Cindy was turning to check on Joni when she slipped. Instinctively, her right hand shot out and grabbed a thick branch. It must have been dead and dried. It snapped, and she was falling. For the tiniest instant, just before the icy water engulfed her, Cindy thought she felt Bala's fingers touching her wrist.
Oh, God, no!
The cold was black and strong. She was going down and being swept backward. The fall had caught her without a solid breath. Her lungs screamed for air. She flailed blindly with her arms, her flesh cringing in the grip of the current. Her leg slapped a rock, then another. She kicked unpward. Her head broke the surface.
"Alex!" Cindy screamed.
Spellbound by Christopher Pike