Page 17 of Emerald

“It’s skinny-dipping time, ladies,” Taylor calls out, wiggling his dark brows at the two of us as a group of them stumble toward the ocean. It’s well past midnight, and we’ve all had too many bottles of beer.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I tell Anna.

“Look at the ocean, it’s calm. It’s a full moon. There’s nothing to worry about,” Anna reassures me.

“Except sharks?” I add with a giggle.

She waves my fear away. “There are no sharks. Please, will you do this? I’ve been trying to work up the courage to kissTaylor all evening and this is my chance,” Anna pleads with me. She’s been crushing on Taylor Lee all year since he broke up with bitchy Brooke, but she’s too shy to make a move. It’s only fair I should help my girl out and give her this weekend of fun with a hot guy before we are back into grueling hours of training.

“Come on then.” I grin as we run through the sand toward the water’s edge.

“Anna, I bet I can beat you to that orange buoy,” Taylor says, giving my friend a wide grin.

“Are you challenging me, Lee?” Anna bites back as she slowly starts to kick off her shoes, then peels off her sundress and exposes her skimpy underwear. Taylor’s eyes widen to saucers as he takes in Anna’s near-naked body.

“Yeah, I am.” He grins, his eyes never leaving my friend.

“What do I get if I win?” she asks, placing her hands on her hips.

“Meet me at the buoy and you’ll find out.” Taylor smirks as he kicks off his shoes, removes his T-shirt and then board shorts and runs into the water naked.

“Bye.” Anna waves to me as she rushes after him.

“He’s been wanting Anna since the day you two arrived at school,” Niko Matthews states. He is Taylor’s best friend and my current crush.

“He was with Brooke.”

“And now he’s not,” Niko adds.

Oh, maybe my friend is going to get lucky tonight with the man of her dreams after all. “Guess we’ll see who is the first one to the buoy.”

“Pretty sure they are both going to win, Taylor did enter the water naked,” Niko says with a chuckle.

“Hey, my friend isn’t that easy,” I say, turning and pointing my finger at him in warning.

Niko holds up his hands in the air but gives me a lazy smirk. “True, the water is probably cold. Wouldn’t give the best first impression.”

That makes me laugh until yelling pulls my attention from my crush to the water. It’s Taylor screaming. He’s standing on the buoy and he’s alone. My stomach sinks as I desperately look around the ocean for Anna’s blonde head that seconds ago was bobbing along the inky black surface right beside Taylor. I lost her when she went around the right-hand side of the buoy.

“Shit, Anna,” Niko curses as he begins to pull off his clothes.

I do the same. Where the hell are you, Anna? You better not be messing around, now is not the time. I kick off my shoes, peel off my dress, and jump into the dark water. It’s a hell of a lot colder than the summer temperature would have you thinking. My arms push through the current, every part of me aching as panic laces my skin. I continue, seeing myself getting closer and closer to where Taylor and Niko are standing on the buoy and screaming out into the water for Anna.

Next thing I know, something grabs me, and I am pulled beneath the surface before I even have a chance to scream. A breathing apparatus is shoved over my face before something pinches me and everything turns dark.

I don’t know how long it has been when I wake up, but I am in a bright white, fluorescent, sterile booth. I’m in what appears to be a gray jumpsuit stuck in a glass box. What the hell is happening?

“Good to see you are awake, Miss Vasiliev.” A voice comes through in stereo into the room.

“Who are you? Where am I? Where’s Anna?” I scream into the white abyss.

“All questions that will be answered shortly. Please have something to eat and drink and we will take you to Anna,” the voice explains.

Am I high? Or is this heaven? Did I drown? I don’t understand what’s happening.

Moments later, a tray with a bread roll and a bottle of water is pushed through a slot. Am I in jail? My stomach grumbles and it sounds like they want me to eat before bringing me to Anna. I quickly shovel the roll into my mouth and throw back the bottle of water. Once I place the empty bottle back on the tray, a loud buzz fills the room, and the door to my cage swings open. Standing before me is a large man in a suit, looking like he’s stepped off the set of Men in Black, and a young woman who looks equally as blank.

“Thank you for following instructions so perfectly, Miss Vasiliev. You may now follow me,” the man states.

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