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Holly released the wheel and dashed to him, taking a hold of his arm.  With as much strength as she could muster, she pulled him toward her.  He tumbled into the boat, landing squarely on top of Daniel and gasping for air. 
    Zack met Holly’s horrified gaze.  “Get us the heck out of her!” he cried.  “Can you drive the boat without me?”
    She nodded and returned to the wheel.
    Holly glanced back at Daniel.  He was sobbing.  “Did you … see her, Zack?  Did you … see her, too?” 
    Holly pushed the throttle and set them on course for the dock.  What had the two guys seen? she wondered.  What could have possibly taken hold of Daniel and the tube, to have caused it to tip on its side, and to cause it and Daniel to tremble with the fight of staying above water?
    “Zack!” Daniel implored.  “Am I crazy?  Did that just happen?”
    “Buddy, it happened,” he said, pulling his best friend toward him and wrapping a protective arm around him.  “It happened all right.  I was there.”

Chapter Five
     
    Holly motored toward the dock, and then cut the prop, allowing the wind to drift the boat alongside the dock as David had taught her to do.  Holly realized she hadn’t put the bumpers on the boat, scolded herself for a second or two, and then forced away the thought.  Extenuating circumstances had prevented her from following exact boating protocol.
    It was Niqui who jumped out of the boat and received the rope Holly tossed to her.  She tied up the boat, and then received the second rope, which she also secured to the dock.
    “Kendall, can you pass me those bumpers?” Holly asked.
    “What are bumpers?”
    “Uh, those white things,” Holly told her, directing her to them with a pointed finger.  “You attach them to the boat, to keep the sides from scraping against the dock.”
    “Oh, okay.  I’ve got them.”
    “I’ll take care of the bumpers,” Zack said, rising from the floor of the boat.  Holly could see he was unsteady on his feet, but he scooped up the bumpers and secured them to the boat anyway.  Once done, he dropped back into the boat and helped Daniel to stand. 
    “Zack,” Daniel whimpered, “I’m not crazy, right?”
    “No, buddy,” he soothed, “you’re not crazy.  Cuz if you’re crazy, I am too.”
    Zack helped him onto the dock, where he stood frozen with fear, searching the water with his eyes.  It was too dark to see anything, but his eyes remained fixed on the lake.  The group could hear the water lapping at the dock, since the winds had steadily increased, causing white caps to form on the reservoir’s surface. 
    Had the night gone differently, Holly was confident Niqui would have suggested a late night skinny dip.  Of course, she would have said no to the nudity part, but she would have enjoyed a swim.  Now, she wasn’t certain she would ever stick a toe back in that lake.  Reservoir .
    “Niqui, Kendall, can you get Daniel inside?” Zack asked.
    “We’ve got him,” Niqui told him.  “What about you two?”
    “We’re going to secure the boat, and then we’ll be right in,” Zack told her.  “Get Daniel a glass of water, okay?”
    “You got it,” Kendall said, casting Daniel a worried glance. 
    Would Daniel be all right?  It was a question they all wanted answered.
    Once the others were gone, Zack turned to Holly.  Despite the rapidly darkening evening, she could see the confusion in his eyes.  “Holly, I don’t know what happened back there.”
    “I … don’t know either,” she admitted.  “But the truth is, I’d like to get off this dock and away from this water.” 
    “You and me both,” he said, shooting a glance at the shallow water on either side of them.  “First, we have to deal with the boat.  Do you guys leave the vests in the boat overnight?”
    “No.  David is afraid someone will steal them.  We pretty much take everything out and button it down.”
    “Can we let it go for once?” he asked, but