sparkle with amusement and his smile says it all, I know you’ve been attacking me since the beginning. Your cover’s blown.
I hesitate for a second, caught off guard by the warmth spreading inside me. It’s like we’re two magnets, caught in a playful tug-of-war, neither of us willing to give up first.
I flick water in his direction in retaliation, but just as I do, I feel Jay’s gaze flicker toward me. I snap my focus away from Adrian’s grin.
We were supposed to be a team here, Jay! Why are you turning against me?
I glare at him, my eyes screaming traitor at him, but he just grins.
A laugh escapes me, and I return my attention to Adrian, who hasn’t stopped watching me. It’s impossible to ignore the butterflies that take flight throughout my entire body.
But then water crashes into me from the side.
Jay’s ability to control the wind is terribly unfair. He can send waves of water flying from a distance, keeping himself protected while the rest of us are left soaked and helpless.
Still, I can’t help but laugh. This is so much fun.
Water flies left and right . . . No, I’m just kidding, it all flies in my direction.
We’re all laughing like maniacs.
The shock of the cold water takes my breath away as I tumble off my rock, my hands flailing for balance as I slip into the creek with a loud splash.
I’m underwater for a split second, disoriented. When I break through, my eyes land directly on Adrian, who’s now looking down at me with that damn smile of his. His annoyingly beautiful smile that makes the entire world fade away.
“Having fun?” he asks, his voice playful, but there’s something more underneath it. I don’t know if it’s the water splashing around us, or the way his voice seems to carry an unspoken promise, but my heart skips a beat.
“Oh, I’m having a blast,” I reply.
Before he can respond, the water in the air suddenly freezes mid-splash, hanging in the air like a thousand tiny diamonds. We all turn toward Layla, who’s smirking playfully. We all know she’s in control now.
And with a flick of her wrist, all the suspended water comes crashing back into the creek with a loud splash.
“Come on, you three!” Layla calls out, directing her words at Isa, Adrian, and Jay. I can’t help but giggle, despite the fact that I’m soaked to the bone. “That’s enough targeting one person. We should—”
But Layla’s words are drowned out in the chaos as we all turn on her, suddenly united in our mission to target her .
She stops the water from reaching her and redirects it in all of our directions.
“You!” Layla calls to me, a grin on her face. Her voice echoes in the creek, while everyone else is silent, holding in their laughter. “I saved you from their targeting! How dare you turn your back on me—”
The silence breaks when water hits Layla’s back. Everything happens in slow motion as she turns around to find Sam looking at her with a small smile. Crouched on the rock, his hand in the water.
The effect is immediate. The water battle explodes once again, this time, everyone caught in the goofiness of it all. Splashing, laughing, shouting, and falling from our rocks.
Nate and Hazel have lost their balance completely, falling into the creek and splashing each other. Their laughter is infectious, and for a moment, they’re in their own world, completely cut off from the rest of us.
Another splash of water hits me, and I turn to find Adrian, still staring at me with his wicked grin.
Oh, you.
For a second, the coldness of the water dissipates and my insides warm. Because his playful gaze holds mine, the warmth from his smile reaches up to his eyes. It fills me with the same sensation as the sunlight beating down on my skin from above us.
He looks so beautiful when he smiles.
I splash him again, harder this time, and for a split second, we both freeze.
Our eyes lock, and for a heartbeat, it’s just the two of us in the middle of the storm of water and laughter.
His gaze softens for a second, something unspoken passing between us, before Jay decides he’s some sort of supervillain and takes advantage of my distraction.
Suddenly, a blast of water hits me with the force of a tidal wave.
I quickly notice Adrian and Isabella have also been his target.
We all tumble off the rocks, laughing our hearts out.
I don’t think I’ve ever smiled for so long in my entire life.
The afternoon fades away, with all of us drenched in cold water, our laughter bursting our eardrums and with my heart filled with so much joy that I’m afraid it will overload.
This is what friendship is. This is what it feels like to be truly, completely alive. And for the first time in my life, I feel like I belong here. Like this moment is exactly where I’m meant to be.
Everything feels right.