CHAPTER 11 Water

"Oh, yeah," Bree said enthusiastically. "Swimming!"

"There's a pool out back," Cal said, crossing the room. He opened a wooden door set back into an alcove. Brisk night air swirled into the room, making some flames go out and others dance.

"Okay," Jenna said. "That sounds great."

Ethan looked hot, his forehead damp beneath the tightly curled ringlets on his head. He wiped his face on the sleeve of his army-surplus shirt. "Swimming would be cool."

Raven and Beth smiled at each other like the Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp, then headed to the door. Robbie nodded at me and followed them. Bree was already through the door.

"Um, is this an outdoor pool?" I asked.

Cal smiled at me. "The water's heated. It'll be okay."

Of course, the huge thing going through my mind was that I hadn't brought a bathing suit, but somehow I felt if I mentioned this, everyone would laugh at me. I went through the door after Sharon, followed by Cal. Outside was a spiral staircase, and its steps led all the way down to the first floor, to the patio. I gripped the banister tightly and went down, hoping not to lose my balance.

Behind me I felt Cal's hand on my shoulder. "Okay?" he asked.

I nodded."Uh-huh."

A cut-stone patio, pale in the moonlight, met the edge of the staircase. Outdoor furniture, covered with waterproof covers, looked like blocky ghosts. On the far side a bank of tall shrubs pruned into neat rectangular shapes separated the patio from the yard beyond. A doorway was cut into the shrubs, and Cal pointed to it.

I looked up at the sky, shivering without my jacket or shoes. The waxing moon looked like a bitten sugar cookie in the sky. Its light shone down, illuminating our path.

Through the hedge doorway was a pristine lawn of smooth, soft grass, not yet brown. It felt like velvet moss be neath my bare feet.

Beyond the lawn was the pool. It was classical in design, almost Greek looking. It was a simple rectangular shape, with no diving board, no metal handrail anywhere. At each end was a series of tall stone columns, grown over with vines that were starting to lose their summer leaves. To one side was a cabana with several doors, and I began to hope that maybe his family kept all kinds of bathing suits there for people to borrow.

Then I saw that Jenna and Matt were already shimmying out of their clothes, and my eyes opened wide. Oh, no, I thought. No way. I whirled to find Bree, only to see that she was behind me, in her bra and underwear, dropping her clothes neatly onto a chaise longue.

"Bree!" I hissed as she undid her bra. She pushed off her undies, looking like a beautiful, moonlit marble statue. Raven and Beth were undoing hooks and buttons for each other, laughing, their teeth white in the moonlight. Naked, they ran to the pool and jumped in, their jewelry jangling cheerfully.

Next Jenna and Matt slipped into the water, Matt following Jenna as she moved across the dark expanse. Jenna laughed and went under, then surfaced, sleeking back her hair. She looked timeless, almost pagan. Sweat broke out on my forehead. Please don't let this turn into an orgy or anything, I begged whoever was listening to my thoughts. I am so not ready for this.

"Relax," Cal said behind me. I heard the rustling of his clothes and willed myself not to faint. In another minute I would see him naked. Cal, naked. All of him. Oh my God. I wanted to see him but was also writhing inside with uncertainty. He put his hand on my shoulder, and I jumped about a foot in the air.

"Relax," he said again, turning me to face him. He had taken off his shirt but was still wearing his jeans. "It's not going to turn into an orgy."

I was startled by how accurately he had read my thoughts.

"I wasn't worried about that," I said, appalled to hear a faint tremble in my voice. "It's just… I catch cold easily."

He laughed and started undoing his jeans. My breath got stuck in my throat. "You won't catch cold," he said.

He pushed down his jeans, and I spun to face the swimming pool. I was rewarded by the sight of a naked Robbie walking down the broad steps into the water. What next?

Ethan was sitting on a chaise, peeling off his socks. His shirt was off, a lit cigarette dangled from his mouth, and his fatigue pants were unbuttoned and partially unzipped. He took a last drag on his cigarette and stubbed it out on the ground. Then he stood and dropped his pants as Bree and Sharon walked past him to the pool. His eyes narrowed and locked on their bodies, then he kicked off his pants and followed them. At the deep end he jumped in cleanly, and I prayed he knew how to swim and wasn't so stoned he would drown.

Raven and Beth were splashing each other, then Beth squealed and jumped, her dark body sleek and sparkling with water drops. Ethan surfaced close by, grinning like a fox. With his hair wet and off his face and out of his sloppy clothes, he was cuter than usual, and Sharon looked at him in surprise, as if wondering who he was.

Cal walked past me. "Come on, Morgan," he said, holding out his hand. He was completely starkers, and my cheeks turned to fire as I tried not to look down.

"I can't," I whispered, hoping no one else could hear me. I felt like such a sissy. I glanced over to the pool and saw Bree watching us. I gave her a weak smile, and she smiled back, her eyes on Cal.

He waited. If he and I had been alone, I might have gotten over myself. Maybe I could have taken off my clothes and prayed he wasn't a boob man. But every girl here was prettier than I was and had a better body. Every one of them had bigger breasts than me. Sharon's were humongous.

I needed an out. I was overwhelmed to begin with, and this was just too much.

"Please come swimming," Cal said. "No one will attack you. I promise."

"It isn't that," I muttered. I wanted to look at him, but I couldn't look at him with him looking at me. A storm of self-consciousness raged inside me.

"There are a lot of special aspects to water," Cal said patiently. "Being surrounded by water, especially under the moon, can be very magickal, a very special kind of energy. I want you to feel that. Just wear your bra and underwear."

"I don't wear a bra," I said, then instantly wanted to kick myself.

He grinned."Really."

"I don't exactly need to," I mumbled unhappily.

He cocked his head, still grinning. "Really," he said.

I panicked, my breaking point reached.

"I have to get home. Thanks for the circle," I said, turning to go. I had come here in Bree's car, so I figured I had a long, chilly walk ahead of me. To go from the wonder and amazement of the circle to this painful humiliation seemed too much to bear. I couldn't wait till I was home, in my own bed.

Then Cal's hand snaked out and gripped the back of my shirt. With a gentle tug he drew me toward him. I wasn't breathing or thinking anymore. He bent over, put an arm under my knees, and picked me up. Strangely, I remember not feeling heavy or clumsy, but light and small in his arms. I stopped processing sensations in any normal way. I stopped being aware of the other people nearby.

He walked steadily down the pool steps into the shallow end. I didn't protest; I didn't say anything at all. I don't know if I could have. Then we were surrounded by water the exact temperature of my blood, and we were in the water, pressed together under the moon.

It was terrifying, strange, mysterious, thrilling, crushing.

And it was magickal.