Will stops in his tracks and spins around.“You only get this moment once,” he shouts over the sound of thewater. “When you step through here, you’ll see her in all herglory. The waterfall Kiagwa.”
I don’t know if it’s common practice to namea waterfall, but at this point, I don’t really care if it’s normalor not. My inner thrill seeker is about to burst out of my skin.Will motions his arm ahead, like a butler greeting someone in afancy mansion, and I don’t bother to hold myself back. I pushthrough the trees to the opening.
She pours over the cliffs, a natural beautyright here hidden away on St. Catalina Island. A light mist floatsaround her, ghostly and serene, as she plunges into a massivebright blue natural pool of water. She roars at us, somewhatinviting but also taunting. She knows she could destroy us, but shealso wants us to revel in her magnificence.
“Whoa,” Kaia says, easing up next to me.
I look down at her. “You’re really going todo this?”
She shrugs it off like it’s no big deal.“Yeah, are you?”
“Definitely.”
Chapter Seven – Kaia
Water ricochets off the rocks as we followWill through the caves behind the smaller waterfalls on our ascendto Kiagwa. I may have to bring my dad back here before we leave theisland this summer. He’d love to see this as a tourist. I don’tthink he’d be down with strolling through caves behind waterfalls,but nonetheless, he’d like it.
My calves burn as we continue up the side ofthe rocks, toward the top of the cliff where the water meets at apoint and rushes over. Kiagwa is actually scarier than I expectedit to be, but I don’t want to admit that out loud. High schooltaught me not to show fear, not to show annoyance or hurt. Ilearned fast and hard that the moment you show any weakness, peoplewill pounce on you like a lion, picking away at your soul like avulture, until only pieces of you are left behind for your yearbookphoto.
It didn’t matter if people said I was aslutbag whore who partied too much on weekends. I didn’t react whenI was accused of sleeping with guys I’d never even heard of. Inever cried when rumors tore friendships apart or resulted in ahorrible breakup that led to weight gain from ice cream intake.Okay, so maybe I did cry, but they never knew it.
So naturally, there’s no way I’m going toadmit to Dominic or Sloane that I’ve never jumped off of anythingother than my bed, and I’m not going to mention that the thought ofdrowning is rushing through my brain every 2.3 seconds. I can swim,which was required learning with my dad being who he is, but I alsoknow about currents and whitewash and pushing the limits. That camefrom Lessons From Dad 101 as well.
“Almost there!” Will shouts out from upahead.
Thank God. I feel like I’ve climbed MountEverest, or in this case, Mount Catalina. I should’ve draggedmyself down to the gym with Dad and Dominic, but who wants toexercise when you’re on a tropical island for a few weeks duringyour last summer before adulthood?
“You’ll want to stay on the rocks,” Willinstructs us, still yelling over the sound of Kiagwa. “It’s prettyflat but can be a little slippery. It’s an easy jump, though.Plenty of room.”
The louder Kiagwa gets, the closer I know weare to an opening. Soon we’ll be standing on top of her, lookingover the edge to the place where she plunges… and hopefully I won’tplunge to my death.
I wouldn’t mind chickening out in front ofSloane and her brother, but I’ve worked waaaay too hard to keep upa tough girl façade in front of Dominic, so there’s absolutely noway I can back down now. He can’t see me give in to fear.
I honestly didn’t think he’d tag along. Ithought he’d debate it back and forth for a bit and then eventuallydecide that it was too awkward or not really his thing and say no.What I didn’t expect was the actual adrenaline junkie inside of himto come frothing out like a grom in an empty lineup. Who knew hewas actually into this stuff? I didn’t think pretty boys were thistempted to play with danger.
Will looks back at us, and his mouth moves,but I hear no words. Kiagwa swallows all sound. He motions to theside of the cliff, where the rocks are jagged and slick but safeenough to step onto. Sloane follows him, and I trail along from thevery back.
My knees turn to cowards, turning intothemselves like they’re hiding in a dark closet from a childhoodmonster, hoping to blend into the shadows and not be caught. Iremember staying in a hotel with my parents as a kid, and my dadwas so stoked over the balcony with the beachside view. I ran outthere to join him, all hyped up on sugar and excitement, and then Ilooked down and turned into a puddle of jelly. My knees seem tothink I’m that same six-year-old girl all over again. If she couldsay something to me in this moment, I’m pretty sure it’d be, “Kaia,you’re stupid.”
In the distance, our towels are colorfuldots on the ground, staring up at us like they’re waiting for thisbig moment so they can embrace us again. I’d much rather beswimming around in that pretty blue water than shaking like awind-up toy from a million miles above.
Will wastes zero time. He shouts that he’llsee us on the other side before taking a flying leap off of thecliff, falling alongside Kiagwa into the great blue unknown. Asplash bursts around him, and seconds later, he waves up at usbefore swimming backward to get a better view for our descend.
“Here goes,” Sloane says, laughing beforespreading her arms and diving away.
It’s obvious that it’s just another day athome for them. Dominic looks over at me.
“Ladies first?” he asks.
I shake my head, but I’m hoping if he jumpsnow, I can turn around and find my way back down to solid ground.By the time they realize I’m not jumping, I’ll already have a headstart
