A Dip in the Lake PV Jax and Rayna Closed

'Challenge accepted' Jax thought. Pale fingers grabbed the necklace around his neck and pulled it over his head along with his shirt, revealing corpse white skin. Next came his boots and socks, which he carefully took off, wiping the soles of his footwear on the grass to clean them of any mud. They were all stuffed in his bag which he then proceeded to secure with an alohomora charm. He didn't trust those girls as far as he could throw them, and he couldn't throw them particularly far. Another gust of wind blew by, sending goosebumps crawling up his pale skin, hair whipping back in his face. "You said you're gonna, you gotta now," he announced, setting the bag at the bottom of a nearby tree, and starting to walk backwards towards the lake.

He was trying very hard not to shiver despite the icy cold air, bare feet landing on dead leaves and sticks, making them snap and crackle. Even the ground was covered in water from the night before. It had rained, turning the dry, cracked earth into a muddy mess. A muddy mess which was now sticking to the soles of his feet and toes. Unable to take the cold anymore, Jax turned around and started to run towards the lake with an unnatural sort of grace, his movement light and fluid like those of a predator. His feet barely touched the ground once he'd started to run at a reckless speed. The small boy reached the edge of the lake and in one elegant arc, he'd dove in, entering the water without as much of a splash.

Cold. It seemed to push down on his lungs as he swam down, gripping at his chest and squeezing. The lake water was full of plants and animals, leaves reaching up and caressing his bare skin, water soaking his jeans and making it hard to move.

Silence. It was the second thing he noticed. Everything was frozen under the water. It made sense. Far underneath the surface, so deep down he could just barely see the sunlight glinting over the water, all was quiet, nothing but the bubbles of air escaping from his mouth disturbing the deathly stillness. and maybe for the first time since coming to Hogwarts, Jackson felt...at peace. No more overwhelming noises, no voices shouting overtop one another, and the feel of bodies pressed against his as he tried to make his way down the overcrowded hallways.

A memory struggled to the surface of his consciousness. Mismatched eyes glowing, Jester's hand wrapped around his wrist. Laughter. There was a lake near their home, Jackson remembered with a small grin. They'd competed, who could hold their breath the longest. Jester had asthma, he'd always lost. In the near darkness of the lake, in the quiet and peace, Jackson found himself able to think again. It was only when the lack of air was burning him, when he'd gone nearly numb from the cold, that he made his way to the surface.

He broke through with a gasp, cold water streaming down his face, a shuddering cough overtaking him as he swam to the shore and dragged himself out onto the sandy bank. "Your turn," he wheezed, violent shivers overtaking him as soon as he was out of the lake. He didn't have the strength to stand up, let alone wring the water out of his hair and the bottoms of his jeans.

@Rose Moon @Rayna Jangnan

Rose hadn't expected him to actually take her up on that offer. Rose sighed as he stood up, hauling herself to her feet as well. She watched him as he ran toward the lake.
As he hit the surface, he seemed to stay under for almost too long. Rose held her breath as he held his, except she really didn't have to. They weren't good friends, but Rose still didn't want him to get hurt- she didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her.
And lo and behold, he came back up.
She let out a breath, and pulled her sweater up over her head, pulling down the thin black t-shirt that was under that with her other hand. She set it on her converse nearby.
As breeze passed by, goosebumps passed over her arms. She sighed.
She was about to dash toward the lake, but then Rayna did. She had just said that it was stupid- accompanied by a "no."
Rose watched her come out of the water.
And ran. The mud squelched under her feet as she ran towards the lake, the black lake that promised to be colder than ice.
And it was.
Rose hit the surface with a small splash. The cold was suffocating, if the lack of air wasn't already. Rose almost screamed- though she couldn't remember the last time she had really screamed. For a second, which seemed like a million, it was silent. It was almost peaceful down there.
Rose loved the water- it made her feel like a graceful ballerina, when she tripped over her own two feet sometimes. She loved the way everything became slower underwater- a blink, a smile, a motion.
Honestly? She had kinda been wishing to see the giant squid. Ever since she heard about him, she wanted to see him. It was probably a good thing, but it disappointed her, to some degree.
But then, she pulled herself up out of the water, gasping as she cleared the surface, more about the cold . She tugged herself out of the water, until she could stand in the water, and then on dry(ish) land. She then collapsed on the sand next to Jax, taking big deep breaths. She was sitting up right, not down like he was, and she laughed- at herself, mostly. It was a warm laugh, and she wasn't making fun of Jax- that much was clear. "That was so stupid," she murmured. "Are you-" she panted. "Are you okay?" her skin was screaming for her warm sweater to be around her, she longed for it, she wanted to know if Jax was okay. She pulled air in and pushed it back out.
She pulled herself up to her feet, even though she wanted to curl into a ball and tuck her entire body into her t-shirt. She held her hand out to Jax, just in case he wanted or needed help getting up. "Do you want... help?"
Her hair was slicked back, and the strands weren't full and thick like normal, but were straight and clumped together, as well as several shades darker than it normally was. Water was still dripping down her face, and her shirt was clinging to her body.