The B Girls - By Cari Cole Page 0,56

know how to suck the fun out of things," Jane said.

Mae shot her a look. "Get naked if you want. I certainly don't care. I just don't think it's necessary."

"I bet you were one of those girls who kept a towel wrapped around you at all times in the locker room."

"So? What's wrong with being modest?"

Jane snorted. "Nothing if you're a nun."

Lucy scowled at the two of them. "Ladies, now is not the time for arguing."

"We're not arguing. We're sparring," Jane said.

"And now you're arguing with me," Lucy said. She stuffed her jeans into her pack. "Let's go."

Jane shouldered her pack and took the lead with a lot of muttered "ouches" she edged around to the spot where the pool met the wall.

Lucy couldn't blame Jane for muttering, her feet weren't exactly happy to be tiptoeing over tiny pebbles and gritty, uneven rock without protection either.

"Here goes," Jane said and dipped a toe in the water. "Yow! That's cold."

"Just get it over with," Mae said from behind Lucy. "It's easier if you just plunge right in."

Jane took a deep breath and stepped into the pool. "There's a little pull," she said. "But it's not too bad."

"All that water is going somewhere," Lucy said. "There must be a hole in the bottom somewhere."

"I hope it's not big enough to suck one of us in," Mae said.

Jane continued to move through the water, steadying herself on the wall as she went. "Don't worry it isn't as strong as a good Gulf tide around your ankles. And I don't think it's going to get much deeper."

She made it across the eight feet or so of the pool, the water never rising above mid-calf.

When she stepped up on the other side, Lucy went next. She hadn't been kidding about the cold. The water was icy on her bare skin. Goosebumps rose over her entire body and she shivered her way across very glad she would have dry clothes and boots on the other side. Well, except for the still-damp seat of her coveralls.

Lucy slogged her way across and out. Mae followed behind and had a few shockingly graphic words for the cold water.

They used bandanas from their packs to dry off the best they could and hurried to get their clothes back on.

Dressed and relatively dry, Lucy looked around for the next passage in caving hell. This time it was easy to spot in the smooth wall of the room. She groaned. "I can't believe we went through all that and we're going to get wet any way."

Their path deeper into the cave was the passage carved by the water coming into the room and it was small, only about four feet by four feet. Lucy refused to consider the possibility it would shrink because the combination of water and confinement would surely send her over the edge.

"Let's see how bad it's going to be," Jane said.

Lucy followed Jane to the hole in the wall, dragging her feet and wishing they were back at the cabin drinking wine and celebrating victory. And if wishes were horses . . .

Bending down to look in the passage, Lucy prayed it wasn't going to be bad. It wasn't.

The water feeding the pool didn't cover the entire floor of the passage. It was a narrow ribbon snaking across the floor and appeared only two or three inches deep. If they were careful, they could stay dry.

The passage itself didn't get any smaller as far as Lucy could see--as far as the light reached--and it might have even gotten slightly larger.

"I'll go first this time," Lucy said.

"Lead on MacDuff," Jane said.

Mae gave Lucy a quizzical look. "Are you sure?"

Lucy nodded. "This section doesn't look so bad." She stooped and waddled into the passage. At least it was a little wider than the crack of doom.

After a five minute waddle with Jane and Mae following behind her, the ceiling disappeared above Lucy's head. The passage turned into a vertical shaft. Water cascaded down one side, more of a runnel than a waterfall, but she had another brief thought about rain. She tilted her head back to see how high they were going to have to climb. It looked to be about fifteen feet of another fairly easy climb.

Jane and Mae crowded in next to Lucy and added their lights to hers.

"You still have enough rope?" Lucy asked.

Jane nodded and her light bobbed along. "Sure. I'll go up first and tie off a line for you and Mae."

Lucy started to protest