• She cared little for what others thought of her and was hardly self conscious about undressing in front of me. The way she picked at her buttons one by one, willing them free with deft little fingers, was startling. But she cared not, a small smile on her lips as she mused over some thought, unaware of her body or clothes at all, simply doing what she must. I stared at my own body and blushed a deep crimson red, embarrassed that she had see my bare chest at all. It was the chest of a boy fleshing out into manhood, and I was terribly protective of it. But she didn't even notice, and I was both stunned and wary of it. A woman who undresses without a second thought must be up to no good, says the norms of society anyway. But I knew her otherwise; she was not of ill repute at all, in fact, most who met her considered her quite prudent. But there was no denying that this girl was a mystery, a peculiar mystery.


    And so we stood before one another, nearly naked, and she, with such boldness, smiled at me. Her eyes beamed, as did the rest of her face. I was nonplussed.


    "Come," she said, waving to the cold lake water below us, the night glinting off of its still surface, "Jump with me," she whispered to the air.
    I reached for her outstretched hand, the look in her eyes willing me to jump, as if trying to feed me some much needed strength. I felt nearly invincible, at that moment anyway, holding her hand, looking into her face, so determined and set.


    "Are you ready?" she asked me, the thrill already filling her voice. I nodded and made a sound from the back of my throat, still not trusting her entirely. I wouldn't trust her until it was over. Until I was out of the air, out of the water, back on dry land.


    We walked to the edge of the cliff, her body bracing itself, our hands tightly clasped.


    "One!" she began the countdown and I held my breath.


    "Two!" I felt the urge to shut her up, make her stop, but I could find no voice in which to protest with. I was scared to death, paralyzed in my lungs.


    "Three!" And I felt her take off from the ledge. I was aware of her falling before I was aware of myself, tumbling through space and night air, the rush of wind buffeting my body. I screamed, terrified as we both hurtled to the water. My whole body writhed as it plummeted, and I wanted to climb back up to the top of the cliff. Then I hit the water and I felt coldness embrace me. I had released her hand long ago, and couldn't see her in the dark water. I floundered around for something to grab onto, the water rushing in my popping ears.


    My hand latched onto a nearby rock. I hoisted my naked torso upon the rock, my head breaking surface, and I breathed in a long, grateful lung of air. I gasped for a while, focusing on my breathing, on allaying my madly beating heart.


    The night was still, I noticed, oddly still now after such a fall, all the adrenaline wearing off. The crickets hummed far away, the wind rattling in the trees. There was a ringing in my ears, and I felt my stomach clench.


    I pulled more of my body out of the chilled lake water, wriggling my belly up the hard surface, pressing my cheek to it. I felt something warm on my cheek. I soaked in the warmth, letting it fill me. I turned my face further into it and looked to see what it was. I gasped.


    Her head lay cracked open upon the stone, oozing blood and bone. She had fallen at an odd angle, never hitting the water as intended. Instead, she lay broken upon the white rock, skull shattered into a million pieces, her eyes wide, mouth slightly open with a trail of blood dripping out from the back of her throat. She was dead, and had most likely never realized what had happened, that she hadn't hit the water. I cried out in alarm and stared at her disbelievingly, uncertain if the scene was real or not, if she was real or not.