Melissa felt the shock of the cold water as she started to sink.
She reached up with her hands. “Luke!”
Lying on his stomach, Luke grabbed for her, capturing both her hands in his. He pulled.
“Luke, help!”
With a loud groan, he slid her up out of the dark hole. The force of his tug sent her scooting on her stomach across the ice.
As she slid, Melissa looked back and saw Luke grab for Erica.
Too late.
Erica slipped down under the tossing waters as if being sucked under.
“I did it all for you, Rachel!” Melissa heard Erica shriek.
And then she disappeared, down into the icy darkness.
Panting loudly, Melissa pulled herself to her knees.
Her heart thudding in her chest, her entire body trembling from the horror, from the cold, she saw Luke lying down leaning into the hole.
“Erica! Erica!” He called her name again and again.
The ice cracked loudly around them.
Melissa slid over to Luke and lay beside him. “Where is she? Why doesn’t she come back up?” she cried in a high-pitched, trembling voice she didn’t recognize.
“Erica!” Luke cried. “Erica!”
“Look!” Melissa cried, pointing down.
At first, Melissa thought she saw a fish trapped under the thin sheet of ice.
The mouth appeared first, the lips slightly parted.
But then the nose appeared. A human nose.
And then two wide-open eyes.
And Melissa realized to her horror that she was staring down at Erica’s face. Erica’s face under the ice, pressed up against it, gazing blankly up at them.
“Why doesn’t she move? Why doesn’t she swim out from under there?” Melissa cried hysterically, gripping Luke’s arm. “Why is she staring up at us like that? She isn’t moving at all!”
“I don’t think she wants to come up,” Luke said quietly.
Melissa stared in horror at the unmoving, wide-eyed face staring up at her, pressed up against the ice.
Erica has been in a prison for a year, staring out at the world, Melissa thought grimly.
Now she’s staring up at us from another prison.
Raising her eyes from the ghastly floating face, Melissa was shocked to see that a crowd of kids had gathered around them. Hushed voices murmured all around.
“What’s happening?”
“Did Melissa fall?”
“Is someone in the water?”
“Did the ice break?”
“Go get help.”
“Somebody—get help!”
With a sigh, Luke backed up and climbed to his feet and helped Melissa up. He put his arm firmly around her waist and, holding her tightly, started to lead her away.
Looking down, Melissa suddenly realized she was gripping the red wig in her hand.
“Ohh.” With a near-silent cry, she tossed the wig to the ice, as if tossing away all the horror of the night. Then she buried her face in Luke’s jacket as they skated away.