~Aria's POV
The ground beneath me was cold and slightly damp, seeping through my clothes, but I did not move. The lake lay stretched out in front of me, wide and quiet now that the rain had stopped. The surface barely moved, only small ripples spreading now and then, catching the faint light from the sky. The air smelled clean, sharp, like wet earth and leaves.
And then she was there. Not really. But in the way memories work.
I saw Elena the way she used to be. Barefoot, hair loose, sitting at the edge of the water with her dress pulled up to her knees. She would laugh when the cold touched her skin, pulling her feet back and shaking them, then trying again like she was daring the lake to do its worst.
