Omega Read Free Page B

to the lake, I vowed to keep to my
internal promise of not spending more than a few minutes off the
property and threw myself to the ground. Wrenching off my shoes and
socks, I scooted to the edge of the lake and dangled my legs over
the rock on which I sat.
    The moment my feet dipped beneath the cool
surface, my world seemed to slow to a stop. I leaned over,
marveling at the sensations. It shouldn’t have been, but this was
somehow different than a pool. This felt … alive.
    “ Holy Poseidon,” I
murmured.
    The sensation of being united with something
living moved through my system, a wave that ran from my toes to the
tip of my head, in rhythm with the water, then outward, rippling
the grass around the lake. I shivered. Fascinated, I peered into
the dark depths of the lake. My feet caused small waves that were
pushed back by the natural tides of the lake. Deep within the
depths, I caught a glimmer of something odd.
    I squinted in the fading light. They weren’t
fish or rocks or anything. The lake was too deep to see its bottom,
but I swore I saw ribbons of soft colors twisting like smoke
through the waters. Their movements were too precise to be dictated
by the tides. I blinked – and they were gone.
    Realizing my five minutes were up, I lifted
my feet and dried them on my pants legs then replaced my shoes and
socks. I didn’t feel nearly as urgent about returning to the forest
where I’d spent most of my life and ambled back. It was strange,
but I could almost feel the tide of the lake still moving through
me, rocking from toes to head and back again before rustling the
grass around me. It was gentle, soothing and peaceful. I was an
extension of the water, and it felt natural, nice.
    I had nothing to compare
the experience to and couldn’t help wondering if I’d spent my
entire life cut off from such small pleasures. It made me despise
the nymphs even more, since they probably spent every
weekend feeling whatever this was out in the real world.
    I stepped over the red rope, and the
internal rocking stopped. I realized it hadn’t only been the lake I
felt. The breeze that stirred the surface of the lake stopped at
the barrier, too, and its gentle touch on my skin fell away.
    I missed them almost as soon as I left them.
Facing the lake once more, I smiled. If nothing else, I now knew
one of the secrets of the world outside my boundaries, and it was
beautiful.
    Beyond happy with my secret adventure, I
moved five meters from the cord to an area big enough for a fire
and built a little campsite. My assigned kit contained a canteen of
water and the ingredients for s’mores. Herakles’ thoughtfulness
only added to my happiness. I went through my tasks of finding
shelter, starting a fire and stretching out on the ground to watch
the stars with a smile plastered on my face. After my treats, I let
the fire die out and retreated to a small shelter I’d created from
a poncho and tree branches. I had brought a sleeping bag and
crawled into it.
    My mind was on the lake, on my future and
how incredible it was going to be to leave the compound once and
for all and join the rest of the world. I slid into deep, contented
sleep.
     
    Something awoke me shortly before dawn. I
opened my eyes, senses trained on the world outside my makeshift
tent. Animals used their instincts and intuition better than
humans, and Herakles had emphasized being more like the locals when
camping out. So I listened in silence and stillness.
    An animal was rustling quietly, but it
wasn’t close, and it wasn’t in the forest, which meant it was large
if I could hear it this far off. The sounds came from the direction
of the lake. I crept out of my sleeping bag and covered the
distance quickly between me and the boundary. Reaching the stump
where I often perched to gaze at the lake, I squatted on top of it
and stared.
    It was an animal, but nothing like I’d seen
before. Monster was probably a better description. The creature had
a wingspan of ten