1 AMBER LASKA The branch comes out of nowhere. I don’t even see it until it’s too late to shout a warning. One second, we’re riding down the river. The next, the limb catches Malik on the side of the head, pitching him off our makeshift raft into the water. I don’t hesitate. I can’t. The current is so fast that I could be a quarter-mile downriver before I make up my mind. And anyway, it’s a pretty selfish move. I’ve already lost Eli and Tori. If I lose Malik, too, I’m all alone. I hit the water with a splash, and begin to swim up stream. It’s a struggle with the river boiling all around me, and I’m grateful for the water polo training I got back in Serenity.
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12/8/16 3:30 PM