A/N: Just so you know, I actually happen to like The Catcher in the Rye, so don't send me reviews saying I don't know a good book when I read it or something. And if you don't like the book, I understand that too, cause I didn't like it the first time I read it, either. So, yeah, no hate mail, please!

"K, I don't get this. What do the ducks symbolize?"

Dawn turned from her magazine and regarded Jade for a moment before answering.

"Well, the way I see it, the ducks symbolize childhood, or a search for innocence or something. I'm not really positive."

Jade frowned at her copy of The Catcher in the Rye and sighed. She reread the page and Dawn went back to flipping through 17.

"But the ducks fly away, and the fish get frozen in the water, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I think that's how it goes."

"Then what do the fish symbolize?"

Dawn hemmed and hawed for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Ok, here's what I think. The ducks are carefree children, able to fly away to lands unknown at a moment's notice. But the fish are adults; they're trapped by their morals and ethics and all that boring stuff. So, the ducks and the fish symbolize Holden's struggle with giving up his childhood."

Jade's frown turned into a scowl now. "I don't like this book."

"Who does?" Dawn laughed.

"It's just that it's so…full of symbolism, I guess? It makes it a little tough on my soft brain."

"Oh, my brain's pretty soft too. The trick is to take the scene out of context and apply it to what you already know."

"Good idea."

"I thought so."

The girls returned to their respective occupations while studiously avoiding the death glare Mr. Parch was giving them. He had caught them talking during quiet reading time more than a dozen times, and he was not impressed. Perhaps he'd have a conversation with that Summers counsellor…

"Dawn?" Jade asked.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think happens if a duck gets frozen in the pond, too?"

"Heh? What are you talking about?!"

"Never mind," Jade retracted, "it was stupid anyway."

Dawn gave the other girl a confused look before flipping another page in her magazine. But Jade didn't return to the novel, even though she needed to read it by next class since she was incredibly behind in the class work she hadn't originally been around for. Instead, she found her attention drifting into the halls of her memory. Her eyes fixed on a chip on the surface of her desk as images from her childhood flitted into her consciousness…

****

It was a cool May afternoon as she walked through the village. She pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders against the chilled breeze. The sky was overcast, the sun hiding away from the world.

'Today is a day of importance', Grandmama had said, a wild gleam in her eyes. Normally Jade didn't take her crazy-talk to heart, but today was different. Today, she could feel something foreboding in the air.

She passed the bakery and waved at Monsieur Gerrault who was putting out bread to cool. He waved at her in return, and sent her family well-wishes. Jade nodded in thanks and continued on her way.

Her feet clicked along on the cobblestone road as she walked. The sound was comforting, familiar, and for a moment her unease lifted.

Until she heard the scream. It was inhuman, but clearly distressed. Jade glanced around, trying to find it's source. But as she searched, she realized that none of the other villagers had noticed it. They continued with their daily business, transporting wine, selling Paris newspapers, beating out carpets.

Maybe it was my imagination… It sounded again, higher in pitch this time, and louder. She could tell it was coming from the glen to the east, and headed off towards it.

The trees were tall; old as the earth, her father had once told her. Though she didn't believe they were quite that old, she could tell by the girth of their trunks that they were likely hundreds of years old.

Leaves crunched underfoot as she trudged through the trees. Every so often, the cry would tear through the still wood and Jade would adjust her path to bring her to it. She could tell she was nearing the pond, and she realized that the cry was that of a duck.

Walking faster now, she saw the glistening blue of the water through the brush and smelled its fresh aroma. It mingled with the heady scent of pine to make a smell purely outdoors. But she didn't pause to enjoy it, but rather rushed to a fallen tree where she saw white wings flapping desperately.

She saw that the felled tree had gone top-first into the pond and had trapped the duck beneath it at the edge of water and land. The tree was broken, but its base remained attached to the stump. To free the duck, Jade would have to lift the end in the water.

Tossing off her shawl and stepping out of her shoes, she waded out into the pond, murmuring soothingly to the trapped fowl. By the time she reached the end, she was waist-deep in water that chilled her to the bone.

She began to shiver uncontrollably as the wind blew across the surface. But she steeled herself against the shocking cold and dove under. Her eyes stung as she opened them underwater, and she had to blink a few times before she could see easily.

The tree rested atop a rather large rock, and Jade tested its weight gently with her hands. She pushed upwards on it, enough for it to rise a bit off the rock. It wasn't too heavy, and she felt confident that she could lift it on her own if she found good footing.

Her head breached the surface and she gulped down air and pushed her wet and stringy hair out of her eyes. The noticeably cooler wind froze her eyelashes and she had to work at keeping her lids apart. Beneath her, she tested the slick rocks with her bare feet. She dug her toes into the algae and scraped it off as best she could.

Ducking under the water again, she grasped the tree and settled her feet on the now less-than-slippery rocks. As she straightened her legs, she pushed the log up. She had almost lifted it out of the water when she slipped.

Her legs went out from under her and the tree came down with her body. She hit the pond bottom hard, enough to know she would bruise. And then the tree bounced off the rock and settled on her legs, effectively trapping her underwater.

She tried pushing it off herself, but it wouldn't go sideways. Trying to lift it didn't work either, because she was only strong enough to do that with the added strength of her legs. Beginning to panic, she thrashed in the water and accidentally cut her hand on a jagged rock.

Her blood swirled in the water, drifting away like smoke. As she stared at it, she realized she was going to drown. Drowning to save a duck.

Her lungs began screaming for air, and she felt herself losing consciousness. The numbness in her body began to dissipate, and she went limp with exhaustion. As she began a silent prayer of repentance, she saw herself rising up, out of the water…

That's when she noticed the cool wind again, though it didn't sting like it should have, because she was wrapped in strong arms. She was gasping for air, and the stranger was rubbing her back and whispering encouragement.

"Come on, breathe it all in. That's it." She was carried back to the shore and a blanket was wrapped tightly around her. Jade began convulsing with shivers that wracked her entire body, and the stranger wrapped their arms around her and chafed her arms.

She looked up through her wet hair. It was brushed aside, out of her face, and she met her rescuer. Broad-shouldered yet small, the boy was no older than herself. He smiled kindly down at her and held her tighter.

"Trying to drown yourself, were you?" he asked light-heartedly.

Through the chattering of her teeth, she managed to thank him.

He ducked his head a little, his longish blond hair falling across his soft features. "Ah, it was nothing," he muttered.

Jade began to feel a little warmer, a little stronger, and sat up a bit, looking into his face. She stilled her shuddering chin and the annoying rat-a-tat of her teeth stopped.

"No, you saved my life. I am indebted to you."

He looked up at her, and met her eyes. Green to blue; blue to green. In that instant, the world fell away. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek. He pulled her body a little closer to his.

And then the duck quacked. Both of them turned to see it waddling over to them, apparently grateful to them for saving it. Jade stretched out a hand and it nuzzled her. They both laughed as it turned and jumped into the pond.

Standing up, the boy helped Jade to her feet. She removed the blanket from her shoulders and handed it to him.

"No," he said, "you hold onto it. It'll keep you warm until you reach home."

"Thank you," she replied, and he wrapped it around her shoulders once more. She slipped back into her shoes and he folded her shawl before placing it in her hands.

"What's your name?" she asked. He paused.

"Zeke," he answered. "Yours?"

"Jade," she said, and smiled at him.

"Like your eyes," he observed. She ducked her head a little.

"Yeah."

Zeke reached out and grasped her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. He stepped toward her, and her heart leaped into her throat. But he simply placed a soft kiss on her forehead before turning and walking away.

She stood there for a long time, rooted to the ground. Replaying the events in her mind, she realized that not only had she never seen him in the village before, but how had he known she was even in the water?

Frowning, she headed back into the woods, haunted by the carefree quacking that now came from the pond…

****

"Jade?"

Her reverie was interrupted by Dawn's voice. She looked up at her and realized that they were the only two people left in the classroom.

"Oh, I uh…" she stammered, stuffing her belongings into her schoolbag.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Dawn offered.

Jade paused, and looked at her friend. "I think I figured my duck thing out."

"Oh yeah?"

The two girls headed to the front of the room and out the door.

"Yeah. If a duck got stuck in the lake? It would symbolize fate."