Survival Of The Fittest

((Abby Floyd continued from Wasserweber))

In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

The verse echoed in Abby's head as they approached the overlook. It was one of her favorite Psalms, and it rarely felt so crystal clear as when she was standing here on this cliffside, headed to the shores of Lake Mohave. Even on the hottest days, the hour long trip was well worth it to see this gorgeous view. Her hand came up around her locket. Thank you, she thought as she closed her eyes to take a deep breath of that fresh, wild air.

She couldn't spend too long reflecting today, since she had company. Georgia Lee wouldn't be far behind her, so she turned to meet her with a grin. "Isn't it gorgeous?" The whole hour long trip had been Abby's idea to get them out of the crowded, chemical public pool that they always swam in, so she hopped that she liked what she was seeing. It was a big ask for both of them to clear their schedules and get out here, after all.

There wasn't too much reason to worry. It was a beautiful day, and there weren't too many people out, for once. They'd be able to find a quiet spot all their own to swim and chat for awhile, and she was already turning to scout by the time Georgia Lee made it up beside her. "How's that look," she asked, pointing to a bare spot on the near side of the lake. There weren't any groups nearby, and it looked like it'd keep the sun out of their sight-line. You couldn't ask for a lot more than that, in her opinion.

[Georgia Lee Day continued from Monsters of the Dark Continent: The Fauna of Africa]

Georgia Lee put a hand to her eyes, to shield them from the glare.

She hadn't had a particular problem with the public pool, and had been a little sceptical of this venture. Georgia Lee didn't mind the crowds, as long as they stayed out of the lap lane, and she liked being able to tell how far she'd swum. The chemicals in the pool, she suspected, were there for a reason, and Georgia Lee was somewhat apprehensive of the various bacteria and biting fishes that might be living out here in an unchlorinated lake.

Still, she couldn't deny it beautiful here, and she had earned a break. The last few days had been trying, to say the least. Confrontations with her peers seemed to be mounting around her, and she'd thrown herself into her study and her exercise to take her mind off of it, pushing herself harder and harder.

She'd complained to Abby that the lake would be useless for real swimming, that the buoyancy and the turbulence would be completely difference, and as training it would be meaningless. In truth though, she didn't mind this.

Today, she was just looking to relax.

"It is," she admitted. "It looks great."

That approval made her grin. She'd feel so guilty if she brought her all the way out here just to have a bad time, so at least the first impression was killing it. "It feels even better! And it won't leave your hair feeling all caked and stringy." Abby didn't mind mess or getting dirty, but the feeling that the pool left in her hair was the worst part of it. She'd be glad not to have to worry about that.

Her eyes found a path to take them down, and she motioned for Georgia Lee to follow her down. "Watch your step," she called cheerily, "it's pretty clear but sometimes folks kick rocks up on it and you don't wanna trip." They seemed to have picked a good day though, the lake wasn't exactly crowded. With renewed excitement in her step, she settled her bag up for the short walk down. Over her shoulder she could see Georgia Lee on the way down, and she smiled to herself. The sun and the trail both complimented her hair nicely. She looked stunning out here in general, not that she wasn't cute as all get out anywhere.

As they reached their spot, Abby set her bag down to make camp. They had towels, extra sunscreen, some water bottles, a few snacks, all the basics you'd need for an afternoon swimming out here. It'd be a nice little trip if things kept going their way.

In many ways, Georgia Lee knew, mental health was just as important as physical health. Maybe moreso, even. Certainly it was unwise not to take care of it.

Georgia Lee didn't believe in therapy, and she didn't believe in medication. She couldn't see why talking to some stranger would give her any sort of insight or assistance that she couldn't provide herself, and taking some drug to make yourself feel better seemed to her like the last refuge for people who didn't have the strength to be better.

What Georgia Lee did believe in was behaviourism. She believed in reward to reinforce good behaviours, and she believed in punishment to discourage bad ones. When she slacked off or slipped up, Georgia Lee would go the extra mile with her exercise and study, as a form of penance. On the other hand, when she kept to her schedule and met her goals, Georgia Lee would treat herself.

This, today, was that treat.

She spread her towel out and sat down on it to remove her shoes. The sun was shining off of the surface of the lake.

Abby followed Georgia Lee's lead in setting up her towel and kicking off her shoes, then took the initiative to scurry off into the cool lake with a grin. The water was somewhere between cool and comforting in the mid-day sun, warmed just right for her tastes. She dipped down fully submerged to get the worst of the transition over with, before popping back up with a giggle. She glanced over towards their towels and waved at her companion. "Get on in here, it feels great!"

All around the lakeside were similar scenes of folks getting into the spirit. Little kids splashing, families taking picnics, couples enjoying each other's company. It was a heart warming place, really. It wasn't all perfect, mind, but she liked to see the good in it. Made her trip a little brighter, since she saw plenty of the ugly side of people at work. Here, she could indulge herself in some optimism.

"Give me a second you... you menace!"

Georgia Lee pulled off her T-shirt and wriggled out of her short, revealing her swimming costume underneath. She'd planned to lie out for a few minutes before jumping in, maybe get some of her book read, but she had to admit the water looked tempting.

It would be cold of course, she knew that, but the cold didn't bother Georgia Lee all that much. When she was younger, she'd sometimes go to school in much the same clothes as she was wearing today, during the winter, just to prove to herself she could do it. She hadn't done that in years of course, that was an easy way to make oneself sick, but she doubted the lake would be anything she couldn't take. Not if Abby could tolerate it.

There were many words to describe Abby Floyd and almost all of them were positive, yet "hardy" was not among there number. Anything lower than lukewarm would have sent her friend screaming back to the shore, Georgia Lee knew.

She caught Abby's eyes on her, and gave the girl a smile.

"Just hold your horses while I get sunblock on, okay? Not all of us turn 'golden brown'."