swim towards the deeper end of the lake. In the distance I can spot Reggie and David. They're above the water now, sitting on some kind of flat land mass that shimmers in the sunless light, laughing and shoving each other. It's strange to see them get along so well, but then again, they share one very important thing in common: Xavier.
And also, I'm starting to realize, me.
My magic is the thread that binds these three strange men to me. For a while I wondered if the artificial bond I created between us was all that made me attracted to them, and vice versa. But now that my magic is gone, the attraction still remains, solid and brightly shimmering in my chest.
Maybe it was real all along.
We swim to the island in the center of the lake. As I pull myself up to it, a strange sort of feeling settles in my stomach. Reggie is laughing, his mouth wide open, chest shaking with amusement. I lick my lips and taste the water of the lake dripping down into my mouth, sweet and pungent, thick like syrup.
That isn't water.
It felt like water as we swam through it, though.
My mind tries to work out the puzzle, but I find I can't concentrate for long. Xavier lifts himself up onto the rock beside me. As his chest ripples and his muscles flex, saliva gathers in my mouth, and wetness pricks between my thighs.
"You're so fucking hot," I blurt out, blinking as the words leave my mouth. "Every time I look at you I want to fuck you." My gaze goes to Reggie, who's still grinning like a jackal, and a surprisingly happy-looking David. "You guys too. I want to fuck you so much. But I don't even know how that would work."
"We'd just take turns," David says, snorting in amusement. "Unless you think you could take three dicks at once. Hey—that's an idea."
Reggie guffaws. "Fuck no! I'm not fucking a girl while my brother has an erection."
"Same." Scooting close to me, Xavier leans forward and stares into my face, his eyes wide like an owl's eyes. "I want to fuck you too."
I swallow the sweetness in my mouth. Suddenly I feel thirsty, so I lean forward to dip my hands in the lake water. It feels cold and light in my hands. As I bring it to my mouth and let it run past my lips, it becomes something thick and heavy, floral and sweet at the same time. I drink and drink until my throat feels slick with the stuff. It settles in my stomach slowly. Warmth suffuses me, and I feel a sudden lightness, as if everything is going to be okay.
Everything is going to be okay.
I can feel it in my bones. My mouth opens wide on a smile that turns to a laugh that turns to a guffaw. David's hand drops on my shoulder, and he starts laughing too. We chortle and chuckle and giggle until I start to feel dizzy.
On David's other side, Reggie dives off the island and slices into the water like a fish. I watch his body move, thirst rising in me, a desire of a different sort. I feel David next to me on one side, and Xavier on the other, dripping water onto the strange island beneath us.
"Hey guys," Xavier says, his voice coming as if from far away, "do either of you feel... funny?"
"No." I turn to David and take his face in my hands, leaning forward to kiss him until heat flares in my stomach. Then I turn to Xavier and press myself against him, my white blouse sticking to my body. "I feel fucking amazing."
"Huh." Xavier stares down at my lips; David puts his hand on my waist and tugs me to him. "Thinking about it, I feel pretty fucking amazing too."
David leans forward to press kisses against my neck. Shivers trail my skin everywhere his lips touch me. "Isn't it great that we got home so easily?"
"It is," I agree, looking up towards the blue sky, the hot sun. "I'm so glad to be back on Earth. Let's celebrate."
Xavier says, "A party does sound nice. Especially now that we're home. I feel like there was something we meant to do... something important that we had planned. But it can't matter much. Not when I feel this great."
David makes a sound of agreement against my skin. "I know how I want to celebrate."
"Yeah." Reggie's head pokes up above the surface