"I will do my best not to drown," Mathias promises and his gaze lingers on Veronica maybe a little bit longer than it should. She has her back to him, however, and he feels only slightly embarrassed when he finally looks away and follows her to the water.

Sitting down at the edge of the pool, Mathias looks briefly up at the waterfall, sometimes still scarcely able to believe that he lives somewhere like this, then slips into the water. It's cool and clear and he quickly ducks under the surface to wet his hair.