Raven knows how to swim, granted she isn't a strong swimmer but she can swim just fine. She never imagined that she would need to swim for her life though. It was supposed to be a fun albeit awkward time with old friends and past demons.
It happened when she was invited to go to the beach by her friend along with their former high school classmates. Raven was unsure if she would be comfortable with her former classmates/bullies but she really didn't want to pass up such a wonderful opportunity to spend her remaining 3 days of PTO (paid time off) points especially since it was so close to the new year already and they were gonna expire soon. It took 2 free dinners from her friend and former classmate, Mae, and some begging before she accepted the invitation. " It was Chashu Ramen from my favorite Japanese restaurant... what was I gonna do reject it and miss free expensive Ramen!!! No way in heck would I ever do that.... Hehehe, although now that I think about it, wasn't that too cheap to sell my soul for?!"
Yes, Raven said soul, why you may ask, well never underestimate how fast social interaction can drain an office workers soul, lets not take into account how much Raven hates awkward social interaction and being with former classmates who happen to have been your bullies weeeeellllll.... lets just say that has surpassed being awkward. With this, another question may have already come to mind, "Why would she even consider, never mind accept an invitation to hangout with her former bullies?", well that is because of free food and drinks and Raven doesn't have to pay for accommodations nor for transportation, the perks of being friends with a rich friend who has their own small business! It may not seem much, but an office worker's salary isn't worth much especially since Raven's mother keeps on taking on new loans and putting her down as a guarantor and when one debt has been paid another pops up. Its like a never ending cycle.
Anyway we've kinda gotten off track so let's get back to how our dear Raven died. Raven was invited and she said yes because free food... right? Right. So Raven has had 3 mocktails and 7 shots of Jack Daniels, because she didn't want to keep talking with anyone and it's easier to tolerate idiots when you're acting like an idiot yourself. Raven has a high alcohol tolerance but a low tolerance for idiots so when said idiotic classmates came over and started talking about "the good old days" Raven almost lost it and she had to leave the "circle of torture" and went to find her friend instead. Mae was nowhere to be found within their little gathering site and the beach area they rented wasn't that big and the other beach rental places along the same shore didn't allow crossovers to their part of the beach.
"Is it so hard to come find me and tell me where you were going to go Mae?!" Raven angrily whisper yelled to herself as she turned on her flashlight and went off to find her best friend in the slightly wooded area. Funnily enough the are was a small jungle and is named Lovers Tangle, because like the vines in the trees, lovers used to be found tangled up together. " I swear to all the anime Gods I know by name Mae, if I run into other people kissing and being lovey dovey I will curse your family's future generations" Raven thought as she traversed further into the little jungle that didn't seem so little anymore. Raven kept hearing moans and groans and she couldn't help but feel disgusted. " I mean come on people!! You can afford to go to a pretty pricey beach resort but you cant afford the effort or time to go back to your rooms to do the naughty tango?!" She can't help thinking if this was a kink for some people or maybe they got off on the possibility that they could be caught by anyone at any time. Raven was cut off from her thoughts when she heard a male voice yell at her
"Hey!! turn off your flashlight don't you know where this is?!"
Raven replied angrily and with a bit of embarrassment while pointing at the direction where the voice came from "Yeah actually I do know where this is! This is a freaking jungle, Mister I'm too broke to afford a proper room for my date! And another thing this whole "were outside so you better keep quite or we'll get caught thing" is really cliche and unsanitary", so if I were you I'd take my date and go back to the resort cause my date deserves better than this!" She didn't know where she had gotten her courage from but she liked being able to tell someone off (the courage was most probably from the 7 shots of Jack Daniels.) (Author note: JD isn't supposed to be taken as shots it is a sipping drink, especially if it is served in normal glasses and not shot glasses)
With that she stormed off and out of the little jungle. Raven didn't know where else she could look for her friend but going back to Lovers Tangle is no longer an option. Raven went to check the little boat rental place nearby. It wasn't really little but a full on store but it was managed by a warm and kind old man and his grandson so it felt homely and not at all like the big store it is. She went to this store specifically since her friend was making goo-goo eyes with the old man's grandson earlier and Raven thought that maybe they were here spending time with each other or something. Don't get it wrong, Raven isn't bitter about love, she just doesn't get it. It feels like the concept of love is at the tips of her fingers but is also eons away. She doesn't fear commitment but she fears that what if she becomes the problem in the relationship, what if she starts to fall out of love with her lover but she can't get out of the relationship since it's come to far. She was once again interrupted with her heavy thoughts when she heard an
"Ahem.....hem" a raspy old voice uttered loud enough to snap Raven out of her sinking thoughts.
"Ah Y-yes?!" She stuttered aloud, standing at attention as if it were her supervisor who was in front of her.
"Did you need something little bird?" The old man, Earl asked while trying not to laugh out loud.
"Jeez Earl, how could you scare me like that!"
"I was just trying to get your attention little one... HaHa...I didn't HaHaHa think that it would startle you so much HaHaHa" Ear tried to explain with a straight face but he couldn't help himself anymore and just burst out laughing.
"Haha, laugh it up old man..." Raven says while she rolls her eyes at Earl in exasperation.
"Alright... alright, I've had my fun already hahaha.... Now what is is you need little bird?" The old man asked. Raven looked up at him, because yes Earl is taller then her by a full foot at roughly around 6 feet.
"Hey old man, is your grandson still here? Or did he and Mae go somewhere else?" Raven asked with slight tilt to her head as she asked Earl.
"Hmmm... I can't seem to recall if your friend was the one Jay went out with earlier, but if you're looking for him you can check the jumping cliff a little ways past the little wooded area there" Earl points out to a cliff pass the "Lovers Tangle" jungle of to the side was a pretty high cliff and sure enough Raven can see her friend's iconic big red hat. "Also a little reminder to you and tell Jay and his friends too, tonight's a low tide and it has been the lowest that I've seen in all my years being a local and all that.... so do not go cliff jumping tonight, you'll just smash your little heads on rocks." Earl warned with a grim and serious face.
"Oh thank the anime Gods I found her" Raven sighs and after thanking old man Earl and promising that she'll make sure everyone gets back safely, she went ahead and around the little jungle and found the path to go up the cliff. While climbing up she focused her eyes on her friend's figure. Mae was with Jay and some of his other friends. They seemed like they were having fun and Jay had his arms around Mae and they looked like they were dancing, although it was hard to make out Mae's facial expression. Raven also noticed that Mae was kind of stiff, like she wasn't moving her hands much and it looked like her feet weren't moving either. It was like she was stuck in a pose and Jay's just moving her about.
Raven had a bad feeling about the situation but she forced herself to stay calm and just started running faster. She didn't see Jay's other friend with a video camera pointed at Jay. By the time she reached near Jay and his friends she saw him push Mae off of the cliff. She screamed and didn't heed any words coming out of Jay and his friends mouths, she didn't even think and just jumped after her friend.
If she had listened to any of the words Jay or his friends were saying she would have also heard her own friend's voice screaming at her to stop and telling her it was just a mannequin.
But she didn't listen and just jumped.
Raven could feel the rush of air going past her face. She tried hard to keep her eyes open. She stretched out her hand and just as she reached her friend she quickly went past her friends falling body.
"Eh?...w-what?!" She exclaimed in surprise. As her body was falling faster towards the rocky waters she tried to turn her body and saw the truth that she shouldn't have ignored earlier before she jumped. She saw the mannequin with a wig and her friend's big red hat on.
"Fucking hell" Was the last thing she could think of before she felt herself touch the water and the rocky bottom.