No Rain Shall Touch Me Again

“Grace has really taken her jealous little games to a new low. Now, she is even pretending to drown.”

Colin Mack carefully lowered Kimmy Ames onto the sofa in the staff lounge.

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it snugly around her.

Kimmy shivered. Her eyes looked teary.

“Colin, do you think Grace is mad at me? I’m such a slow learner. I still can’t get the breathing right, and you’ve had to stay in the shallow end teaching me.

“She looked like she was in so much pain when she fell. You should go check on her.”

Colin scoffed.

He poured her a glass of water and pressed it into her hands.

“You’re too kind for your own good. She has advanced lifeguard certification and can hold her breath underwater for three minutes. There’s no way she’d drown in a pool like that.”

Kimmy gazed out at the pouring rain.

“Colin, it’s raining so hard. Are you sure Grace is okay?”

“Let her stay in the water for a while. Maybe she’ll finally learn her lesson.”

My spirit hovered above them, quietly taking in the scene below.

Then, the system’s emotionless voice spoke.

“Host, the male lead has now abandoned you for the fifth time. Your vital signs have ceased. The soul-transfer process is ready. Would you like to proceed with the soul transfer into a new host body now?”

Colin gazed tenderly at Kimmy, just as he had once gazed at me.

My lips curled into a bitter smile.

“I want to wait. I should at least stay long enough to see myself buried.”

The door to the staff lounge swung open.

Jason Obst walked in. His lifeguard uniform was dripping wet.

“Colin, everyone has been cleared out of the wave pool, but Grace still hasn’t surfaced. The current is pretty strong in the deep end. Should I go and look for her?”

Colin slammed his glass down on the table.

“Jason, what have I always taught you? A lifeguard’s attention should be on guests who actually need help. Is Grace a guest? She’s a certified lifeguard. She can make it to the edge of the pool with her eyes closed.”

Jason scratched his head. He looked uneasy.

“But the wave machine came on without warning, and Grace fell right into the center of the current. What if something’s happened to her?”

“What could possibly happen to her?” Colin cut him off sharply.

“She knows she’s a strong swimmer, and she’s using that to pull this ridiculous stunt for sympathy points. Does she expect everyone in the park to drop everything and fuss over her?

“Leave her alone. When she realizes her dramatics aren’t getting her anywhere, she’ll get out on her own.”

Kimmy gently tugged at Colin’s sleeve.

“Colin, don’t be angry with Jason. Grace has always been too proud to admit when she needs help. What if she has a leg cramp?”

Colin took Kimmy’s hand. His voice immediately softened.

“Kim, stop making excuses for her. She’s unbelievably petty.

“All I did was give you a few private swimming lessons after work, and she went around telling our coworkers that you were trying to steal another woman’s boyfriend.

“She’s now pretending to drown in front of everyone just to scare you. She can’t stand seeing anything go your way. I’m putting a stop to this today. She needs to learn when enough is enough.”

Jason sighed and turned to leave.

Colin’s phone suddenly rang.

It was the shrill emergency alert from the heart-rate monitor worn by park employees.

My name flashed across the screen.

[Heart rate: 0]

Colin glanced at it for only a second before offering a mocking smile.

“She’s really outdone herself this time. She must’ve taken off her monitor and thrown it into the pool just to make me give in.”

Without hesitation, he dismissed the alert.

Then, he blocked all further notifications from my monitor.