This One Is For Twinkie.

Grim stretched out on a raft, floating, though still tied to the dock. Her eyes were closed, hands behind her head with ankles crossed. Today she had left her trench coat and army boots on shore, unneeded for her little try at vacation. So far, she was pleased.

Not many people were on this little part of the world, which eased the traffic polluting her head. It was fairly private, she didn't get many stares, and, though she couldn't burn or tan, she was enjoying the sun.

Grim's skin was pale enough that it almost reflected the sun, making her seem to glisten. The black she wore was tight, but it was just as comfy as her own skin, not getting too hot or sticky.

If she were to open her eyes, instead of their normal black or red, today they were as blue as the ocean, almost a turquoise-y green. Her lip ring was still wound through her lip, which she now twisted around with her tongue out of habit.

so take a listen while we glisten in the summer weather, we got the wine we just shake, shake, make it better...

Sterling stood on the edge of the dock, toes dangling over the edge. The water was a cool blue and as still as glass. She watched her reflection, the light green of her swimsuit easy to find in the clear water.


Today was a particularly warm day, and there was no wind, not even a slight breeze to cool down in. Sterling had already made up her mind that she was going to get into the water and nothing was going to stop her, not even Grim.


Replaying the promise she made to herself she took one last glimpse of the water, imagining how cold it would be. Then she slowly took three steps back, careful not to make a sound. With a last glance towards Grim, who was still sun bathing motionlessly on the raft, Sterling took off the dock at a run. She jumped as far as she could. "CANNON BALL!"

Rocketing into the sky, raven wings erupting from her back at just the right moment as to not get splashed, Grim laughed evilly.

Flapping her wings slowly, just enough to keep her in the air, she let her feet dangle high in the air, arms crossed over her chest. She stuck her tongue out at Sterling, a childish gesture.

Sterling must have forgotten; Grim could hear her thoughts. And not only hers, but everyone's within a mile of Grim. It wasn't the most pleasant of all things, but she could block it out pretty well. The pureness and truthfulness of the thought would depend on how close the person was; Sterling just happened to be close enough that Grim knew what she was planning before she did it, which gave her extra time to plan a reaction.

"Missed me." Grim said quietly, not caring if Sterling heard her or not.

She was now emersed in water. She opened her eyes and with her feet felt around for the bottom. Her right foot found a rock and she used it to push herself back up the surface.

Sterling floated to the top just in time to see Grim stick her tongue out at her.
"Dang, I forgot you could read minds! Well, try and escape this!" she smirked.

With a swift flick of her wrist she sent a small ball of water only about the size of a basketball into the air. It flated through the air towards it target effortlessly. She was going to get Grim, that was a promise.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." With a shove from her wings, the water below her spread out as Grim shot into the air. Fainting to the right, she corkscrewed in an arc before diving into the lake headfirst.

Just before her fingers, stretched above her head, touched the water, Grim retracted her wings, entering the water with barely a ripple.

Grim grinned to herself underwater, touching down on the botton and sending up a cloud of soot. She began walking towards the dock again, not needing air and not floating to the top.

I've got plenty of time to waste on you....

"Ha, and then it wasn't even me that got her wet." She sighed.
Actually Sterling was quite pleased with this result, now she didn't have to waste all of her energy on trying. The only thing she was upset about was that it wasn't as much fun as she thought trying to soak Grim would be.

She dipped her head under the water and began to make her way back to the dock. At first the water felt good on her hot skin; now she was freezing. She pulled herself onto the dock, and walked towards shore to grab her towel, with every step leaving dozens of water drops on the warm, tan, wood.

She wrapped herself in her towel and once again walked out to the end of the dock, where she sprawled out in an attempt to dry off.

Grim strolled along the bottom, taking her time. it wasn't long, however, before the ground started to slope up. Dashing foreword, Grim looked up.

Even through the murky water, she could see clearly. The dock, the raft, a shadow of a person moving along the dock, now, onto land...

Grin widening to include an evil of playful sorts, Grim pushed herself through the water, letting her mind wander into Sterling's, Grim's eyes seeing what Sterling was seeing.

Stopping just before she was visible from the top of the water, Grim steadied herself, then pushed off, wings exploding from her back as she tore through the water, aiming right at Sterling, scooping her up and plumeting back into the water in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly being lifted off the ground, Sterling tried to take one last gasp of air, but it was too late. She filled her lungs with water. Kicking and screaming she tried loosening Grim's hold on her. She twisted and flailed in the water.To her it felt as though a few seconds were drawn out into hours. She was running out of time. Adrenaline kicked in and she made a quick thrust at Grims face with her fist. Allowing enough of a shock that she easily slipped free from Grim's grip. She opened her eyes and found that she was only a few inches underwater. Quickly she spread her arms and pushed herself up.

Between fits of coughing she outstretched her arms. The tips of her fingers brushed against what she recognized as the dock. Slowly she pulled herself closer and eventually up onto it.

She lay down on her stomach and continued to hack, with every cough spitting up more and more water until finally she could breathe again. She rolled over and onto her back, wiping the water from her mouth. Her eyes weren't open but she could sense that Grim was watching, probably laughing.
"What? Are you trying to kill me!"

Grim surfaced, eyes the only thing above the water. She grinned evilly at Sterling's coughing fit, ducking under slowly after another moment.

Sinking to the bottom, she realized it was going to take forever to dry her wings out again. Which wasn't going to be fun. This was supposed to be a vacation, not a soggy mess.

Oh, well. She thought. Pushing off the bottom again, she exploded from the lake in a rush of water and glee, rocketing into the sky, water raining down from her feathers.

"Great, just great." Sterling mumbled to herself. Sitting upright she realized that when she had been dropped into the water her towel had been with her, now it was at the bottom of the lake. She was thinking to herself:

This is what I get for trying to have a little fun? I get drowned? No towel. This is just great. Why does Grim always have to be such a bi--Uh oh, she's probably listening in.
Just then Grim shot out of the water.

"You know, you have a wicked sense of humor." Sterling grumbled.

Grim just smiled as she sailed into the air.

She would get Sterling a towel later. Grim sure didn't need one. The water slicked off of her leather clothing fairly easily, and her hair could be rung out and pinned up. Her wings were what worried her. The last time she had gotten them wet, full-on soaking messy wet, she had to blow-dry them for hours in a hotel in Denver. This time would be different, though, she knew, because it was always raining in Denver, where as here, it was sunny and hot. So she could deal.

Spinning up into the air above the clouds, not needing to breathe, she floated for a moment, hung in the air as if time didn't exist. The tops of the white fluff where different hues of pink, orange, and yellow, stretching on and on for ever and ever and ever.

If only life were this beautiful....

Sinking back down to earth again, she let her wings go their own way, fluttering like a racing heart. Aiming so she landed back on the raft, feet touching lightly, then colapsing gracefully on her back, wings stretched to either side. Crossing her ankles and slipping her hands behind her head again, she took a deep breath before closing her eyes.

You make me feel so untouched....