Skip lit some torches that were placed around the yard, and turned on the lights in the pool while turning off all the other lights in the back of the... house. The swimming pool, now empty of activity, was a calm, iridescent rectangle of blue-green liquid floating in the middle of the yard. The flickering light from the few torches, along with the reflected light from the water, cast shadows everywhere, dancing and playing across the furniture and bodies in repose around the property.Skip and. Alive. I scrambled to my feet and ran. Panic fueled me, and sweat lathered me. The sweat was so thick, it felt like foam on my forehead and my neck, dripping into my eyes and betraying my vision. I heard her behind me, the girl, branches snapped and the swampy ground sucked wetly at her heavy feet. I pumped my legs into their highest gear, hoping my years of track were finally going to pay off. Yet still she gained on me. I didn’t want to look back, told myself not to, but then apparently, at. “Mike, can you be a dear and stop by with some carbon paper and correction fluid from the office? I just did my hair and don’t want to go out with it looking like this in public.”I promised to be there in about an hour and hoped she was not in a mood for something more than a re-supply of office supplies. I knew that once she sat on my lap or started fooling around with my hair or ears, I would soon be “burying the salami” as deeply as possible in one of her available openings. I was on a tight. " Together?" I said. "Why?" Her decision came so abruptly after not answering my question."You wanted an answer." So you just said something?" I said frustrated."No. You can make sure they all hear the same thing. It wouldn't be good if you told Hannah one thing and Miranda another thing and Crystal something else." Would you be there?" What for?" she said"For support." You have to handle this." Yeah, you're right." Asking Erin to be there was a stupid, impromptu idea."Can I have your car?".