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"Shouldn't we be heading back by now?" Misty asked. She looked around. The guys were still leisurely lying on the blankets and talking amongst themselves. The sun was starting to set.
"How would you like to stay here all night?" AJ asked her.
"Are you for real?"
"No I'm for fake... haha... Yes I'm for real... see," AJ teased, pinching his arm. "Ow that hurt."
"Real funny, sweetie, really," Misty said. AJ giggled.
"Yea, we knew you'd like it here. We're gonna build a bonfire and sleep around it. It's gonna be cool. We even brought food and stuff to cook over the fire."
"Marshmallows and chocolate?" Misty asked sweetly.
"Marshmallows and chocolate," Kevin chimed in and took out the chocolate and marshmallows from a bag. "Me and Howie bought it for you after we uh went to the meeting."
"Thanks Kevvy! And D!" Misty said as she went to each Boy and gave them a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey what about us?" Nick and Brian complained. Misty smiled and kissed them each on the cheek. They both grinned like two satisfied little boys.
*A half hour later*
"That was amazing..." Misty murmured as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. There was still a faint glow on the ocean where the sun had once been. The clear night sky revealed the moon shining brightly over the sea. The calm water glisten from the moon's light. Billions of shimmering stars filled the heavens, each twinkling in its own unique way. Misty and AJ were sprawled out on two blankets. The others were preparing their dinner and knew to leave the two alone.
"But not as amazing as you, Mist," AJ said sweetly turning to look at her. He lay on his side and reached over to tuck her brown hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her face and traced from her ear to her chin and then to her other ear and back down to her chin. He traced her bottom lip. AJ leaned over her and they stared intently at each other. He slowly leaned toward her lips. Misty could feel his hot breath on her. *This is it...* she thought. A scream pierced the quiet night. They both groaned with frustration. That scream ruined the moment.
"Yo, what was that?" Howie asked.
"HELP ME!!!!" came the voice again. The group got up and ran toward the water to see what was happening. In the distance, a figure was struggling in the water.
"Someone's drowning!" Misty said. The figure once again screamed for help. Howie instinctly dove into the water to go save the person. "Howie!!" The other guys stood there helplessly, knowing they couldn't swim as fast as D could. They were speechless, silently encouraging Howie and the person drowning.
D emerged from the water and took a deep breath then plunged back under water. This was the first time in a long time he had to swim so hard. All he could think of was reaching whomever it was that was drowning. In a matter of seconds, Howie saw some movement in the water. He appeared from under the water and saw a woman flailing in the sea, submerging and then reappearing again.
The woman spotted D and called out to him, "Help me! Please help me!" She then sunk under the water. Howie quickly swam to her and went under to find her. He saw her slowly sinking; he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her from under the water. D immediately began to swim toward the shore while he securely held her. The others edged into the water and helped him carry the unconscious woman to a blanket near the fire. Once they laid her down, Howie leaned down and started CPR. In a few minutes, she coughed and he turned her over in order for her to spit out the water she had consumed. When she was done, D slowly helped her sit up. Misty grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her.
"Are you alright?" Howie asked concerned. The woman was trying to catch her breath.
"I... uhm, I'm ok now..." she stumbled out. Her teeth began to chatter so Howie rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "Th... thank you."
"No problem," he replied. "I'm Howie D... these are my friends, Misty, Nick, AJ, Kevin, and Brian." He pointed to each person as he said his or her name. The woman smiled weakly.
"Hi," she replied softly. "I'm Elizabeth."
"Aww, shit, I forgot about the food. C'mon you guys it's getting cold," Kevin announced. The bunch laughed and followed Kevin to their dinner.
"Care to join us?" Howie asked sweetly. Their eyes met and Howie gasped. *Whoa, d�j� vu...* he thought. He could have sworn he had seen them before. They were truly unique: intense bright green eyes speckled with gold flecks.
"Sure," she said. Howie held out his hand and helped her up. Kevin handed them plates with their dinner, which consisted of hot dogs and chips. "Thanks."
"You're welcome Elizabeth," Kevin replied with a warm smile. She walked to the other side of the fire, away from the group and began to eat. Howie approached her and held out a grey sweatshirt and sweatpants.
"I know these are sorta big but that's all I've got that would fit you," he said. She took them and smiled.
"Thank you Howie."
"No problem. You can go over there and change." She did as he told her and went off a ways. Elizabeth quickly changed and hurried to her food where Howie was now eating. She sat down and they ate in silence for a few minutes. "Why were you in the water so late at night?" Howie ventured, breaking their silence.
"I uh just wanted to go for a little swim. It helps me relax when I'm uh stressed..." Elizabeth replied.
"Oh, but if you can swim then why were you drowning and calling for help?" he asked curiously.
"Uhm... I guess I swam too far and the riptides pulled me under..." Howie nodded his head but not quite understanding. *Riptides? At night?* He shrugged it off and silence fell over them once again. D was looking at her after he ate. Elizabeth looked around his age. She had long dark brown hair that shined in the firelight. And those eyes... he was sure he had seen them before. He racked his brain, trying to think of where he had seen her but his mind was blank.
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