I gasped and pushed myself to my feet. If he noticed me there, he didn’t show it. I followed his gaze back to the pool and saw Vik and another boy bring Travis to the surface. He was still howling, and burgundy blood was streaming from his ears. They got him up onto the ledge, where he curled into a ball and began to claw at his own eyes. Three of his friends from the football team jumped to stop him, pinning him down, and Vik backed away in dismay as a crowd gathered from all sides. I saw Vik crouch at the edge of the pool and fish something out of the water. Then he seemed to look around amid the swarm of frightened people. He looked lost. I knew he was looking for me.

I turned my attention back to Riley. His gaze remained deadlocked on where Travis was, though there was no way he could possibly see him through the crowd. But if anything, the look in his eyes had become even darker. His lips were moving just slightly, as if he were whispering to himself, though I couldn’t hear anything despite how close I was.

What was he doing? What was wrong with Travis?

I looked back to the crowd. Someone shouted to call 911. I put a hand over my mouth as I drew in a gasp. I shook my head in denial.

No… it wasn’t possible.

I looked back to Riley. His jaw was clenched now, but his look was the same. I started to back away. “You…”

His head snapped in my direction and I bit back a gasp. But when his eyes met mine, the dark look was gone. It was only the usual glower of contempt that greeted me. He seemed to study my face for a moment, but only briefly, and then his lip curled into a disdainful sneer. He turned on his heel and stalked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Oh god. What was that?

“Andi, are you alright?” It was Vik, at my elbow.

I turned to him, suddenly trembling head to toe. His face was filled with concern, his warm ochre eyes pained as they took in my bemused expression.

“Here.” He gently wrapped his fluffy purple towel around me. “You’re alright, right?”

I tried to nod, but I suddenly felt on the verge of tears.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He put an arm around my shoulders, pressing the towel against my back. I tried to swallow what threatened to be a sob and dropped my forehead against the front of his wet shoulder.

He gently patted my back, his voice soothing. “You were only under for a few seconds. I saw the whole thing from the other end of the pool. I was on my way over, but then that… that guy dove in and dragged you out.”