The time at the lake was lively and carefree. Zoey and a few other girls had stripped down to their underwear and bras, while some had proper bathing suits, laughing as the boys playfully chased them into the water. Leo, of course, was especially flirty with Zoey, their laughter loud enough to be heard over the splashing. A few sparks from backwoods and joints lit the evening air, and someone had turned on a speaker, filling the area with instrumental beats. The atmosphere was infectious, and Savannah found herself smiling despite her usual reservations.

  Trevor set her down gently, stretching his arms before casually pulling his shirt over his head and taking his pants off to reveal black ball-shorts. Savannah couldn’t help but notice the sharp definition of his six-pack and how his toned arms caught the fading sunlight. Her gaze lingered for just a moment too long before she caught herself. Unfortunately, Trevor caught her too.

  “You getting in?” he asked, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

  “Maybe,” she replied, trying to sound indifferent.

  “You should,” he said, crouching to test the water with his hand. “This is probably your last field trip, with your attendance record and all.”

  “Oi! Shut up and mind your own,” Savannah shot back, crossing her arms. “Do you put this much effort into your schoolwork?”

  Trevor laughed, standing back up. “I don’t need to. Got a sports scholarship lined up, and my lowest grade is a B-minus, thank you very much.”

  “Wow,” Savannah said with mock amazement. “A genius among us.”

  “I’d love to see your grades,” he countered, leaning closer with a teasing smirk.

  She looked away, her cheeks heating slightly.

  “Thought so, dumbass,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Oi!” she snapped, glaring at him.

  Trevor just laughed harder, clearly enjoying her reaction as he stepped toward the water.

  As Trevor waded into the water, only to be ambushed by a group of boys who tackled him with mock ferocity. Laughter echoed across the lake as they wrestled, water splashing everywhere. Leo, spotting an opportunity, snuck up behind them and joined in, grabbing one of the attackers to help Trevor gain the upper hand. Savannah watched the scene unfold, a small smile tugging at her lips.

  Trevor had teased her about her attendance, but he wasn’t wrong. This really could be her last trip. As a Veythari, she had been picked up by the E.R.O.—Emergency Response Operations—a covert government unit tasked with handling Demurges and other anomalies. E.R.O. was just one part of a much larger, division dedicated to managing the fallout of these otherworldly threats. It was the kind of work that didn’t come with a long lifespan, and Savannah knew the odds. Between relocations, near-death experiences, and constant missions, her school attendance had become erratic.

  She could’ve dropped out and graduated through her job—plenty of her teammates had done just that. But as much as she tolerated her teammates, they weren’t her friends. She craved some semblance of a normal life, even if it was fleeting. High school wasn’t perfect, but it was grounding in a way nothing else could be.

  She sighed, the weight of everything pressing down on her. Screw it, she thought, standing up and kicking off her pants, leaving her shirt on. Without overthinking it, she ran toward the water and hopped in with a splash.

  The group erupted into cheers and laughter, some splashing water her way as she surfaced. Zoey swam up to her, shaking her head with a grin.

  “Finally hoe,” Zoey said, flicking water at her.

  “Don’t make me regret it,” Savannah replied, splashing back.

  “Oh, please. You’re having fun!” Zoey winked before paddling backward to avoid Savannah’s next splash.

  Leo swam by, his hair plastered to his face. “Sav’s in the water? Someone take a picture—we need proof she actually has fun.”

  “Oi! Screw you!,” Savannah shot back, smirking as she splashed a wave his way.

  Nearby, Trevor had finally freed himself from the wrestling pile and swam over, grinning. “Guess you couldn’t resist, huh?”

  Rolling her eyes. “Figured I’d save you from drowning.”

  “Drowning?” he scoffed. “I was holding my own.”

  “Sure you were,” she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

  Around them, the atmosphere was alive with laughter and chatter. A girl with curly hair and glasses was sitting on the edge of the lake, dangling her feet in the water while arguing with a boy about whether turtles or otters were better swimmers. Two boys were attempting to see who could swim the farthest without coming up for air, while another group tried to build a human pyramid in the shallow water, their efforts collapsing into chaos every time.

  The lake itself was beautiful, the clear water reflecting the warm hues of the setting sun. The surrounding forest framed the scene, tall trees casting long shadows over the sandy banks. The occasional call of a bird or rustle of leaves added to the ambiance.

  Savannah splashed Zoey one more time before leaning back in the water, floating for a moment as she looked up at the darkening sky.

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  After a while someone from the group near the shore called out, “Hey, we should probably head back soon! It’s getting super dark, and curfew’s about to start!”

  They were immediately met with a chorus of boos and playful yelling. “Shut up!” someone shouted, while a few others pelted them with sticks and empty cans.

  From the water, Zoey hollered dramatically, “Party pooper!”

  Leo, who had his arms casually draped around Zoey from behind, chuckled. “Yeah, man! Don’t ruin the vibe, gooner!”

  Savannah burst out laughing, cupping her hands around her mouth to yell, “Oi! That’s not catching on, dumbass!”

  “Yes! Yes, it will!” Leo shouted back with mock confidence, grinning at her.

  Trevor, sitting on the grassy bank with Savannah lying in his lap, laughed as he idly twirled a strand of her red hair around his fingers. “I dunno, Savvy. I think he’s committed.”

  She groaned, looking up at him with a smirk. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  Trevor leaned down slightly, his grin softening into something warmer. “You’re fighting a losing battle, Leo’s unstoppable when he puts his mind to something,” he teased, gently flicking her forehead.

  Savannah rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile. The warm atmosphere, the golden light fading into twilight, and the easy laughter around her made everything feel so… right.

  Zoey somehow managed to rally almost everyone for one last water fight. The group erupted into cheers as they scrambled back into the water, splashing and shouting in chaotic unison.

  “Trevor!” Zoey yelled from the middle of the lake, hands cupped around her mouth. “Get in here! The King of the Lake has challengers!”

  Trevor sighed, looking down at Savannah with a mock-pained expression. “What do you think? Should I defend my title?”

  Savannah smirked, tilting her head as if considering. “I guess I can let you go. But don’t embarrass yourself. I have a reputation to uphold.”

  He laughed and stood, brushing water droplets off his shorts. “I’ll make you proud, your majesty,” he said with a wink before jogging toward the water, joining the fray.

  Savannah stayed behind for a moment, laughing as she watched the initial barrage of boys launch themselves at Trevor in a massive splash. When the chaos spread further into the lake, she finally stood, brushing her shirt off before stepping toward the water.

  “Come on, Savvy!” Zoey shouted, splashing water in her direction. “Don’t make me come drag your ass in!”

  Leo, floating lazily nearby, chuckled as he caught sight of Savannah. “Yo, how come everyone else can call you ‘Savvy’ but not me? I’m the one who made it up!”

  She crossed her arms, grinning. “Because I don’t like you being happy or getting credit for anything related to me.”

  “Whore!” Leo called back, laughing.

  “Oi!” she shot back, pointing at him with mock indignation. “Says the mutt!”

  “Says the weirdo who keeps saying Oi!” Leo retorted, grinning. “Where’s that even come from? What are you, British?”

  “It’s called personality,” she teased, stepping into the water. “And it was a joke turned habit.”

  The lake became a playground once more, filled with splashes, laughter, and shouts of playful insults that echoed through the twilight air.

  Savannah felt it—a sudden, overwhelming wave of malicious intent rushing toward the campground. It was sharp, raw, and unmistakable. A Demurge. But this one was different. Its energy didn’t match the earlier one she’d sensed. This was something new, and it was strong. Did it take the other one out? Or scare it off? she wondered grimly.

  The realization hit her just as she dipped her feet into the water. Without hesitation, she turned around and started sprinting toward the trees.

  “Yo, where you going, Savvy?!” Zoey yelled, her voice cutting through the splashing and laughter.

  “I really gotta use the bathroom!” Savannah shouted back over her shoulder.

  “Ew, she gotta shit!” Leo snickered, only to get a punch in the arm from Zoey.

  “Be careful!” Trevor called after her. “And where’s your flashlight?!”

  She ignored them all, her focus narrowing on the oppressive aura in the distance. The Demurge wasn’t bothering to hide itself, its malicious presence blazing like a beacon. Once she was out of sight and far enough into the woods, Savannah tapped into her power.

  The wind around her stirred, swirling in response to her will. With a rush of energy, she became a blur of motion, her body propelling forward like a gale tearing through the forest. Leaves whipped and swirled in her wake, and branches rattled violently as she zipped past them, barely disturbing the ground beneath her feet. To an observer, she was nothing more than a streak of wind, the faint sound of rustling leaves and shifting air the only sign of her passage.

  Her sharp green eyes scanned the dark forest, locking onto the source of the malice. It wasn’t far now.

  “Of freaking course you show up now!” she growled, her voice lost in the rush of the wind around her. She pushed herself harder, her form disappearing into the shadows of the trees as she honed in on the Demurge.

  Savannah skidded to a stop at the edge of a clearing, her sharp eyes scanning the scene. Bathed in the pale glow of the moonlight was the Demurge, its grotesque form loping on all fours, its jagged limbs digging into the dirt as it barreled forward. It was about two miles from the camp, and at its current speed, it would be there in less than five minutes.

  “Damn meat-shit,” she muttered, raising her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a wall of wind, solid and forceful, slamming it into the creature’s path. She detonated it on impact, sending the Demurge flying backward with a guttural screech.

  It stopped, its malformed body writhing as it twisted to face her. For a moment, its glowing red eyes locked onto hers, its gaze brimming with malice. Then it let out a piercing screech that shook the trees.

  Before it could react further, Savannah teleported in front of it, the wind swirling around her as she materialized. Without hesitation, she drove her foot into its grotesque maw, her kick connecting with a sickening crunch. The Demurge was launched back, slamming into a cluster of trees with a loud crack.

  “I’ll make it quick,” she said coldly, charging two powerful swirls of wind in her hands, the energy spinning violently as she prepared to end the fight.

  But instead of retaliating, the creature did something she hadn’t anticipated—it turned and bolted, darting into the forest at an angle away from the camp.

  “What the hell?” she said, blinking in confusion.

  Not willing to let it escape, Savannah teleported ahead of it, cutting off its path. She swung her arm, sending a slicing gust of wind toward its legs, but the creature leapt over it, twisting mid-air to avoid her.

  “What’s the matter? Scared?” she taunted, teleporting to its side and slamming a fist of compressed air into its ribs. The Demurge screeched in pain but used the momentum to keep running, swerving deeper into the forest.

  “Oi! Where the hell you goin!?!” she growled, teleporting again to block its path. She hurled another gust of wind, but the Demurge skittered sideways, its movements erratic and desperate.

  Every time she cut it off, it dodged her attacks and kept running. It didn’t strike back, didn’t even try to fight. The more it evaded her, the more unsettled she felt. Demurges don’t run. They fight. They destroy. So why the hell is this one acting like prey? Was a stronger one nearby?

  She teleported one last time, appearing directly in its path and slamming both wind swirls into the ground in front of it. The resulting shockwave sent dirt and debris flying, forcing the creature to retreat once more. It screeched but kept moving, vanishing into the shadows of the forest.

  Savannah stood there, her hands still glowing faintly with residual wind energy. Her mind raced. Why the hell is it running? she wondered, her unease growing as she sped after it.