As the two walked, Matt tried to explain it would likely be a several-session arrangement, as one can't really learn to swim well just by trying once.
"No way, I want to learn it all today. You teach me good, and then I'll swim like a fish, end of story," Ellie said, watching as Matt paused to retrieve a coil of light rope from where it hung on the side of the stable. "What's that for?"
"Safety. The water doesn't run very quick, but I want you to feel safe."
"I'm not liking the sound of this..."
"Relax. You're the girl that shivs clickers, that saved Joel's life, that trekked over two thousand miles across the country trying to find the Fireflies."
"We rode a horse some of the time," Ellie pointed out. "And a truck for a little bit."
"You're missing my point." Matt looked stern. "You shouldn't be afraid of water. You live on a river."
"Who said I'm afraid?" Ellie tossed her head with a high-n-mighty air. "I just don't wanna drown."
"I won't let you drown."
They passed Joel on their way out, riding in with two rabbits and a small fox hung limply over the back of his saddle.
"Slim pickins today," he said, giving Ellie a nod. "You two headed off?"
"Yeah, Matt's going to toss me into the creek tied up in a rope," Ellie explained doggedly. "Sounds fun, huh."
"I'm doing no such thing," he said, draping his arm around her shoulders. "Swimming lessons, right, Ellie?"
"Right." She rolled her eyes.
"Be careful." Joel's gaze lingered on Matt's, and he tightened his grip on Ellie.
"I will. See you later."
"Later." Joel began to turn his mount, his back stiff in the saddle, when Ellie called out.
"Hey, Joel." He turned in the saddle, and regarded her with a slightly kinder expression.
"Puns about swimming are difficult to aqua-er."
Joel snorted and shook his head. "You're a mess," he muttered, but it was around a smile. Ellie grinned after him.
"Alright, let's go. I'm totally doing this."
At the creek, Matt located a good spot, a wide, deep section that ran slowly, surrounded on one side by a small stand of trees close to the water's edge. He knotted the rope around the base of one of the trees and then made another loop at the other end, tossing it aside and sitting on the bank, beginning to peel off his shoes and socks.
Ellie sat down and did the same, scooting to the edge and dipping of foot in. She swore loudly. "This is super freakin' cold."
"You get used to it once you're in there. It'll feel good, since it's so warm today." Matt got to his feet and tossed aside his jacket, wearing just his t-shirt and jeans. His belt joined his jacket and shoes in the pile.
"Alright." He smiled encouragingly. "So, I'm going to jump in and swim around for a minute to make sure it really isn't too cold, and then you should come in too." With a quick nod, Matt plunged down into the creek, submerging his head and rising up again from the water, shaking like a dog.
"Whew! A bit brisk," he called, while Ellie regarded him dubiously from dry ground.
"Is it okay?"
"It's fine. Let me see how deep it is." Taking a deep lungful of air, Matt dove beneath the surface, and a stream of bubbles rose to the top where he had disappeared. Some twenty seconds passed, then thirty. The bubbles stopped, and Ellie felt her heartbeat quicken. A minute. A minute and a half. She started to panic.
Grabbing the rope and fumbling with the thickness of it, Ellie tied it in a firm knot about her waist and splashed down into the creek, gasping at its coldness. "Matt?" she called, her voice high-pitched with fear. "Matt?" The water rose and slapped her in the face, and she choked, her open mouth filling with water. Thrashing her limbs as she felt the rope go taut, Ellie spluttered, "Matt, what the heck –" And then she went under. Blackness and tiny bubbles assailed her eyes and ears, and Ellie felt the toe of her left foot catch on something sharp at the creek's bottom, seeping a thread of dark blood into the rushing water.
A strong grip closed around her waist and lifted her above the surface, and Matt's face was suddenly close to hers.
"Ellie? You alright?"
"Holy mother of –" she coughed, spitting water, and flailing to get away from him. "Let go of me!"
"Alright." He released her and she bobbed beneath the surface again, only to be seized by the scruff of the neck and pulled to the bank. "You're okay. You're okay."
Ellie blinked and wiped the water from her face, glaring at Matt. "What the heck are you doing?"
"I was getting you to come into the water. It was an idea I had, when I was swimming around down there. I thought, you never conquer your fears when someone else is just telling you what to do, so what if I just stayed down there and let you come in on her own. That way your fears are defeated, and then we can focus on the skill."
"You're insane," Ellie muttered weakly.
"But it worked."
"You scared the crap outta me."
"I'm okay. You're okay, and we're both in the creek new. Want to swim?"
"Fine." Ellie scooted into the shallows, but retained her grip on Matt. "Don't let go of me."
"I won't."
Matt pulled her back into the current, their bodies feeling weightless, the warmth of her small hands on his shoulders noticeable against the chill of the creek water surrounding them.
"Okay, so you've still got the rope around you, so even if something happens, you won't go far. The main thing is to not be scared, and channel your energy into making your arms and legs work together."
"...Channel your energy... Arms and legs work together," Ellie murmured, nodding. "Got it."
"So, keep holding onto me, but kick your feet, nice and strong."
He could see the effort of the movement on her face, but it made no disturbance in the surface of the water.
"Really kick. Kick hard, so you make a splash."
"I'll kick you."
"Keep your arms straight." He grasped her elbows, straightening them, and keeping her at arm's length away from him. "Now kick."
Putting her head down, Ellie gritted her teeth and churned up a series of energetic waves behind her.
"Good!"
"Good?" she panted. "Alright. What next..."
"So while you move your legs, you've also got to move your arms."
"'Kay."
"So I'm gonna have you try on your own for just a minute, and I want you to kick your legs, and also move your arms. Like this." Matt demonstrated, his hands pushing just enough water beneath him to keep him buoyant. "Let go of me now."
"Alright... one – two –" Ellie pushed herself away from him and slid beneath the surface, but a vigorous kicking from her legs pushed her back up again, spluttering.
"Now move your arms, Ellie! Move your arms!"
"I am!" she managed, pushing her arms through the water, off-balance and awkward. She sank again, thrashing to keep her head above the surface.
"Easy, not so fast," Matt called, and Ellie made a slow even pass through the water, keeping her head and shoulders steady. Her face lit up as the water about her calmed. She did it again.
"Oh my gosh, I'm swimming," she said, sweeping her arms and legs in a circular motion and propelling herself upwards in the water ever so slightly each time she began to sink.
"You're swimming."
"How do I not just stay in the same place?"
"Lean forward in whichever direction you want to go, and keep doing the same thing."
Ellie's chin dipped into the water and she paddled like a dog a few strokes in one direction, then another.
"I'm doing it," she gasped, her limbs beginning to tire. "I'm doing it..."
Matt caught her into a hug, and let her droop in his arms. "See, it wasn't hard. But you're going to need practice."
"No kidding," she breathed, limp against him. "This wears you out!"
"It's hard work, especially when you're not used to it. You waste a lot of energy at first." Matt towed her over to the side and they both clambered out of the creek, streaming water, and sat, breathless, on the bank. Ellie grinned broadly. "That was awesome." She set to work untying the rope from her waist. "We should totally come back and do this again tomorrow."
Matt's face sobered. "I told my dad I'd help him tomorrow. But maybe the next day."
Ellie shrugged. "No problem. I think I know what I'm doing now."
"Are you joking?" Matt's eyebrows knit together. "Don't ever go swimming alone. That's an important rule."
"But when I get better –"
"No matter how good of a swimmer you are, you should never go alone," Matt said firmly. "You never know what could happen..." He trailed off, and focused on the diluted blood smearing Ellie's toe. "Are you hurt?"
"Oh." She grabbed her foot and examined it, poking at the ragged bit of skin that had been torn loose. "I cut it on the bottom."
"You should rinse it before you put your socks and shoes back on," Matt advised, chuckling. "You're always tearing up your feet, aren't you."
"Well, they're right down there next to the ground where all the sharp stuff is," Ellie retorted, scooting forward and sticking her foot in the cool water, before laying back on the slope of the bank. "Thanks for helping me."
"You're welcome."
Matt lowered himself to the grass with a small grunt, and put his arms behind his head, looking at the leafy canopy of the forest above them.
"In times like these, I can almost forget what a terrible world we live in," he murmured. "It gives me hope to press on, so one day people can take everything for what it seems, and enjoy it."
Ellie nodded slowly. "Do you think that's ever gonna happen?"
Matt pondered his answer. "It will. I don't know if I'll be alive to see it, but it will."
"Is there anything in the world you think you should do before you die?" Ellie asked suddenly, turning and regarding him with a fixed stare. "I mean, anyone could die any day, but still."
Matt furrowed his brow. "I want to create something that'll endure beyond my lifespan. Like write a book, or inspire others with an ideal."
"I want to have sex," Ellie said in a low voice. Matt's gaze met hers.
"Did you say –"
"Yeah." Ellie gave a nervous laugh. "Tommy and Maria are really hoping I'll get married soon, and even though I don't plan on dying... well, I don't know a freakin' thing about what do to when you're married." She decided now would not be a good time to tell her friend that she'd never – in her life – had the desire to sleep with a guy before.
"Do you believe you have to be married to... you know –" Matt's voice was small.
Ellie shrugged. "I don't see the sense in that, really. In a world like this, most stuff's already gone down the toilet anyway, so I don't think it matters."
"Those are the kinds of things that should be reinstated," Matt murmured.
"What? Rules?"
"No. Higher belief systems. Something more than mere survival."
"So, you're saying you wouldn't screw me, even if you thought it'd help me," Ellie whispered. Matt's eyes darkened with some sort of strange shadow.
"I'd do anything for you, Ellie," he murmured. "I love you."