A.N. This doesn't happen. It's a "deleted scene", the original river scene that got cut b/c though it's based on a true story it's more slapstick than I wanted for the scene. Still I found it amusing, so it's included here.


After a brief stop to change into their suits, the five headed out to the river in Cassie's Explorer. As soon as they arrived Rei made it clear she had no interest in going into the water by settling herself down onto a towel with her cell phone and camera at hand. The rest breathed a sigh of relief when she covered her entire body, including head, with her sarong and napped.

Will scrambled up a rocky hill to cannonball into the river from above. Cassie spread her towel out cautiously beside Rei's and began slathering sunscreen on.

Mina and Keith had barely put a foot in the water when a shriek from Will halted their progress.

Mina stumbled on the rock bottomand fell into Keith. Since Mina was the force behind the fall, she had a nice (though not necessarily soft and cushy) Keith to land on top off. Keithhad the privilege of landing on uneven and pointy rocks. He surfaced with a scowl and glared accusingly at his cousin who was pointing a shaky finger into the water.

"What are you going on about!" Keith snapped.

Will didn't answer.

Mina pushed her sodden hair out of her face to peer at Will's ash colored face. "Are you alright, Will?"

"Guh." Was Will's reply.

Cassie sprang off her towel and hurried to see what Will was freaking out about and Mina and Keith began picking the way across the rocky bottom to him. Even Rei pulled the sarong from over her head to watch the proceedings with lazy amusement.

"Is it a dead body?" She asked with a snicker. Mina gasped and stumbled back a step rather than see a bloated corpse. "Relax Mina!" Rei called from the shore. "I was just kidding."

"Actually." Will said a bit desperately. "Actually." He struggled to gulp air as Cassie reached him.

"Actually I think it might be."

Cassie froze two feet away from Will and clasped her hands to mouth in horror. Only Keith continued wading towards his cousin, increasing his pace.

"And not so much a body as a um," Will's Adam's apple bobbled as he swallowed reflexively. "As a hand. Or a finger at least."

"There's probably a hand attached to it," Rei supplied helpfully. "I can't imagine a finger just laying at the bottom."

"Why don't you get your ass up off the towel and come see for yourself instead of just imagining." Cassie snapped, fed up with her cousin's attitude.

Rei shrugged and stood up just as Keith reached Will. He held a hand up to stay her as he peered into the murky water. "There's no need for all of us to see this."

Rei snorted. "Now I'm definitely coming in."

Soon all five were gathered in a loose circle around the object, trying to see.

"Oh sure, let's all gather around and kick up mud while we're at it. Brilliant!"

"Rei, if you don't shut up I'm going to shove your face down into this water until you're touching it with your teeth!" Cassie barked, resulting in a glaring contest between the two.

"I guess there isn't any way we could just wade back to the shore and pretend we never saw this." Mina asked.

"Saw what? There's nothing there but mud and rocks!"

"That's it Rei!"

"Everybody calm down!" Keith shouted before Cassie could lunge. "You're stirring up more silt and fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. Neither is sarcasm." He added with a significant look towards Rei.

She crossed her arms grimly.

"We can't just leave if there is a body down there. Someone out there could be waiting for them to come home." Will said.

"Why do we have to be the ones to see for sure? Aren't there police for this?" Rei asked.

Cassie threw her hands into the air. "And what if there's not actually a body. I'm sure they'd love to be called out to find an oddly shaped twig or stone or-"

"I see something."

Silence.

They peered into the water.

"Oh my god I see it!"

"It's pointing."

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"I knew it! Ever since I was little I've had nightmares about finding a bloated corpse in a river!"

"It looks like a stick to me."

"No, it looks like a finger. And a bit of a hand. It's hard to tell with half of it buried."

"I say it's a stick."

"Hand."

"Stick."

"Hand."

"St-"

"Will you two shut the hell up already!"

Glaring silence.

"She has a point."

"Thank you."

"It could be a stick."

"We have to be sure."

"You're not suggesting we- please tell me you're not saying one of us should touch it."

"Have a better idea?"

"Yes. Let's leave."

"We can't."

"I'm not doing it!"

"Me either."

"Rei's the one who says it's a stick. I vote her."

"Yeah, that's gonna happen."

"I'll do it."

"No Keith, I'm the one who found it, I'll do it."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who said we have to be sure. I'll do it."

"None of you would be over here if it weren't for me. I can do it!"

"No Will, let me be the one."

"I can't believe you two are actually fighting about who gets to touch the dead body."

"Or stick."

"If you're so sure it's a damn stick, you do it Rei."

"Fine."

There was a splash as Rei gracelessly reached into the murky depths. Then the silence of held breaths as they waited.

Bird flew into the air above the trees as the silence of the woods was shattered by a scream.


"I TOLD you it was just a stick!"

"And I told you to shut up!"

Mina, Keith, and Will all sighed from the back seat at the cousins bickered in the front.

"I'm siding with Cassie on that statement." Mina muttered from the middle seat.

Will nodded in agreement. "I can't tell if I'm more bitter that she keeps rubbing my terror in my face or that she chased me around with that damn stick when she pulled it up."

"I'd be mad about the chase." Keith suggested. "You nearly fainted, after all."

"Shut up." Will muttered and turned his face to watch scenery. With a shrug Keith did the same.

Mina rolled her eyes upwards to the car ceiling. It was going to be a long ride back into town.