Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

CODY

I don’t return home until I know I have to. I could theoretically wander all night, but that wouldn’t do any good for anyone, especially me. So, I decide to do the only thing I can logically do. I decide to find Darcy and fix things before they get any worse.

The first place I check is her room, which is empty as far as I can tell. I don’t hear any noise from inside and the lights appear to be off. Next, I check my own room which is also dark and empty. I try to find Louis next, with the hopes that Maya would be with him and in turn, so would Darcy. But when I knock on his door, he’s the only one to answer, half asleep with a lack of my little sister hanging off of his arm.

I can’t fathom where they could possibly be. I have the brief thought that they got so mad they decided to pack up and go home early. But that seems pessimistic. And besides, my sister isn’t the running away type. That’s more of my specialty.

I decide to try the front desk. I’ve got plenty of friends there who tend to keep a pretty close eye on the happenings of the resort.

“The two girls you’ve seen me around with this week,” I tell my favorite front desk lady, Janice. “One’s tall and blonde, the other is short and red-haired. They’re generally pretty loud when they’re together. They’d be hard to miss.”

I see a flash of recognition in her eyes and she nods. “Oh, those two! The blonde one, she’s Louis’ new girl, right?”

I wince at the insinuation. “More importantly, my little sister, but yes she is also, in theory, Louis’ girl. ”

I don’t like the idea of my sister being associated with any man in this resort, but for the time being, I’m just glad Janice has any idea what I’m talking about. I need to find the girls and fix things, then I’ll deal with the rest later.

“Yeah, they came through here a couple of hours ago,” Janice informs me. “They were headed towards the fitness center, I think.”

“Fitness center,” I echo. “That’s perfect. Thank you so much, Janice. I owe you dinner and drinks soon!” I don’t give her a chance to respond before I walk away. I follow the hallway toward the east wing where the fitness center is located. I can’t fathom why they’d be working out at this hour, but I stopped questioning why those two do the things they do a very long time ago. I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re just crazy enough to be completely unpredictable. There’s no point in trying to figure out their train of thought.

Approaching the fitness center, it looks completely empty. Not a soul in sight. I suppose it’s possible that they left the back way and Janice didn’t see them, but that doesn’t answer the question of where they are now. Their room is empty. And the resort isn’t that big. If they aren’t here, then it’s pretty damn likely that they aren’t in the resort.

“Damn it,” I curse when I find a lack of my sister and her best friend in the gym. I should’ve known that would be too easy. Nothing with them is ever easy. Why would they start now?

I start to retreat back to the lobby with the thought that my best option is just to wait around for them to hopefully come back. I called Maya at least four times on my way back to the resort and it went straight to voicemail every time—same response from Darcy—so I’m assuming their phones aren’t charged. Either that, or they’ve blocked me, but that’s not a scenario I want to think about right now.

I’m nearly out of the east wing when a thought strikes me. Or, rather, a reflection strikes me. Literally. Through large, glass windows, I see the surface of the resort pool rippling, like someone has just dived in.

Oh, no. Please tell me they didn’t.

I take a step closer and peer through the glass, training my eyes on the water. I tell myself there is absolutely no way that those two would be dumb enough to get in the water when the pool is blocked off for the season, but I know that’s an optimistic thought. Especially when I catch sight of bright red hair flowing in the water.

I sigh in annoyance. Leave it to Darcy and Maya to do the one thing they shouldn’t. I debate on pretending I never saw them for the sake of plausible deniability when my boss inevitably asks why my guests were in the pool. But I’ve already been enough of a dick today. And from the looks of the pool—wine bottles and puddles of water galore—I know I need to help them clean up, for their sake and mine.

I enter the area that is very clearly marked off limits and I’m immediately struck by the nauseating scent of chlorine. It smells like high school, back when Maya—reeking of chlorine—would ride home in my passenger seat after swim practice.

I stand and wait for Darcy and Maya to emerge from the water, but then I have the sickening realization that they’ve been underwater for quite a while. Again, I look at the wine bottles. The striking flash of red hair in the water that seems to be sinking deeper and deeper. And even further beneath the red, I see pink. Pink like my sister’s favorite swimsuit that she’s had since freshman year of college.

Oh, no. No, no, no.

Without a single thought in my mind other than fear, I run, nearly slipping on puddles of water, and dive into the deep end. My clothes stick to my skin and drag me down before I can even begin to pump my legs. I’m sinking, but I don’t care because it means getting closer to Darcy and Maya. They’re so far down. I can’t fathom how they could possibly be so far down. I reach out and my arms hurt with how hard I’m straining to reach the girls, but I’m still not close enough. I reach and I reach and finally, I manage to grab a hold of the strap of Darcy’s swimsuit. With one burst of strength, I yank her toward me and grab her by the pits of her arms. As soon as I’m sure Maya is being pulled up with her, I pump my legs as hard as I possibly can. It feels like I’m making no difference. I’m being weighed down and I’m swallowing more and more water with each passing second. But I can’t afford to sink, not when it would mean Darcy and Maya sinking with me. Somehow, I manage to find one final burst of energy to drag the three of us to the surface.

My head breaches the water and I gasp for air, my head pounding and lungs burning. I immediately start to cough, but I ignore it for the sake of getting Darcy and Maya out of the water. I see blood dripping into the pool, but I can’t tell which girl it’s coming from. Darcy’s eyes are completely closed, but so are Maya’s, and I can’t tell if she’s breathing.

I’m so scared. No, I’m beyond scared. I’m terrified.

Darcy is the closest. As I pull her from the water, our bodies press together. Despite the cold, I feel a rush of heat where our skin touches. My hands linger on her waist as I steady her, and I'm acutely aware of every point of contact between us. Her skin is soft and cool beneath my fingers, and I have to resist the urge to pull her closer.

I look down at Darcy, both of us panting from exertion and something else. Her red hair is plastered to her face, droplets of water clinging to her eyelashes. For a moment, the fear and adrenaline morph into a different kind of intensity. Reality crashes back down and I snap into action.

I take Maya in my arms and it becomes entirely too obvious that the blood is coming from her from the way it’s staining my shirt.

I gently set her down on the side of the pool and drag myself up next to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Darcy coughing up water, but I’m too focused on my sister to pay any proper attention. I really don’t think Maya is breathing. There is blood seeping from a wound on her forehead. I’m at a complete loss on what to do.

My brain is working at half capacity. I should know what to do. I’ve been trained for this exact situation. It’s my fucking job. But it’s my baby sister and her life is in my hands and I’m completely fucking clueless.

“Cody,” I hear Darcy sob. “Cody, do something! Help her!”

The sound of Darcy’s desperation is enough to snap me out of my stupor. My brain starts working on autopilot and my hands are moving all on their own. I’m pumping my sister’s chest. I’m breathing air into her mouth. A voice deep, deep down inside me is screaming that it isn’t working. My baby sister is dead. But I choose not to hear it. I work wordlessly and methodically, like it’s something as easy as applying a Band-Aid. I have to tell myself that this isn’t my sister. This isn’t my baby sister’s life in my hands. It’s a stranger. Someone I’ve never met and will never meet again. If I don’t, I think I might completely break down and I can’t afford that right now. Maya can’t afford that right now.

I can hear Darcy sobbing behind me. The sound of it is making me sick. I can’t remember if I’ve inhaled at all in the past two minutes. I just have to keep going.

Press my hands to her heart, breathe air into her lungs, press my hands to her heart, breathe air into her lungs, press my hands to her heart, breathe air into?—

All at once, she sits up and coughs up all of the water in her lungs.

I let out a breath of relief that’s somewhere between a sob and a gasp. She’s breathing. Maya is breathing. She’s still alive.

“Maya,” the word slips off my tongue as I pull her into my arms and hold her as tightly as I can without breaking her.

“Cody?” she asks, my name coming out slurred. She’s squinting up at me through half-lidded eyes and I’m all too aware of the blood dripping down into her eyebrow and lashes. It’s getting into her eye. When she blinks, it slips down her cheek like a red tear.

“Jesus Christ, Maya, you scared the hell out of me.” I hold her even tighter, cradling her head to my chest. “Are you okay?” I ask, though I don’t quite expect an answer and one doesn’t come. Maya just slumps into my arms, breathing quickly and heavily. I know I need to get her medical attention—now.

I stand up and hoist her into my arms, moving as gently as possible to not hurt her even further. I start to walk away, but halt when I hear Darcy’s voice, desperate and scared, behind me.

“Wait! Cody, wait! Is she—Maya—is she—what can I do?”

I turn around and all I can see is that Darcy is fine while Maya is not. She is perfectly fucking fine and my sister nearly just died. I’m filled with blinding, hot rage.

“I think you’ve done enough. Both of you,” I growl, my jaw clenched so tight that it’s painful.

Darcy’s mouth drops open and I see the color drain from her face. She’s soaking wet, hair dripping down her chest and back, mascara running down her cheeks. For the first time all week, I see her for how she really is.

A scared fucking mess.