All he had was a moment. One fleeting second to watch her take a breath. That was all it took for him to know.

Swift as he was to take a breath of his own, it was knocked out of him but a moment later when Mable charged forward and crashed into him. He felt her arms encircle his waist as they fell, plummeting the few treacherous feet back into the water – and instinctively he threw his arms around her shoulders in turn, holding her close, lest she fall aside and get hurt on the rocks.

How cold it had been when it reached only his knees, and how much colder it was when the water swallowed him whole. It was freezing! Bone-chilling! It felt like a breath of fresh air, fed into his lungs after his old doubtful breaths were knocked free.

Her laughter was muffled, distanced from him by a watery barrier. When Malachi lifted his head out of the water – eyes wide, black hair dripping wet where it clung to his face – he fixed Mable with a shocked look.

Then he laughed.

And he laughed some more, delightedly splashing a small wave at the girl that, due to her close proximity, ended up splashing back at him as much as it did her.

“Is that what I get for telling you to hold onto me?” he teased, “your brother is the one that needs water, I am quite tall enough!”