Chapter Two:
In Which the Nymph Acquaints Herself with the Waterfall
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"So, where are we going exactly?" I asked as we hiked through the forest. As we walked, my sneakers made constant awful squishing noises, a dirge a la worm slime.
"One of the hot springs."
"There are hot springs over here? I thought they were only on the Westwood Resort?"
"Nah, Westwood wishes they had these, but these're on the rez's land—so Westwood no can touchie. They're a whole heck of a lot cleaner, too—since they don't have all that sun block, perfume, and the other crap the tourists slather on to contaminate them."
We were moving steadily uphill now. I was carefully maneuvering around porous rocks and thick roots. The forest was particularly vibrant here, and it felt like we were swimming as we pushed forward through the foliage, thick ferns and velveteen moss brushing against us the entire way.
We broke out of the trees and found ourselves in a breathtaking meadow. I glanced about, taking in the beauty of it, but Jake grabbed my hand and pulled me into another line of trees.
Up ahead, I could hear the faint sounds of rushing water. Jake increased his pace and started to skip through the trees. I started to fall behind. I was not about to skip.
Skipping + forest + Bella = broken limb, concussion, and twenty stitches. I'd been there before.
Jake disappeared through the trees. From up ahead, I heard a splash.
"Jake?" I called.
No response.
Once again, "Jake!"
Nothing.
I threw caution to the wind. I ran through the bushes, pushing branches and tree limbs out of my path. Suddenly, I realized that the ground was no longer beneath me. I was falling.
I made a catastrophic splash.
"Hiya, Bells!" Jake called.
I could vaguely see him through the mist.
"Jake!" I growled furious. "I can't believe you did that to me! You were there, and then you were gone—and then I was falling and—I'm completely soaked, Jake!"
"Geez, Bells, calm down. There was never any danger."
I tried to growl again, but he looked so pathetically endearing that I just ended up frowning somewhat ineffectually at him.
He chuckled at my expression. "So, what do you think? Cool, eh?"
I finally stopped to take in my surroundings. We were in a sort of natural grotto. Dark, purplish rocks created natural walls. The rocks were coated with thick acid green moss and flowers with rich scarlet petals and deep purple leaves. From above, graceful willows hung down, vine-like. I noticed immediately that the water in the pool was much warmer than the air outside. As Jake had promised, it was a hot spring, a natural geothermal phenomenon common to this area. Most impressive of all was the waterfall. It poured down from a cleft in the rocks above. When the cool blanket of water from above hit the hot water below, a natural mist was created, turning the already mysterious cavern into an ethereal, almost magical place.
I felt like I'd just unlocked the door to the Secret Garden or stepped through the wardrobe into Narnia.
"Eh, helloooooo. Earth to Bella!"
Jake was calling me. I realized I'd never responded.
"It's beautiful, Jake." My voice sounded very drunk.
He chuckled again. "Yeah, not many folks know how to find it—even on the rez. As you saw, you have to drive out here, and then hike a long distance, so mostly it's just the La Push teens that come out here. There are other hot springs closer to the rez—so everyone else just uses them."
"Are they as beautiful as this?"
"Nah, this one is the best."
"So, how do we get out?" I asked curiously. There weren't exactly any stairs.
"Oh, I was just about to head up. I need to let some of my clothes dry. We use those ledges right there to climb out." He pointed to a slanted crevice on the west side of the pool.
"You want to hand me your shoes and whatever else to hang up to dry?" He turned a little pink as he asked.
I giggled. I pulled off my sandals, scrubbing them slightly with my fingers. And then I yanked off my shirt. I had a black sports bra on underneath—women ran in those things all the time, and it was black, and I was flat—so no big deal.
Jacob turned red. I giggled even more, as I handed him the various articles. Jake took them and quickly scrambled up the slant.
I relaxed and floated on my back, closing my eyes and shutting out the sounds of the world around me. I could smell the faint hint of sulfur from the spring and the gentle ripples of the current in the pool. I sensed a thickening layer of mist settling on my nose, cheeks, and forehead.
I was awoken from my reverie by a cool tickling on my toes.
I realized that I had drifted toward the waterfall.
I stood up, and stretched my hand into the flow, feeling the water run through my fingers. The water was tepid but not hot, and the pressure was firm but not harsh. I leaned into the wall of water. I felt it pour over my face, washing my hair down my back and sliding off my shoulders. It felt wonderful; a billion times better than my crappy shower at home, in fact.
I lay back again, floating on my back, and pushing gently off the rocks with my toes. The water swept over my face and my neck. The water pressed down the like the most skilled masseuse. I clamped my fingers down on the rock on my side, gripping so that the water wouldn't push me under. I floated further out, so that the current pounded down my torso. That tickled in funny way—not just on the surface of my skin but underneath, too. I released my arm then, letting my toes be my only grip on the rocks, so that the stream of water flowed down my body toward my legs and then…
Holy crow. That was when I felt it.
I felt it down there—in the nook between my legs. The warmth of the spring and the pressure of the water seem to condense and just flare out before sucking back in and then shooting out again—and I realized that my toes were no longer gripping the rocks and the pressure of the water was pushing me gently underneath the surface.
I surfaced with a hacking gasp. Ingesting sulfurous water is not an experience I'd recommend.
"Bella, are you okay? I heard a strange sound—like a cat or something."
I looked up through the mist to see Jake leaping off of the crevice and splashing into the pool.
"Noise? I didn't hear any noise," I said in a strained voice. A noise? I had made a cat-like noise?
Jake was giving me a quizzical stare, and then I saw his gaze drop briefly as he focused on my boobs. Dang it all, I was nipping—and my twelve year old buddy couldn't help but stare. I cleared my throat.
Jake looked a little flushed, as he saw that I had caught his gaze. "Eh, well, we should probably get going. There are mountain lions out in these woods, and we shouldn't provide them with unnecessary temptation."
I nodded mechanically. I was completely discombobulated.
I swam to the edge of the pool and Jake showed me how to climb up. When we reached the top, Jake collected our clothes, while I sat on the edge of the wall, staring down at the grotto and the waterfall.
"Ya ready, Bella?" Jake called.
I stood up and took a step to follow him, but paused somewhat unconsciously, giving a final glance at the waterfall.
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