Another little teaser for you all. I will get one more out before the weekend…maybe. Or I might just let you drool over these so you’ll buy the book…
A loud splashing sound behind them made Megan turn her head. The bridge was falling into the lake like a piece of wet spaghetti. The collapse started at the island and raced toward them.
“Too late. Run!”
It was difficult, since the water had risen to almost midcalf. Everyone splashed toward the shore as fast as they could. Ronan stopped for a moment to gather up the end of his cloak in one hand and prevent the wet wool from bogging him down.
The bridge continued to plop into the lake, and it was catching up. Megan tried to pull more speed from her legs, but with the water level rising, it was impossible to gain traction. Harriet was just ahead of her, completely lost to panic. There was still so far to go.
“Faster!” She passed Harriet, grabbing her hand on the way by and dragging her along. The collapse was only a few feet behind, and although the shore was close, it felt like they would never reach it.
Ronan and Rachel jumped to dry land and turned to face the lake, yelling for the others to hurry. Megan and Harriet had almost caught up with Claire, who was not a good runner under the best of circumstances, let alone through a foot of water.
Claire cast an uncertain look over her shoulder. As confident as she was about her brains, she was equally unconfident
when it came to anything physical. She tripped over her own feet playing soccer.
“Come on, Claire, you can do it,” Megan urged. “I know you can, but you’ve got to move!”
Claire’s speed increased a little. By now, Bailey had made it to shore. He stood with Ronan and Rachel, his hands balled into fists, pressed to his sides. Megan, Harriet, and Claire were still ten feet from the end of the bridge when the collapse caught up with them. All three dropped into the lake, screaming as they hit the water with a giant splash.
Megan flailed her arms, trying to get her bearings. Her feet touched the bottom, and she pushed upward. Her
head broke the surface; she took a big gulp of air…
And her feet were still on the bottom.
She shoved her sopping hair out of her eyes then twisted her upper body around, one way and then the other, trying
to make sense of what had happened. Claire and Harriet were nearby, spluttering with surprise as they stood in chest-high water.
There was a strange sound nearby, and at first Megan couldn’t quite place it. She dislodged the water fromher ears, and the source of the sound became not only recognizable but perfectly clear.
“Oh, shut up, will you! It’s not funny.” She pushed her arm through the water, sending a rooster-tail toward the shore, but it fell far short of where Rachel rolled on the ground, her face red from her howling laughter.
“Are you kidding? It’s hilarious! You should see the three of you, floundering about like refugees from the Titanic.”
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