IT

Chapter 5

Essence felt a surge of thrill ripple through her. The water sprayed out on either side of her, like diamonds glinting in the sun. She always felt like that when she first starting on the kneeboard. An pelican hovered overhead, it's dark shadow floating over the brown water. Jasper was standing on the shore, his eyes shaded with his hand. Essence grinned at him, and signaled to go in.

He meet her as she waded ashore, and took her board for her.

"You are so good at it. You should start wakeboarding."

"I think that would be the straw that broke the camel's back for Sapphire. She would hate that."

"Maybe you're right. She is going to be angry enough that I went with you today. I basically always do training with her."

Essence ruffled her hair with a towel. "I hope she never finds out that you and I are going out."

Jasper took a slurp from his water bottle and looked Essence straight in the eye.

"I already told her."

"WHAT! Oh no! Ok, then you have to come up with the money to hire me a personal bodyguard. She will kill me."

"She isn't just an evil, angry person like you think."

"You're trying to tell me she isn't angry?" Essence shot back in a sarcastic tone.

"No, I mean she's afraid of losing people. She lost Theo, and she has no other friends. She doesn't want to lose me."

Essence looked at Jasper and rolled her eyes. "It's not like we're going to run off and get married or something. Oh. I can't ever marry you, anyway."

"Really? Why?"

"One sister is enough for me. And this conversation is dumb. Let's go." She flicked her towel over her shoulder and tramped off towards the cabins.

It was free time now, the hours had slipped past on the lake. Jasper was eager to hang out with his mates, so Essence farewelled him and slouched off to the cabin. She stood in the doorway, looking at the interior of the cabin. A long line was drawn down the middle of the floor, between Sapphire and Essence's beds. Essence's book she had been reading on the small table had been thrown onto her bed, along with her pencils and notebook, because the table was on Sapphire's side of the line.

Essence walked into the room, picked up the book from her bed and smoothed out the scrunched pages. Then she glanced back up sharply.

"She can't do that. That is inhumane."

The door to the bathroom was on Sapphire's supposed side. Essence walked to the line, rubbed out a bit, and added the door to her territory.

"She won't like that. Too bad." Then there was a knock on the door of the cabin.

"You don't have to knock. You always just barge in anyway."

Garnet walked in. "Excuse me?"

Essence blushed. "I thought you were Sapphire."

"Yes, your delightful room mate was at my cabin this morning wanting to borrow some chalk." She peered around Essence. " Now I know why."

"What did you want?"

"Some of the girls are going swimming. Do you want to come?"

"Where are you swimming? There's no pool is there?"

Garnet grinned. "We're swimming in the dam. Come on."

She pulled Essence out the door.

"But I don't even have any swimmers!"