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Noelle taps her hooves against the metal of the picnic table. The lake is flat like shimmering glass. She watches as Dess scoops Kris up under their armpits and tosses them in deeper with a shriek. They drop under the surface of the water only to pop back up, their hair flat and wet. Noelle sits on the top of the picnic table with Azzy, a book open in her lap, barely read. Dess throws Kris again. Water laps against the fine stones of the beach. She hears the rustle of Azzy's shorts as he shifts. Noelle feels only a little bit weird around Dess and Azzy since they started dating, mostly because they're both constantly waiting for a moment to slip away from their younger siblings. She misses them even though they're both right here. It's something she tries not to think about.
Kris bounds up to Dess and she laughs, then turns to walk back to shore. Noelle watches as Kris produces an impressive pout, to which Dess responds with one last throw and a quick shuffling step away from the ripples of their impact. Azzy stands before she's even on dry land. Of course. Noelle huffs. Dess is soaked. The fabric of her jeans drips pathetically into the grass. "Hey Ellie!" She barks, "I'm going for a walk with Azzy, make sure Kris doesn't drown." Noelle shrugs in response. Dess just snorts, then her and Azzy head to the forest, both disappearing into the brush far too quickly for Noelles comfort.
"Where're they going?" Says Kris. They'd toed off their shoes and were in the process of dumping an absurd amount of water from their sneakers.
"Probably going to do gross stuff," Noelle mumbles, closing her book around the bookmark that hadn't moved in the time she'd decided she was going to read. It was Dess' idea to come here today, and Noelle was never a big fan of the water, but she still wanted to be included.
Kris makes a face, then stuffs their feet back into their squishy shoes and joins her on the table, way too close. They're sopping wet. "Kris!" Noelle shrieks, pulling away as quick as she can. Not quick enough, obviously, as Kris wraps her in a big wet hug. She wriggles fruitlessly as their shoulders shake in silent laughter. "Yuck!" They finally loosen their grip and she pushes them away, hands making a gross splatting sound as they impact with their chest. They simply shrug. "Should've come in the water, then." A grin. "The lake missed you."
"Sure it did." But Noelle can't be mad. Trying to be mad at Kris is like trying to be mad at a cute little puppy, a little puppy who she knows means well none the less. So they sit in silence, staring out at the infinite expanse of the lake. Unthinkingly, Noelle asks, "Do you think there's anything cool on the other side?"
Kris scratches at their cheek. They'd pushed their wet hair back, exposing most of their face. Shorter pieces of it still hang in dark little spikes in front of their eyes. "Maybe. We should build a boat and find out."
Noelle can't fight her grin. "Out of what?" Kris shrugs.
"Wood. Leaves...Mud, I guess." They shift, resting an elbow on their knee and setting their chin heavily into their hand. "There's probably another town over there though. Maybe one just like this."
Noelle leans back on her elbows. The sun is just barely starting to set, tinging the world a gentle pink. "We should go when we're older. We'll build your boat and row it to the other side." It's a fantastical thought, one that has Noelle's chest expanding in glee. To be somewhere else, where no one knows her. She could be anything. How wonderful a thought. And to do it with Kris, no less. Even if they scare her on purpose sometimes, she knows that they'd always try their best to keep her safe. Kris turns to look at her now, smiling a gapped tooth smile.
They put out their hand and spit on it, then extend it to Noelle. It takes Noelle a moment to realize they want her to shake on it. "Eww Kris. I'll do a normal handshake."
Kris shakes their head. "It's not as big of a promise." Noelle huffs.
"Fine." She spits on her own palm, and very hesitantly, takes Kris' hand.
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Everything's bathed in a beautiful light. Orange and red and yellow, and Kris is staring at her unblinkingly. Noelle walks them backwards into the lake, and the not-Kris voice says exactly what she needs it to. It is Kris, but it isn't. It's their voice, same tone same pitch, but everything else is different. What they say, the way they say it. Proceed. The water's getting colder. Kris' hands are warm in her's. They're beautiful. It's beautiful. Noelle's never felt like this before.
Another step. Kris is bathed in a beautiful light. It reflects off the water and washes them in beautiful gold. They are taking her away. The shores of Hometown grow smaller and smaller behind them. Proceed. It's up to Noelle's shoulders. She watches a shiver run up Kris' spine.
Another step. Another. Their hands are shaking now and she grips them tighter. So small and frail. She thinks about the piano. She thinks about Dess. The corner of Kris' lips tighten. Their brows pinch slightly together. Proceed. They are under.
It's cold. It's so cold. They're both stumbling back now, weightless, until the ground disappears from beneath their feet. She thinks she says their name but she's not sure. Their fingers intertwine with hers and she squeezes. Through the haze of the water she sees their mouth open in a fit of bubbles, feels the vibrations of it's voice through the water and knows in her chest that this is it. The most wonderful thing. They are nothing. They are everything. She feels the water fill her. Her view is bathed in darkness. Kris is still holding her hands.